Palm devices for mobile reading?

ProDigit · 12-06-2017, 03:54 AM

Hi,
I'm getting some nice deals on a Palm M500/505 device.
Is there any info on what ebook format it can read?
Both have an SD card slot (probably a Max of 1 or 2 GB)

pdurrant · 12-06-2017, 04:34 AM

Wow. A blast from the past!

It can read Mobipocket if you can still find the Mobipocket Palm OS app.
I doubt that there's any ePub reader for it.

beachwanderer · 12-06-2017, 08:08 AM

Mobipocket Reader will be the only way. As far as I know Calibre still includes conversion to Mobi, so thats the way to go then.

AnemicOak · 12-06-2017, 10:49 AM

Mobi (you might also find the old app for eReader, but...), a quick Google shows Mobipocket Reader appears to be out there on various sites.

The first mobile device I read a book on was a Palm IIIe, later had a Tungsten-T and a Treo 650 (still have the Tungsten and the Treo around here somewhere) among other things.

dwig · 12-06-2017, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProDigit

Hi,
I'm getting some nice deals on a Palm M500/505 device.
Is there any info on what ebook format it can read?
Both have an SD card slot (probably a Max of 1 or 2 GB)

Out of the box, Palm devices couldn't read any ebook formats. You need to acquire/download/sideload... a reading app. Back in the day, there were several.

The best choice now would be MobiPocket Reader, if you can find it. It will read the older MOBI format and can read the PalmDOC format (long extinct). It can't read the newer Amazon formats (AZW...) nor can it read ePub. Calibre's MOBI conversions should work fine, but keep in mind that the format doesn't support many of the more advanced features common in AZW3 and ePub these days.

I've read hundreds of ebooks on PalmOS devices. They work well for basic fiction reading where little formatting is needed. Screen resolution is low (standard in the later devices is 320x320 pixels and a very few were 320x480 like the Clie in my Avatar).

ProDigit · 12-06-2017, 05:10 PM

The M500 is 160x160 pixels.
I just wanted it for programming apps for, as a fun job, but they sent me an M505, which has color lcd and double the resolution.
Would have preferred the black and white one, just because it lasts longer on a battery charge.

Now figuring out how to install the app on my device.
Probably via a FAT32 (or FAT16) formatted SD card?
It's nearly impossible to do on modern hardware, without emulation.

ProDigit · 12-06-2017, 07:12 PM

I wonder if I could find a way to play these games on them?

http://www.guimp.com/pong.html

They're basically 18 by 18 pixel games, so I suppose it should work, no? (press escape, and click arrow keys to change game)

Seems like there was a compressed HTML reader out for palm devices, called 'Pluckr'.
The links I found, lead to an outdated website.
Any info you could offer would be great!
I love my M505. It has a color LCD, okay resolution, and no backlight, which means, long battery life!

theinfamousj · 04-07-2018, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProDigit

I wonder if I could find a way to play these games on them?

Back in college, I played a lot of iRogue on a Palm and a Handspring Visor. So if you are up for a google adventure, I'd start with iRogue as that is a likely game.

It is a Rogue-like game which is its own rabbit hole in and of itself if you enjoy Dungeons and Dragons.

Larken · 04-09-2018, 01:53 PM

About 15 years ago, I was introduced to reading on Palm OS devices. I started on an m515 with a screen resolution of 160x160. It's pretty pixelly but if you don't care about font formatting, it works just fine. You could read with PalmReader, which was pretty basic, but would do the job. I preferred a program called Wordsmith. It could switch from View to Edit mode and you could make spelling corrections as needed if you wanted to improve the book as you read. It would also allow you to auto scroll and adjust the scrolling to your reading speed. It was pretty good stuff.

As for the books, I don't recall if Calibre can output to .pdb (Palm Database) file or not. I can picture the program I used that basically opened a window and I would drop a text file into it. It would spit out a .pdb file after a few seconds. I found a few websites that appear to do the same if you google txt to pdb converter.

I have the last model of Palm at home. I might have to try and charge it up tonight and play with it. I miss the days of the IT group at work standing around with a handheld device and everyone saying we look like dorks. Now, it seems, everyone has turned into dorks with their phones

DaleDe · 04-11-2018, 05:55 PM

The Palm database format lives on in the Amazon Kindle MOBI format. Check the PDB info in our wiki and note that this same database was used in a number of different products. Note that it seems like a file when we see it but inside a Palm it was never a file.

Dale

12-06-2017, 03:54 AM	#1
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	Palm devices for mobile reading? Hi, I'm getting some nice deals on a Palm M500/505 device. Is there any info on what ebook format it can read? Both have an SD card slot (probably a Max of 1 or 2 GB)

12-06-2017, 07:12 PM	#7
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	I wonder if I could find a way to play these games on them? http://www.guimp.com/pong.html They're basically 18 by 18 pixel games, so I suppose it should work, no? (press escape, and click arrow keys to change game) Seems like there was a compressed HTML reader out for palm devices, called 'Pluckr'. The links I found, lead to an outdated website. Any info you could offer would be great! I love my M505. It has a color LCD, okay resolution, and no backlight, which means, long battery life! Last edited by ProDigit; 12-06-2017 at 07:52 PM.

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12-06-2017, 04:34 AM	#2
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,492 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	Wow. A blast from the past! It can read Mobipocket if you can still find the Mobipocket Palm OS app. I doubt that there's any ePub reader for it.

12-06-2017, 08:08 AM	#3
beachwanderer - Posts: 2,602 Karma: 16748808 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: At the Baltic Sea Device: Some	Mobipocket Reader will be the only way. As far as I know Calibre still includes conversion to Mobi, so thats the way to go then.

12-06-2017, 10:49 AM	#4
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	Mobi (you might also find the old app for eReader, but...), a quick Google shows Mobipocket Reader appears to be out there on various sites. The first mobile device I read a book on was a Palm IIIe, later had a Tungsten-T and a Treo 650 (still have the Tungsten and the Treo around here somewhere) among other things.

12-06-2017, 05:10 PM	#6
ProDigit Karmaniac Posts: 2,553 Karma: 11499146 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Miami FL Device: PRS-505, Jetbook, + Mini, +Color, Astak Ez Reader Pro, PPW1, Aura H2O	The M500 is 160x160 pixels. I just wanted it for programming apps for, as a fun job, but they sent me an M505, which has color lcd and double the resolution. Would have preferred the black and white one, just because it lasts longer on a battery charge. Now figuring out how to install the app on my device. Probably via a FAT32 (or FAT16) formatted SD card? It's nearly impossible to do on modern hardware, without emulation.

04-09-2018, 01:53 PM	#9
Larken Where's the backlight?? Posts: 52 Karma: 2089116 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Kobo Glo HD	About 15 years ago, I was introduced to reading on Palm OS devices. I started on an m515 with a screen resolution of 160x160. It's pretty pixelly but if you don't care about font formatting, it works just fine. You could read with PalmReader, which was pretty basic, but would do the job. I preferred a program called Wordsmith. It could switch from View to Edit mode and you could make spelling corrections as needed if you wanted to improve the book as you read. It would also allow you to auto scroll and adjust the scrolling to your reading speed. It was pretty good stuff. As for the books, I don't recall if Calibre can output to .pdb (Palm Database) file or not. I can picture the program I used that basically opened a window and I would drop a text file into it. It would spit out a .pdb file after a few seconds. I found a few websites that appear to do the same if you google txt to pdb converter. I have the last model of Palm at home. I might have to try and charge it up tonight and play with it. I miss the days of the IT group at work standing around with a handheld device and everyone saying we look like dorks. Now, it seems, everyone has turned into dorks with their phones

04-11-2018, 05:55 PM	#10
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	The Palm database format lives on in the Amazon Kindle MOBI format. Check the PDB info in our wiki and note that this same database was used in a number of different products. Note that it seems like a file when we see it but inside a Palm it was never a file. Dale

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