It All Comes from Carbon - pencil, pen or PDA

Ebook readers for PCs - software applications for a desktop or portable computer - are easier on the eyes if carrying a small device in your pocket isn't the issue. While most of us don't want to sit in front of a computer screen to read a book - even though the readers are extremely good - ebooks do have some advantages over traditional books. Shared with the PDA characteristics, ebooks for reading on the PC are often cheaper and certainly are easier to store than traditional paper books, plus they can be quickly downloaded from online retailers. And if you are a traveling laptop user, you may prefer to carry your books on the computer rather than in a briefcase, especially if they are non-fiction technical references or catalogs that you may want to share with a client, either on screen or by projection.

And to make life easier for the users, each of the major PDA formats also can be read on PCs. - the best of both worlds!

Microsoft's eBook Reader software is available by free download from their site with a speech conversion module. You must download the reader directly from Microsoft, but once you do, I think you will like the screen presentation. In addition for use on a desktop or laptop personal computer, Pocket PC devices from Hewlett Packard, Casio Computer Co., and Compaq/HP all accommodate the Microsoft Reader. Click here for more information about these manufacturers.

Click on the Microsoft Reader button to download the free Microsoft Reader for the PC.

Adobe Acrobat is an established industry standard for cross-platform viewing on personal computers, especially when graphics-intensive material or unusual fonts are involved. Macintosh and UNIX versions are also available, although I have no personal experience with them. Acrobat Reader is freely available and supported from Adobe. Many commercial and governmental agencies distribute their documents on the web for reading using Acrobat Reader, i.e., IRS forms.  Adobe has announced an update to Acrobat Reader and offers an option that automatically updates your version - watch out for Big Brother using this feature!!! (If that comment went over your head, download and read George Orwell's classic book entitled 1984.)

Click on the Acrobat Reader button to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

Bottom line on PC readers - My personal opinion - I still like the Microsoft Reader best - although I have had some problems with the Passport activation system - a real Big Brother system!