1.

INTRODUCTION

Appside Smartreader is mobile reading app that breaks with

convention and puts users back in control. It brings together
many features that have been on readers’ shortlists for a long
time. To give just a few examples:

• Smartreader is the first mobile reading platform that

features a full-fledged graphic file manager. This means you
can manage documents exactly as you would on any desktop.

• Smartreader opens up dictionary management to its users.

Import dictionaries of your choice directly into the app and
immediately access these from the reading view. No need to
exit the app! You can also plug in multiple dictionaries and
browse them side-by-side inside the reading view.

• Smartreader gives full control over user interactions

with the app. Record, filter, and export your notes, highlights
and dictionary searches as you see fit and go on to edit these
in any desktop or mobile word processor. Making summaries,
question sheets, vocabulary lists etc. (and sharing these with
others!) no longer requires any effort.

All of this comes inside a completely redesigned user

interface that cuts down on much of the clutter that typically
interferes with the reading experience on mobile devices. With
Smartreader everything you need is always within reach.
2. INSTALLATION

When firing up Smartreader for the first time, the app will
create a Smartreader folder on the hard drive of your mobile
device.

2.1 Smartreader folders on your device

The Smartreader folder contains four subfolders:

(1) Dictionary, (2) Docs, (3) eBooks, and (4) Web.

• Smartreader/Dictionary: This folder is where you can

store Stardict offline dictionary files. For more information on
dictionaries, see the Dictionary section.

• Smartreader/Docs: This folder is where you can store .pdf

and .txt files. Any files stored in this folder will be displayed in
the Docs library of the app.

• Smartreader/eBooks: This folder is where you can store

non-DRM .epub files. Any files stored in this folder will be
displayed in the eBooks library of the app.

• Smartreader/Web: This folder is where you can store

webpages (.html). Any webpages shared from a mobile browser
will be stored in this folder and displayed in the web library of
the app.
2.2 Importing files into Smartreader

There are three ways to bring (.epub, .pdf, .txt) files into
Smartreader:

1. Tapping the plus (+) icon on the top action bar of any
library will bring up direct file-import options.

2. Clicking on .epub and .pdf files inside your browser

(currently Chrome or Firefox only) will give you the option to
download the files directly into Smartreader.

3. You can transfer files directly into Smartreader’s folders

on the device using an external file manager. Note that in this
case, the app will have to be restarted before the added files are
reflected in the respective libraries.

2.3 Importing folders vs. files

When navigating your device-folder-structure using

Smartreader’s import dropdown menu, you can check both
folders and files. When checking a folder, Smartreader will
copy that folder together with any compatible files in that
folder into the applicable library. To import individual files
only, navigate down your device-folder-structure until you
can see the individual files you wish to import. Check the files
individually or make use of the check-all icon and press import.
When checking a folder, Smartreader will scan the contents of
that folder and inform the user when compatible files are found.
Note that this feedback is based solely on the contents of the
selected folder and does not include subfolder information.

2.4 Importing webpages into Smartreader

To import a webpage into Smartreader’s Web library, share it

from your preferred mobile browser by pressing your browser’s
menu icon, select “Share”, and tap the Smartreader icon.
Shared webpages are saved in Smartreader’s Web library.
3. THREE LIBRARIES

3.1 Library view – Supported file types

Smartreader is organized as a collection of three libraries: (1)

eBooks library (supporting non-DRM .epub files), (2) Docs
library (.pdf, .txt files), and (3) Web library (.html files).

Each library displays files located in the corresponding folders

of the app, and can be distinguished by the path located at the
bottom of the screen.

3.2 Library view – User interface

The library user interface comprises a top action bar with

several functional icons, a central area displaying files which
the user can browse via sideway swipes, and a bottom action
bar displaying a file path and file navigation icons.

3.3 Library view – Menus

In an effort to remove multiple menu sequences and eliminate

the need for numerous taps to access certain settings, all menus
in Smartreader—including those in the library views—are
implemented as transparent dropdowns. These can be called
and dismissed with just a single tap.
The library menus consist of the File-import dropdown menu,
the Sort dropdown menu, the Search dropdown menu, and the
General Settings dropdown menu.

3.4 File management

Each library functions as a full-fledged file manager, allowing

you to organize files into folders, and rename, cut, and paste
selected items. Tapping the plus (+) icon will provide a small
option menu including an option to create a folder. Long-
pressing a file/folder will select the item and bring up the file-
management icons in the top action bar.

3.5 Browsing files

Files in the three libraries can be browsed by swiping sideways.

4. READING VIEWS

4.1 eBooks reading view

4.1.1 eBook reading view – User interface

When reading eBooks (.epub files), tapping anywhere on the

screen will bring up:

• a top action bar with functional icons

• a top floating box displaying the title of the document
• a bottom floating box displaying the page numbers and
page-forward/backward arrows
• a bottom scrollbar, with functional icons

4.1.2 eBook reading view – Menus

As with the library menus, all menus in Smartreader’s reading

views are implemented as transparent dropdowns. These can be
called and dismissed with just a single tap.

The reading view menus consist of the Table-of-Contents

dropdown menu, the View-Bookmark dropdown menu, the
Search dropdown menu, and the General Settings dropdown
menu.
4.2 eBook reading view – Annotations

Long-pressing and dragging over a term/phrase will select it

and bring up the text-annotation action bar at the top.
You can choose to bookmark or highlight terms, perform
dictionary searches or add notes.

4.2.1 eBook annotations – Bookmarks

To bookmark a term or phrase, select it by long-pressing and

dragging over the text. This will bring up the text-annotation
action bar at the top. Select the bookmark icon to bookmark the
text. A gray highlight will be added to the text.

To view bookmarks, tap anywhere on the screen in reading

view mode to bring up the top action bar and select the view-
bookmarks icon.

To delete a bookmark, tap the gray-highlighted bookmarked

text. This will bring up a delete dialog box. Press OK to delete.

4.2.2 eBook annotations – Notes

To add a note to a term of phrase, select it by long-pressing and

dragging over the text. This will bring up the text-annotation
action bar at the top. Select the note icon to bring up a note
dialog box. Enter text and press OK. A sticky note will be
added to the text.
To view or adjust a note, tap the sticky icon to bring up the note
dialog box.

To delete a note, tap the sticky icon to bring up the note dialog
box and press the delete button.

4.2.3 eBook annotations – Highlights

To add a highlight to a term of phrase, select it by long-pressing

and dragging over the text. This will bring up the text-annotation
action bar at the top. Select the highlight icon to highlight the text.
A yellow highlight will be added to the text.

To delete a highlight, tap the highlighted text. This will bring

up a delete dialog box. Press OK to delete.

4.2.4 eBook annotations – Font size

To adjust the font size in eBooks, tap anywhere on the screen to

bring up the bottom scrollbar and tap the right-most font icon.
This will bring up a small eBook-specific menu allowing you to
adjust the font setting.
4.3 Docs reading view

When reading documents (.pdf files), tapping anywhere on the

screen will bring up:

• a top action bar with functional icons

• a top floating box displaying the title of the document
• a bottom floating box displaying the page numbers and
page-forward/backward arrows
• a bottom scroll bar, with functional icons

4.3.1 Docs reading view – Annotations

Long-pressing and dragging over a term/phrase will select it

and bring up the text-annotation action bar at the top. You can
choose to bookmark or highlight terms, perform a dictionary
search or add notes.

4.3.2 Docs annotations – Bookmarks

To bookmark a term or phrase, select it by long-pressing and

dragging over the text. This will bring up the text-annotation
action bar at the top. Select the bookmark icon to bookmark the
text. A gray highlight will be added to the text.

To view the bookmarks, tap anywhere the screen in reading

view mode to bring up the top action bar and select the view-
bookmarks icon.
To delete a bookmark, tap the gray-highlighted bookmarked
text. This will bring up a delete dialog box. Press OK to delete.

4.3.3 Docs annotations – Notes

To add a note to a term of phrase, select it by long-pressing and

dragging over the text. This will bring up the text-annotation
action bar at the top. Select the note icon to bring up a note
dialog box. Enter text and press OK. A sticky note will be
added to the text.

To view or adjust a note, tap the sticky icon to bring up the note
dialog box.

To delete the note, tap the sticky icon to bring up the note
dialog box and press the delete button.

4.3.4 Docs annotations – Highlights

To add a highlight to a term of phrase, select it by long-pressing

and dragging over the text. This will bring up the text-annotation
action bar at the top. Select the highlight icon to highlight the text.
A yellow highlight will be added to the text.

To delete the highlight, tap the highlighted text. This will bring
up a delete dialog box. Press OK to delete.
4.4 Web reading view

Currently released as a beta, the Web library stores webpages

(.html) for offline reading purposes, but does not provide
annotation tools. Users can download webpages to the web
library by sharing them with Smartreader from their preferred
browser.
5. HISTORY

Smartreader offers two options for saving user interactions

(notes, dictionary searches, and highlights) to your mobile
device.

5.1 Cached history view

Cached user history is saved on the reverse side of the reading

view of each file, and can be accessed by tapping anywhere on
the reading view and pressing the history icon located to the
left of the bottom scrollbar.
From the cached user history, users can revert back to the
active book/document by clicking the thumbnail at the bottom
left.
When accessing the General Settings menu from the library
view, users can specify which user interaction to record in the
cached user history view.

5.1.1 Cached history action bar

Tapping anywhere on the cached history view will bring up:

• a top action bar with functional icons

• a top floating box displaying the title of the document
• a bottom floating box displaying the page numbers and
page-forward/backward arrows
• a bottom scroll bar, with functional icons
The top action bar icons allow you to sort the history entries
by category and export them to .rtf format in the corresponding
library.

5.2 Export cached history to word-processor-

compatible file library

Tapping anywhere on the screen inside the cached history

view will bring up a top action bar with functional icons, first
among which is the export icon. Tapping the export icon brings
up a dialog, prompting the user to specify the preferred export
category. Pressing OK will save the specified user history as a
separate file inside the corresponding library.

The exported history file will be created in the library next

to the original file using the following naming convention
“[original file name].hist”, and be represented with a distinct
history icon. For further editing purposes, the history file can
be shared as an .rtf file with other apps by clicking the menu
button on the card containing the exported history file and
selecting “Share”. Alternatively, the file can be retrieved as a
an .rtf file from the corresponding Smartreader folder on the
device. The .rtf file format can be edited in most word-
processing applications (including MS Word and Apple’s
Pages).
6. DICTIONARY

Smartreader provides integrated support for online and offline

dictionaries. The latter category is fully customizable by the
user. Dictionary content is always provided inside the reading
view, removing the need to navigate outside of the app.

To perform a dictionary search when reading an .epub or .pdf

file, long-press and drag over a term/phrase to bring up the text-
annotation action bar at the top and tap the dictionary icon.
Dictionary content will be displayed sequentially in order of
assigned priority. Swiping up and down will show more content
for the activated dictionary, while swiping sideways will bring
up different dictionary content.

6.1 Online dictionary (Wikipedia)

By default, you can retrieve Wikipedia definitions for any terms

or phrases you come across while reading eBooks (.epub)
or documents (.pdf). Note that accessing Wikipedia requires
an active network connection. Wikipedia’s database is made
available in many different languages and Smartreader will
check the language database to which your Android device is
set.
6.2 Offline dictionaries (Stardict)

6.2.1 Offline dictionary (Stardict) support

Smartreader supports offline dictionaries in the Stardict format,

a widely-available open source dictionary format that can
contain both monolingual and multilingual content. Stardict
dictionaries are comprised of three files (.dict, .idx, .ifo) but
are often made available as .tar.gz, or .tar.bz2 files (collectively
referred to as tarball files), which are compressed folders.

6.2.2 Where to get Stardict dictionaries

Various providers offer dictionary content in Stardict format.

The easiest way to locate these is to do a simple online search.
However, before importing dictionary files into Smartreader,
always make sure the provider is a trusted source, ensure the
integrity of the files, and check the terms of use.

6.2.3 Importing dictionaries

Dictionaries can be imported in one of two ways:

1. Tapping the plus (+) icon on the top action bar of any
library will bring up an option to import dictionaries directly.
To import a dictionary, either check the three files comprising
the dictionary (.dict, .idx, .ifo) or check the tarball (.tar.gz/.tar.
bz2) file containing the three dictionary files. In the latter case,
Smartreader will automatically decompress the files before
loading them into memory.
2. You can transfer the three files comprising the Stardict
dictionary (.dict, .idx, .ifo) directly into Smartreader’s folders
on the device using a file manager. Note that you cannot use a
tarball (.tar.gz/.tar.bz2) file with this approach and that the app
will have to be rebooted before the added files are loaded into
memory.

6.2.4 Deleting dictionaries

To delete dictionaries from memory, remove the three files

comprising the dictionary from the Smartreader/Dictionary
folder on your device using a file manager and restart the app.

6.2.5 Deactivating dictionaries

Dictionaries can be temporarily deactivated (removed from

memory) from the Dictionary section under the General
Settings menu (accessible from the library and reading
view top action bar). To deactivate a dictionary, uncheck it.
Deactivated dictionaries do not display when performing
dictionary searches in the reading view.

6.2.6 Assigning dictionary priority

In the Dictionary section of the General Settings menu

(accessible from the library and reading view top action bar),
use the orange arrows to move dictionaries upward. If multiple
dictionaries are loaded, dictionary content is displayed in
the reading view in the order of priority assigned here, with
the dictionary in top position appearing first. You can swipe
sideways to browse the other dictionaries in descending order.

6.2.7 Dictionary fadeout

The Dictionary section of the General Settings menu

(accessible from the library and reading view top action bar)
also includes an option to specify the on-screen time interval
for the dictionary dialog box. If you wish to have the dictionary
dialog box disappear automatically, set the Dictionary fadeout
setting to ON, and specify how many seconds you wish the
dictionary dialog box to remain on-screen before disappearing.