hi im abit new to this.ive just got a gp2x 100.i just about no what im doing with the other stuff on the gp2x movies games music etc.but im not quite shoer how to read stuff on my gp2x.does files (books) im tryin to read have to be in a sertin format if so which ones and can i read stuff ive made one note book/microsoft office ?.if so how ie some sort of gp2x ebook converter.and is there a good place to get them from free legal ones MANY MANY THANX
Ebook Help Please (newbie)
- Thread starter mark1980
- Start date
skeezix
Internal Development
Lot of questions 
I've not used gp2x for ebooks, but I do a lot of eboks in other platforms, so I can help a bit.
On the gp2x side, the built in 'book reader' if anything is a text file reader onmly, I think. (ie: .txt, plain text, with no pretty stuff.) Not great, but workable. There are likely other options. If I recall, there is a PDF reader.
Anyway, ebooks tend to come in many formats, most of which suck. The good ones are the open formats, such as .txt (plain), .rtf (includes bolds and such), .htm/.html (essentially saved webpages, can be good), and even PDF (.pdf) which can be fully featured. Then there are the 'DRM' (paid for, locked down) formats such as peanut, sony, you name it. These are generally only readable on specific supported platforms and thus not the gp2x. The only real useful thing to do with these guys (even if you own the actual reader on supported platforms) is to convert away from DRM bullshit formats into useful flexible formats (like rtf or pdf, etc.)
There are tools (free and shareware) for that, usually.
Anyway, you can also make your own ebooks .. Office (or OpenOffice, or Wordpad, etc) can be used to convert .txt into others, though .txt is pretty fine. But if you find a PDF reader that doesn't accept .txt say, then it is easy to convert to .pdf using OpenOffice Export or Save As, for instance.
So the hard things in ebooks are..
1) Buying them -- means they're in DRM format, if you can find the books you want at all; once in a blue moon they'll sell you an open format, but not likely. So assume if you buy a book, you have to convert it to an easy to use format.
2) Making them -- given a txt file or open format, you can convert them to any other open format, which usually gives you an option
3) Converting them -- figure out what you've got, what you need, and how to go from one to the other
Its not so bad once you figure it all out.
jeff
I've not used gp2x for ebooks, but I do a lot of eboks in other platforms, so I can help a bit.
On the gp2x side, the built in 'book reader' if anything is a text file reader onmly, I think. (ie: .txt, plain text, with no pretty stuff.) Not great, but workable. There are likely other options. If I recall, there is a PDF reader.
Anyway, ebooks tend to come in many formats, most of which suck. The good ones are the open formats, such as .txt (plain), .rtf (includes bolds and such), .htm/.html (essentially saved webpages, can be good), and even PDF (.pdf) which can be fully featured. Then there are the 'DRM' (paid for, locked down) formats such as peanut, sony, you name it. These are generally only readable on specific supported platforms and thus not the gp2x. The only real useful thing to do with these guys (even if you own the actual reader on supported platforms) is to convert away from DRM bullshit formats into useful flexible formats (like rtf or pdf, etc.)
There are tools (free and shareware) for that, usually.
Anyway, you can also make your own ebooks .. Office (or OpenOffice, or Wordpad, etc) can be used to convert .txt into others, though .txt is pretty fine. But if you find a PDF reader that doesn't accept .txt say, then it is easy to convert to .pdf using OpenOffice Export or Save As, for instance.
So the hard things in ebooks are..
1) Buying them -- means they're in DRM format, if you can find the books you want at all; once in a blue moon they'll sell you an open format, but not likely. So assume if you buy a book, you have to convert it to an easy to use format.
2) Making them -- given a txt file or open format, you can convert them to any other open format, which usually gives you an option
3) Converting them -- figure out what you've got, what you need, and how to go from one to the other
Its not so bad once you figure it all out.
jeff
Last edited by a moderator:
Parkydr
Developing for the GP2X since 2006
The built in reader only reads plain text. You need to format it for 50 characters per line.
christo930
Well-Known Member
There are several decent ebook readers in the software library section of this website, and you can find converter software for most unprotected file formats. So if you download a palm pilot .pdb file, you can covert it to rtf or txt or whatever. The real problem is the hardware. The GP2X is totally unsuitable for e-book reading. One problem is the viewing angle. You will notice a distinct change if the unit it tilted slightly towards you or away from you and this is a formula for a headache. It's ok for readme files, but that is about it. If you try to sit down and read for any length of time, you will get a headache or some other form of discomfort. A fine alternative is a palm pilot, GP32, PPC or a Newton. The Newton is awesome in a well lit room. It's a decent resolution, has a good size screen and is very easy on the eyes. An iPaq is an even better choice. The screens in the Ipaq are reflective and work great in bright sunlight or a dark room and everything in between. My last iPaq broke when I dropped it and I bought a replacement from ebay for $5.00 plus $8 shipping, but they do generally go for more than that although well under $100. You can also use them as an mp3 player, movie player, games, reminders, appointments, money... There is even a dos version available for them, although I am not sure how well dos based games word on them. Most of the newer ones even have 3d accelerators for 3d games. The iPaqs have the best controller for games as they use a d pad for navigating the system (Plus the touch screen). The battery life when using the light is not stellar, but is very good without it. Furthermore, new batteries with much higher capacities are available for less than $20 and they usually come with the screwdriver needed to replace them. The sound quality from the iPaq is very good from the built in headphone jack. So, if I were you I would give up on the idea of using the gp2x as an e-book reader. It sucks at that and an iPaq is a great low price alternative with support for html, RTF, LIT, and just about every other format and many readers include or support dictionaries so you can hi-light a word and get the definition. Much of the software is free. I have been able to use my iPaq for all the above mentioned uses without ever having to purchase a piece of software.'mark-s' said:
Chris
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Parkydr
Developing for the GP2X since 2006
The GP2X (I have an F-100 MK I) is usable as an e-book reader, this is what I use it for most. I just use the built in reader.
I read in the mornings before I get up and on the train to and from work, it works fine in those lighting conditions.
The screen size is fine, 3.25 inches and 50 characters per line is about the same size as a paperback page without the margins.
I don't get headaches and I've now read over 30 books on it.
This biggest hassle is converting to text.
I wouldn't recommend buying the GP2X for reading e-books, but if you've got one anyway, why waste money buying something else just for e-books?
I read in the mornings before I get up and on the train to and from work, it works fine in those lighting conditions.
The screen size is fine, 3.25 inches and 50 characters per line is about the same size as a paperback page without the margins.
I don't get headaches and I've now read over 30 books on it.
This biggest hassle is converting to text.
I wouldn't recommend buying the GP2X for reading e-books, but if you've got one anyway, why waste money buying something else just for e-books?
Last edited by a moderator:
