.KEYWORD ebook0501
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT SHOOTOUT
.TITLE Document readers for the Palm OS: a user’s perspective
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Larry Stedman has tried just about all the document readers available, and he’s reached some conclusions about which ones work best. In this article, he’ll help you select the ideal reader for your needs by discussing the features that are a part of any worthwhile document reader. He then judges some of the major freeware document readers on the market against these features to draw some fascinating conclusions.
.AUTHOR Larry Stedman
I never thought I’d want to read a book on the Palm device due to the small screen and my love of "real" reading. I love holding a book in my hands, turning the pages, and smelling the aging paper. However, I rapidly got hooked on ebooks. Reading small amounts of text at a time slows you down and sparks the visual imagination more. My first read was H.G. Wells’ "Day of the Comet," an old-fashioned, sometimes preachy, wonderful utopian tale of romance gone awry, working class struggles, star gazing, and the emergence of a new society.
There are thousands of ebooks out there. I particularly like reading from my Palm device in the middle of the night, with the blue-glowing text gently leading me forth into fanciful worlds. No turning on a bright white light that keeps your partner awake for hours.
Another great use of the readers is having readily accessible reference material. Just one example–you can carry around the Constitution of the United States, which can come in handy when a discussion focuses on the vagaries of the Electoral College or presidential succession. "But when would any of that ever be needed?" you ask. Hmm
