So, what is the best eBook Reader? [Archive]

View Full Version : So, what is the best eBook Reader?

William Yeung

02-22-2003, 11:03 AM

Which eBook reader u think is the best?

I am trying to get some business books off the eBookshelf, but because of the software dependency, I just really feel lost on that.

Cast your vote and give me your opinions Pocket PC Fans ^_^

Beerglass

02-22-2003, 11:35 AM

Palm Reader definitely gets my vote. Simple, fast and it works. Take note Microsoft!

carlosgp

02-22-2003, 12:33 PM

All are far from perfect, but today I prefer mobipocket. Is fast, supports multiple formats and is user configurable.

William Yeung

02-22-2003, 01:21 PM

In my opinion:

MS Reader afterall have the best reading experience, with the cool annotation and free dictionary. But the big worries in Activation is just....

Palm Reader has cheaper books, but single website support, also as I remember quite a bit of features are only available with the paid version of Palm reader.

Mobipocket... well... just not really saying its a standard.... lack of support from publishers.... (eBooks overall have the same issue but I would say Mobipocket is the worst)

Text... well... I hope my reading experience could be better, and of course, for copyrighted content, unless u go for the 'side way', normally that doesnt happen.

Adobe - FORGET ABOUT IT, I really wonder why after so long they still only have desktop reader software... while they do have the Acrobat available on PPC.

Gosh... I think I might take the move to bear with the 8 devices limitation and get the MS Reader copy...

And one thing if you dont notice, MS Reader and probably Palm Reader are not supporting any asian language books...

carlosgp

02-22-2003, 01:34 PM

I disagree with william. Reading experience is a matter of TASTE, and for me msreader is the worst. It's no configurable, so can't adapt to diferent tastes. You can't change background color, margins, text size without disconnect justification. You can't disconnect cleartype. You only can use .lit with this reader. Well, for me is almost an unusable reader.

And yes, mobipocket format is hardly a standard, but we are talking about readers here, aren't we? :)

Oreocat

02-22-2003, 02:54 PM

I use Mobipocket and really like it.

Just on general principle, I don't like Microsoft :) and I'd heard some people had some problems with Microsoft Reader. I never actually tried it though, so it may be a fine reader.

I do know Mobipocket doesn't have a huge amount of books, but since I read mostly fanfiction, it works for me. I bought their Office Companion and use it to convert .txt, .doc, .rtf and regular word documents into Mobipocket format.

I found a lot of books through file sharing, and apparently, as long as you own the hard copy, its legal to download them and have them/convert them.

In any event, most readers have a trial period, so you might try them all before deciding which one you like.

Good luck,
Oreocat

William Yeung

02-22-2003, 03:16 PM

Hehe... thats true, different ppl have different expectations...

But to me books availability is a big issue: personally I buy the book because of the cheaper cost comparing to the hard copy, also better time of delivery (I am in Hong Kong, which is not assessible to every english book in US) so a geniue publisher e-book version is important for me.

If reading text file, sure its MobiPocket which sounds ^_^

dean_shan

02-22-2003, 04:28 PM

PalmReader is the best. The way to buy books is a lot simpler. No activation need, just your credit card number. It is also easy to make your own book in the PalmReader format. Furthermore, PalmReader books are more compatible. You can buy a book and read it on your Pocket PC, your windows, a mac, or a palm.

TawnerX

02-22-2003, 05:14 PM

taxus

02-22-2003, 06:00 PM

I voted for MobiPocket too. I've used MS Reader for 5 months out of the 7 I've had my PocketPC, but I came back to MobiPocket (which I used on my Palm) for non secure ebooks. It is the most flexible, the niciest one. For example, it has a built-in image viewer with zoom, fit-to-screen. So I configured myself a personal enews channel that automatically retrieves my favorite comics from Comics.com, UComics.com and UserFriendly.org for display on my PocketPC.

I also configured a personal enews channel for my favorite local newspaper, which doesn't have an AvantGo or Mazingo channel. It retrieves only the text, no ads, and even the photos.

No other ebook reader can do that. (You have to know XML/XSL though, or else you depend on the few enews channels on the MobiPocket web site, so only techies can make their own enews.)

Its first big flaw: the lack of ClearType support.

Its second: its DRM. On my Toshiba e310, everytime I do a hard reset (which I must have done half a dozen times), the ID as displayed by MobiPocket is different. Since the DRM is based on that ID, there is no chance I'm going to buy a MobiPocket secure ebook, or I'll never be able to read it more than once.

I mostly buy non secure ebooks from Fictionwise and Baen books, so it's not a problem right now (though I'd like to buy a couple of dictionaries, but refrain to because of the DRM).

The ebook reader I use for secure ebooks is PalmReader. It is not as nice as MS Reader in some ways, but its DRM (your name is the username, and your credit card number is the password) is simple and infallible. I had to buy the Pro version in order to have text justification though. My main beef with PalmReader is its proprietary format which is a lot more limited than LIT or MobiPocket's HTML-based Open-eBook, and the lack of a decent free ebook building tool.

And last, the reasons why I dropped MS Reader. Its lack of flexibility: it doesn't allow you to change the font. But mostly, the "library" mode: it really sucks. Have you tried leaving lots of LITs on a storage card? When you load MS Reader, it takes forever to open. Then there is the fact that on loading it doesn't take you back to your book. And also when you use the rule at the bottom to get the number of pages in the ebook, it may take forever for big ebooks before you can continue to read! Not only that, but afterwards MS Reader thinks the "last page read" is the last one! So good luck coming back to the right page if you close MS Reader.

MS Reader may be nice visually, but underneath it really sucks.

vincentsiaw

02-22-2003, 07:32 PM

as long it's text only without alot of picture, MS reader is fine for me, but if the ebook is full of picture, i say ms reader really sucks!

dean_shan

02-23-2003, 07:40 PM

But mostly, the "library" mode: it really sucks. Have you tried leaving lots of LITs on a storage card? When you load MS Reader, it takes forever to open. I hate that too :x

arebelspy

02-23-2003, 10:46 PM

step:
1. go here: http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/column030204.htm
2. read why ubook is the best
3. download and install ubook
4. uninstall that other junk

:D

-arebelspy

taxus

02-24-2003, 06:05 AM

Thanks for the reference (I don't visit WOYP regularly). I didn't know µBook had evolved that much. HTML, RTF and MobiPocket support, ZIP support... and that zoom & panning in picture mode (yet another thing MS Reader lacks): that's what got me back to MobiPocket.

I'll definitely give it a try now.

William Yeung

02-25-2003, 06:05 AM

I had bought (finally) my first ebook on MS Reader format.
Now I become more and more regret...

Why? NOT THE READER ITSELF. Its the contents available.

I found that quite a bit of contents I am interested is ACTUALLY AVAILABLE on both, but in the worst case PEANUT PRESS is 30%+ cheaper!!!

At first I decided to buy MS Reader one because the reader is free (comparing to the close feature of Palm Reader Pro) and the dictionary is free... but now... I think from time to time things will change...

Weyoun6

02-25-2003, 06:18 AM

I am currently using µBook. It seems to be a good all-purpose book reader, It looks great, and is supposed to read gutenburg unedited like a charm.

For secure, I use Palm Reader. Although I like MS Reader's style, it locks you in into certain settings and ofcource the DRM.

I dont see PDF as a "ebook" format. PDF is the extension of PostScript and is supposed to be a "container" for printing documents.

If I were to rank ebook readers then -
1.µBook
2.Palm Reader/ Pro
3.MobiPocket
4.MS Reader

Trust me, If you have never used µBook, try it now

William Yeung

02-26-2003, 05:18 PM

Tried uBook, uninstall immediately.

Why?

The software looks great, fast, very smooth.

The bad thing is : FONT!

customizable is just no use for me if nothing looks as chisp as cleartype. I think Palm Reader and MS Reader both use that well, but for uBook, I see antialias fonts but are just quite muddy.

if uBook can take this opinion and then improve, and finally with a good to use DRM like Palm Reader, I think I am going to join ^^

ux4484

02-26-2003, 05:33 PM

Neither of my two faves were on the list I put in another vote for µBook and an additional for iSilo.
Between these two readers and DocInOut (http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,6993,00.asp) on my PC, there is nothing I cannot read, or easily make readable on my PPC or Palm.

taxus

02-27-2003, 12:55 AM

Well I tried µBook, but won't be adopting it. It may display images, but not very well. Zoom works, but displays the zoomed picture in the same very small box as the fit-to-screen picture; you can pan, but by clicking on the picture, selecting "right" or "left" on the menu that appears... too much hassle; it's not a very straightforward system as the picture viewer in Mobipocket Reader.

Second, it supposedly reads Mobipocket ebooks, but hyperlinks are not supported, and the content is often badly misplaced, or not displayed.

As for antialiasing: well on my Toshiba e310 it looks better than ClearType! Of course, ClearType is crappy on the e310, so I don't even use it.

taxus

02-27-2003, 12:59 AM

ux4484

02-27-2003, 01:24 AM

I tried the PocketPC version; I was very disappointed. First because there is no ClearType support, and second because I can't even change the default font size! When I try to change it, it reverts to the default 12pt size!

ClearType seems overated, Palm reader in reverse video mode is more readable than any other reader using ClearType(IMO).

iSilo: There is a checkbox for forcing the font size change as default, problem is it stops working after the trial and you have to change it manually from that point on (gotta pay for somethings).....BUT selecting the 12point font and selecting Bold is permenant, and I find it just as easy on the eyes as any cleartype font. iSilo autoscroll is the smoothest of all the readers (who have it) I've tried (most of the readers listed already).

My only real two gripes about iSilo are no landscape (wich is why microbook is my second fav) mode and it HiJacks your buttons when it's running and can sometimes lock out other apps (like WMP :? ) from using the buttons. I've forwarded that bug to them, but have since found that if I open iSilo LAST this bug does not occur.

Janak Parekh

02-27-2003, 01:31 AM

ClearType seems overated
Well, some devices do ClearType better than others. On devices for which ClearType is optimized, I find it much easier on the eyes. :)

--janak

nosmohtac

03-02-2003, 10:57 PM

Excuse me, how can one not consider the most important e-book that support all non proprietary format out there? It can even read .zip txt file on the fly. It's small, cheap, customizable and works.

"Renders .PDB, .PRC, .TXT, .RTF and .HTML files book-like.
Displays PRC, RTF and HTML images, .JPG, .GIF, .WMF (in RTF) or .BMP"
http://www.gowerpoint.com/

I only used the rest of ebook because of their proprietary format, for anything else i use uBook.

I agree with TawnerX uBook is by far the best reader that I have seen or used. It is very customizable, covers all non proprietary formats, and the thing I love most about it (beside the fact that it is free) is it lets you create a table of contents on the fly based on criteria you select.

I must admit I do use MSreader quite a bit but if I find what I want to read in any non proprietary format uBook is the only way to go.

kfluet

03-03-2003, 02:50 AM

uBook is very cool!

I just discovered it today (a search for which lead me to this thread), and am very impressed so far. Cleartype-like display with much more screen used than MS Reader.

My other favorite readers:

MS Reader: Been using this most often for fiction. I like ClearType a lot. But the screen use is horribly inefficient. It needs a full screen mode, better control over font size (often the book is created with a stupidly large font size and "smallest" is still too big), and I'd really like to be able to turn off full justification.

Mobipocket: Their autoscroll works REALLY smoothly. No other reader scrolls nicely enough to not give me a headache. Gotta buy the commercial version to get this feature, though.

Starbuck: My old favorite, but getting a little dated. No nonsense full screen mode. I use it now mostly for large plain text files and for technical books that are available in multipage HTML, since Starbuck handles these very well.

Unreal32

03-04-2003, 03:08 PM

uBook all the way! MS reader is great for LIT files, but if you download a lot of ebookz from IRC, uBook can't be beat. Reads almost all the other formats seamlessly, and loads fast!

MLO

03-04-2003, 03:39 PM

Neither of my two faves were on the list I put in another vote for µBook and an additional for iSilo.

I'm a longtime user of iSilo, at least on Palms. I bought it back when it was version 2.x.

I tried the PocketPC version; I was very disappointed. First because there is no ClearType support, and second because I can't even change the default font size! When I try to change it, it reverts to the default 12pt size!

They're up to 3.x now with iSilo for Pocket PC...I would try it again. I use it constantly for html formatted books/documents. And they put in an option to change the font that really works. You can make the font the same size for ALL text, or change the font size relative to the text formatting.

Very good program.

MLO

Jude

03-04-2003, 05:58 PM

I've recently been using uBook as well and it's great! I used to have to format my txt or html ebooks into lit using Word. With uBook I don't even have to unzip or unrar them! Lots of great features too like skinning, changing fonts and anti-aliasing (great for serif fonts, which I prefer for reading). Fast loading and not a huge drag on the system unlike MS Reader. And it's my favorite price too - Absolutely Free!

Buddha

03-04-2003, 06:33 PM

And another vote for Ubook, which is great. I always prefer plain text/HTML over proprietary annoying stuff but if I really have to I'll use MS-reader, but 99% of the time I use Ubook for all my reading needs. There is plenty of stuff to read out there in non proprietary formats.

Hugh Nano

01-03-2005, 08:49 PM

Just got a new Axim x50v and was disappointed in MS Reader's lack of margin settings - huge margins are completely unnecessary, IMO! So, in hunting for a hack to change the margins (anyone got one?), I stumbled across this old poll and thought it would be interesting to see if people's opinions have changed. So, what do you think? What is the best eBook reader now in 2005?

drop

01-03-2005, 09:30 PM

Mobipocket Reader looks great in X50v :) .

Menneisyys

01-03-2005, 09:31 PM

I stumbled across this old poll

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34691 :)

Lex

01-03-2005, 11:56 PM

uBook's last free version works fine for me. I can't believe the poll graph shows so many MS Reader fans. That app is a monument to poor software design and lack of functionality. Very un-Microsoft-like compared to Word, Excel and programs they don't ignore once they release them.

UCCOFFEE

01-04-2005, 07:23 AM

I m using ubook, CEbook/teamone Reader (for chinese ebook) .
MS Reader & Palm Reader are just too SLOW.....

Jorgen

01-04-2005, 09:12 AM

I can't believe the poll graph shows so many MS Reader fans.
Well, MS Reader is slow, the userinterface is so-so, the DRm terrible, but the text layput and font looks damn good and it works fine as long as you don't want to jump back and forth in the book (in which case iSilo works best). However, I do find MS Reader a pain when browsing the start of a number of books to find the one I am looking for.

If I make ebooks for myself, I make them either in MS Reader or iSilo format.

Jorgen

Menneisyys

01-04-2005, 09:33 AM

Well, MS Reader is slow, the userinterface is so-so, the DRm terrible, but the text layput and font looks damn good

I don't think it looks better than Mobipocket...

keelinlee

01-04-2005, 09:58 AM

Menneisyys

01-04-2005, 10:15 AM

another vote for Mobipocket, because it runs on all PDAs and smartphones.

No other "serious" eBook Reader runs on Symbian phones, it supports Javascript, frames, SQL, ... and their extra tools (Office Companion, Creator, eNews) are very useful.

... and its using a Palm DOC-based file structure also means you can throw even 200-300 Mbytes of input HTML's, it will work. (I've done it often: downloaded entire forums in one HTML, converted it into Mobi XDOC and read them on my PDA offline. Much less awkward than online forum reading with PIE, even using its "One Column" layout mode.)

nategesner

01-26-2005, 12:28 AM

I can't believe iSilo isn't listed on the poll. It's working great for me, even in True VGA mode with ozVGA and 2003SE.

I used to keep Mobi on my device also, just because it had the dictionary feature. But for some reason, it looks terrible on my VGA/2003SE device. It looks decent when I enter True VGA mode using ozVGA, but I don't do that very often. Strange.

Anyway, iSilo is the one to beat. The only thing it is missing is a dictionary feature.

Menneisyys

01-26-2005, 12:47 PM

I used to keep Mobi on my device also, just because it had the dictionary feature. But for some reason, it looks terrible on my VGA/2003SE device.

Yeah, it uses pixel doubling in SE. The solution is using the forced VGA hack as described at http://www.pc-counselor.com/How_to/index.htm#doublepixeling . It will work wonderfully with that.