Which is the better eBooks reader ?

[jsnielsen]

Hey guys,

I'm fairly new at reading eBooks. I've tried both PDF reader and MSReader. What I'm looking for, is a reader that's at least screen orientation aware, and VGA aware, as I'll be reading on an x50v.

Also, ClearType is a must, plus navigation via the hardware button on the device.

I don't need this to be a DRM discussion, a religious e-book reader war or something ;) But of course, if any of these things are relevant as for the use of the books, please enlighten me :)

[IanG]

Personally I like using micro-book reader. www.gowerpoint.com

Works fine for txt, html, rtf files and includes native zip support. Nice options on font, color, size, skins etc as well.

Ian G

[Oreocat]

I use both Mobipocket, www.mobipocket.com and Ereader, formerly Palm Reader, at www.ereader.com.

I've heard there's a patch for Mobi to use on vga units, but not sure on Ereader. Both have trials, and can still be used after the trials, minus a few features.

Good luck :)

[ikatkov]

I'm not sure about VGA support, but HaaliReader is the best.
You should definitely give it a try.

[nategesner]

Mobi is a good version if you want dictionary support (selecting a word in any book can take you to the dictionary for a definition) or if you want to download news and other web information to read.

On the other hand, I really like iSilo because it is compatible with more book formats and a little easier to use. It also seems to look better when reading a book.

Problem is, I've yet to find a single reader that does everything I want, so I keep both of these on my PDA. They run off my storage card, so space isn't an issue.

[drop]

I used MS Reader and Palm Reader (now eReader) with X5.

Now I prefer Mobipocket Reader.

With applying the VGA Brute Force hack from Tweaks2k2 and, to me, the text looks great on X50v.

Last time I checked with Mobipocket developer, the ETA on VGA support was April. I am still waiting for the VGA support to get the full version. I really, really like the auto-scroll feature.

[Ommadawn]

Whenever possible, my preference is for µbook, as it's easily the most feature rich reader, reads a whole bunch of formats: txt, html, rtf, chm, pdb (plain doc, unencrypted Mobipocket and eReader), and is skinnable so you can have almost any "look" you want. And it looks _fantastic_ in VGA as well.

Check it out (www.gowerpoint.com)

[nategesner]

Whenever possible, my preference is for µbook, as it's easily the most feature rich reader, reads a whole bunch of formats: txt, html, rtf, chm, pdb (plain doc, unencrypted Mobipocket and eReader), and is skinnable so you can have almost any "look" you want. And it looks _fantastic_ in VGA as well.

Most feature rich? That depends on what you consider to be a feature! For example, even the free version of iSilo will automatically scroll; the difference is that it provides a pixel-by-pixel scroll (very smooth) while uBook adds one line at a time starting from the top of the page and working its way down the screen. This means I have text from the previous page mixed in with text from the current page. VERY hard to read. And uBook kept highlighting each line as it appeared, making it hard to read. My biggest problem with uBook is that all the settings look terrible. It has so many settings, provided in such a confusing format, that I didn't want to bother with it. For example: "Text size is extra small, small, medium, large, extra large." The text that is underlined is the selected mode. Now imagine about 50 lines exactly like that and you'll see why uBook's interface is a little overwhelming.

As for reading a lot of formats, iSilo and Mobi covers as many or more formats and have converters so people can create their own books. They handle images of various sizes, mixed text, hyperlinks, highlighting, notes, bookmarks, etc.

I'm not slamming uBook; I'm just saying you shouldn't make blanket statements about how great it is because everyone has their own preferences. It's a decent piece of software, but each one of these programs is feature rich in different ways. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses and everyone will just have to try them out to see which one works best for them.

[Ommadawn]

Whenever possible, my preference is for µbook, as it's easily the most feature rich reader, reads a whole bunch of formats: txt, html, rtf, chm, pdb (plain doc, unencrypted Mobipocket and eReader), and is skinnable so you can have almost any "look" you want. And it looks _fantastic_ in VGA as well.

Most feature rich? That depends on what you consider to be a feature! For example, even the free version of iSilo will automatically scroll; the difference is that it provides a pixel-by-pixel scroll (very smooth) while uBook adds one line at a time starting from the top of the page and working its way down the screen. This means I have text from the previous page mixed in with text from the current page. VERY hard to read. And uBook kept highlighting each line as it appeared, making it hard to read. My biggest problem with uBook is that all the settings look terrible. It has so many settings, provided in such a confusing format, that I didn't want to bother with it. For example: "Text size is extra small, small, medium, large, extra large." The text that is underlined is the selected mode. Now imagine about 50 lines exactly like that and you'll see why uBook's interface is a little overwhelming.

As for reading a lot of formats, iSilo and Mobi covers as many or more formats and have converters so people can create their own books. They handle images of various sizes, mixed text, hyperlinks, highlighting, notes, bookmarks, etc.

I'm not slamming uBook; I'm just saying you shouldn't make blanket statements about how great it is because everyone has their own preferences. It's a decent piece of software, but each one of these programs is feature rich in different ways. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses and everyone will just have to try them out to see which one works best for them.

I did say it was my preference... I like the configurability of µbook, and the display is fine once you get it right (after which you don't need to change it). I have registered and have installed on my ipaq iSilo, eReader, Mobipocket, Repligo, and µbook. iSilo is the best for any sort of web-based content, and was the first reader I ever registered (have it registered for both palm and pocketpc). eReader and Mobipocket are there for DRM books I can't get in any other format. I've used them all, extensively, and I like and use µbook the most of them all.

Others are entitled to their own opinions, of course! 8)

[Tye]

Whenever possible, my preference is for µbook, as it's easily the most feature rich reader, reads a whole bunch of formats: txt, html, rtf, chm, pdb (plain doc, unencrypted Mobipocket and eReader), and is skinnable so you can have almost any "look" you want. And it looks _fantastic_ in VGA as well.

Check it out (www.gowerpoint.com)

What he ^^^ said.

[SteveHoward999]

I have tried numerous readers, but I prefer MSReader. I like the fact that it has pages, instead of scrolling. I like the way the text looks. I like the integration with installed dictionarys. I like the simplicity of the controls. DRM is no issue with the aid of Clit.exe (do a search).

Just my preference.

[edit] Oh! And it works great in SE_VGA vga mode.

[jpf]

what ommandawn and tye said.

[Targaid]

I'm using TomeRaider3. Haven't registered it yet as I'm not too sure about it and will probably try some of the others before deciding.

It looks fine on my X50v, pages well and the converter works very well on the files I've tried so far. BUT...

It only works with its own format - not even previous versions of TomeRaider files. It doesn't take long to convert the files, but some of them don't port too well and lose formatting or gain extra line returns. The 'bookmarks' only mark which chapter you're in, not where you happen to be on any given page. A completely pointless use of the feature if you have to stop reading & want to go back into the middle of a long chapter.

Actually, I think I'm talking myself out of using this programme... :? :?

[Riled]

I really like eReader, especially the "Pro" (paid) version. I supports VGA, smooth scrolling, word-lookup with a built-in dictionary, bookmarking, highlighting, comments/notes, and much more. One of it's best features is a sister program that you can buy for your desktop called eReader Studio or something like that. You can use it to create your own eReader books out of any .doc, .rtf, or .txt file. The studio program has a cost, but it's well worth it if you have books in those formats that you want to read on your PPC.

[Phillip Dyson]

I'm currently using eReader with my first eBook (Getting Things Done). My only complaint is the lack of a table of contents. Not sure if thats the book or the reader.

I'm wondering, will my eBooks purchased from eReader work with other readers? If so I would like to explore others.

[spinosum]

With applying the VGA Brute Force hack from Tweaks2k2 and, to me, the text looks great on X50v.

Last time I checked with Mobipocket developer, the ETA on VGA support was April. I am still waiting for the VGA support to get the full version. I really, really like the auto-scroll feature.

Try this out, and u dont need to use brute force hack anymore!
http://www.mobipocket.com/dev/beta/windowsmobile.asp?ID=3

enjoy!

[dMores]

damn all you VGA PPC owners !

i want more pixels.

MORE PIXELS I SAY !

ok, i'm sorry, but i just had the urge ....

please ignore me ....