Please Help... Which PDA for E-Books

[vikingblade]

Hi guys. I need some help choosing a PDA. So many choices.

Im disabled, in an electric wheelchair. I am primarily getting a PDA for reading Ebooks. I read alot, and with my poor hand control, holding paperbacks open and turning pages is a drag. Im thinking of possibly mounting the unit to my chair. Since my main interest is Ebooks, features like camera, blutooth, mp3, games etc.. are really not important. I guess a good screen, backlight, battery time, storage size and ease of interaction with windows xp pc are my concerns. I was originally planning on getting a dedicated ebook reader...ebookwise 1150. However, it may be a bit big, and almost everything I want to read is available in ereader palm format.

My ideal price range will...im sure, narrow my choices. Although, Im definately open to a used unit from ebay etc.. but if i can get something decent new online in my price..great. Id like to keep it under $150 if possible. Im hoping, since I dont need alot of the newer expensive features, there is a unit out there that is great for ebooks but affordable.

I have done some searching, but everytime I think Ive decided on something, I see another option and now Im completely unsure which unit to go with. Ive looked at everything from the older non color PALM V,VX,III, To the Sony Clie's SJ20,SJ33 etc.. To the Tungsten E2.

I really need some input from people who have used the units. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

[MatYadabyte]

I would recommend a Palm and a reader with autoscroll and one tap page turning. (Our TomeRaider has these but its aimed mainly at reference works)

You might also want one with bluetooth so you can get a Bloototh Keyboard (eg Stowaway) to control it without having to have your hand where the screen is.

Best wishes

Mat Ripley (blog salted.net)
Yadabyte.com

[Laurens]

The Tungsten E|2 is pretty much the only choice as far as cheap PDA's with decent screens go, but its RRP is still $199.

[dan11238]

I've been very happy reading on a Zire 72 it supports almost all the E formats and travels very well. although it may be beyond your price range, the palm store on line factory outlet perodicaly has it for under $150 (open box). You just have to be persistent and check back with the site on a regular basis. (I've bought two from them and been very happy both times.)
site link: http://store.palm.com/family/index.j...goryId=1179667

[doogie68]

I own a Palm TE2 and do a great amount of reading on it, using Plucker, an open-source reader that offers many features, including autoscroll (which I would imagine would be highly desirable for you). You have many choices of format with Palm OS.

My only suggestion would be to consider a Palm T5 or TX, depending on your finances and what you can find. The T5 predates the TE2, the TX came later, and they have varying bells and whistles, many of which you may or may not care about. The reason I suggest them is that while they have the same form factor as the TE2, they can display 320 x 480 pixels rather than just 320 x 320. You could then turn the unit sideways and have a wider screen for reading-- might also enable you to use a larger font comfortably if desired. My brother has a TX and it's pretty nice.

[bshort]

I'm really happy with my TX. The screen is great, it's very snappy, I love the fact that it has WiFi built in, and I love the rotating screen.

I got mine on eBay for ~$220.

[Laurens]

Thinking about this some more, seeing that you have difficulties with hand control, I strongly recommend getting a recent PalmOS model offering one-handed navigation. This way you can use the D-pad to control many applications and you don't have to use the stylus that much.

The Zire72 does not have one-handed navigation, but I believe all later models do. I know the Tungsten E|2, TX and Lifedrive all have one-handed nav. The T|5 I'm not sure about.

[vikingblade]

thnx... this actually brings up a good question... what exactly is required, step by step to open an ebook. from power-on to e-reading. ive never used a pda, and i actually have no idea.

Also, i cant afford anything better than a Tungsten E/E2. Does the E have auto scroll feature. Any reason to go with E2 over an E if Im only using for e-books...no camera need etc...

[Laurens]

• Turn on PDA.
• Press the Applications button in the upper-left corner of the silkscreen area. (The dark gray "writing" area below the display.).
• Pick the e-reading program from the list of Applications using either the stylus or the D-pad.
• Select the document in the e-reader. (The exact method depending upon the application.)

Alternatively, you can remap applications to any of the hardware buttons. Pressing that button will then start application.

I'm pretty sure the E does not have one-handed nav. Also its battery life is somewhat less than the E|2.

Autoscroll is dependent upon the software, so it doesn't matter which model you choose. The only thing that you need to be aware of is that autoscroll does not work well on the cheaper Z22 due to refresh delay of its display.

[doogie68]

Originally Posted by vikingblade

thnx... this actually brings up a good question... what exactly is required, step by step to open an ebook. from power-on to e-reading. ive never used a pda, and i actually have no idea.

Also, i cant afford anything better than a Tungsten E/E2. Does the E have auto scroll feature. Any reason to go with E2 over an E if Im only using for e-books...no camera need etc...

I've owned both the E and E2.

As Laurens noted, the E2 does have one-handed navigation (the 5-way pad) and while the E is cosmetically identical, it is much more limited in what the 5-way pad can do for you. In other words, once you get familiar with it, you can use that 5-way controller to navigate/open programs, select buttons, etc. without using the stylus at all. Battery life in the E2 is much much better because the memory is a different type that doesn't require as much power to access/maintain data. The E2 screen is also nicer somewhat (brighter) -- not so much that it should be your reason for selecting one unit over the other, however. If ebook reading is all you will do, I'd recommend the E2 over the E. I've had much fewer quality control problems with the E2 (broken buttons on two E units) and I'm a heavy user. If you're looking to buy a used unit, definitely opt for the E2.

I'd still encourage you to try to get a TX if you have any ability to purchase one.

As far as opening ebooks go, if you're literally only using the Palm for that purpose, you theoretically would never have to leave the viewer program. After you've loaded your ebook on the unit and opened the document in the program, it would simply be a matter of switching the unit on and off.

One other issue that hasn't come up is the issue of actually getting the content onto your Palm. Once you have downloaded your ebook, you would either:

1) transfer it from your computer to the palm via HotSync, where your computer and Palm update each other to stay syncronized, or

2) copy from your computer to an expansion card, and then insert the expansion card in the Palm, which can then access the document.

I encourage you to try to budget for an expansion card if you can. I have a 1 GB card (largest that the E or E2 could handle) and I could literally put hundreds of ebooks on it if I wanted to. Even a 512 MB card would suit your needs fine and would be below $20 US.

Good luck!

[vikingblade]

thnx so much for the help. ill try n track down a good deal on an E2. i just saw one at a local best buy...man, it is small. never saw a pda in person. in pictures, on the internet, they seem bigger.

couple questions...

so... if at home, i open my ebook reader program...ereader, and open a book, then shut power off, the next time i power on, it will still be on ereader and my selected book and spot i left at?? no need to go thru steps to open ebook again?

also...i can actually remap applications to any of the hardware buttons? Pressing that button will then start the program i pick...Ereader for example? once ereader starts, will it be where i last left off?

Lastly, is it possible to power on by simply pressing a button... say the the button i remap for ebook?

im sure you can see where im going with this...hehe. the least amount of button manipulation the better.

[Dick Tracy]

Yes, it will open where you left off.

Yes, you can remap the four hard buttons and the star in the data input area.

Yes, you can power on and launch the application associated with the specific hard button in one press.

[vikingblade]

Awesome, Awesome and Awesome! Good to know.

Page turning... can this just be a screen tap with finger? or does it need to be with the stylus right on the ereader page turn arrow?

Starting Auto-Scroll... what is involved in getting it started. using ereader, with the stylus, do i need to go into navigation menu then select start auto-scroll? or, can this be done easier...

thanks again

[Dick Tracy]

/Z with fingernail on screen or tapping the autoscroll icon in eReader; /J in Plucker. Touching the screen stops autoscroll. Both apps are capable of adjusting the autoscroll speed to suit your needs. FYI, I seldom use the stylus after many years of Palm use; my thumbnail or index fingernail works well and this does not aggravate my ganglia.

Page turning can be accomplished by pressing the left and right side of the 5-way navigation ring depending on which direction you wish to turn.

[vikingblade]

thanks... question, what is /Z?