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PDF on PDA: a pain in the...?

After trying all sorts of pdf readers, I come close to the conclusion that reading pdf documents on a PDA is not practical at all and even irrealistic.
Due mainly to the fact that one cannot view an entire page with a readable font size without having to scroll sideways.
I end up converting pdf to lit.
Please, give opinion and eventually solutions.
Thanks all, and take care

Come on folks, just a few words about your experience with pdf...

donno i read a book as pdf once
on my pda
only had to scroll down not sideways
depend on the doc in question really i suppose
pref lit though because of bookmarks and cleartype
and not being as much a res hog as acrobat reader which i used at the time

VGA a requirement
I use an older version of Adobe reader on a VGA screen. My eyes are still good enough that I can zoom out, get a full page on the screen, and still read it. I have read an entire book this way. I am sure there are better ways to do it on a PDA. But my goal is to be able to grab a document off of the web and read it as I travel. If there is going to be conversion between formats, it would have to take place on the PDA.
That being said, it is still easier to read a word or text document than a PDF. But if you have the screen resolution and size to work with, PDF's are not impossible.

Thanks folks, that was my impression.

Answers
There are ways to improve PDF experiance. Using reflow when creating PDFs (available as an option when saving PDFs from OpenOffice, for example) greatly improves things.
Anothr good option is Repligo - you can print / convert PDFs to that format. It uses less space, documents open faster and look better (less jagged fonts).

Believe me, PDFs are annoying even in actual, desktop environments. >_>
That said, I'm using Foxit for the PPC. It loads 15MB++ files faster than Adobe, follows the original PDF format faithfully (doesn't try to rearrange like idiotic Clearvue), yet it is a standalone program that requires no installation.
That said, PDF reading is only for devices with a big screen. Definitely bigger than a Mini, let alone an Atom. Otherwise, at a big enough text to be legible, scrolling to the side is necessary - and that tends to lag a bit with bigger PDFs for devices with only 64MB of RAM or less.

I have train skeds and the Tokyo Metro Map plus a crap load more pdf files
that I use on my X01HT and yes you do have to scroll both ways but I mean
have you seen the detail of the Tokyo Metro Map?!?
It works for me. I actually like it.
Plus I get 'really cool' nods from Japanese when they see me looking
through the Tokyo Metro map on my X01HT because most of them
use the low tech pocket paper fold out.
Yes, I am a gaijin otaku and proud of it!!!

imexp then big pictures makes pdf useless on pda's as they can move the text to scale but in there is a picture in the middle they cant really handle scaling the picture down to match the width of the pda screen

I think converting to repligo is the most elegant solution since images are conserved...but it is not free
Otherwise, if pics are not important, converting to text then to lit and using microsoft reader is an acceptable free solution.
To "AquiEsta!": why don't you use the excellent "metro" freeware?

You can use the free xpdf (pocketpdf). It at least has better zoom functions then adobe and it has the option to read pdf as text files with associated functions. You lose pictures but pure textfiles are a breaze to read...

elio said:
I think converting to repligo is the most elegant solution since images are conserved...but it is not free
Otherwise, if pics are not important, converting to text then to lit and using microsoft reader is an acceptable free solution.
To "AquiEsta!": why don't you use the excellent "metro" freeware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know such a thing existed. Where would I find that? In English
would be great too!
Thanks

AquiEsta! said:
I didn't know such a thing existed. Where would I find that? In English
would be great too!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://nanika.net/Metro/
You will love it

elio said:
http://nanika.net/Metro/
You will love it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"more than 350 cities covered now"... I'm already in love with it because
I travel a lot and this hopefully will save me time and advils.
THANK YOU!!!
off I go to set it up...

Adobe Reader for PPC 2 works with my HTC Athena/Advantage VGA screen without legibility problems using its reflow function which wraps the text to your screen - no sideways scrolling needed.
Even if your documents were not prepared specifically for this Active Sync will do the necessary conversion when you transfer the docs from your PC (turn it on in file settings). If you bypass ActiveSync your reflow button gets greyed out.
For documents like maps you can switch to sideways scrolling whenever you want.
My only gripe is that the characters are a little fuzzy, so I'm looking for a fix for this.
UPDATE: fuzzy characters fixed:
Switch resolution to 95 dpi using RealVGA before opening Adobe Reader. Now works as it was meant to. Only downside is the the resolution switch involves a reset.

For reading articles and such offline I use ScrapBook (a Firefox extension) to capture the page/selection and delete ads/sidebars and then 'Save Page as...' and copy the html and corresponding images folder to my SD card. It's a pain but it's the best solution that I could find.

I use Mobipocket Reader to do the conversion and reading, it's free and works well for me www.mobipocket.com

For PDFs Picel Browser, and Foxit Reader for Windows Mobile are pretty good.

I second the picsel reader. http://www.picselpowered.com
Don't let the number of Cons over Pros put you off.
Even with these problems I still use it on a daily basis, and preferred to buy it over using free alternatives like Adobe.
Proof that mobile apps don't have to look like clunky old windows apps.
Pro
Excellent rendering of PDF files
Fine control over zoom, can use a gesture (tap & drag)
Cons
Out of memory errors with just a few other apps running
Remembers last document opened, but not page
No Search
No way of jumping to a page

pdemoore said:
I second the picsel reader. http://www.picselpowered.com
Don't let the number of Cons over Pros put you off.
Even with these problems I still use it on a daily basis, and preferred to buy it over using free alternatives like Adobe.
Proof that mobile apps don't have to look like clunky old windows apps.
Pro
Excellent rendering of PDF files
Fine control over zoom, can use a gesture (tap & drag)
Cons
Out of memory errors with just a few other apps running
Remembers last document opened, but not page
No Search
No way of jumping to a page
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I back this as well, it is bar far, THEE most impressive on a PDA.
It has no rendering lag, making it the fastest PDF reader on WM.
I would only recommend that VGA users view PDFs, QVGA isn't practical.

Mobipocket Publisher Edition - where can I get it?

I am trying to convert PDF files to mobipocket format so I can read them on my Tilt. Actually reading a PDF with a PDF reader seems almost useless as you're constantly moving around the page trying to read one line.
(If there is a better way to go about reading PDFs, by all means, fill me in!)
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp?Language=EN
Mobipocket offers conversion software at the above link. There is a home and a publisher edition. However, only the publisher edition can process PDF files, and no matter what you click on to download, you get the home edition.
Does anyone know how I can get the publisher edition?

Try this link
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/ProductDetailsCreator.asp
If you scroll down to the bottom it says it can handle pdf files, I haven't downloaded it myself to try it but I believe they only offer the one version now since it went to freeware.

Yea that's the basic version. Their site is confusing.

I just downloaded the file from that page and installed it on my pc and it says publisher under the title when its opened and does have the facility to convert pdf files.

Which version do I DL for X1A with WM6.5

[Q] One great Android ebook reader app...someone, please??

I would really like to find a great ePub reader app and wondered if anyone here might know of one I haven't found, or have the skills to build one that will beat all the competition by including what I'll explain below.
As an author, I am very conscious of how books will look when read using different eReaders and different reader apps (FBReader, Aldiko, Laputa, etc.). There are two major issues I see so far with how the current stock of apps display the text content, and how they display images inside ebooks. Other than the iPad, I haven't found a single Android app that does both in a way that works for me (and I'm not sure even the iPad does it perfectly yet).
On text/content handling-- it boils down to whether the app actually uses the internal style that the author or publisher designed, meaning, does it read and use the .css stylesheet correctly or does it ignore it for the most part. In my case, the book looks perfect in ADE and Calibre on my laptop, meaning it displays exactly as it should look based on xhtml and the internal stylesheet. It also looks perfect on Aldiko both on my EVO and my rooted Nook color. But other than Aldiko, I have not seen one other app that correctly displays the book based on the styles and formatting stipulated in the .css file. Maybe the developers didn't think it mattered, or didn't know how to do it, but the .css file is part of the ePub standard.
As for image display--the iPad allows a double-tap to pop the picture off the page and view it enlarged (though I don't think you can pinch-to-zoom even then). The other day I was told the the latest version of FBReader for Android now lets you 'long-press' on a picture to optionally see a full-screen version of it in their image viewer (also excellent, though you still can't pinch-to-zoom on that larger image either). No other reader app I've found--even Aldiko--has the tap or press functionality to see a larger version of an embedded picture. So far I've had to do hyperlinks from the text to a larger version, or have thumbnails in the text linked to the larger picture, though still no pinch-to-zoom.
(Fwiw, the zoom function is a capability of the hardware apparently. On my EVO the internal viewer allows that--but the ES Image Viewer does not..so maybe it has to be built into the app. Pictures on an ePub book page are apparently limited by the page size unless you can view them separately, but getting them displayed with a viewer that also allows pinch-to-zoom hasn't been done yet I guess.)
So, not to drag this out any further, does anyone know of an existing reader app, or a new one under development, that has it all? I'd even donate some money if someone here wanted to look into making a reader app that combines the Aldiko stylesheet capability with the FBReader 'long-press' image view capability.
Personally, I have illustrations and pictures that need to be seen full-screen (better yet, zoomed to see the detail) so the image handling issue is a huge deal for me. The text handling using the .css stylesheet is for reading esthetics so that indentation, quotes, text and paragraph alignment and spacing, look good, as they would in a typical book--not all jammed together in the same size with no differentiation from one section to the next.
Any help, information, or ideas, will be appreciated. Thanks.
-JTT

Don't know if it will do it, but I have tried both Laputa and i think it was moon+ reader, they might do what you are looking for

With all due respect, I don't have time to read such a long post however Moon+ is pretty excellent

I'll try not to write as long a post next time since some people don't have time to read before they reply, though if they'd read the initial post they would have realized their response was pointless. But I'll let it slide and just say that Moon+ is very nice (I already have it) and I especially like the way it displays the Table of Contents. Unfortunately, it also ignores the .css file and style specifications, which is what was being explained in the long post...if you'd taken the time to read it.

Pickx said:
With all due respect, I don't have time to read such a long post however Moon+ is pretty excellent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually use Laputa for most of my reading, which is a vote for that app, though I do have Moon+ as well since I've been testing all the reader apps I could find. But neither Laputa or Moon+ seem to use the .css styles when displaying the book content like Aldiko does, and neither allows any functionality to tap or press to enlarge images like FBReader does. So back to square one...but thanks for mentioning them.

This is more of a "non-answer" to your question.
I've read your entire post and I actually like your idea. So my idea is just to send your suggestion to the devs of the ePub reader (I use Moon+). They'll probably answer and give you an idea if they plan to implement the feature or what's holding them back from doing so.

Have you tried to write to Cool Reader's application (which supports epub also) author?

I dont know if when you posted this fbreader would ignore css, but i installed it today and it has CSS settings (txt alignment and font size only) plus the image tap to view

[Q] Good ebook, epub organizer - ala iBooks or eBooks on Samsung Galaxy Tab

I've been looking for an app which organizes pdfs and epub documents and has a reader in-built.
I know iOS has iBooks and I own Samsung Galaxy Tab which had eBooks app - you can see all the recently opened files and it lets you open them too.
Is there anything similar for Surface? What are you guys using for PDFs?
I've tried PDF Touch, Freda, Overdrive Console etc but haven't found them up to the mark.
Thanks!
PS: I don't see a forum for posting Surface Q/A, so I posted it here.

Montastic said:
I've been looking for an app which organizes pdfs and epub documents and has a reader in-built.
I know iOS has iBooks and I own Samsung Galaxy Tab which had eBooks app - you can see all the recently opened files and it lets you open them too.
Is there anything similar for Surface? What are you guys using for PDFs?
I've tried PDF Touch, Freda, Overdrive Console etc but haven't found them up to the mark.
Thanks!
PS: I don't see a forum for posting Surface Q/A, so I posted it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PDFs open natively and the reader buit into the SAurface is actually pretty good IMO- Annotations, highlights etc. I open large Pdfs from the insurance industry and it does the trick so far..
Regarding a general ebook reader, I am not impressed with anything yet as far as being able to import in my own epubs (as opposed to Kindle and Nook, Kobo, etc which only let you read their conten)t - I have Freda installed and its just so so - It uses the Calibre ebook management system on a desktop Pc which is a hassle, and as far as I can tell there is no way to remove books from Freda once imported in - Not too many features
it seems like the ebook readers are always a hassle on these types of devices (same form my Android) - You always need to have like 3 of them loaded to cover everything if you have your own epubs, and other formats

guitar1969 said:
PDFs open natively and the reader buit into the SAurface is actually pretty good IMO- Annotations, highlights etc. I open large Pdfs from the insurance industry and it does the trick so far..
Regarding a general ebook reader, I am not impressed with anything yet as far as being able to import in my own epubs (as opposed to Kindle and Nook, Kobo, etc which only let you read their conten)t - I have Freda installed and its just so so - It uses the Calibre ebook management system on a desktop Pc which is a hassle, and as far as I can tell there is no way to remove books from Freda once imported in - Not too many features
it seems like the ebook readers are always a hassle on these types of devices (same form my Android) - You always need to have like 3 of them loaded to cover everything if you have your own epubs, and other formats
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The inbuilt reader is okay but not many features. I wish I could choose highlight colors.
On my Galaxy Tab, I have ezPDF reader - what I like is that it shows the recently opened file on a bookshelf. I don't care about the skeuomorphism but it would be nice to be able to see bunch of recently opened files.
On a side note, is there some setting where it asks me what program to open the PDF each time I try to open a PDF file? I know how to set the default program but depending on what I'm doing, I like to use different programs.

We should all contact the maker of Mantano Reader to petition for a WinRT port. The premium version is the best pdf/epub reader I have found for any mobile device yet.

guitar1969 said:
I have Freda installed and its just so so - It uses the Calibre ebook management system on a desktop Pc which is a hassle, and as far as I can tell there is no way to remove books from Freda once imported in - Not too many features
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will be a couple of further releases in the next weeks - adding various features (including the one you mention - removing imported ebooks). In the current version, you don't need to use Calibre - you can also use a filesystem/SkyDrive browser, and Freda does register itself as able to open EPUB and FB2 - so you can open them direct from internet/file explorer.
I've posted more info on the Freda development roadmap here.

Jim Chapman said:
Freda does register itself as able to open EPUB and FB2 - so you can open them direct from internet/file explorer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have run into this while using your app and it is a great feature! Yours is the best epub reader available for the SurfaceRT, and I will be keeping an eye on it.

Jim Chapman said:
There will be a couple of further releases in the next weeks - adding various features (including the one you mention - removing imported ebooks). In the current version, you don't need to use Calibre - you can also use a filesystem/SkyDrive browser, and Freda does register itself as able to open EPUB and FB2 - so you can open them direct from internet/file explorer.
I've posted more info on the Freda development roadmap here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info! Freda is currently my favorite epub reader.
Is highlighting supported for epubs?

Montastic said:
Is highlighting supported for epubs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, once the next release passes through Microsoft certification (in the next few days if we are lucky) it will support bookmarks/annotations - so you can select a word, and associate some annotation text with it. Bookmarked words are shown with a diamond-shaped tag, rather than a highlight stripe, though. I have been looking at a feature that would let you select several words or a whole block of text for highlighting, but it's tricky to get right (mainly because the UI for selecting text is complicated).

Jim Chapman said:
Well, once the next release passes through Microsoft certification (in the next few days if we are lucky) it will support bookmarks/annotations - so you can select a word, and associate some annotation text with it. Bookmarked words are shown with a diamond-shaped tag, rather than a highlight stripe, though. I have been looking at a feature that would let you select several words or a whole block of text for highlighting, but it's tricky to get right (mainly because the UI for selecting text is complicated).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info.
I'm not sure what kind of use case others have, but for me, highlighting is pretty important. I have PDF and epub versions of the same periodical and the only reason I go to PDF is so that I can highlight text.
Thanks for your effort though - Freda is an awesome app and I'm sure it will get better with your continued effort.

[Q] Must convert .snb S Note files to PDF efficiently

Ok so in a nutshell, I am a college student with dozens of sets of imported PDF files of PowerPoints. I take notes using S Note on the PDF versions of the PowerPoints and it is incredibly functional and nice. However, I need to print these files and in order to do that, I have to open each individual file within S Note, export to PDF then print using HP ePrint. I want to be able to use Google Drive or my SD Card to access the .snb files on my computer, use a program to EFFICIENTLY convert them into PDF so I can print them with ease from my computer and store them there to avoid cluttering my device. As I said, I have dozens of sets of notes and I really do not want to export each of them one at a time. Is there any application for Android that can accomplish or, better yet, a program available that I can install on my laptop to convert the files efficiently? If not, is there a more functional way to take notes on PDF exported PowerPoints using my S Pen? I can't imagine that Samsung would be that ridiculous about making things hard for someone who wants to simply print some files on a non-Samsung printer directly from the device...

snb to pdf effeciently
I second that request - passionately. I take half a dozen multipage notes a day at work and I need to be able to archive them and access them, print them from computer (rather than a tablet). I have looked and have found no good way to process and convert snb's in mass.
Has anyone sorted out the fix for this yet? Surely it is something Samsung would be well served to address; and horrendously negligent if they do not.

SNB reader, converter...Did you find the answer?
Jkeeling43: Did you ever find the fix for this? I am still searching and I am certain lots of folks are grappling with the same problem.
BCS
jkeeling43 said:
Ok so in a nutshell, I am a college student with dozens of sets of imported PDF files of PowerPoints. I take notes using S Note on the PDF versions of the PowerPoints and it is incredibly functional and nice. However, I need to print these files and in order to do that, I have to open each individual file within S Note, export to PDF then print using HP ePrint. I want to be able to use Google Drive or my SD Card to access the .snb files on my computer, use a program to EFFICIENTLY convert them into PDF so I can print them with ease from my computer and store them there to avoid cluttering my device. As I said, I have dozens of sets of notes and I really do not want to export each of them one at a time. Is there any application for Android that can accomplish or, better yet, a program available that I can install on my laptop to convert the files efficiently? If not, is there a more functional way to take notes on PDF exported PowerPoints using my S Pen? I can't imagine that Samsung would be that ridiculous about making things hard for someone who wants to simply print some files on a non-Samsung printer directly from the device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse