Port FBReader to work on ChromeOS

[goodevilgenius]

The App Runtime for Chrome allows Android apps to run in ChromeOS. This is already available on many Chromebooks, and some Android apps can already be found in the Chrome Web Store. The Google Play Store is also available on a select number of Chromebooks, with more to be added in the future.

I recently tried to sideload FBReader Premium on my Chromebook (a Lenovo N21). The app works pretty well, although there are a few issues.

• Without touchscreen support, navigation can be a little bit tricky. Better keyboard shortcuts would be useful. E.g.:
  • Regular keyboard navigation works on epubs, but only one line at a time. There doesn't seem to be any way to go a page at time without clicking on the screen.
  • On-screen controls are the only option for comic archives. Up/Down/Left/Right do nothing.
• FBReader Book Network doesn't seem to work properly. A toaster popup appears that says "INVALID_SCOPE", and then nothing. I assume this has something to do with Google Play Services. I'm not sure of the specifics, but there are apparently some additional requirements to make sure Play Services works properly on apps running on ChromeOS.

[geometer]

Wow, is Lenovo N21 in the official list of devices with Android Play support now? (I did not found Asus Flip chromebook to try.)

As for Google Play Services: thanks for the link. I think there is a temporary solution: In FBReader Settings -> About FBReader -> Developer options check "Force web auth" (added in 2.7.3 release).

[goodevilgenius]

Wow, is Lenovo N21 in the official list of devices with Android Play support now?

It doesn't have the Play Store yet (hence why I had to sideload FBReader), but it is on the list of devices that will get it later this year or next. I assume the lack of the Play Store has something to do with Play Services not playing nicely with the app.

As for Google Play Services: thanks for the link. I think there is a temporary solution: In FBReader Settings -> About FBReader -> Developer options check "Force web auth" (added in 2.7.3 release).

That did it! This is great. I don't have a tablet, so I've been mostly using FBReader on the phone. But using it on the Chromebook will be nice.

[geometer]

Wow, I just got Asus Flip, Google Play is available on the stable channel. The Google auth works fine. Yes, I confirm that more key bindings is necessary.

[JustThisGuyAZ]

I have an Acer Chromebook R11, and so far everything seems to work except for synchronization. I tried the suggestion above:

As for Google Play Services: thanks for the link. I think there is a temporary solution: In FBReader Settings -> About FBReader -> Developer options check "Force web auth" (added in 2.7.3 release).

but I still get the toast error: "Server connection failure. Please try again later" when I try to "Enable synchronization". Any other suggestions?

P.S. I love FBReader! Keep up the good work!