MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Best for Microsoft Word

carandol · 06-30-2008, 06:20 PM

If using the iLiad, files would have to be converted into PDF (*not* mobipocket) in order to be able to mark with the stylus. This could be done by installing one of those programs that "prints" from a Word document to PDF. There may well be a batch system of converting, but I don't use Windows myself, so I wouldn't know what to recommend. Mind you, a document saved as A4 PDF would be quite difficult to mark on an iLiad screen, because the text would be so small -- the marker's handwriting would need to be equally small to fit between the lines! If a batch program could reformat the pages to fit the iLiad screen better, it would be easier.

I definitely wouldn't recommend the use of Abiword for anything serious -- because of the slow screen update, it's very difficult to use in any practical manner. I think your tutors would be throwing their iLiads at you fairly shortly!

I don't want to disappoint you, but I've been using an iLiad as a student for the last six months, and I really don't think it's ready for use as a device for marking essays on. I like my iLiad -- I read books on it all the time, and often use it for making notes in lectures. But A4 documents at full screen have very tiny writing, and while it's possible to turn a page sideways and look at half a page at a time, trying to mark a manuscript like this would require constantly shifting between the mode where you move the page with the stylus, and the mode where you write on the page with the stylus -- it would be very easy to forget to switch modes before moving the page and accidentally draw a line across the entire page! In case you're wondering why you can't use the flip bar for moving down the page, I've found it very difficult to use the stylus for writing without locking they keys first, because I'll be scribbling away in a lecture, accidentally brush against one of the keys, and suddenly find myself in the middle of the last novel I was reading

Personally, I think the technology needs to mature a bit before it's ready to be a fully-fledged academic tool. I think the potential's there, but it's not been realised yet. Sorry to sound so negative, but I hope this helps!

06-30-2008, 06:20 PM	#10
carandol Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 2153430 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: BeBook	If using the iLiad, files would have to be converted into PDF (not mobipocket) in order to be able to mark with the stylus. This could be done by installing one of those programs that "prints" from a Word document to PDF. There may well be a batch system of converting, but I don't use Windows myself, so I wouldn't know what to recommend. Mind you, a document saved as A4 PDF would be quite difficult to mark on an iLiad screen, because the text would be so small -- the marker's handwriting would need to be equally small to fit between the lines! If a batch program could reformat the pages to fit the iLiad screen better, it would be easier. I definitely wouldn't recommend the use of Abiword for anything serious -- because of the slow screen update, it's very difficult to use in any practical manner. I think your tutors would be throwing their iLiads at you fairly shortly! I don't want to disappoint you, but I've been using an iLiad as a student for the last six months, and I really don't think it's ready for use as a device for marking essays on. I like my iLiad -- I read books on it all the time, and often use it for making notes in lectures. But A4 documents at full screen have very tiny writing, and while it's possible to turn a page sideways and look at half a page at a time, trying to mark a manuscript like this would require constantly shifting between the mode where you move the page with the stylus, and the mode where you write on the page with the stylus -- it would be very easy to forget to switch modes before moving the page and accidentally draw a line across the entire page! In case you're wondering why you can't use the flip bar for moving down the page, I've found it very difficult to use the stylus for writing without locking they keys first, because I'll be scribbling away in a lecture, accidentally brush against one of the keys, and suddenly find myself in the middle of the last novel I was reading Personally, I think the technology needs to mature a bit before it's ready to be a fully-fledged academic tool. I think the potential's there, but it's not been realised yet. Sorry to sound so negative, but I hope this helps!