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LIBRARY IN
YOUR HAND -- Or Dee
Lloyd’s Research on eReaders, PDAs and Pocket PCs
The
long-anticipated public awareness and possible acceptance of ebooks
may be upon us. With the entrance of the big operators like Amazon and
Sony into the ereader business, the media has begun to focus on
reading electronically. Some columnists actually suggest, tentatively,
that reading on a computer, a dedicated ereader, PDA, Pocket PC or
even… a phone might be very much like reading a paper book. The
stories and information are the same.
For
years now, I’ve been reading on my laptop, but much prefer the easy
portability of my ebookwise or my Palm Tungsten 3.
When
I am not writing, I am reading. Ten years ago I discovered handheld
reading devices. I love being able to have at least 30 novels in my
hand, my purse, my pocket. I read on the subway, in doctors’
offices, on buses, at the hairdresser, even at work.
I
can do research wherever I am, read a mystery, romance, hot reads…
anything I like. Nobody knows what I’m reading. (Sometimes that’s
important.) I can see the book covers on my handheld device. No one
else can.
For
the first four years, I read almost exclusively on my HP Jornada 540.
I kept telling myself I'd try a different PDA or Pocket PC when my
Jornada 540 gave up the ghost. However, that lovely little handheld
kept going strong and it got heavy use. I read novels, submissions,
and edited my own books on it every day. I hasten to explain I thought
of changing only because I wanted a screen that allows me to read in
brilliant sunshine. I was disappointed to find that the Jornada 540
does not. When I took it on a Caribbean cruise a few years ago I had
to do my reading on it indoors or in the deep shade.
I
have also found the folding keyboard handy and easy to use. Several
other devices have this peripheral. I have done a lot of writing as
sitting on the shaded part of my cottage deck in the summer, looking
out at the lake.
I
must hasten to tell you that I am not an expert on digital equipment.
However, I am fascinated by dedicated ereaders, PDAs and Pocket PCs.
I’ve coordinated conference workshops in which authors demonstrate
reading on their own ereading devices and have admired some tempting
pieces of equipment. I looked seriously at several of the other
devices out there. This page is the result of my recent research.
Here
are some current random thoughts on handheld ereading.
As
the demand grows, there is more competition in the marketplace and the
hope of better prices in the offing.
I
haven’t thought seriously about the Smart phones for myself although
I know several avid readers who read on the Palm Treo. This phone
boasts a QWERTY keyboard and Bluetooth wireless technology as well.
Visor, Microsoft, Motorola and many others are getting into
that field. These are wireless phones with PDA functions. They cannot
offer the "speech to text" function required to listen to
eBooks on a PDA.
After
looking at dozens of product reviews, I succumbed to one of Palm's
Tungsten series – the T3. Its appealing sharp color,
expandable screen won me over. I must have raved a lot about its other
excellent points because my husband gave me one for Christmas five
years ago. Then, he was so impressed by mine that he bought one for
himself too!
I
still use the Jornada for special tasks but I love the expandable
screen on my T3 for reading. The screen display is 50% larger than on
any previous Palm branded device, and the soft input screen area
provides a virtual Graffiti® 2 writing area. Of course you can
use the keyboard if you wish. I bought a Targus folding keyboard and
have used it a lot. I find its wireless connection a little tricky
though and when I’m going to do a lot of writing tend to use the
Jornada with its Stowaway keyboard.
The
expansion feature of the T3 screen and it's landscape viewing option
allows a much wider page than any other PDA's I know of. The
lines of text look much more like those of a familiar print book.
The clarity of the print makes for easy, comfortable reading.
With 64 MB, I could carry at least 50 novels in the little darling.
If I wanted to buy an expansion card, I could carry many more.
The
new hardware's operating system, Palm OS5, includes Bluetooth
technology. I have to admit that So far, I have not bought the
internet card, which would allow me to utilize the Bluetooth
technology. I probably will get one, when I find the time to
play with it. I do my internet research and email on my laptop.
If
I decided to use the media features, I probably would need that extra
memory. However the 64 MB's of memory I have cope nicely with my
voracious appetite for reading.
The
Tungsten series is not cheap - but the price has come down some.
I
have brought books in Palm, Doc, Mobipocket and html. I've
loaded my own work in Microsoft Word and Excel onto it. It's nice to
have that breadth of choice.
I
still use my Jornada and read books in Microsoft Reader [.lit files],
Word and html on it.
At
the moment I have a foot in each of the Palm PDA and the Pocket PC
worlds and am enjoying both. I like many of the features of the
T3. I like the ability to switch from portrait to landscape
mode. However, I think what
impresses me them most is the clarity of the text on the high
resolution color screen. I read on it in the semi-bright
sunlight, in the dark and in levels of light in between.
I
use a folding universal keyboard so that I can do some writing, or at
least jot down ideas, while I am on holiday and away from my desktop.
Last
year, I bought myself an eBookwise 1150. This dedicated ereader has
gray-tone backlit screen and is considerably larger than the Jornada
and the T3. Because it is about the size of a paperback book and
weighs about a pound, I choose to read on it when I am at home and
carry the T3 with me when I am away from the house. I’m quite
happy with this combination. But, I do realize that these treasures
are becoming quite venerable in this fast-moving high tech world.
And
now, I am looking at the Amazon Kindle and the Sony reader.Here’s
what I’ve learned about them.
Amazon
Kindle
This
wireless device has a lot going for it. Its screen is highly readable
even in brilliant sunlight.
It
uses gray-scale electronic ink technology, which replicates reading on
actual paper. As its 6-inch screen is not back-lit, you can't read in
the dark as you can on the ebookwise.
It weighs
only 10.3 ounces and can store over 200 titles in its built-in memory.
You can add even more if you utilize an optional SD memory card.
It comes
with a dictionary and Wikipedia encyclopedia
It can
handle audiobooks (through audible.com) and MP3s using a USB transfer.
It has a
qwerty keyboard below the screen.
We
are told the Kindle Store
has over 90,000 books from all major publishers, at $10 apiece. You
can also subscribe to TheNew
York Times and The
Wall Street Journal and other publications.
You
can also e-mail your own documents and pictures to your Kindle. For
ten cents an attachment, Amazon converts them to their proprietary
Mobipocket so they can be read on the device.
Kindle
does not require a PC connection. Amazon's Whispernet wireless network
lets you fetch content from the Kindle Store in under a minute. Using
Ev-Do, the technology used in some cellphones; you pay no fees. If
you're not in Ev-Do coverage, Kindle uses a slower network.
With
wireless on, Amazon says you must charge the device every other day.
While off, you can go a week or more between charges.
The
major drawback
to the Kindle, as I see it, is the price, $399. And I find its white,
rather bulky shape less than attractive. Its functions, however, are
very appealing.
Sony
Reader
Sony Reader
Portable Reader System PRS-505 is non wireless.
It also
uses a six inch, non-back-lit screen and gray-scale electronic ink
technology. It is perfectly readable in bright sunlight.
It weighs
nine ounces and can store about 160 books. The memory can be expanded
by
slots for
SD and Memory Stick Duo cards.
It can
handle MP3s but not audiobooks.
The Sony
Connect eBooks Store has more than 20,000 titles.
You can
also use the Sony to view Adobe PDF documents, Microsoft Word files
and other formats.
To
download ebooks, you connect the device via USB to a Windows XP or
Vista PC (not compatible with Mac), then drag and drop purchased
content from the Connect store onto the Reader. You can read books on
the computer.
The Sony
Reader comes in dark blue or silver, is lighter in weight and is
decidedly more stylish.
Sony states
you can turn 7,500 pages per charge.
Drawbacks
for the Sony Reader, in my opinion, are still price (although it
costs $300 as opposed to $399 for the Kindle) and the smaller number
of books available for the device. Some may but I personally don’t
find the lack of wireless and the need to drag and drop files using a
USB a problem.
Isn't
this an amazing world?
This is by no means a complete list and, as you know, the information is
changing constantly. Do let me know at
dee@deelloyd.com if you use and
would like to recommend a product that isn’t listed here.
The
devices covered below include:
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Hiebook
HP Jornada
Compaq iPaq
Franklin eBookman
Casio's Cassiopeia
Handspring Visor
Gemstar GEB 1150 -- see note!
Sony Clié PEB-S320
Palm Vx, VIIx, IIIc, Tungsten T and Tungsten T3
eBookwise-1150 eBook Reading Device |
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