Comments on: E-Reader and E-Reader Pro for Palm OS Updated

As of October 4th, E-Reader has quietly updated their E-Reader and E-Reader Pro clients for Palm OS devices. Both versions are now at version 2.6.3, up from the previous 2.6.1 release. As it is a very stable application, E-Reader is usually only updated immediately prior the release of a new Palm OS handheld or smartphone. No change list or release notes are available to indicate what is new in this version.

The basic version of E-Reader is available as a free download from ereader.com. E-Reader Pro costs $9.95 and includes an assortment of free books plus offers an integrated dictionary, autoscrolling, and install additional font packs for easier legibility.

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Duh

fyock @ 10/5/2006 8:24:29 PM #

Motricity dismantled the group that was peanutpress.com/Palm Digital Media/eReader.com two and a half years ago (or three, depending on how you count).

Yes, we built a good reader application that hasn't required updating much, but we used to actually add features. :-)

Next on Fox: When good apps go bad...

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 10/5/2006 9:09:50 PM #

Didn't this same tragedy also happen when Palm bought out ActualSoft (MultiMail)? It's sad to see good apps get strangled/smothered by incompetent companies.

At least iSilo still works...

TVoR

RE: Duh

Foo Fighter @ 10/5/2006 9:58:07 PM #

>> "Didn't this same tragedy also happen when Palm bought out ActualSoft (MultiMail)?"

At least MultiMail still exists, albeit in the form of the xymoronically named VersaMail. Remember Anyday.com, the early web based calendar firm Palm bought up during the debonair, yet inept Yankowski administration? A product and service that literally evaporated along with the venture capital that funded and acquired it.

That and the ill fated BeOS acquisition are the two anchor points of Palm hubris at its finest, and a tribute to the high flying days of the dot.com boom and bust. Palm's entire history is lined with failures and mishaps, brick by brick.

-------------------------------
PocketFactory, www.pocketfactory.com
Elitist Snob, www.elitistsnob.com

RE: Duh

fyock @ 10/5/2006 10:08:38 PM #

Ha. When Palm bough peanutpress.com and made it Palm Digital Media, they pretty much left us alone, which was good and bad, but at least we continued to make the product better.

Many or most of the Actualsoft people are still at Palm doing VersaMail, so I'm not sure how much "strangling/smothering" happened.

RE: Duh

dserodio @ 10/6/2006 11:11:07 AM #

VersaMail is one of the worst POS apps I've ever tried to use. It's f***ing conduit crashed my Palm every time I tried to HotSync, making it impossible to back up my data!

RE: Duh

bcombee @ 10/9/2006 1:43:14 AM #

dserodio, have you used VersaMail 3.5? The newer version is much more stable than the earlier 3.0 and 3.1 releases. I used it as my primary email app on the Treo for several months before it was released and found it to be a big improvement.

E-Reader 2.63 changes

bcombee @ 10/5/2006 10:19:52 PM #

I loaded 2.63 on my Treo 700p earlier this week. I noticed a few changes:

1) Reading my books seemed a little faster.

2) Navigating in the File Open list worked better with the five-way pad. There's still no integrated File Management dialog where I can file, delete, and open books, but it's improved.

3) Menu shortcuts were changed to get rid of /1 and other commands that can't be made from the Treo keyboard.

I also was able to put a book on my SD card in a category -- I don't remember if that was possible before.

RE: E-Reader 2.63 changes

Colonel K @ 10/6/2006 4:06:31 AM #

I prefer PalmFiction.
In my opinion it's far better than eReader.

"PalmFiction gives you the ability to read documents in following formats: PalmDoc, zTXT, RTF, MS Word 2.x, 6.0/95, 2000-2003, simple text, text with HTML tags (for remove tags only), TCR (full unpacking). In all listed formats of documents displays only text (without, hyperlinks, images..)"

And it's free...

http://palmfiction.sourceforge.net/

bit more info:

http://mytreo.net/downloads/details-961.html?PalmFiction

RE: E-Reader 2.63 changes

VampireLestat @ 10/6/2006 4:13:44 AM #

I stand behind PalmFiction. Top notch classic Palm OS application.

Great open source freeware product from Russia.

RE: E-Reader 2.63 changes

VampireLestat @ 10/6/2006 4:15:32 AM #

By the way, I am working on a new website that soon be the de facto place to go for all Palm OS / ALP open source freeware programs. And forums for the Palm OS / ALP community who supports open source.

I will be announcing the domain name soon. Still thinking of a good site name.

RE: E-Reader 2.63 changes

hkklife @ 10/6/2006 12:53:07 PM #

I agree with Ben's observations that 2.63 is faster. I just loaded it onto my Treo and TX yesterday and opening & navigating through books is definitely a bit speedier & smoother.

I would definitely love an integrated file explorer type interface where I could browse, delete, rename etc. However, in light of the comments from the former staff posted here, I'm thankful just to still be getting an update or two each year that doesn't break anything! E-Reader Pro is a solid program for <$10 and I've got no regrets from purchasing it and the font packs. ER Pro's fine for my basic needs but I do need to give PalmFiction a whirl and see how it stacks up.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: E-Reader 2.63 changes

e_tellurian @ 10/6/2006 1:27:01 PM #

Just a thought.

Many good books are still in paper format. It would be nice if technology existed that would allow reading of a book while recording the content into a digital format for others to enjoy. Libraries could start, with permission, duplicating content into their systems for e-reading.

The quickest and most economical way would be to scan the entire book page by page. What of a pair of glasses that can pick up the content as it is read? This way the content is duplicated in an enjoyable manner ... for a fee.

Any thoughts?

E-T

e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

RE: E-Reader 2.63 changes

justauser @ 10/8/2006 1:07:10 AM #

Just tried PalmFiction - beautiful program. Unfortunately doesn't seem to be able to read ereader books that I've purchased (perhaps because they are encrypted?) Pity, cause it really is a nice bit of freeware.

Upgrades?

mopcodes @ 10/7/2006 9:24:53 AM #

Do they offer upgrades? Is is necessary?

D. Martin
Former Amiga/Commodore Author/Writer/Reviewer

RE: Upgrades?

Haber @ 10/7/2006 9:11:25 PM #

Yes, they offer free upgrades for at least 2.6.x. I upgraded to 2.6.3 a couple weeks ago (yes, the article is old news), and it seems slightly faster on my Palm Vx.