eBooks and eBook Readers

[jupe]

Hi, everyone!

I'm a law student and need codals on the go. As expected, I can't find all the laws that i need as eBooks. For now, I look for them in the internet, copy them thru MSWord, then view them using Word-To-Go. But this proved unreliable. Once, it happened that I ran out of batteries and, since Word-To-Go and its database both reside on Handheld memory, the program and everything with it were erased on reset.

I was rather hoping I could make my own eBook so I can have them stored at my Multimedia Card safely whatever happens to the Handheld memory. If at all this is possible, will anyone be kind enough to give me the step-by-step procedure to do so? Preferrably, both the software to use and the eBook reader program are free.

Or, you may want to teach me how to install Word-To-Go in the Multimedia Card so I can have it run there.

Thanks so much. Would appreciate anyone's input as I badly need it.

[Jim Cooke]

What kind of Palm do you have? You posted this in the Palm III series section, which doesn't have any expansion cards. What version of Docs to Go do you have? If your documents were in RAM, they should have been backed up when hotsynced and then restored when hotsynced again after your battery went flat - did this not happen?

You can store any Docs to Go documents on an expansion card by just saving the document to the card. Depending on the version Docs to Go, you can also run the program from an expansion card but it can be unbearably slow to load.

There are a number of programs that will make e-books ranging from the free MakeDoc to shareware programs like ISilo. You can also use converted PDF files if you have Adobe Acrobat. Depending on the source file, all of these may have problems rendering the document properly on the small screen. At least with a combination of MS Word and Docs to Go, you already won and are familiar with the software, which can be a big advantage over trying to learn to make things in e-book format.

Since you're a law student, I won't even get into copyright issues with you.:)

[jupe]

Mine's Palm M125.

Sorry for the wrong posting. Pls bear with me - a novice user of these fora. I guess I'm guilty of posting 2 or 3 of more of these here 'coz I couldn't find them. I may have cluttered your message boards already, my apologies.

I know I could, and I did, recover during the next hotsync; but it happened while I'm out and just as I need those references for my class. Tough luck!

Anyway, don't worry. I'm well aware of copyright laws. But I think it's socially acceptable nowadays to violate it once in a while if the stakes are right.

You mean I'll install MSWord docs in the Multimedia card? How?! Just as I would a program?!

Also, are eBooks proprietary formats - meaning they only can be read with the software one makes them with?! If I use Adobe, is there an Adobe reader around free?!

Thanks so much! You've been of great help.

[jupe]

Oops! I forgot to say that I'm using Doc-To-Go Ver. 3.002. Is this ok?! Is an updated version available?! Where?

Last question, can I update my version of Palm OS?! Is it not like a computer that I may format the handheld memory, then change OS?! If so, how?!

Thanks again!

[Jim Cooke]

Actually, it was my mistake. I forgot that the M125 and M130 have SD cards so you posted in the right place. Posting your Palm model does help though.

You can save any document to your expansion card. Go to Help on the Docs to Go Desktop and then How to..., Expansion Card technologly for the details. This assumes you already have an expansion card installed, of course. Generally, I always back up everything on my Clie T665 to my memory stick once a day so, if I have a hard reset while I'm away from my computer, I can restore everything in a few minutes. The Clie has a backup program built-in. I think you'd need to add a program like BackupBuddy VFS to do the same thing on your M125 but someone else may have a better answer.

Version 3.002 is pretty old. I would update to version 4.0 since that has some significant improvements over 3.x. Dataviz no longer sells version 4 but you can get it at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005NJ6A/qid=1098769564/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2_etk-software/102-4365475-5920121?v=glance&s=software&n=229534 for about $22. You'll find the formatting from MS word to Word to Go is much improved over version 3.x. You can also get version 5 at Amazon but it uses a lot more of the small amount of RAM available on the M125.

You can only go from OS 4.0 to OS 4.1 on the M125. That's actually the last version of OS 4.x that anyone can upgrade to regardless of model. The differences between 4.0 and 4.1 are minimal and really not worth the $15 or $20 you'd have to pay to get the upgrade.

E-books come in many different formats and there's no one e-book reader that will read every e-book format. I like TiBR. It's small, fast, and free. You can get it at http://indevsoftware.com/product.php?Id=5&Section=&ep=88&PHPSESSID=4db01ec8fa4cbf475f6cf8e16000ebae along with a free converter that lets you convert other document types so they can be read by TiBR. It will let you store and read e-books on your expansion card.

Adobe has a free Palm version at the Adobe website. You have to convert PDF documents to the Palm PDF format using the Adobe software before they can be read on your Palm but it does a reasonable job considering the small screen. You can also store PDF's on your expansion card.

[jupe]

Hi, again!

I'm sorry to tell you that I already tried the TiBR software but it was a failure. The converted MSWord file was a total mess. The beginning of the document is a sham with indiscernable characters.

Adobe did not do well either - document conversion's fine but the search function about the entire file is excruciatingly slow to the tune of a day, i guess, to search the whole file for some word or phrase.

As it is now, Doc-To-Go's better - file as is; searching is efficient. The only drawback is unreliable file retrival when the battery goes flat.

I recall from your first reply that there is a way of backing up Doc-To-Go documents in the Multimedia card. Could you be kind enough to teach me? How does it go - Doc-To-Go in handheld memory while documents are in Multimedia card? Or both in handheld but originals are in the card? Most important, how should I do it?!

I tried saving Word documents in the card just as I do programs; but it won't allow. It says they can't be put there 'coz there's no program to run them there.

Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks so much!

[Jim Cooke]

Just go to Doc to Go Help as I explained in my previous message. There's no point in my copying and pasting what's already on your PC in a message here. Word documents have to first be converted through Docs to go with older versions so you need to first drag a Word file to the Docs to Go window and then sync to your expansion card.

[jupe]

So sorry to bother you again. I did resort to Doc-To-Go help menu but no help there regarding memory sticks vis-a-vis Doc-To-Go. Really, I much want to be independent but I just do not know where to look. It just isn't anywhere.

I guess you may have mistaken my vintage version of Doc-To-Go with yours.

[Jim Cooke]

Sorry, my mistake again. I forgot you had version 3. Version 3 does not support expansion cards. You'll need to upgrade to at least version 4.x to be able to use Docs to Go on your expansion card. As I wrote, you can't get an upgrade to version 4.x or 5.x direct from Dataviz but you can from the Amazon link I posted in an earlier message.