Related
I've noticed on several forums no one talks much about it anymore. I used to use with an older PPC. I was thinking of using it on my Wizard. But if there is something better, let me know. http://www.avantgo.com/frontdoor/index.html
Still using it. New version works like a charm under WM5.
What do you use it for? I use mobiReader.
hanmin said:
What do you use it for? I use mobiReader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct me if i'm wrong but mobireader is an ebook reader while AvantGo is a purveyor of internet-based content. So this is why i use it for.
When I used to use AvantGo, it was basically a prefetch of all sorts of information and websites such as Foxnews, CNN, ESPN, Movies, Sports, etc. It allowed you to get the latest information in active sync and then you can view all the information offline on your PPC. Assuming as above posted it works with WM5 now.
i prefer RSS readers nowadays...
not restricted to avantgo content sites.
Do RSS readers allow you to read offline as well? I don't know, i haven't used these types of tools before.
One advantage of Avantgo, which I used to use (on Axim X30) was upload driving maps from (mapquest.com) and sync to my PPC.
s-one said:
When I used to use AvantGo, it was basically a prefetch of all sorts of information and websites such as Foxnews, CNN, ESPN, Movies, Sports, etc. It allowed you to get the latest information in active sync and then you can view all the information offline on your PPC. Assuming as above posted it works with WM5 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. mobiReader does relatively the same thing too, but it runs on XML or RSS. Choices are much less I guess, but the interface and layout are nicely done. In my opinion is better than AvantGo, for news reading and stuff. But, (as my questions on the post above), if you were to consider fetching web contents to be view/refer later, will need AvantGo then.
RSS readers....
...are pretty good compliments to Avantgo, for me anyways. I would like to use Avantgo on my Universal instead of my old Axim, but hadn't had a chance to install the newest version. The previous version messed up screen layout completely. pRSSreader does cache content. So Avantgo is NOT the only caching news reader. But only certain sites, like Slashdot and metacritics, are friendly at offline content. I can never get any of the Yahoo sports to work. RSS is great for lots of funnies (like Dilbert and Peanuts) though. pRSSreader and Adobe are by far the most used apps for reading so far. pRSSreader might also be good at certain podcasts sites, like Engadget, since the podcast comes as an enclosure, but I haven't really used that feature since I only go over a slower T-Mo UK UMTS line right now, instead of WiFi.
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.
If you would recommended three, or even more, pieces of software for my Windows Mobile device, what would those be?
Bing -- powerful, versatile, and easy to use. Tons of info at your fingertips. Come in VERY handy for me more times than I can count.
Evernote -- taking notes isn't very useful if you can't find them later or forget to look at them. Using Evernote on my PPC and desktop means my info is always available in a quick, searchable way. Also very handy for taking photos of things I want to remember (like a magazine article) and making sure it's accessible on my desktop. OneNote is decent as well, but I prefer the way Evernote works on PPC (and being 100% free is a bonus too).
Skyfire -- there's no shortage of decent web browsers on WM, but Skyfire's ability to handle pretty much any site you throw at it makes it really useful.
Also, it's not really a program per se, but an Exchange-synced calendar and contacts list is, I think, a HUGE must-have. I use Google Sync, and having my calendar pushed both ways makes it 10x more useful than any USB-sync system ever was for me.
Opera Mobile
Advance config
Live messenger
for mention just some of them
It will depend on wich ROM are you running: wm 5, 6, 6.1 or 6.5
My faves...
Google Maps, like it love it. Complete app and comes in handy everday.
Opera- Used to use skyfire, till i got a wvga phone. Skyfire is terrible on wvga phone.
Vito Communications suite- This will cost you about $25 but I honestly couldn't function with out this setup. Winterface, funcontacts, SMS-chat are all amazing beautiful programs, ridiculously fluid and add a new higher level of clean fluidity to windows mobile. depending on the phone, I'd upgrade to an extremely light ROM and put this bad boy on right away and call it a day.
ThumbCal- if you've ever used winmo calendar you know. This is extremely finger friendly...amazing app.
s2p- windows media player is old and outdated...s2p is funtimes, finger friendly although very iphoney...if you're looking for the complete package
Kinoma play- total package app. nuff said
s2v or image viewer 0.9- s2v is iphoney but an awesome picture viewer. Image viewer is a lesser known picture viewer but doesn't skimp on the quality. Has an smooth feel an i think uses opengl..not sure though.
Quickmenu- not too sure if this fits your liking especially with what htc has done in making changes to the start button, but I have havent uses my phone in years with out quick menu. its a do all app that can be a launcher and task manager...my personal must have
WKtask, e-natives, taskfacade- no personal preference here since what I really want would be something similar to the PRE, but wktask is non obtrusive, e-natives is more HTC menu like, taskfacade is more graphical. whatever you like.
I could go on for a while here...but there are some of my faves with alternatives...its what i love most about winmo, the only reason I wont leave, so much customization
typo said:
Bing -- powerful, versatile, and easy to use. Tons of info at your fingertips. Come in VERY handy for me more times than I can count.
Evernote -- taking notes isn't very useful if you can't find them later or forget to look at them. Using Evernote on my PPC and desktop means my info is always available in a quick, searchable way. Also very handy for taking photos of things I want to remember (like a magazine article) and making sure it's accessible on my desktop. OneNote is decent as well, but I prefer the way Evernote works on PPC (and being 100% free is a bonus too).
Skyfire -- there's no shortage of decent web browsers on WM, but Skyfire's ability to handle pretty much any site you throw at it makes it really useful.
Also, it's not really a program per se, but an Exchange-synced calendar and contacts list is, I think, a HUGE must-have. I use Google Sync, and having my calendar pushed both ways makes it 10x more useful than any USB-sync system ever was for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im with you on Skyfire but the must have is Total Commander
SK Tools. Best 16 bucks you can spend.
I am trying to justify spending $350~ on a android tablet. What do you guys use your tablet for? Use it a lot?
I have a work laptop that is bogged down with corporate crap. I have my own personal desktop in the basement. My wife and I will use our tabs for browsing, video chat, games, movies and music. Much easier to browse in bed on a tab then a laptop.
Where to start?
- web browsing (replaced my awesome little netbook)
- casual emailing
- ebook reader
- cooking (much easier to hit www.cooks.com with this puppy)
- gaming (just getting my feet wet with this)
- development (just trying this out coming from a windows mobile dev background)
And I've only had this unit since the 19th, lol.
It's my sitting on the sofa toy, replacing my laptop and my Nexus One. Easier to hold than a laptop, easier to look at than a phone. Surfing, ebooks, Angry Birds, all the usual stuff. I'll also prop it by my desk for an "extra window," with Tweetdeck open.
Running TNTLite and fixing Flash and Market has turned it into just what I want.
In fact, I'm using it to write this!
Mostly wasting time
Sprdtyf350 said:
Mostly wasting time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1... that's what it really comes down to. When the Ipad came out, I was so against it. I said to myself, I have a laptop, why do I need that. Now I just can't wait to get my hands on a g-tab. Just another gadget I guess, but for me it means my boss won't see all the porn I am looking at on my company laptop anymore! LOL!
I use it for things I could do on my phone or on a laptop with the quickness and ease of an Android phone but the larger display like a laptop.
Checking email, quick browse of the web, checking IMDB (app) while watching TV, Facebook, etc...
I like it for reading Kindle or Nook books as well.
Sent from my UPC300-2.2 using Tapatalk
Browsing xda on my couch without a laptop cooking my credentials.
The wife loves it for angry birds.
I plan to do some development for it eventually.
We're evaluating tablets for non-technical users that travel as laptop replacements. Must:
Connect and sync email, calandar, contacts and calendar with exchange FAIL
We'll review this now that the update is out
Read and edit office documents Pass
Read PDF's Pass
Ebook Reader Pass
Load and watch Video Pass
Oddly enough the Ipad connects much easier to exchange and does most of the other stuff natively. You buy the office App and the ability to edit Doc's and excel works great.
Given the hardware specs I'm mystified why Viewsonic is treating these as toys. Sure they're great for home use but we buys units in the hundreds so why make the primary business need to connect to exchange so damn difficult.
Use mine for ticket tracking (tech support).
Webradio
Surfing the web
WhiskeyJac said:
We're evaluating tablets for non-technical users that travel as laptop replacements. Must:
Connect and sync email, calandar, contacts and calendar with exchange FAIL
We'll review this now that the update is out
Read and edit office documents Pass
Read PDF's Pass
Ebook Reader Pass
Load and watch Video Pass
Oddly enough the Ipad connects much easier to exchange and does most of the other stuff natively. You buy the office App and the ability to edit Doc's and excel works great.
Given the hardware specs I'm mystified why Viewsonic is treating these as toys. Sure they're great for home use but we buys units in the hundreds so why make the primary business need to connect to exchange so damn difficult.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please send me a PM or something if you figure out the Exchange pieces. That's going to be crucial for me. Have you tried VPN or remote desktop yet? That's next on my list.
jmfrost said:
Please send me a PM or something if you figure out the Exchange pieces. That's going to be crucial for me. Have you tried VPN or remote desktop yet? That's next on my list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. My calendar syncs without issue with our Exchange server, but a complete no-go on contacts. I also noticed there is a constant little sync icon in the taskbar near the battery icon, but it looks grayed out and nothing happens when I tap it.
For those complaining about exchange access.. have you tried OWA? I currently don't have access to exchange since I bought the g tab, but i know from experience OWA should work just fine. (If not, I know firefox mobile will run it, as will Opera) Quick shortcut on the dock and it will run. Just a thought.
I currently use my Gtab for a number of things:
* Ebook reading. The G Tablet, despite the awful view angels in the widescreen position have excellent viewing angels in the length wise position. I normally have technical documents open at all times when I'm working on a project (for when my desktop monitors are all busy)
* Music. A bit hefty, but allows access to Pandora which my Creative Zen lacks.
* TV. Sometimes I just want to lay down and watch TV. I use to use my Netbook for this task, but the Gtab provides a better experience.
* SNES/NES/Gameboy Emulation. With the onscreen controls, it makes an excellent platform for this. Works for all but the most dexterity demanding games. (Still have trouble with SF Uppercuts and 360 movements. Would like a emulation speedup button too. Makes grinding levels in Chrono Trigger/Pokemon so much easier.. same with autofire. One day maybe)
* Magic the Gathering: Save paper. Keep life totals tracked via Paint application. (and Saved for later disputes, used it this weekend, came in very handy)
* Web Browsing. I'm moving around quite a bit. Great for checking stuff, keeping up with Slashdot news and the like.
* Email. Adding to the list of devices I keep on me that can access email. Its funny to hear new email sounds from 5 different places. This one allows decent replys and html email. (Compared to my phone)
* Terminal. Connecting to terminal machines works well. Keyboard is a bit of a pain, but it works in a pinch. VNC connections work as well. If this thing had 3g (like the ipad was supposed to have, before at&t screwed it) I'd have no need for my netbook and phone.
* Google Voice. I use it for a lot of calls, via web interface I can check voicemail/text messages and make calls. Very useful.
The only things really missing from the Gtab is a good Wimax/3G connection. If it had one, and wasn't by AT&T, I'd have a replacement for my phone, netbook and Laptop. (Yeah I carry both.. Linux Netbook, Windows Laptop, mostly for games and programs I need that wont run in wine) And a GPS for wardriving.
TL;DR: Lots of stuff I normally use my desktop for when Im not at my desktop and a Laptop would be too bulky.
Cyhawk said:
For those complaining about exchange access.. have you tried OWA? I currently don't have access to exchange since I bought the g tab, but i know from experience OWA should work just fine. (If not, I know firefox mobile will run it, as will Opera) Quick shortcut on the dock and it will run. Just a thought.
I currently use my Gtab for a number of things:
* Ebook reading. The G Tablet, despite the awful view angels in the widescreen position have excellent viewing angels in the length wise position. I normally have technical documents open at all times when I'm working on a project (for when my desktop monitors are all busy)
* Music. A bit hefty, but allows access to Pandora which my Creative Zen lacks.
* TV. Sometimes I just want to lay down and watch TV. I use to use my Netbook for this task, but the Gtab provides a better experience.
* SNES/NES/Gameboy Emulation. With the onscreen controls, it makes an excellent platform for this. Works for all but the most dexterity demanding games. (Still have trouble with SF Uppercuts and 360 movements. Would like a emulation speedup button too. Makes grinding levels in Chrono Trigger/Pokemon so much easier.. same with autofire. One day maybe)
* Magic the Gathering: Save paper. Keep life totals tracked via Paint application. (and Saved for later disputes, used it this weekend, came in very handy)
* Web Browsing. I'm moving around quite a bit. Great for checking stuff, keeping up with Slashdot news and the like.
* Email. Adding to the list of devices I keep on me that can access email. Its funny to hear new email sounds from 5 different places. This one allows decent replys and html email. (Compared to my phone)
* Terminal. Connecting to terminal machines works well. Keyboard is a bit of a pain, but it works in a pinch. VNC connections work as well. If this thing had 3g (like the ipad was supposed to have, before at&t screwed it) I'd have no need for my netbook and phone.
* Google Voice. I use it for a lot of calls, via web interface I can check voicemail/text messages and make calls. Very useful.
The only things really missing from the Gtab is a good Wimax/3G connection. If it had one, and wasn't by AT&T, I'd have a replacement for my phone, netbook and Laptop. (Yeah I carry both.. Linux Netbook, Windows Laptop, mostly for games and programs I need that wont run in wine) And a GPS for wardriving.
TL;DR: Lots of stuff I normally use my desktop for when Im not at my desktop and a Laptop would be too bulky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do you use google voice to make calls?
-TV - slingbox client (not hd but great anyway)
-Web
-Roku box remote - for netflix, hulu plus, pandora
-Music - I use rhapsody which works well, plan on a BT receiver for my home theater
-games - let my wife use it for angry birds, keeps her off my ass about it
-development- testing some very basic med charting programs on it
-Log me in ignition - I leave my laptop at the office now but can get to it in a pinch
-ebook -using kindle software
-email
-radio - streaming radio from tunein app works very well
-chat - gtalk
-news reader - i get my morning news aggregate on this instead of my phone
More little things everyday but basically I have found a comfortable area between my large 17 inch laptop and my phone. I now have the best of both I think and that is coming from someone who thought the ipad was useless. I am now a tablet convert.
i have evernote so i can take notes in class, i have the calendar to schedule appointments but what else can i be using for a business solution ? or just productive in general. i have splashtop HD but how can i move files on my home computer to my tablet ?
what other things do you recommend to make this tablet do some work !
A little research on the forum wouldn't hurt. Have a look at the list of the apps for the Infinity we've been jointly creating.
they are all either for games or for general tablet use, i want specificially named apps that would make the tablet a workstation, or creative ways to use this, not just apps themselves. for example, people shouldnt wait for a 3g model, root your phone and wifi tether your already exsisting data plan.
so far the only office suit ive found for free is kingssuite office , and using BOX from this thread gives 50 free gb of cloud storage http://lifehacker.com/5887769/grab-50gb-of-free-storage-for-life-on-box-by-using-the-android-app other tips are welcome
If you root and own a keyboard dock, you might want to check out setting up a Debian or Ubuntu chroot. Think of it like desktop linux in an application, letting you run software like Libreoffice or Gimp. Since those applications are made for desktop computers and laptops instead of tablets, they're a lot more flexible.
I've got a Debian chroot set up and its pretty sweet. Apps are a little slow to launch, but once they're up they act pretty fast. I'd write a tutorial, but I"m having trouble getting it to cleanly shut down. If you're not afraid to do a little googling, you should be able to set one up for yourself without too much trouble.
Often wondered why I have a tablet
Probably an ages old question...
I know the main reason is because I am a gadgeteer.
I do use the tab for navigation and other home user stuff.
Seeing more and more ipads and android phones used by small business owners.
A coffee hut near us is using a tablet as an order slate and a cash register.
The last time we dined at Chevy's grill they have tabs on the tables for gaming, texting, ordering drinks and cashing out.
As far as personal use for this owner I'm still looking for an application that will make the tab an indispensable item.
Maybe some day a tablet device will help an old-timer like me organize his thoughts :highfive:
Crizthakidd said:
i have evernote so i can take notes in class, i have the calendar to schedule appointments but what else can i be using for a business solution ? or just productive in general. i have splashtop HD but how can i move files on my home computer to my tablet ?
what other things do you recommend to make this tablet do some work !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to agree with everyone else. Google or search the forums. But I will play your game sir...
Airdroid - hands down you have to download today, if you want to move files.
Splashtop is alright, I also like 2X Client
EverNote = yes
Box.net + Browser for Skydrive + Dropbox + Google Drive
Google Chrome
Pocket - read websites at a later time
Team viewer has been the best remote software on my prime and Infinity for work. Much better than splash top, Log me in, etc all have issues where teamviewer has always been super smooth and consistent. Use it from my phone too.
Why I got a tablet
I admit I'm a bit of a gadget junkie, but I got mine for work as much as home. I'm a teacher of sorts. For a couple years now, I've been floating the idea of getting tablets for the instructors, rather than having multiple binders and notebooks (the analog kind) cluttering up a desk or podium.
I've taken all the PowerPoint slides I use for work, typed all the hand-written notes I had in multiple binders into the Notes Page view of PP, and I view them on my Infinity while I teach. I use EZ pdf to view them. While there are multiple apps that view .pdf files -- like Polaris Office, which comes with the Infinity -- EZ pdf allows me to write on them, using my finger or a stylus.
In addition, I've got my work schedule (multiple schedules, actually) in separate Google calendars, and I view them on Business Calendar or Calendar Pad. I keep a ton of notes in OneNote, though I'm thinking of going back to Evernote.
I've got a bunch of reference material and research articles in .pdf format, and I've bought the Kindle versions of several books that we reference. You can't beat having an entire bookcase in the palm of your hand.
Crizthakidd said:
i have evernote so i can take notes in class, i have the calendar to schedule appointments but what else can i be using for a business solution ? or just productive in general. i have splashtop HD but how can i move files on my home computer to my tablet ?
what other things do you recommend to make this tablet do some work !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just use google drive (or dropbox) to save your files too, no need to connect to your desktop.
edit: does polaris allow you to show powerpoints through hdmi but show any powerpoint slide notes on the tablet at the same time?