Reading on the Run
Sep 22 '01
The Bottom Line I love being able to carry many different books with me and read whichever ones suit my mood. It's made the purchase of my PDA well worth the price.
An Electronic Book (also called an ebook) is a device that fits in your hand, has a screen, and holds from hundreds to thousands of pages of text. An ebook is made up of two parts: The ebook reader and the ebook itself.
Ebook Readers
The ebook reader can be a dedicated device - a piece of hardware that only reads ebooks, or it can be a software program that runs on your handheld device or desktop computer.
Dedicated Ebook Readers
Perhaps the most well-known ebook reader is Rocket ebook. It was the first ebook device to gain widespread recognition, but the manufacturer was bought out by Gemstar. Their new models are described below:
Gemtar REB 1100
This is a black and white model. It has a 5.5" diagonal, backlit, touch-sensitive screen and an internal lithium ion battery that runs 15 hours (using the backlight) or 35 hours (without using the backlight). It has 8MB of memory and accepts a SmartMedia card up to 64MB.
Gemstar REB 1200
This is their color model. It has an 8.5" backlit, 640x480, touch-sensitive screen. The battery charge doesn't last as long as the 1100. It also has a built-in 56k modem and ethernet port so you can download ebooks without a desktop computer.
Franklin makes three ebook readers. These also come with calendar/to-do/memo programs. They all use 2 AAA batteries (not included except for the EBM-911).
EBM-900 This model has 8MB SDRAM and no backlight feature. It's priced at $129.95.
EBM-901 Same as the 900 but it does have a backlight. $179.95.
EBM-911 Backlight, 16 mb SDRAM and batteries. $229.95
These are only a few of the ebook readers that are out there. If you go to www.knowbetter.com you will find a comprehensive list with detailed descriptions and availability.
PDA's
You can also read ebooks on your handheld device. All you need is the ebook reader software (I'll talk about some of those later).
One of the main reasons I bought a Palm was to read ebooks. I wanted the other features as well, which is why I didn't get a dedicated ebook reader.
If you plan to use your PDA as an ebook reader, you will probably want to get additional storage (if your handheld has expansion card capabilities). 8MB is standard on most PDAs, but after you have a few applications and games loaded, there's not a lot of room left.
This site has 21 different ebook readers for PDAs:
www.gadgeteer.com/docreaders-review.html
Pocket PC
Pocket PCs are PDAs that run Microsoft's operating system instead of the Palm OS. Microsoft has their own ebook reader called MS Reader (as usual, instead of working with others to form a standard they have to create their own world).
Desktop Ebook Readers
There are ebook readers that you can download and install on your desktop computer. Some of the websites listed below will have them or tell you where you can get them.
Ebook Titles
What books are available as ebooks? There are many free books out there. The first ebook I read was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I've downloaded Great Expectations, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, Dracula, The Koran, The King James version of the Bible (the American Standard version is available too), a bunch of Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales, Othello, to name a few.
Formats
Remember the days of the two video tape formats, VHS and BETA? If only the ebook world was so lucky! Choosing the format that will best meet your needs is going to require a little research on your part. Since everyone's needs (and budgets) are different, I recommend you take a look at the websites I've listed below to help you find the ebook format that's right for you.
Ebooks come in several formats. The most common is the .DOC format for the Palm OS. MS Reader requires its own format. For a thorough explanation of ebook formats go to www.ebookhome.com.
Some other sites that explain ebooks are:
www.ebookweb.org/basics/ebook.primer.htm
www.ebookconnections.com/ReadersPrimer/
Free Ebooks
These sites offer free ebooks:
www.gutenberg.net
Project Gutenberg was started in 1971. Volunteers have spent countless hours keyboarding the world's greatest literature and offering it free on the internet. This is the first place to go if you're looking for the classics.
Sometimes the texts are not in the right format for your reader, but there are programs available that help convert them to something you can read.
www.memoware.com
This is the place to go if you're looking for ebooks for your PDA (it's where I downloaded most of mine). It also has many ebook readers for PDAs.
Other Websites
These sites will keep you up to date on the eBook world:
www.ebookhome.com
www.knowbetter.com
www.ebookconnections.com
www.ebookweb.org
If all I wanted was an ebook reader, I would lean towards the Gemstar 1100. Since I want to use my Palm as an ebook reader, I already exclude the MS Reader and the titles that may only be available on that platform.
Commercial Titles
At sites like Barnes & Noble or Amazon you can buy ebooks by contemporary bestselling authors.
Here are some websites that provide ebooks commercially:
www.peanutpress.com
www.bartleby.com
Making Your Own Ebooks
You can even publish your own ebooks. It is beyond the scope of this review, because there are so many different formats. If you are interested in converting your own texts into formats that your ebook reader can read, look for information on the sites I've listed. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.
In Closing
I hope this gives you some helpful information about ebooks. It's a new market and it's growing and changing everyday. If it seems that there aren't enough titles available for ebooks right now, bookmark some of the sites I've mentioned and check back occasionally. New titles are made available everyday, and you may see that one format is beginning to emerge as the standard.
The bottom line for me is: I love being able to carry many different books with me and read whichever ones suit my mood. It's made the purchase of my PDA well worth the price.
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raven190
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