To read eBooks on a handheld, you need three things: the eBook content itself (which you can get from PG and other sites), a device (which I will sometimes call a PDA, even though technically, the RocketBook isn't a PDA) and the reader software that runs on the PDA.
In mid-2002, there are three main families of handheld devices people use for reading eBooks: Palms, Pocket PCs and RocketBooks (or their successor, REB1100s). In general, it is possible to use any of these in combination with any common type of personal computer.
Palms are very common, especially when you count not just the Palm <http://www.palmone.com/us/> itself, but PalmOS-based devices from other manufacturers, like:
| the Franklin eBookman | <http://www.franklin.com/ebookman/>, |
| the Handspring Visor | <http://www.handspring.com>. |
| the Sony Clié | <http://www.sony.com> |
Because of the number of makers of PalmOS-based devices, you can buy them with lots of combinations of features--color screen, audio, different memory sizes. Of course, Palms have other applications besides eBook reading. Palms are the smallest and most portable of the three classes, and tend to have the best battery life for travelling, but they also have the smallest screen. Just about all reader software will run on Palms, except the Microsoft Reader, which runs only on Pocket PCs, but you don't need the Microsoft Reader for Project Gutenberg eBooks.
In Pocket PCs, the Compaq iPaq <http://www.hp.com> and the Dell Axim <http://www.dell.com> are by far the most common at the end of 2003. More expensive and bulkier than a Palm, they have a bigger screen. Like the Palms, they can perform many functions besides reading eBooks. Only Pocket PCs can support the Microsoft Reader, but this is not necessary for reading Project Gutenberg eBooks.
The RocketBook, and its successor the Gemstar REB1100, are quite different from the others. These were built specifically for reading eBooks, and do not have additional functions. They are not, technically, PDAs. Their screens are bigger, and excellent for reading, but do not offer color. They also don't offer a choice of readers--the dedicated reader is built-in to the device. Both of them require the eBooks you load to be formatted for their reader, and files made for them usually have the extension .rb for RocketBook. The REB1100 did not come with the RocketLibrarian, which is the program you run on your PC to turn an etext into a RocketBook file, but people are still making .rb files, and the RocketLibrarian is still available and popular among an enthusiastic group of Rocket users. (The REB1200 is entirely different from the REB1100, and, as far as we know, PG etexts cannot easily be transferred to it.)
In late 2003, Gemstar discontinued their eBook reader range, but there are many still around.
In summary, the Rocket/REB1100 is a dedicated reader, with a good screen, but limited to what it does.
Palms are relatively cheap and common, with a wide range of options, and the capacity to function as PDAs as well. They can run all common readers except the Microsoft one.
The iPaq <http://www.hp.com> has a good color screen, but is bulkier than a Palm, and can run lots of readers, including the Microsoft one, but not all Palm readers are available for Pocket PC. Like Palms, the iPaq can do other jobs besides displaying eBooks.
Different people make different choices among these for reading their eBooks, and they all work well; it's a matter of personal taste.