Quickly turn documents in MS Reader eBooks
In our last issue (www.PocketPCmag.com/May01/Ebooks.stm), Ken Mattern discussed how to create a well-designed eBook using OverDrive's ReaderWorks program (www.overdrive.com). The OverDrive folks just introduced a "quick and dirty" way to create an eBook, accessed from their Web site. It's best described with an example.
I found a useful article on the Web, with a nice graphic, that I wanted to be able to view on my Pocket PC in Microsoft Reader format. First, I saved the article and the graphic on my desktop PC. Then I went to OverDrive's new site (www.ebookexpress.com)
and followed simple step-by-step instructions, providing the file names for the text and graphic and their location on my desktop PC (see Screen 1). In a minute, the article was converted to an MS Reader eBook file with the graphic as the cover. I saved the resultant eBook file onto my desktop and then copied it to my Pocket PC.
Screen 1: OverDrive's eBookExpress.Com Website lets you specify a document and graphic, click a button, and create an eBook for your Pocket PC.
You can submit the document in TXT, DOC, HTML, RTF, WPS and other formats. The graphic must be in JPG or PNG format.
- Hal Goldstein
Battery: When is it best to recharge it?
Who better to ask than GSBattery (www.gsbattery.com), the manufacturer of Lithium-Ion cells, which are used in all Pocket PCs except the iPAQ? I received this answer to my question from company representative, David Sugure:
Dear Dale - Lithium-Ion technology does not suffer any ill effects from constant charging. However, it's best to keep the battery fully charged when possible. The battery cycle life is shortened by deep discharging (i.e., allowing the battery to discharge completely)... The best way to maximize the life of your cell is to avoid deep discharges in general.
- Dale Coffing www.pocketpcpassion.com
Hidden Keyboard tricks speed up input
My son, Solomon, discovered this on his Casio EM500 Pocket PC. If you are using Keyboard for input on any Pocket PC, touch the stylus on a
letter or number and drag the stylus up to the text area. When you lift the stylus, you'll find the shifted version of that character. So 't' becomes 'T' and '9' becomes '('. There's more! Touch the stylus anywhere on the keyboard and move it left (to backspace), right (to insert a space) or down to insert a carriage return.
- Hal and Solomon Goldstein
Pocket/Handheld PC won't turn on, but battery is charged
Casio Pocket PCs and some Handheld PCs have removable batteries. If you've recently removed or replaced the battery, make sure the battery door is closed and locked. If not, the unit may not turn on. If that
doesn't apply to your Pocket PC, or fails to correct the problem, press the reset button on the device. If that fails, contact customer support.
- Rich Hall, Inspired by advice from Dan Hanttula, author of Pocket PC Handbook
HP's optional screen protector turns Jornada's screen green
HP's optional screen protector is a thin piece of plastic that protects the display from scratches. It's probably not needed if your Jornada has a flip cover to protect it. But if you remove the flip cover, or use the new Jornada 525 Pocket PC, the screen protector is an inexpensive insurance
policy. You need to remove the thin, green, protective covering on the screen protector before you place it on the Pocket PC. (Product # F1827A-ABA, package of six screen protectors, price: $10, available at
www.hpshopping.com.
- Rich Hall, inspired by advice from Dan Hanttula
Transcriber doesn't work well when I let my friend try it
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