Posts Tagged ‘html’

Mobipocket PRC eBook Conversion

Did you know that converting file to Mobipocket PRC format is complicated? Have you tried downloading a PRC format from forums? Of course if you purchased or download from mobipocket site, the file should be perfect. Try comparing a PRC file from Mobipocket site and a PRC file from forums. You could download free ebooks or a sample PRC ebook from Mobipocket ebooks site and the PRC file you downloaded from forums (usually shared by other members). You will see the difference.

Complicated? If you don’t have the perfect source file, that means you have to edit the source file first. If you’ll be reading the PRC file using your mobile, you will see a minimal difference but using the MobiReader for PC, its the other way around.

Downloads:
Mobipocket Reader for PC
Mobipocket Creator Home Edition
Mobipocket Creator Publisher Edition

It is advisable to install Mobipocket Reader for PC so you could see if you converted a perfect PRC file. Its easy to use the Home Edition but on ebook conversion, I suggest to use the Publisher Edition.

Conversion:
MS Word DOC to PRC – Please read my post Prepare MS Word DOC Before Conversion. There’s a lot of editing on MS Word DOC file but I guarantee that you should have a perfect PRC if you checked and edited the whole document. It consumes a lot of time on editing depends on the file, it usually took me a minimum of two hours depends on my desired output PRC file.

Actually, you could convert HTML, PDF and TXT format too as source file but I prefer MS Word, you could see and edit the layout faster and use font style, font size and styling on MS Word window. That’s impossible on TXT format. HTML and PDF file should be easy, just import the file on Mobipocket Creator and convert. Don’t forget to encode the metadata.

Edit HTML Using Mobile Phone

This article is a follow up of basic information about raccoon and sort of a guide for html editing using mobile phone only. The generation we are now, there are also some people who doesn’t have access to computer or simply because they wish to do it on their phone for some reason. Recently, I am editing my Opera homepage again to update my links and layout. Editing the html on my phone made me see in an instant the actual output rather than editing it in a notepad on PC. There are computer software for this function but I am more comfortable using this method.

1. On your symbian phone, using third party file manager fexplorer (any file manager will do but not the built-in file manager) rename file.html to file.html.txt – a trick to let the file manager recognize the file as txt file and not as an html file
2. Make sure that the default application for txt file is “Notes” application. Here’s how to do it: Go to the txt file, click option, file, open with, file extension = TXT, Applications = Notes, then save.
3. To test, click again the txt file, the file should open by Notes application. If its not, redo step 2.
4. Go to Notes application, open your recently saved note, edit the file, send as MMS to any number then cancel
5. Open fexplorer, click inbox, copy the file.txt and paste to other folder. Rename it to file.html

Note: You can see the out by assigning your third party browser such as Opera as the default application for html file. You can do it using step 2. Sometimes, it depends on 3rd party file manager you are using, to the step above, I suggest to use fexplorer. Tried and tested on N6630.

Why cancel the MMS? So the file will be save as txt file after editing and get the edited txt file from “inbox” of fexplorer.

Customizing Opera

This is how my opera homepage looks like, haven’t got time to update this for quite sometime. 2 or 3 years ago, I’ve read an article from a mobile co-blogger that Opera homepage can be edited. Of course, I’m intrigued and challenged.

Why do I want my Opera browser customized?

• I got bored easily with the default homepage.
• I want colors and graphics.
• I want my bookmarks included on the html pages.
• I want it suited to my needs.

I’m using Opera 8.65 now with minimal bookmarks saved. These are new bookmarks that I haven’t included on my html pages yet. My homepage consists of Google search engine, links to 5 more personalized html pages, css and links to some of my mobile accounts. The layout had a transparent image background (just like others did to their friendster accounts), marquees, animated buttons, etc. For the record, I’ve started from scratch since at that time I don’t know any html, css and javascript codes. Some modifications followed as I learned html codes. In fact, some are doing this for their Opera desktop. A little googling around, you’ll find some tutorials on customizing Opera desktop.

HTML eBook format on Mobile

There’s a lot of eBook files available on the web, its confusing to others understanding these formats and what mobile application to use.   Sometimes, we came across with html formats.  HTML or  Hyper Text Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages.  In layman’s terms, it should be read on the web therefore its NOT an eBook format.  There are lot of sites intended for online reading.  There are ways to read it online, using GPRS is the most popular but it is costly.  In the Philippines, it will cost you 0.15 cents/kb.  Good for you if you have WIFI supported symbian phone.

If you downloaded a html file, it is possible to read them on symbian phones.  I’m using Opera 8.65 in reading HTML file on my 6630 occasionally.  You can open the html file through FExplorer.  Here’s how to do it.   After opening it to Opera, just add it to your opera bookmark for future reading.  I don’t suggest to read HTML files on your phone frequently, Opera browser consumes a lot of memory in RAM (random access memory).  The symbian system will close all applications including Opera, sometimes the phone will restart by itself.  Here are the tips to avoid this:

• Limit yourself with 1-2 pages as possible
• Delete images included in the html file (do this using Fexplorer)
• Close all running application including FExplorer (after opening html file)
• Turn off images at the Opera settings
• Clear the cache of Opera before reading
• Restarting your phone before doing all these could help also

This is just an option if you’re in a hurry to read the file on your phone.  For larger html files, do take some time for conversion.  Take note that Opera is for browsing purposes only, its impossible to bookmark your eBook page or change the layout settings like what were doing to regular eBook readers.

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.