Comments on: More on the $155 DT 375 tablet as a reading and writing tool—including some tips

By: Robinson Pereira

Robinson Pereira — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:46:28 +0000

Hello, people. How can I get an HRW software to install on my WebDT375 without craddle? I need one to write in Portuguese. Thanks

By: Man Ching

Man Ching — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:42:12 +0000

I have an update regarding the use of my DT375.

I prefer reading ebooks on my 375 using uBook. Since the unit is heavy and not pocketable, I leave it at home. When I am on the go, I have always read from my PDA or, currently, my Treo 650. I used to read on my Treo at home, but the 375 has since replaced.

One problem then is that I now have my ebooks in two places: along with annotations, bookmarks, highlights, etc. I found a nice solution: I just swap out my SD card from machine to machine so I can read my books and keep all my annotations in one place. I bought a PCMCIA secure digital adapter for the 375, and my SD card can be accessed using drive mode on my Treo (or through the SD card reader.)

I am happy to report that Mobireader will use its data file from machine to machine. What that means is that not only are my notes kept, when I pop in the card and start reading, Mobireader takes me to the spot where I last left off reading.

Now I am back to using MR instead of uBook. What will probably happen is that when I next upgrade my Treo, I’ll move to a WindowsMobile machine, rather than stay with Palm. This way, I can use uBook on the go, at home, or anywhere else in front of my laptop.

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 12:57:50 +0000

Irwin, the DT375 has a much whiter screen than the Sony does. No contrast issues! In uBook, which reads nonDRMed books, the fonts can be even larger than on the Sony. In Mobipocket, the largest size is almost as big as the Sony’s but not quite. Please note that the DT375 doesn’t come with these programs, but if need be, you can get a tech-smart friend to install them. Go to DT375.com and you’ll find the right versions. Keep us posted on your progress. Happy e-booking! David

By: Irwin Brooks

Irwin Brooks — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:14:27 +0000

My main use for the DT375 will be as an eBook reader.Anything else is just incidental. Now as an eBook reader how does it compare to the SONY PRS500? Is the background white or some kind of grey? And how about font size--I require a large font like the largest on the SONY.
I would appreciate any comments.
Thanks
Irv

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:30:49 +0000

Unfortunately the current version of Minimo (2.0) only supports Windows Mobile 5.0 and older. The older version (1.6) supports older Windows Mobile versions. However, the DT375 does not use a PPC build of WinCE. It is true that it used WinCE 4.2 but it is a .net OS build. For a PPC software package to work the developer needed to compile in the .net libraries. Minimo 1.6 does not have the proper libraries. I have sent a message to the development team to see if they had compiled a version of Minimo with the .net libraries. If I get a response I will post it on http://www.dt375.com as well as post the info here.

Andy

By: Ellen Hage

Ellen Hage — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:23:31 +0000

@Heath

I will try it today and let you know.

Ellen

By: Heath Brown

Heath Brown — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 04:44:09 +0000

I was looking into web browsers for WIN CE 4.2 and was wondering if you folks tried this:

http://www.mozilla.org/projects/minimo/

I’m pretty sure I am going to get a DT375 myself in the next few days.

Regards,
Heath

By: Ellen Hage

Ellen Hage — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:51:52 +0000

David,

Great tips! I would like to stress that my woes were due to operator fixation. I was playing around with Virtual Display from NYDITOT.com and got distracted and poof!. I bought the software because I can’t bring myself to read in landscape mode. MS reader and Palm ereader does not have screen rotation options. The program works, but I wanted more. All is well thanks to Andy. I am buying a second one for my daughter.

Ellen

By: Mike G.

Mike G. — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:14:27 +0000

I couldn’t resist that ubid price – it’ll be interesting to see what this can do.

Do you know whether the USB port can handle an ethernet adapter? Or if it can handle a PC-card ethernet adapter?

I can go wireless if I have to, but I have ethernet cables anywhere I’m likely to need to use this thing…

By: David Rothman

David Rothman — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:56:23 +0000

Glad if this info is useful, Mike. Here’s a related insight. If the e-reader has a sharp enough screen, it’s possible it may indeed come close to paper as medium for proofing. In the end, what counts isn’t so much the medium but whether you’ve run the copy past yourself with different styles and sizes. I know of some professional copy editors who no longer mess with paper.

That said, 8-1/2 by 11 paper can also come in handy for the final proof. Depends on the person. But since I both proof and revise at the same time, the DT 175 is an ideal solution except at the very end of the process—a lot cheaper than paper.

Of course, proofing is a different task from reading, where it’s easy to fill in the blanks. That’s why I indeed see e-books as a paper replacement, especially as the technology improves.

An aside: Please don’t confuse the atrocities in the TeleBlog with proofing of books manuscripts. Even after years of composing in HTML, I find the coding to be very distracting. Combine that with the slowness of WordPress as run on the present server, and both proofing and writing can be a bit of a challenge compared to Word. A mid-year resolution is to see if there is finally a decent offline editor for WordPress. What’s more, we’ll be upgrading the present version in the near future or switching to Drupal, and maybe the new setup will allow a decent online WYSIWYG editor.

Thanks,
David

(Hardly the world’s great proofer—but interested in tools that help)

By: Michael Banks

Michael Banks — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:28:59 +0000

This is the first reader that has really caught my eye. But what really interests me here is the fact that you are using the reader to proof fiction.

Just as the in-print, published product looks different, so does the manuscript when you move it from screen to paper–or from screen to screen, as you are doing. Everything should be proofed off the word processor screen, and you’ve found a way to do it without wasting paper.

Does it give you as different a viewpoint as hardcopy manuscript?
–Mike
http://mikebanks.blogspot.com