10-29-2008, 09:45 PM | #1 |
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New BeBook Firmware Supporting .PDB Format
BeBook has announced another new firmware update, with support for .PDB format.
They describe the new firmware this way: Here's what added in this update: However, the link to download the new firmware seems to be currently broken, so I can't give you any details about it.
1) The .PDB file format is added. NOTES: - the file extention .pdb is used for a range of different files. The BeBook supports files containing text only. These files will be automatically recognised by the BeBook. Files that contain incorrect data won't show up in the menu. - If you want to read a .pdb file in an different character set (e.g. Chinese) you need to set the language accordingly in the settings menu. 2) The PDF parser is updated to version 7. (non DRM, but supports password protection) 3) The Epub parser is updated. It now supports catelogue/index. 4) The CHM parser is updated, it now supports flowing display. Of course all previous updates are still in place, you only need to install this update. (so: no need to run the Mobipocket update first, it's also included in this update) Last edited by Moe The Cat; 10-29-2008 at 10:13 PM. |
10-29-2008, 11:15 PM | #2 |
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Oy. This is certainly beginning to look like an attractive device.
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10-30-2008, 05:50 AM | #3 |
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This would be more accurately described as adding support for the "PalmDoc" format. Saying "PDB" is misleading.
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10-30-2008, 08:13 AM | #4 |
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SPIIIIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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10-30-2008, 11:56 AM | #5 | |
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Quote:
It is only a text support but at least it line wraps to paragraphs. One good feature of PalmDOC is to support bookmarks embedded in the file that are often used as a TOC. I wonder if that feature is supported. Dale |
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10-31-2008, 12:21 AM | #6 | |
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In fact, I personally find that using the blanket term .pdb shows a lack of familiarity with the Palm OS and where these e-reading formats came from originally. |
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10-31-2008, 02:44 PM | #7 |
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I'm definitely one of those people (showing lack of familiarity, I mean..) - thought I'd be able to read my "palm-books" previously bought from eReader (DRM'd), but they are sadly not recognized with this firmware either.
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11-01-2008, 06:30 PM | #8 | |
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.pdb files date from the early days of Palm. Palm had a very rudimentary filesystem in which "applications" used the extension .prc while the data related to these "applications" was contained in files with the .pdb extension. So .pdb (Palm database) actually refers to almost any data file on the Palm and can contain almost anything. For example, the Palm Address Book "application" is contained in a .prc file and it manipulates .pdb files with address book data inside them, but .pdb files for other applications can include saved game and game level data, memos, drawings, plucker documents, converted PDF documents, settings information, database contents and so on. .pdb files that actually contain PalmDOC data are a very small proportion of all the .pdb files in use. The problem for me is that I use Plucker files extensively on the V3, and these also have the .pdb extension. This is appropriate in the Palm environment, where applications know which files belong to them from metadata associated with each file, but difficult once you move out of that environment. It looks silly in retrospect, but nobody ever thought that the Palm would evolve into anything more than a very low powered organiser, let alone that Palm type documents would ever be used on other devices. There's a lesson to be learned here I think. Of course, the issues around DRM are another whole can of worms. |
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11-01-2008, 06:46 PM | #9 | |||
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Dale |
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11-02-2008, 01:33 AM | #10 | ||
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The current PalmOS (hah - its about 4 years old!) makes things somewhat more complicated, in that it does understand file systems and files that are not in RAM and can read and write real .pdb files on the device. Some applications may ignore or require file extensions, especially on external media. TCPMP and Explorer for example both require valid extensions. Quote:
Why have extensions when they mean so little? And in the context of ebook formats, since they mean so little, why don't vendors make a point of being more explicit when mentioning .pdb wrt to ebook formats? Its a little like saying a device can handle .zip files without specifying the actual content of the .zip file. |
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11-02-2008, 08:04 PM | #11 | |
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Mac uses resources and Palm uses a database field to provide for a object oriented interface while Windows requires extensions and a complicated registry to get there. However, an object oriented interface is a good thing when it works properly. Using user visible extensions can break it easily if the user doesn't preserve the extensions (which is why the new releases try and hide the extensions). I would consider Mac and Palm to be elegant and Windows to be silly but YMMV. Dale |
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11-04-2008, 12:21 PM | #12 | |
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Quote:
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11-04-2008, 12:29 PM | #13 |
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11-04-2008, 02:53 PM | #14 |
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just done it - you see the result in the attachment
Last edited by Eagleeye; 11-04-2008 at 02:55 PM. |
11-06-2008, 10:50 AM | #15 |
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Try setting the preferred language of your browser to English. There seems to be something wrong with the translations of the BeBook-homepage.
However, you can download the firmware from http://www.mybebook.com/update/pdb_update.rar |
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