[New App] Mango - *free* OneManga comic/manga reader for BlackBerry

[juming]

Hope there is an Javelin version........

Originally Posted by Andiamo

Hey there everyone:

I've been working on this app for the past month and a half or so, posting my progress in the Apps forum. I can finally, comfortably say that the program is ready for a beta release, and so here it is!

Mango is a manga (Japanese comics) reader for BlackBerry devices. With Mango, you can read any of your favorite manga series available on OneManga.com over-the-air through your network's 3G or EVDO connection, scaled down to your phone's screen size and at significantly faster speed and better quality than the built-in Browser or Opera Mini. It's also a snap to zoom in to an image to read small text, all you have to do is double-tap the screen. And best of all, it's free.

Mango supports touchscreen gestures when running on a BlackBerry Storm; you can swipe left or right to switch pages, double tap to toggle zoom, drag your finger to pan around the image, and click to advance to the next page. A simple bookmarks system is also in place, allowing you to return to a specific page and chapter of a manga later on, and it's less cumbersome than using the Browser because you don't have to go through and delete duplicate bookmarks -- the app does this for you.

---

As this is a beta, there are a couple of things either missing or not completely working.
Known Issues/Missing Features:
-Feature: Save pages to your SD card as you read them, neatly organized into folders
-Bug: High-resolution images can be difficult to read when Mango scales them down to the phone's screen size. In the meantime, you can zoom in to read these pages.
-Bug: The "Find" field for the Chapter list does not work properly and is of limited usefulness.
-Feature: Request Cache Refresh function is non-existent, despite what one of the tips says.
-Bug: When switching pages, Mango will sometimes not scroll back to the top of the new page. I'm not sure why this happens only sometimes, looking into it.
-Bug: Under certain conditions (still don't completely know what they are), Mango will not create bookmarks properly and they will be listed in the bookmarks list as "Series Name [broken bookmark!]". Sometimes they will still work if you go to Menu->Open.

To-Do for next release:
-Fix issues listed above
-Menu item to jump to top or bottom of long lists
-Browse by Genre
-Recent updates screen

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Here's a couple screenshots:



OTA Download link:
OTA Download Link - Mango 1.0 beta (Storm)


Please post any problems you have with the app, as well as comments or suggestions; I will read and attempt to respond to all of them, and if I like a suggestion I will see if I can add it into the app!

Enjoy!

[werd10101]

i just want to say thank you soo much for this app! I love this app!

[trasggo]

i would love to test it but here in spain vodafone dont provide APN for 3g network

isnt there any way to use the BISB connection?

[Andiamo]

O_O

Wow. I totally did not expect such a positive reaction for this app. I mean, I didn't expect much of a reaction at all actually, I figured this would be a niche thing that would only appeal to a small amount of people. It's cool to see there are so many manga fans on Crackberry lol, and it absolutely blows my mind that it got front-paged on CB!

I truly appreciate all of the praise and the suggestions... I'm currently in Argentina right now so I won't get to work on the app for another couple days while things settle down here.

I know I've said this a lot, but I just want people to know, Bold, Javelin (8900 Curve), 8800, and 8300 Curve ports are expected to arrive within a couple weeks! This is not a Storm-exclusive app, all of the above phones have the same screen resolution as the Storm, except for the 8300.

Several things I've noted from these posts:
-I'll post an ALX/COD version for Desktop Manager installation soon.
-Bookmarking will be extended to allow bookmarking of just a series.
-Permazoom. Can't believe I didn't think about this.
-Last five recently read chapters.
-Recent updates on OM
-Genre browsing
-I will try to see what I can do about carriers that don't provide an APN, but don't get your hopes too high, unfortunately. :/

Anyway, thanks to everyone for chiming in, it's great to see my first BB app is being so well recieved. Keep your eyes open for non-touchscreen ports.


EDIT: Also, a small question to Mango users... how's the server holding up? Checking the access logs I see that I've gotten way more logins than I thought I'd ever get and the work the server has to do each time someone requests a chapter or pagelist is not insignificant. Has anyone noticed if there's been any significant lag/slowdown or errors from the server?

[Virgil52]

Unless I'm in an area with real low reception or when I'm switching from the last page of a chapter to the first page of new chapter, the speed is lightning fast. The longest I've waited was maybe like 10 seconds tops, mostly just a few seconds. Its fantastic really, I've been reading on my phone instead of my laptop because its just so convienent. Thanks again!!!

[Kayoukai]

This app is soo good! My girlfriend stole my phone for a few hours to catch up on some of her favorite manga.

So far the servers are holding strong, but periodically it'll take as long as 30 seconds to load a new chapter. Not horrible, and it happened so rarely I assumed it was poor reception or cloud coverage.

Can't wait till the next update! Keep up the good work. ^^

[Danferan]

First, I have to say that this is an AWESOME app. I read a lot of manga, and this is a lot faster than going through the site on a number of levels. Good interface, slick download times - just what a manga lover needs!

My only comments for improvement will echo others':

-Bookmarking a series rather than a chapter
-Bottom of page/top of page functionality
-Both portrait and landscape functionality
-Flick scrolling (not necessary, per se, but might be nice)

Once again, you're me hero. I love this program!

[Danferan]

Oh, yeah, and it's fast, too - no server issues with me.

[werd10101]

its fast and all in rendering terms, but in the terms of the new releases like naruto and bleach i noticed it wasnt up in the morning. how do the updates work with this app btw? not rushing you or anything, just a little curious.

[morama]

I have the 9530 on the Verizon network and when I try to use your app I get the following:

Error downloading page.

exception (class java.io.IOException): HTTP response Code: 413

URL:

I tried to view my favorite managa's which are:

Naruto

Historys Strongest Disciple Kenichi

Bleach

Rosario+Vampire II

Soul Eater

Please let me know if there is something that can be done on my phone. I live in NYC and I always have 3 - 4 bars for connectivity.


I tried uninstalling the app and I still have the same issue. I can sometimes view the first page and when I swipe to go to the next page, I get the error above.

[DjRicoRich]

i noticed that when u view the info on a manga you get its ranking. maybe have a top ranking list on the front page for ur next update if possible. this will help me and others see whats good cuz there is a bunch

also maybe have an option to go back to a recent manga u were reading. everytime u opn the app

[victorythagr8]

Originally Posted by morama

I have the 9530 on the Verizon network and when I try to use your app I get the following:

Error downloading page.

exception (class java.io.IOException): HTTP response Code: 413

URL:

I tried to view my favorite managa's which are:

Naruto

Historys Strongest Disciple Kenichi

Bleach

Rosario+Vampire II

Soul Eater

Please let me know if there is something that can be done on my phone. I live in NYC and I always have 3 - 4 bars for connectivity.

try uninstalling the app then reinstall it again.

[baidya]

Originally Posted by Andiamo

O_O

EDIT: Also, a small question to Mango users... how's the server holding up? Checking the access logs I see that I've gotten way more logins than I thought I'd ever get and the work the server has to do each time someone requests a chapter or pagelist is not insignificant. Has anyone noticed if there's been any significant lag/slowdown or errors from the server?

There was a noticeable lag yesterday than the first day the app was released. Leaving that aside its a great application. Thanks for building it for all us folks.

[Andiamo]

@Werd: Yeah, this will happen. The list of chapters for a particular series is cached -- or temporarily stored -- for 24 hours after someone first requests it. This is so that the server doesn't have to contact OneManga every time someone requests that series. After 24 hours, the cached version will expire and the server will request a new version from OneManga. So if OM releases a new chapter between the time the cache is generated and when it expires, it won't show up. Next release will have a menu option to manually force the server to clear the cache so you can get the latest list.

[squirble]

Thanks for the update. The alx/cod files is what I need since OTA isn't working for me. I can already tell that this program will be great even without using it.