eBooks and eDocuments for the International
Traveler
eBooks
eDocuments
Are you a gadget nut? Do new gizmos and electronic devices call your
name?
eBooks may be the new toy for you.
eBooks are available in many formats, but the most popular are Microsoft
Reader and Adobe
Acrobat eBook Reader. Both of these two software packages can be
downloaded free and installed easily on your computer. Microsoft Reader is
included now as a standard application on many new PocketPC's. Adobe Acrobat
eBook Reader can be installed on PC's or Macs.
Where they really shine is when you travel. Instead of lugging paper
books with you in your carry-on, you simply take a PocketPC with the eBook
installed. The PocketPC has many other uses, including PocketPC versions
of Microsoft Office applications, an MP3 player, and Audible.Com book
player. Imagine during the long airport check-in and security lines you
alleviate the boredom by listening to an audio book. Later, on the plane,
you listen to the audio book or to your choice of MP3 music selections.
When you reach your destination, you use the eBook to help select
restaurant, hotel and sightseeing options.
Fodor's and Rough
Guide both have published eBook version of some of their print
guidebooks.
Pocket PC's are especially inviting for the traveler.You can organize
your addresses, datebook and other contact information, as well as store
MP3 files and Audible.Com audio books. Audio books are good for diverting
your mind while standing in long check-in and security lines at the
airport.
Some suggested devices are:
eBooks can be read using your laptop computer, using either Microsoft
Reader or Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader. You may want to take your laptop
along, anyway, for storage and editing digital photographs and accessing
the Internet from your hotel room.
eBooks can be bookmarked for quick reference, and there are many
settings that can be adjusted to suit your needs, such as type size, font
and other variables. You can set it up so that it opens automatically to
the page where you left off reading in a previous session.
If you have never downloaded an eBook before,
you should carefully read all the documentation in each of these links. If
you have a Mac, you will only be able to use the Adobe Acrobat eBook
Reader. PC users can use either. Linux is currently unsupported by this
new technology. Both readers are available for download from their
respective sites free of charge. Note that the Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader
is not the same as their Adobe Acrobat Reader. The eBook Reader is
specially designed for copyright-protected eBooks.
eBooks cannot be printed from the readers, as that is how the publisher
protects the copyright. You can, however, copy and paste selections
into another document, then print the selection. This is useful, for
example, if you just want a handy list of restaurant addresses and phone
numbers, or a sightseeing plan for your day's outing.
This technology is not for everyone. eBooks are in their infancy and we
can expect to see tremendous changes in the future. It is very possible
that this might be one of those brilliant ideas that flops, like 8-track
cassettes. Travel guide books, since they become obsolete within a few
years due to the nature of the subject matter, are ideal for trying eBooks
out on your own computer or Pocket PC.
Besides Fodor's and Rough
Guides eBooks, here's a good eBook for your PocketPC:
eDocuments are downloaded and read on your
PC or Mac using Adobe Acrobat Reader. They can be easily printed on paper
for you to take with you on your trip. A remarkable set of
eDocuments are the iJet Travel Intelligence Reports.
These reports are updated weekly and provide you with the most current
information possible on your destination. You can download the PDF files
in minutes from
Amazon.Com.
09/10/2002
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