do wince handhelds make for good ebook readers

moggler88 · 11-24-2009, 01:51 PM

I am looking at a few wince handhelds to get for surfing the internet, watching videos and reading ebooks, i can't seem to find too much info if wince devices are good for ebook reading. Seems like a lot of people have problems getting programs to work on different wince handhelds, is this normally the case?

Nate the great · 11-24-2009, 02:00 PM

There is a lot of reader software for older devices, but hardly anyone supports WinCE anymore. Also, later generations of WinCE OS don't always work with older applications.

Here is a beginner's guide I wrote:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32551

Jack Tingle · 11-24-2009, 06:42 PM

@moggler88: It all depends. WM5-WM6.1 are fine. PPC 2003 also works well. I wouldn't go any further back than that. Look for a late model, not abused, PDA with a 3.2" or larger screen and SD card support. Those will prove about the most versatile, economical, and generally useful ebook reader you can own for a reasonable price. It will also keep your music and your agenda, if you want it to.

You can then load Mobipocket, Gower Point microBook, and Fictionwise/eReader/B&N eReader and read just about any format ever made. If you're masochistic, Adobe's Pocket PDF Reader also works, but won't be much use unless you happen across a tagged PDF. For ePubs, the new Freda reader seems to be the up and coming thing. I like it.

Things to avoid:
-Worn or non-functioning keys (although you may be able to map around some)
-A spiking touch-screen digitizer (I write a lot, so this is actually my most frequent failure mode)
-Scratched or abused touch-screens; go for ones where the previous owner used a screen protector
-Flaky battery compartment latch switches. This was a horrible design feature that someone should have been shot for adding. The switch was less reliable than the door latch, and gave frequent, annoying false alarms.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

moggler88 · 11-24-2009, 07:19 PM

Thanks for both your inputs. I am actually looking at a wince 5.0 based device, maybe a the q5 with linux might be a better suited for me.

11-24-2009, 01:51 PM	#1
moggler88 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: none	do wince handhelds make for good ebook readers I am looking at a few wince handhelds to get for surfing the internet, watching videos and reading ebooks, i can't seem to find too much info if wince devices are good for ebook reading. Seems like a lot of people have problems getting programs to work on different wince handhelds, is this normally the case?

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11-24-2009, 02:00 PM	#2
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	There is a lot of reader software for older devices, but hardly anyone supports WinCE anymore. Also, later generations of WinCE OS don't always work with older applications. Here is a beginner's guide I wrote: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32551

11-24-2009, 06:42 PM	#3
Jack Tingle Punctuation Fetishist Posts: 557 Karma: 1070000 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Bluest Commonwealth In East America Device: Kindle PW, Nexus 7 (2013), Galaxy S5 phone, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0	@moggler88: It all depends. WM5-WM6.1 are fine. PPC 2003 also works well. I wouldn't go any further back than that. Look for a late model, not abused, PDA with a 3.2" or larger screen and SD card support. Those will prove about the most versatile, economical, and generally useful ebook reader you can own for a reasonable price. It will also keep your music and your agenda, if you want it to. You can then load Mobipocket, Gower Point microBook, and Fictionwise/eReader/B&N eReader and read just about any format ever made. If you're masochistic, Adobe's Pocket PDF Reader also works, but won't be much use unless you happen across a tagged PDF. For ePubs, the new Freda reader seems to be the up and coming thing. I like it. Things to avoid: -Worn or non-functioning keys (although you may be able to map around some) -A spiking touch-screen digitizer (I write a lot, so this is actually my most frequent failure mode) -Scratched or abused touch-screens; go for ones where the previous owner used a screen protector -Flaky battery compartment latch switches. This was a horrible design feature that someone should have been shot for adding. The switch was less reliable than the door latch, and gave frequent, annoying false alarms. Regards, Jack Tingle

11-24-2009, 07:19 PM	#4
moggler88 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: none	Thanks for both your inputs. I am actually looking at a wince 5.0 based device, maybe a the q5 with linux might be a better suited for me.

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