MAKING & READING E-TEXTS & EBOOKS

Converting Text or HTML files to Doc format It's quite easy to make your own Palm docs for reading on the go. There are several free document converters on the web, and a handful of commercial and shareware converters as well.

I use MakeDocW to convert text files to Doc format.  This is a freeware utility that works with Windows 95. It does a very nice job on text documents, offering choices for spacing and line breaks. But you may find that pages downloaded from the web need lots of tweaking to make the lines wrap neatly.  Here's an article I wrote that helps explain the process.

eReader offers a free program, called DropBook, for making Palm Reader books. It's a bit tricky to add all the PML tags by hand.  Back in the days when eReader.com was still called Peanut Press, there was a macro  ( word2pml.dot ) that added PML tags to Word documents. I've gotten it to work with all versions of Word from Word 97 to Word XP - but it may take some customizing on your own PC. You can download the Macro here along with instructions for using it. If you'd prefer to forego all the coding and are willing to spend some money, you can buy EBook Studio. It's easy to use and does a very nice job with Word or RTF files. There is a crippleware, free demo. The full program costs $30.00

iSilo makes freeware converters for Windows, Mac, Linux, DOS, and probably more. Plus the new iSiloX can be set up to grab content off the web during hotsyncs and convert it automatically. Way cool all the way around.

DOC Readers For The Palm There are literally dozens of readers available for the Palm, plus a few editors as well. Almost all will read anything in the basic Palm doc format. Some will also read docs in special, proprietary formats, like iSilo for HTML or WordSmith for MS Word documents.  The stories on this site come in 5 varieties:  Plain Doc stories can be read with almost any doc reader iSilo stories require the iSilo Reader The latest version is 4.x  eReader (formerly known as Palm Reader) stories require the eReader MobiPocket Reader stories require the MobiPocket Reader Microsoft Reader stories (LIT format) require the Microsoft Reader, which can be used only on the PocketPC or Windows computers. The eReader can read both Plain Doc and Palm Reader stories, but it cannot read iSilo, Mobi or MS Reader stories. The iSilo Reader can read both Plain Doc and Isilo stories, but it cannot read eReader, Mobi or MS Reader stories. The Mobi Reader can read both Plain Doc and Mobi Reader stories, but it cannot read eReader, iSilo, or MS Reader stories. The Microsoft Reader can read only LIT format stories. All plain doc stories have a file name like "story.pdb" (no prefix) or "doc-story.pdb" ("doc-" prefix) All eReader stories have a file name like "pr-story.pdb" They always have a "pr-" prefix (The "pr" comes from the original name: Palm Reader) All iSilo stories have a file name like "i_story.pdb" or "i4-story.pdb" They always have an "i_" prefix or an "i4-" prefix. Mobi Reader stories always have an "m-" prefix They also have a ".prc" extension. Microsft Reader stories always have a "lit-" prefix and a ".lit" extension. Some stories may be zipped when you download them. They will have the reader specific prefix ("pr-" "i4-" etc) and a ".zip" extension. Unzip the file using WinZip or a similar tool, then send the "pr-story.pdb" file to your PDA. Do not try to read a zipped file on your PDA.

The eReader is currently my favorite reader.  It comes in both a free and a Pro version. I use the Pro version on Palm T3 and the free version on my (PocketPC 2002) Dell Axim.  I haven't figured out what more the Pro version offers except a dictionary.

CSpotRun is an excellent freeware reader. It can handle any number of documents, has a nice, clean interface, and in general is a terrific program. Takes up very little room on your Palm, too.  The only feature missing on CSpotRun is bookmarks. Maybe now that's it's been released under the GNU Open Source program, someone will add that feature.

iSilo makes both a stripped down freeware and full featured shareware reader that handles its own iSilo format HTML docs and regular docs. It is upgraded with new features frequently. The free iSiloX document converter is great for grabbing content off the web.