reading on a pda

[Eben]

Thanks. Okay, now I'll probably sound dumb, but: what's the difference between a pocketPC and a pda? The operating system? Apparently this DRM thing is supported on PalmOS, but not on at pocketPC.

 

[Tsyr]

Thanks. Okay, now I'll probably sound dumb, but: what's the difference between a pocketPC and a pda? The operating system? Apparently this DRM thing is supported on PalmOS, but not on at pocketPC.

Actually, insomuch as I know, neither support DRM. I would suspect Pocket PCs would before PalmOS actually, but I could be wrong.

In essense, yes, operating system. Its like the difference between mac and windows.

Palm OS is older, and 'proven', I guess, But I've never really liked it. IMO it's also ugly, but that's not really relevent

Windows Mobile is what powers pocket PCs... It's actually a very stripped-down, modified version of windows, so it's 'comfortable' and 'familiar' to a lot of users. It has its own versions of many popular applications, such as Media Player, Word, Internet Explorer, etc.

 

[Plane Sailing]

FWIW I think that the PalmOS is superior to the PocketPC OS because it was designed from the ground up to work with the handheld, and wasn't constrained by trying to be like desktop PCs.

Naturally peoples opinion vary (Tsyr and I for instance) and PDAs (generic term) are a fertile ground for the OS-wars that affect desktops

Some of the things I specifically like about the PalmOS are the default actions for common things, the tiny size of apps and the speed of operation. I love the fact that it doesn't have opening and closing of files, or saving, you just do things with the apps and they handle all that stuff.

The high resolution on the Tungsten T3 is very nice too, especially when using teeny tiny fonts which I love.

Cheers

 

[Hand of Evil]

Something you may want to do is go down to your local Best Buy or such store and perform a touch and feel, just seeing what they look like.

 

[Lazybones]

I've read roughly 50 e-books in Microsoft Reader format on my Dell Axim... very easy and it's great having a book on me at all times to pull out when things are slow. The only down side is that I have noticed some minor eye strain on some occasions, but only when I'm reading for more than an hour or so.

As for content, I second the Baen Books recommendation... great stuff there, and all free. Also, the U. of Virginia has an etext project that is converting tons of public domain literature pieces into various reader formats. And as someone mentioned there's a Word plugin that lets you convert any document into Reader format. With 256mb SD and CF cards in my Dell (it has two slots), I can easily carry 20-30 books and still have plenty of room for music and other applications.

 

[Mercule]

Thanks. Okay, now I'll probably sound dumb, but: what's the difference between a pocketPC and a pda? The operating system? Apparently this DRM thing is supported on PalmOS, but not on at pocketPC.

'PDA' stands for 'Personal Digital Assistant' and is a generic term for any small, electronic organizer. Palms fall into this category, as do Pocket PCs, but there are others, too -- I think Symbian is #3, but I've never worked with it. Technically, if your cell phone has a phone book and calendar on it, it could be considered a PDA, too.

Palm OS devices (by Palm, Handspring, etc.) are the leaders in the market, right now. They've been around the longest (of the 'successful' PDAs; don't bring up the Newton), and have an established following.

Pocket PC devices (iPAQ, Axiom, etc.) are newer and are still gaining market share. They are specifically designed to work with Windows ('cause the OS based on Windows CE).

Which is better is personal preference. I like the PPC better because it does work better with Windows, it's quite a bit easier to program, and the interface works better for me (I actually dumped my old Palm in favor of a Franklin planner because of the interface -- I felt like I'd outgrown it after 3 years). I know quite a few people who prefer the Palm OS, though.

DRM will work on either one. I don't know the readers for the Palm OS, but I use MS Reader on my iPAQ. So far I've only downloaded open/free docs, but that's by choice, not need. It's a matter of what I think of DRM and the value of electronic documents than anything else.

 

[Eben]

DRM will work on either one.

From the adobe website FAQ on ebooks
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/30f36.htm

Q: Can I read eBooks on PDAs?
A: Yes, you can read PDF eBooks on a Palm OS device using Adobe Reader for Palm OS v3 or higher. You must first download the eBook to a PC or MacOS X computer using Adobe Reader 6.0 and then transfer to the PDA.
…
Q: What kind of devices can I activate?
A: You can activate Windows and Macintosh computers as well as PalmOS devices.
…
Q: Can I view eBooks on PocketPC?
A: eBooks are not currently supported on the Adobe Reader for PocketPC since it does not include the Adobe DRM system. We will evaluate Pocket PC support for a future release if there is enough demand from consumers.

I guess this is because the Palm OS is wider spread…

 

[Mercule]

From the adobe website FAQ on ebooks
http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/30f36.htm

I guess this is because the Palm OS is wider spread…

Likely. I guess it's nice of MS to supply their own DRM reader for PPC, then.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

nevermind...