Setting up ipod Touch to be a Pocket ebook Reader
This article describes the procedure I used to set up my ipod Touch 8 GB (Fall 2009) to be a Sanskrit/Hindi/English pocket ebook reader. Most of what has been written here should also apply to an iPhone. However I do not have an iPhone and so cannot be sure.
Great Deal for ipod Touch!!
I got a great deal for ipod Touch 8 GB, 3rd Gen (Fall 2009) model. I paid Rs 9,600 for it on ebay in Mid-November 2009. I am very satisfied with the ebay seller's packaging, delivery and interaction on phone. Here's the link to the shop: http://stores.ebay.in/customershoponline.
Downloading ipod Touch apps from iTunes AppStore
To be able to buy Apps from iTunes AppStore you need a credit card which can be used to pay in Dollars. If you only have Rupee debit cards, here is some info about one possible solution: http://www.shanavas.com/entropay-card-free-virtual-credit-card/
Note that to even download free apps you need to specify a credit card number in iTunes. In my case I was able to use one of my normal Rupee debit cards for registration in iTunes and could download free apps. But when I tried to pay for a paid app (with that debit card being my iTunes registered 'credit' card), iTunes reported an error.
Unstable Set of Apps
I had downloaded a lot of free ipod Touch apps prior to receiving the ipod Touch. One of the first things I did after receiving it was to install over 100 of these free apps (PDF readers, Human atlas, Chutkule (Hindi jokes), Earth in 3D, Health tips, Eye handbook, Language tutors, Racing games, Chess, Bible, Koran, Gita, Seismometer, Drums, Tanpura, News, Radio, Dictionary, Spell-check, Cricket, Panchangam etc.) and try them out. Initially everything worked and I was so thrilled!! A sub-10K (Rs) pocket computer with multimedia player, accelerometer and a wonderfully intuitive touch interface, capable of running such a treasure house of free apps on such a fantastic variety of topics, was a dream come true!! I salute Apple for the revolution in hand-held computing that they are ushering in.
However the first glitch came up very quickly. In a day or so I started facing a weird problem of all installed apps (as against built-in apps) closing immediately on opening them!!! I was quite prepared for an app crashing/hanging the ipod Touch but I expected a reset to resolve the problem. My previous attempt at procuring an economical hand-held reader was a JXD 951 PMP (Chinese design & make) which requires reset every once in a while even though one can only use its built-in applications. But this problem (installed apps closing immediately on open) of the ipod Touch was not getting resolved even after reset! [BTW my ipod Touch says on its back, 'Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China'. So one has to thank the Chinese too for cost-effective assembly of this wonderful product.]
Was able to resolve the problem only by Restoring ipod to a new ipod. This can be done using Restore option but choosing new ipod when given the option of restoring either to a new ipod or from a backup. [BTW Erase all data option on ipod seems to do the same.] But then I had to start installing apps (and copy data) all over again. Not a happy scenario at all :-(
Saw that lots of other people too are facing this problem. Some folks get a solution by resetting ipod or by downloading new app to ipod. I faced this problem at least twice and these simple solutions did not work for me.
Could not really get any info on why such problems occur. I guess that it is due to a bad app. After all, on such a small device with all its limitations, the OS would not be able to fully protect itself from bad applications crashing it. And maybe the bad app messes up some settings which come into play every time the device is restarted (reset) and therefore reset also could not solve the problem.
Minimal Safe Set of Apps for ebook Reading
So I became very choosy in installing the apps on the device. Note that I have not ventured into any 'jailbreaking' and so all the apps I used have been downloaded from iTunes AppStore. I identified the 3 basic apps I needed to use it as an ebook reader. With only that set of apps installed the device worked like a charm. Ah! I breathed a sigh of relief. Those 3 applications are listed below:
See http://gabbarsing.blogspot.com/2009/12/viewing-sanskrithindi-documents-on-ipod.html for some pictures of ipod Touch acting as an ebook reader using these apps.
GoodReader site provides excellent documentation. There are two primary ways of transferring documents from PC to GoodReader on ipod Touch/iPhone: USB and Wi-Fi. For USB you need to install a GoodReaderUSB.exe program (free download from GoodReader site) on the PC. You can copy folders from PC onto GoodReader on ipod Touch. GoodReader then allows you to navigate to these folders. It further allows you to create sub-folders and even copy/move files across these folders and sub-folders. ipod Touch does not have a built-in file manager app and therefore GoodReader's file manager feature is extremely useful to organize one's ebooks.
GoodReader is an excellent pdf reader for the ipod Touch with a superb intuitive user interface. It uses touch-taps very well to allow the user to easily do ebook reading tasks like moving to the next page or scrolling horizontally. The website gives the details.
I had tried out some free PDF reader apps but found that GoodReader is far, far superior in its pdf reader functionality, and its file manager functionality is simply not available in the free PDF reader apps that I checked out.
At 99 cents (limited time sale price, the site says with 4.99 $ being its regular price), you should buy it without a second thought if you are going to read a lot of PDF documents on the ipod Touch/iPhone.
Stanza is an excellent ebook reader. I have used only epub format ebooks with it and it does a grand job. (Note that it does not read pdf files). USB and Wi-Fi are two of the typical ways of transferring ebooks from PC to Stanza on the ipod Touch. For USB transfer, you need to have this superb freeware iphone explorer from http://www.iphone-explorer.com/iphone installed on the PC, which lets you copy files from PC to a specific folder on the ipod Touch. Stanza web-site has all the required information. Stanza does not seem to have the ability to organize ebooks in folders; all ebooks are shown in a single list. This could be a problem if number of ebooks is large.
WordWeb is a decent free dictionary giving text meanings. If you want to hear audio for pronunciation of words then I think you need to have the paid version of the app.
That's it. With this setup (3 apps + built-in apps) and a WiFi connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), say via a DSL Broadband modem, you can do the following on your ipod Touch:
A Larger Set of Stable Apps
Over time I became more confident about app stability on the ipod Touch and experimented with an expanded repertoire. The following apps (all free except GoodReader) were stable on it (tested over a few days):
I was surprised to see that though I had fully charged the ipod but had not used it for 2 days or so, on powering on there was no response! On connecting it to PC via USB a battery icon with a red indicator came up. It took maybe half an hour or so of being charged via USB for the red indicator to be replaced by a green one showing the extent of charge in it. From that point on behaviour became normal i.e. I could view the device and its contents via iTunes. After disconnecting it from PC it operated properly.
I knew that I had only put the ipod Touch to Sleep (Short press of Sleep/Wake physical button on left top rim) prior to not using it for 2 days or so. But I thought that Sleep would do something similar to hibernate on XP where laptop battery power is not consumed. On browsing the Net I saw that WiFi consumes a lot of battery power. Switched off WiFi and experimented with a similar full charge, Sleep and use after 1 to 2 days. Got the same problem of no response (and red indicator on USB connect to PC).
Finally tried turning it off (Press and Hold of Sleep/Wake button until red slider appears where you need to slide your finger across it) after full charge. Tried powering on after a day or so and this time there was no problem. Of course, it has to go through a full start-up and that takes a minute or two (as compared to instant Wake from Sleep) but the charge seems to be retained (or has insignificant dissipation).
So one should power off the ipod if it is not going to be used for a decent stretch of time (say over 30 minutes). Note that the ipod goes to Sleep by itself if there is no activity for a few minutes (default setting). You may think it is switched off but it may be just Sleeping and consuming battery power. You need to be wary of assuming that it is switched off just because the display is off. If a short press of the Sleep/Wake button does nothing then the ipod is switched off, else it will Wake up from Sleep.
Great Deal for ipod Touch!!
I got a great deal for ipod Touch 8 GB, 3rd Gen (Fall 2009) model. I paid Rs 9,600 for it on ebay in Mid-November 2009. I am very satisfied with the ebay seller's packaging, delivery and interaction on phone. Here's the link to the shop: http://stores.ebay.in/customershoponline.
Downloading ipod Touch apps from iTunes AppStore
To be able to buy Apps from iTunes AppStore you need a credit card which can be used to pay in Dollars. If you only have Rupee debit cards, here is some info about one possible solution: http://www.shanavas.com/entropay-card-free-virtual-credit-card/
Note that to even download free apps you need to specify a credit card number in iTunes. In my case I was able to use one of my normal Rupee debit cards for registration in iTunes and could download free apps. But when I tried to pay for a paid app (with that debit card being my iTunes registered 'credit' card), iTunes reported an error.
Unstable Set of Apps
I had downloaded a lot of free ipod Touch apps prior to receiving the ipod Touch. One of the first things I did after receiving it was to install over 100 of these free apps (PDF readers, Human atlas, Chutkule (Hindi jokes), Earth in 3D, Health tips, Eye handbook, Language tutors, Racing games, Chess, Bible, Koran, Gita, Seismometer, Drums, Tanpura, News, Radio, Dictionary, Spell-check, Cricket, Panchangam etc.) and try them out. Initially everything worked and I was so thrilled!! A sub-10K (Rs) pocket computer with multimedia player, accelerometer and a wonderfully intuitive touch interface, capable of running such a treasure house of free apps on such a fantastic variety of topics, was a dream come true!! I salute Apple for the revolution in hand-held computing that they are ushering in.
However the first glitch came up very quickly. In a day or so I started facing a weird problem of all installed apps (as against built-in apps) closing immediately on opening them!!! I was quite prepared for an app crashing/hanging the ipod Touch but I expected a reset to resolve the problem. My previous attempt at procuring an economical hand-held reader was a JXD 951 PMP (Chinese design & make) which requires reset every once in a while even though one can only use its built-in applications. But this problem (installed apps closing immediately on open) of the ipod Touch was not getting resolved even after reset! [BTW my ipod Touch says on its back, 'Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China'. So one has to thank the Chinese too for cost-effective assembly of this wonderful product.]
Was able to resolve the problem only by Restoring ipod to a new ipod. This can be done using Restore option but choosing new ipod when given the option of restoring either to a new ipod or from a backup. [BTW Erase all data option on ipod seems to do the same.] But then I had to start installing apps (and copy data) all over again. Not a happy scenario at all :-(
Saw that lots of other people too are facing this problem. Some folks get a solution by resetting ipod or by downloading new app to ipod. I faced this problem at least twice and these simple solutions did not work for me.
Could not really get any info on why such problems occur. I guess that it is due to a bad app. After all, on such a small device with all its limitations, the OS would not be able to fully protect itself from bad applications crashing it. And maybe the bad app messes up some settings which come into play every time the device is restarted (reset) and therefore reset also could not solve the problem.
Minimal Safe Set of Apps for ebook Reading
So I became very choosy in installing the apps on the device. Note that I have not ventured into any 'jailbreaking' and so all the apps I used have been downloaded from iTunes AppStore. I identified the 3 basic apps I needed to use it as an ebook reader. With only that set of apps installed the device worked like a charm. Ah! I breathed a sigh of relief. Those 3 applications are listed below:
- GoodReader (99 cents, Excellent PDF reader and file manager) http://www.goodiware.com/goodreader.html
- Stanza (free ebook reader) http://www.lexcycle.com/
- Dictionary - WordWeb (free Standard Edition) http://www.wordwebsoftware.com/WordWebiPhone.html
See http://gabbarsing.blogspot.com/2009/12/viewing-sanskrithindi-documents-on-ipod.html for some pictures of ipod Touch acting as an ebook reader using these apps.
GoodReader site provides excellent documentation. There are two primary ways of transferring documents from PC to GoodReader on ipod Touch/iPhone: USB and Wi-Fi. For USB you need to install a GoodReaderUSB.exe program (free download from GoodReader site) on the PC. You can copy folders from PC onto GoodReader on ipod Touch. GoodReader then allows you to navigate to these folders. It further allows you to create sub-folders and even copy/move files across these folders and sub-folders. ipod Touch does not have a built-in file manager app and therefore GoodReader's file manager feature is extremely useful to organize one's ebooks.
GoodReader is an excellent pdf reader for the ipod Touch with a superb intuitive user interface. It uses touch-taps very well to allow the user to easily do ebook reading tasks like moving to the next page or scrolling horizontally. The website gives the details.
I had tried out some free PDF reader apps but found that GoodReader is far, far superior in its pdf reader functionality, and its file manager functionality is simply not available in the free PDF reader apps that I checked out.
At 99 cents (limited time sale price, the site says with 4.99 $ being its regular price), you should buy it without a second thought if you are going to read a lot of PDF documents on the ipod Touch/iPhone.
Stanza is an excellent ebook reader. I have used only epub format ebooks with it and it does a grand job. (Note that it does not read pdf files). USB and Wi-Fi are two of the typical ways of transferring ebooks from PC to Stanza on the ipod Touch. For USB transfer, you need to have this superb freeware iphone explorer from http://www.iphone-explorer.com/iphone installed on the PC, which lets you copy files from PC to a specific folder on the ipod Touch. Stanza web-site has all the required information. Stanza does not seem to have the ability to organize ebooks in folders; all ebooks are shown in a single list. This could be a problem if number of ebooks is large.
WordWeb is a decent free dictionary giving text meanings. If you want to hear audio for pronunciation of words then I think you need to have the paid version of the app.
That's it. With this setup (3 apps + built-in apps) and a WiFi connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), say via a DSL Broadband modem, you can do the following on your ipod Touch:
- Copy pdf documents from PC to ipod Touch and read them on it.
- Copy epub (and some other formats) ebooks from PC to ipod Touch and read them on it.
- Lookup English dictionary
- Make Notes (ipod Touch has a beautiful on-screen touch keyboard with some smart spell-cue facilities) and save them as separate files
- Use Safari to view pdf/html documents from the web.
- Buy ebooks (or download free ebooks) from the Net and view them in Stanza/GoodReader (I have not checked this out).
- Browse the web using Safari
- Listen to Music. iPods are famous for their fantastic user interface to organize and choose music (to be played).
- View videos and podcasts.
- View pictures.
- Operate (View, Send etc.) your mail using ipod Touch built-in Mail app which handles Yahoo/Gmail etc. and which reflows the content for easy viewing (without need for any horizontal scrolling).
- Organize your contacts and calendar
- View YouTube videos
- View map information using your WiFi Internet connection (With iPhone you have GSM/EDGE and GPS, so you are not dependent on WiFi Net)
- Download free/paid apps from AppStore
A Larger Set of Stable Apps
Over time I became more confident about app stability on the ipod Touch and experimented with an expanded repertoire. The following apps (all free except GoodReader) were stable on it (tested over a few days):
- Autobiography of a Yogi
- Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit & English)
- CCEL Devotional Bible
- Convert Units for Free
- Dictionary - WordWeb
- Drum Player 3 Free
- Earth3D
- eReader
- Eye Handbook
- EyeChart
- FileApp (Previously FileAid, Document S...
- A Free Level
- Gita in Text
- Good Reader (large PDF viewer) - read ...
- Google Mobile App
- History:Maps of World
- Holy Bible
- iChess (Free)
- iHandy Level Free
- iSeismometer
- MultiConvert
- PianoWork
- Public Radio Player 2.0
- RADIO StreamItAll
- Real Racing GTI
- Ruler
- Socrates QuickQuotes
- Stanza
- Stars
- Tales of Saibaba Preview (The Saint of ...
- Tao Te Ching - Chinese Wisdom
- TIME Mobile
- uHear
- Units
- USA TODAY
- Use Your Handwriting
- Wikipedia Mobile
- A World Map - Pocket Political World Map
- World Nomads Arabic Language Guide
- World Nomads Hindi Language Guide
- WritePad
- Y! Music
- Yahoo!
I was surprised to see that though I had fully charged the ipod but had not used it for 2 days or so, on powering on there was no response! On connecting it to PC via USB a battery icon with a red indicator came up. It took maybe half an hour or so of being charged via USB for the red indicator to be replaced by a green one showing the extent of charge in it. From that point on behaviour became normal i.e. I could view the device and its contents via iTunes. After disconnecting it from PC it operated properly.
I knew that I had only put the ipod Touch to Sleep (Short press of Sleep/Wake physical button on left top rim) prior to not using it for 2 days or so. But I thought that Sleep would do something similar to hibernate on XP where laptop battery power is not consumed. On browsing the Net I saw that WiFi consumes a lot of battery power. Switched off WiFi and experimented with a similar full charge, Sleep and use after 1 to 2 days. Got the same problem of no response (and red indicator on USB connect to PC).
Finally tried turning it off (Press and Hold of Sleep/Wake button until red slider appears where you need to slide your finger across it) after full charge. Tried powering on after a day or so and this time there was no problem. Of course, it has to go through a full start-up and that takes a minute or two (as compared to instant Wake from Sleep) but the charge seems to be retained (or has insignificant dissipation).
So one should power off the ipod if it is not going to be used for a decent stretch of time (say over 30 minutes). Note that the ipod goes to Sleep by itself if there is no activity for a few minutes (default setting). You may think it is switched off but it may be just Sleeping and consuming battery power. You need to be wary of assuming that it is switched off just because the display is off. If a short press of the Sleep/Wake button does nothing then the ipod is switched off, else it will Wake up from Sleep.
Nice Post Thanks...,
ReplyDeleteDownload Free ebooks also here :
Download Free ebooks