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Show HN: Hyphen – A beautiful, powerful, and robust eBook Reader for iOS

34 points by mattcurtis 11y ago

pseingatl 11y ago
No Android version? Yawn.
- dang 11y ago
  Please don't be rude when people share their work on HN.
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Hey pseingatl, Android has MoonReader, which is nuts as it is! :P But who knows - it's not in the plans, but Hyphen may expand to Android at some point. I take it you're an Android user? :)
  - spinchange 11y ago
    As another Android user, this looks beautiful. Love that you focused on highlights/notes portability -and Goodreads integration to boot- but kept the UI so clean and minimal. Makes me miss iOS again. I would pay 2x as much for this on Android. Well done!
    - mattcurtis 11y ago
      Thanks spinchange, that means a lot!
kgarten 11y ago
Looks cool (just downloaded the free version and am playing with it). A tip for the free version specify what the limitations are more clearly in the description.
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Will do!
_ph_ 11y ago
Is it me or is it odd, that a reader called "Hyphen" doesn't seem to offer hyphenation? Especially as the screenshot shown on the page shows rather large spacing used for block setting the text.
- sirn 11y ago
  There seems to be Hyphenation support but not on by default. (I downloaded and tried.)
  - mattcurtis 11y ago
    There is absolutely hyphenation support - you can toggle it on or off in settings, but it is off by default.
    - lobster_johnson 11y ago
      It's odd that your first and most prominent screenshot has such bad typography: regulation the circulation. Bad typography is my main quibble with the Kindle app. It's been awful for years. Have you looked into a better flow algorithm, such as the Knuth/Plass [1] algorithm from TeX? [1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spe.4380111102/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spe.4380111102/ab...
      - mattcurtis 11y ago
        That screenshot has justified text, you can use left, right, and center alignments as well.
        lobster_johnson 11y ago
        That's not really a solution. That will create an awkwardly ragged right margin. Justified text is more readable and makes text look less messy.
LoSboccacc 11y ago
How does one define 'robustness' in this case?
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  I'm aiming for "strong and effective in all or most situations and conditions" :)
dombili 11y ago
This looks really good. I'm not reading anything epub length on my phone but if I were, I'd give this a shot. Big thumbs up for a great product page as well. So many people screw this up. Two problems I noticed with the website: - No way to see the price of the app without clicking on the App Store button. Maybe this was intentional? - "Personalize your reading experience" part has three different screenshots showing three different styles. White on black and black on white styles show the same part of the book while white on blue (is that the name of that color?) shows a different part. No one will probably notice that, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to point out. Any plans to make a Mac version?
- mintplant 11y ago
  > while white on blue (is that the name of that color?) I would call that "slate".
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Hello dombili! Thanks for the feedback. :) - App price not on site: Not quite intentional, no. I plan on changing that. - Screenshot inconsistency: Hmm. Oh - actually, that is the same part of the book, roughly, I believe the paragraph margins changed, however. Something to fix. - Mac version: Yes, actually. Right now I'm stabilizing Hyphen, but once I've done that and implemented Syncing, there will likely be a Mac version.
  - dombili 11y ago
    My pleasure! Great to hear that Mac version is a possibility. Is following you on twitter the best way to get notified about that? Good luck with the app, I hope it does well.
    - mattcurtis 11y ago
      Yes, @HyphenReader (http://twitter.com/hyphenreader http://twitter.com/hyphenreader) is the best way to stay updated.
sirn 11y ago
I tried the full version and like how the app looks and works so far. The app seems to support ePub3 also (Marvin only supported ePub2 and Gerty is too social to my taste.) I have few feedbacks: - I wish the page doesn't fade when switching chapters. It interrupted the reading flow more than quite a bit. - Would be amazing if the app could support CJK's vertical layout and page orientation. (I have never seen ePub reader app that did this right.)
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Hello sim, - I'm in the process of making more page turn modes available: https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/4 https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/4 - I'll look into CJK support. If you could offer examples of where you see it handled well, etc., that'd be great. Thanks for the feedback.
  - sirn 11y ago
    About CJK, at first I think there need to be a proper support for vertical writing layout and support for turning pages from right-to-left[1]. Hyphen currently seems to be handling vertical writing quite fine (but it is using default sans-serif font, which is less than ideal.) However page turning currently seems to be strictly left-to-right. One of few apps I've seen to be doing well is Kindle (but unfortunately not ePub) and Bookwalker (has their own file format, although also has partial support for reading ePub file). My current solution for reading Japanese ePub books is to throw them into Bookwalker… which is kinda like second-class citizen in the app. There are few public domain Japanese novels available in ePub3 format if you wish to have some sample (http://aozora.wook.jp/ http://aozora.wook.jp/ click on "ePUBダウンロード".)
    - mattcurtis 11y ago
      This is perfect, thanks! I've added it to the issue tracker: https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/9 https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/9
deft 11y ago
Wow. I've been wondering why an ereader like this didn't already exist. Gets rid of all the flashiness and chrome and colour. I hate ereader apps because they have so much going on, finally one figures it out. Well done.
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Thank you, I'm glad you think so. :)
JSnake 11y ago
Is there a way to import my iBooks library into Hyphen?
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  There is, sort of, but iBooks makes this difficult to all but the most stout-hearted. If you visit `~/Library/Containers/com.apple.BKAgentService/Data/Documents/iBooks/Books/` on your Mac, you'll find extracted versions of your `.epubs`, if you've downloaded them into your iBooks Library. The problem is, that in order to be valid ePubs they'd need to be archived again (as a .zip renamed to .epub, which is all ePubs are). Also, iBooks uses DRM on paid(?) books downloaded from the store, making this more complicated even then. So, yeah. I've plans for a desktop client that might make importing from iBooks possible/easier, but I'm a little afraid to go barking up that tree.
eps 11y ago
Matt, a bug report - http://imgur.com/QMDeGvr http://imgur.com/QMDeGvr Note where the charge indicator is at.
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Yikes. Is that an iPad Pro? If you could share more details that would be great. There's also the issue tracker you may be interested in: https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues
  - eps 11y ago
    iPad mini, iOS 8.3
    - mattcurtis 11y ago
      Hello! Quick question: what triggered this bug for you?
JohnnyDouglas 11y ago
Very nice. A few dollars well spent. Great experience on my 6S+.
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Thanks Johnny!
st3fan 11y ago
I really don't like how this app uses its own typography for the UI. Including wobbling bouncy menus. It just doesn't do it for me. I prefer consistency with other apps that I use.
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Hi st3fan, Sorry to hear that. What consistencies are you referring to?
walterbell 11y ago
How does this compare to Marvin, which was a decent successor to Stanza?
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  I think Marvin is great. However, imo, Hyphen differs quite a bit, and offers a more - deeper customization options, Goodreads integration, ADE pages, metadata lookup, emphasis on speed and ease, and so on. Take the free version for a spin and let me know what you think.
wodenokoto 11y ago
The only thing I miss in books is the ability to sync page turns in e-pub acquired outside of the app-store. How does this one do in that regard?
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  Syncing is not supported yet, but will be soon. Follow Hyphen on twitter for updates: http://twitter.com/hyphenreader http://twitter.com/hyphenreader

34 points by mattcurtis 11y ago

pseingatl 11y ago

No Android version? Yawn.

dang 11y ago
Please don't be rude when people share their work on HN.
mattcurtis 11y ago
Hey pseingatl, Android has MoonReader, which is nuts as it is! :P But who knows - it's not in the plans, but Hyphen may expand to Android at some point. I take it you're an Android user? :)
- spinchange 11y ago
  As another Android user, this looks beautiful. Love that you focused on highlights/notes portability -and Goodreads integration to boot- but kept the UI so clean and minimal. Makes me miss iOS again. I would pay 2x as much for this on Android. Well done!
  - mattcurtis 11y ago
    Thanks spinchange, that means a lot!

kgarten 11y ago

Looks cool (just downloaded the free version and am playing with it). A tip for the free version specify what the limitations are more clearly in the description.

mattcurtis 11y ago
Will do!

_ph_ 11y ago

Is it me or is it odd, that a reader called "Hyphen" doesn't seem to offer hyphenation? Especially as the screenshot shown on the page shows rather large spacing used for block setting the text.

sirn 11y ago
There seems to be Hyphenation support but not on by default. (I downloaded and tried.)
- mattcurtis 11y ago
  There is absolutely hyphenation support - you can toggle it on or off in settings, but it is off by default.
  - lobster_johnson 11y ago
    It's odd that your first and most prominent screenshot has such bad typography: regulation the circulation. Bad typography is my main quibble with the Kindle app. It's been awful for years. Have you looked into a better flow algorithm, such as the Knuth/Plass [1] algorithm from TeX? [1] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spe.4380111102/abstract http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spe.4380111102/ab...
    - mattcurtis 11y ago
      That screenshot has justified text, you can use left, right, and center alignments as well.
      - lobster_johnson 11y ago
        That's not really a solution. That will create an awkwardly ragged right margin. Justified text is more readable and makes text look less messy.

LoSboccacc 11y ago

How does one define 'robustness' in this case?

mattcurtis 11y ago
I'm aiming for "strong and effective in all or most situations and conditions" :)

dombili 11y ago

This looks really good. I'm not reading anything epub length on my phone but if I were, I'd give this a shot. Big thumbs up for a great product page as well. So many people screw this up. Two problems I noticed with the website: - No way to see the price of the app without clicking on the App Store button. Maybe this was intentional? - "Personalize your reading experience" part has three different screenshots showing three different styles. White on black and black on white styles show the same part of the book while white on blue (is that the name of that color?) shows a different part. No one will probably notice that, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to point out. Any plans to make a Mac version?

mintplant 11y ago
> while white on blue (is that the name of that color?) I would call that "slate".
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
mattcurtis 11y ago
Hello dombili! Thanks for the feedback. :) - App price not on site: Not quite intentional, no. I plan on changing that. - Screenshot inconsistency: Hmm. Oh - actually, that is the same part of the book, roughly, I believe the paragraph margins changed, however. Something to fix. - Mac version: Yes, actually. Right now I'm stabilizing Hyphen, but once I've done that and implemented Syncing, there will likely be a Mac version.
- dombili 11y ago
  My pleasure! Great to hear that Mac version is a possibility. Is following you on twitter the best way to get notified about that? Good luck with the app, I hope it does well.
  - mattcurtis 11y ago
    Yes, @HyphenReader (http://twitter.com/hyphenreader http://twitter.com/hyphenreader) is the best way to stay updated.

sirn 11y ago

I tried the full version and like how the app looks and works so far. The app seems to support ePub3 also (Marvin only supported ePub2 and Gerty is too social to my taste.) I have few feedbacks: - I wish the page doesn't fade when switching chapters. It interrupted the reading flow more than quite a bit. - Would be amazing if the app could support CJK's vertical layout and page orientation. (I have never seen ePub reader app that did this right.)

mattcurtis 11y ago
Hello sim, - I'm in the process of making more page turn modes available: https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/4 https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/4 - I'll look into CJK support. If you could offer examples of where you see it handled well, etc., that'd be great. Thanks for the feedback.
- sirn 11y ago
  About CJK, at first I think there need to be a proper support for vertical writing layout and support for turning pages from right-to-left[1]. Hyphen currently seems to be handling vertical writing quite fine (but it is using default sans-serif font, which is less than ideal.) However page turning currently seems to be strictly left-to-right. One of few apps I've seen to be doing well is Kindle (but unfortunately not ePub) and Bookwalker (has their own file format, although also has partial support for reading ePub file). My current solution for reading Japanese ePub books is to throw them into Bookwalker… which is kinda like second-class citizen in the app. There are few public domain Japanese novels available in ePub3 format if you wish to have some sample (http://aozora.wook.jp/ http://aozora.wook.jp/ click on "ePUBダウンロード".)
  - mattcurtis 11y ago
    This is perfect, thanks! I've added it to the issue tracker: https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/9 https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues/9

deft 11y ago

Wow. I've been wondering why an ereader like this didn't already exist. Gets rid of all the flashiness and chrome and colour. I hate ereader apps because they have so much going on, finally one figures it out. Well done.

mattcurtis 11y ago
Thank you, I'm glad you think so. :)

JSnake 11y ago

Is there a way to import my iBooks library into Hyphen?

mattcurtis 11y ago
There is, sort of, but iBooks makes this difficult to all but the most stout-hearted. If you visit `~/Library/Containers/com.apple.BKAgentService/Data/Documents/iBooks/Books/` on your Mac, you'll find extracted versions of your `.epubs`, if you've downloaded them into your iBooks Library. The problem is, that in order to be valid ePubs they'd need to be archived again (as a .zip renamed to .epub, which is all ePubs are). Also, iBooks uses DRM on paid(?) books downloaded from the store, making this more complicated even then. So, yeah. I've plans for a desktop client that might make importing from iBooks possible/easier, but I'm a little afraid to go barking up that tree.

eps 11y ago

Matt, a bug report - http://imgur.com/QMDeGvr http://imgur.com/QMDeGvr Note where the charge indicator is at.

mattcurtis 11y ago
Yikes. Is that an iPad Pro? If you could share more details that would be great. There's also the issue tracker you may be interested in: https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues https://github.com/hyphen-reader/hyphen/issues
- eps 11y ago
  iPad mini, iOS 8.3
  - mattcurtis 11y ago
    Hello! Quick question: what triggered this bug for you?

JohnnyDouglas 11y ago

Very nice. A few dollars well spent. Great experience on my 6S+.

mattcurtis 11y ago
Thanks Johnny!

st3fan 11y ago

I really don't like how this app uses its own typography for the UI. Including wobbling bouncy menus. It just doesn't do it for me. I prefer consistency with other apps that I use.

mattcurtis 11y ago
Hi st3fan, Sorry to hear that. What consistencies are you referring to?

walterbell 11y ago

How does this compare to Marvin, which was a decent successor to Stanza?

mattcurtis 11y ago
I think Marvin is great. However, imo, Hyphen differs quite a bit, and offers a more - deeper customization options, Goodreads integration, ADE pages, metadata lookup, emphasis on speed and ease, and so on. Take the free version for a spin and let me know what you think.

wodenokoto 11y ago

The only thing I miss in books is the ability to sync page turns in e-pub acquired outside of the app-store. How does this one do in that regard?

mattcurtis 11y ago
Syncing is not supported yet, but will be soon. Follow Hyphen on twitter for updates: http://twitter.com/hyphenreader http://twitter.com/hyphenreader