Organize and display a sub-set of a long list of eBooks
Microsoft Reader shows all eBook files on your Pocket PC in a single long list. Consequently, it can be hard to locate a desired eBook. Fortunately, you can organize or shorten the list of eBooks by using Reader's various "filters."
Specifically, you can use the "by Title" pull-down list at the top of the Library screen to present a list of your eBooks organized by title, author, last opened, book size, and date acquired.
You can display a sub-set of the list by using the "containing" feature. At the top of the Library screen, next to the "by Title" pull-down list are the words "showing All." Tap on this, and then on the "containing..." option. A small box appears at the top of the Library screen. Enter a word or words here and hit the action button of your Pocket PC (see Screen 1). It will display only those eBooks with the word or words in their title.
Screen 1: Microsoft Reader's Library filtering features let you order the eBook list by title, author, last opened, book size, and date acquired (shown in this screen). You can also use the "containing..." option to display a sub-set of books.
This tip was inspired by a longer article on the subject by Marc Zimmermann. Marc suggests that this feature is particularly useful for people who create their own eBooks. His idea is that a user can create eBooks with specific content codes in the title, and then use the filters to display subsets of these eBooks. The complete article is found on Microsoft's Web site
(www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/tips/ebooks.asp)
--Rich
Enhance Transcriber Performance
Transcriber is the user-installable application for Pocket PCs that
recognizes cursive handwriting, printed characters, or a combination of
both. It comes with all Pocket PCs, found on the ActiveSync CD included by
Microsoft. According to Brian Adrain's excellent article, "Pump Up
Transcriber Performance," the most important thing you can do after you install the program, is to configure Transcriber to recognize your own
handwriting. You do this using the "Letter Shape Selector" (see Screen 2), installed along with Transcriber.
Screen 2: Transcriber's Letter Shape Selector lets you customize the program to recognize your handwriting.
After installing Transcriber, open the Start menu, select the Programs folder, open the Transcriber folder and tap on the icon labeled "Letter Shape Selector." The screen is shown below. (If you get an error message, you probably have not activated Transcriber— installation does not do this. Tap on the input in the lower right hand corner of the screen. It's the little up-arrow next to the keyboard or pen icon. Then select Transcriber for the options. Finally, go back to the Letter Shape Selector icon and try again.)
Select a letter or symbol at the bottom of the screen and you are presented with optional ways to write it, at the top of the screen. You can further specify that you write the character in the selected way, "Often," "Rarely," or "Never." Brian found that carefully going through this process greatly increased the accuracy of Transcriber.
For more Transcriber tips, read his complete article, posted on Microsoft's Pocket PC Web site (www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/tips/transcriberperf.asp).
Prevent a scratched screen
Printer-friendly version
