Tibetan On Nook Simple Touch

*** Any one with Tibetan Dictionary (editable), please ping me ***

Reading a book on a E-Ink based Ebook Reader is such a joy. I have a Nook Simple Touch and guess what I can use it to read Tibetan books as well.

In order to read Tibetan on Nook Simple Touch, you have to:
1 - Root Nook Simple Touch.
2 - Install Tibetan Font.
3 - Install Epub / Ebook Reader Application on Nook.
3 - Convert the text (Epub files) from Unicode to Precomposed Tibetan.

1. Root your Nook Simple Touch:

- Steps: http://www.the-ebook-reader.com/nook-touch-root.html

2. Prepair your system and Nook SRT (Simple Touch Rooted) for installing Tibetan fonts

1 - PC / System Steps:

  - Insatll Android ADB Tools and Check if nook is detected or not

  - Windows Steps
 http://jaxov.com/2010/10/set-up-adb-on-windows-7-vista-xp-for-android-phones/

  - Linux Steps
  http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1918512

2 - Nook STR Steps:

  - Connect Nook STR to system and launch terminal application

# adb shell
# su
# mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
# chmod 777 /system/fonts
# cd /system/fonts
# mv DroidSansFallback.ttf DroidSansFallback.ttf.bak
# exit

3 - Download Tibetan Font:

http://goo.gl/OSB38

Download Font and place it in the home / root directory. The font is actually Jomohari Font, I have renamed "DroidSansFallback" and fixed the permission.

4 - Write the downloaded font as the new fallback font on Nook:

# adb push DroidSansFallback.ttf /system/fonts/

* Do put the correct path of downloaded file.

3 - Install Epub / Ebook Reader Application on Nook:

1 - Download Fbreader:

http://www.fbreader.org/files/android/FBReaderJ.apk

2 - Install Fbreader on Nook STR by:

- Copy FBReaderJ.apk on SD card and navigate to the FBReaderJ.apk file using File Manager and select it. This will open a dialog box allowing you to install the app.

                        or

- # adb install FBReaderJ.apk

Restart the Nook STR.

Now your Nook STR is ready, go head and download two Epub files (Download Link) which I have specially formatted for the Nook STR. Please remember that you will need to launch the Epub files from the FBReader as default Ebook reader on the Nook will not render the Tibetan text.

There is not much Tibetan (may be no) content for the Nook. So you have to modify the existing Tibetan content for the Nook.

Steps for converting the text (Epub files) from Unicode to Precomposed Tibetan:

1- Get Tibetan content, make sure it is in unicode. You can use font like Jomolhari  to create the content or modify your self.

2- Convert the content from Unicode to precomposed Tibetan:

- You will need to download and use the BabelPad to convert standard Unicode Tibetan to precomposed Tibetan. BabelPad is a free Unicode text editor for Windows that supports the proper rendering of most complex scripts, and allows you to assign different fonts to different scripts in order to facilitate multi-script text editing.

- To convert the text from standard Unicode Tibetan to precomposed Tibetan. Launch Babelpad, paste text and right click
                   Convert > Tibetan > precomposed Tibetan (SetA)
                                             

3 - Now you can use any Epub creation software like Sigil to make a Epub file to view your Tibetan books on Nook. Please do remember that you can use a simple text file to read Tibetan books on the FBReader but with a text file you will not be able to bookmark etc..

                                                       ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I hope this small tutorial of mine helps in spreading the usage of Tibetan on Android devices like Nook.  Please do leave your comments and suggestions.

:::::::::::::::::::::: CREDITS ::::::::::::::::::::::::::

My gratitude's to Tibetan font experts Tom Meyer and Chris Fynn. Without there insights, I would not be able to render Tibet script perfectly on my beautiful Nook :)
Beside them, I would also like to thank Andrew West the creator of BabelPad. Lastly "Thank you China (or some Dep. in Tibet)" for there work on "precomposed Tibetan (SetA)".

Nook STR Screenshots