Author's Summary:
I prefer iSilo. It allows for hyperlinks (to make Table of Contents and
link to Appendix resources) and smaller files. At the time that I chose
iSilo, my handheld did not support expansion cards and iSilo was much
quicker and smaller than most readers available. Its compressed files
also allowed for many more resources to be available at one time. The
current version of iSilo is bigger, and much more powerful (including
support for my expansion cards).
You really must choose the reader that best suits your needs. If you
don't mind spending $17.50 for an eBook reader, I would recommend buying
iSilo. All three of the readers compared below are great options and it
really comes down to balancing several main factors: space, speed, expandability,
and cost. If your handheld device does not have an expansion card and/or
you are tight on space, CSpotRun might be the best choice for you. It
does not have the nice formatting and hyperlinking features of MobiPocket
and iSilo and lacks expansion card support, but at 28K (and free), it
is by far the smallest reader. If your devices supports expansion cards,
choose either MobiPocket or iSilo. Although they are both over 300K, the
ability to read documents from an expansion card is great! If you have
plenty of space, but you don't want to pay for an eBook reader, then MobiPocket
is probably the choice for you. It has a lot of advanced features, but
is slightly larger and slower than iSilo. For more information, look over
the following chart and the summaries at the end.
For your convenience, below is a simplified comparison table of
the current formats and features, followed by reasons for choosing
each:
| Feature |
Palm
"Doc" (CSpotRun) |
iSilo |
MobiPocket
Reader 4.3 |
|
Supported Devices |
PalmOS 2.0 or above |
PalmOS 3.0 or later, PocketPC,
Windows 95 or later |
PalmOS 3.0 or later, Windows
CE 2.x, PocketPC (all versions), Psion Epoc32, Nokia 9210/9290,
Franklin eBookMan, Windows 95 or later |
| Formats
Supported |
Doc |
Doc, iSilo 2, iSilo 3,
can convert from HTML with iSiloX |
Doc, MobiPocket, Open-eBook,
XML, HTML |
| Price |
Free |
$17.50, 30-Day Trial Available,
feature limited free version also available. |
Free* |
| Size
on Device |
28 Kb |
306 Kb |
415 Kb |
| Bookmarks |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Formatted
Text |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Hyperlinks |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Notes |
No |
No |
No* |
| Highlighting |
No |
No |
No* |
| Tables |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Pictures |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Dictionary
Lookup |
No |
No |
Yes** |
| Copy
Selected Text |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Extra-Clear
Type |
No |
No |
MobiType only available
on color PalmOS devices |
| Autoscrolling |
Yes |
Yes |
No* |
| Rotate
Screen |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Read
from Expansion Card |
No |
Yes |
Yes (just added) |
* Now Available in MobiPocket Reader Pro 4.5 for $19.95
- for a comparison of the different MobiPocket versions, check out
the comparison at Mobipocket.
** Merriam Webster ® Vest Pocket Dictionary for MobiPocket
4.3 and above released February 22, 2002. It costs $9.95 and can be
downloaded at MobiPocket.
Download CSpotRun,
MobiPocket
Reader, or iSilo.
Reasons for choosing CSpotRun (plain Palm "Doc"
files):
- Free
- Compatibility (because it is the standard palm text format). Plain
Doc files can be read by MOST readers on PalmOS devices. CSpotRun
is not the only option, though it is a great free option. Many more
readers listed here.
- Very small size (leaves more space for documents).
- CSpotRun offers auto-scrolling, screen-rotation, and bookmarking.
- CSpotRun offers full-screen (no toolbar) reading mode.
- Disadvantage - no hyperlinking, thus no Table of Contents or links
to Appendix.
- Disadvantage - no formatting, thus no bold, italics, alignment,
etc
- Disadvantage - eBooks can not be stored on an expansion card thus
limiting number that can be concurrently stored on Palm handheld
(big disadvantage if your device supports expansion).
Reasons for choosing iSilo:
- iSilo format is compressed to about 70% original size.
- Can read standard Palm Doc files as well.
- Supports hyperlinks (table of contents and appendix).
- Supports graphics/pictures and tables.
- Easily stores and reads documents on an expansion card.
- Can convert any web page into an iSilo Document.
- Many scrolling options (line-by-line, 1/2 page, page).
- Autoscrolling.
- User organization of eBooks possible via catagories.
- Same eBook file compatible with all versions of iSilo (in case
you own both a PocketPC and PalmOS device)
- Disadvantage - Costs $17.50.
Reasons for choosing MobiPocket:
- Free.
- Can read standard Palm Doc files as well.
- Supports hyperlinks and table of contents.
- Supports graphics/pictures and tables.
- Supports storage of eBooks on an expansion card.
- A free 1913 Webster dictionary is available as another eBook
(actually quite close to being contemporary with Ellen White).
It can be downloaded here.
- Other dictionaries can be bought at MobiPocket.
- User organization of library possible via catagories.
- Same eBook file compatible with all versions of MobiPocket (in
case you own both a PocketPC and PalmOS device).
- Disadvantage - Very large size (400+ Kb).
- Disadvantage - Sometimes sluggish (though great improvements
have been made in the current version 4.3).
Note: Author of comparison uses all readers, but prefers iSilo.