Have you downloaded an eBook with jar extension name?
I’ve downloaded a java eBook ages ago and managed to install it on my phone. If I didn’t browsed on my folders this morning, I almost forgot that it’s installed on my phone. Java ebooks are executable files on symbian phones, the exact counterpart of exe eBook files on computer. These files doesn’t need any application or software to read them. Java or jar files are converted primarily for java enabled mobile phones. The “Harry Po” icon at the screenshot below is a java eBook, it doesn’t looked appealing compared to other eBook icons. Let’s face it, the icon is also a plus factor to mobiles phones. Have you imagined what would it looked like if you’ve installed several java eBooks with these icons?
Screenshot of the book itself is on the right side. I admit, it took me a while to figure it out on how to use it. It did open on full screen, it tooked me a while to search for the settings. Just click the zero “0″ key for the settings. At the settings page (shown below), use your cursor and move from left to right to change your settings. I’ve closed the eBook many times when I navigate to “Info” or 6 key. The only thing I like is the “Goto” – “Go Chapters“… the only page that’s not hard on my eyes and for easy chapter scan. It depends on the theme you’re using.
For java eBooks, if you’re not desperate to read that eBook, I guess you won’t download it. First of all, I find it isn’t “user-friendly”. You can change the font size but not the font color and background. Did you notice the first screenshot above, the eBook itself? The lines are broken at a certain level then continue on the next line, we should also reconsider the quality of the original file format before it was converted. Well, I hope I have spare time for java conversion and find it myself if there’s a way to adjust the things I don’t like. What’s the use of mobile reading if you’re frowning while reading? At the moment, java eBook is a No-No for me.
Adobe PDF on mobile?
Some people would choose this mobile application as a necessity to their symbian phone especially those who are always on the go. They need to access their email and download attachments such as pdf file on their phone. There are some that reading their pdf eBook on their symbian phone. Note that I emphasized the symbian phone here. PDF files is still the best format for me but not on symbian phone. I guess, if I already have a PPC this application should be also my necessity.
Screenshots above gives you the idea of how would it look like on a symbian phone, mine is 6630 at the moment. The first screenshot from left is the zoom feature – to fit screen. It fits alright but I supposed you cannot read at that view, it is best for analyzing the image content of the pdf file. The next one is the view option, normal screen. You cannot read it either but much larger that the first image. The third and fourth image is the best view that you can read the content, I’ve used 90% there.
See the difference? The 3rd and 4th image using 90% view option, scrolling from downward and upward is normal to mobile eBook reading but scrolling from left to right on every line is another thing. The good thing with pdf format is the format itself, the quality never change whether you read it on computer or on handheld devices. Nobody can question that. But we are talking about mobile eBook application for PDF files. I seldom use this application, because I didn’t made any email configuration on my phone.
Reading txt file on Notes of your symbian phone?
Someone asked me what mobile ebook application can he used for txt format. According to him he’s lucky enough finding and downloading an eBook on his phone but got confused on how to read the file on his phone. He said, he read the file using “notes” on his phone.
Notes is the default viewer for txt files, I salute him for his eagerness to read that eBook. Imagine, if you use “notes”, special characters can’t be read and you have to search for last page you’ve read if you’ve stop. Big deal indeed especially if the file is an eBook.
I suggested him to use HandyBook by epocware, it supports palm doc (pdb) and txt format files. Upon installation, the application will asked you what language you will be using between Greek, Spanish, Slovenian, French, Polish, Swedish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Czech, Finnish, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Italian, German or English.
In Handybook application, you can choose the font size from small to large. There’s no need to make a folder for txt files because it will detect all your txt and pdb files on your phone. In fact, this is another alternative if you don’t want to convert your txt files that are previously SMS. And just for the record, txt files is the smallest in size of all eBook formats. Although you cannot change the font color and background color, its nice to have this application to read your txt files easily.
Related Topic:
Look Ma, My SMS is now an eBook!
.RGO?!
I could say that the best format for mobile phones is definitely repligo, no contest to that. Repligo viewers for different devices are totally free to download with no expiration unlike other eBook readers. Repligo file has extension name of rgo, some got confused when they encountered this kind of file type.
The new generation of bookworms will definitely agree with me, rgo indeed is the “almost” perfect format for handheld devices. Almost perfect because with the repligo viewer, its impossible to change the font color (unless the unconverted original file has colored font), font style, background color and the application is compatible to limited handheld devices.
Repligo files are converted from Adobe Acrobat (pdf), Microsoft Word (doc), Rich Text Format (rtf), powerpoint, web page (html) etc. This is the reason why the application cannot change its font color, font style and background color… because it depends on the original format. Whatever the original format it was, when converted into repligo format the quality is still the same and optimized for small screen viewing. Isn’t that great?
If its an eBook, book cover image is sometimes at the first page if you download it somewhere.
How to use it? Install repligo viewer on your MMC or memory card, then restart your handheld device or mobile phone. Open FExplorer, create a folder on your MMC or drive E:\ and name it as “Documents”. Save your rgo files to this folder. The default folder of repligo is folder Documents, you can change it to settings if you want. I prefer to use this folder to organize different formats of eBooks on my mobile phone.
Mobile Settings:
- Flowed - For font size settings
- Zoom – For image viewing
- Go to page – For instant page turning. You can also see the current page and how many pages it have
- Rotation – For landscape or default viewing
- Find – Search a keyword just in case you lose your page. e.g. chapter 12
- Send- You can send your file via bluetooth
When you exit the application, don’t worry. You don’t have to scroll down to the last page where you left off like other ebook application. And when you open the application, it will automatically direct you to the last page you’ve stopped. I became loyal to this mobile ebook application especially when I discovered a forum wherein you can download as many files as you want provided that you’re a member of that forum. Its a sad thing though because the site was gone already…
You can download a free repligo viewer, please do check the compatible handheld devices.
Mobile eBook formats
Many mobile ebook addicts prefer to search on the web the ebook files, taking consideration the mobile ebook application they have installed on their celphones and the handheld device they’re using. To avoid inconvenience, here is a list of ebook extension name or file format.
- PDF – portable document format created by Adobe for their Acrobat products.
- HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language is the backbone of the World wide web, can be read by Opera, Netfront and other 3rd party mobile browser.
- LIT – can be read only by Microsoft Reader for PC and PPC.
- TXT - simple as plain TEXT format,can be read by Handybook.
- RTF – rich text format, can be read by MS Word.
- DOC – MS Word document format, can be read by Quickword on mobilephones.
- RGO – repligo format, for repligo viewers.
- PDB – palm database file, various applications to read such as eBook v1.03, Handybook, eReader, etc.
- PRC – palm resource file, can be read by mobipocket for PDAs and smartphones, eBook v1.03, etc.
- EXE – executable html ebooks for PC and PPC.
- JAR – executable java ebooks for supported symbian phones.
There’s a lot of ebooks to download on the web and wap, some are selling their ebooks. When I started reading ebooks on my symbian phone 3650, (the latest phone model that time, OMG) I even bought 10 novels for php10 each to a forumer from the forum I frequently visited. These books were the talk of bookworms including the first two books of Harry Potter.
