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Palm wins "best e-book reader software" award

"Singled out" is perhaps not exactly what everybody would probably say if they were one of 57 award-winners, but nonetheless, Palm Digital Media got excited about winning "Best eBook Reader" at the Pocket Summit in Hollywood yesterday.

The Pocket PC Awards are not specifically Palm-based. They are, as they sound like, based on Pocket PC, the Microsoft platform - and the ceremony is held by Pocket PC magazine "to honour the Best Pocket PC products," - and according to the press announcement from Palm Digital Media, some 436 software titles (from 57 categories) were nominated.

Inevitably, this means 57 awards. Palm's award was for Palm Reader Pro, an eBook reader. Nice software, but they probably only got a minute to march up, accept the award, have their pictures taken, and return to their table; and that would have made the cderemony an hour long. So you can understand why they issued a full announcement of all the details ...

Here's the speech Jeff Strobel would have given, if they'd allowed time for him: "It's an honor to have Palm Reader Pro singled out as the best in its category," said the Director of Palm Digital Media. "We strive to give our customers the best possible experience when reading an eBook. This award acknowledges that our continued effort to add new technology and refinements to our eBook reader makes a difference."

Maybe he should have talked about his mother ... instead, he talked about the dictionary, which, he says, is one of the two "most-requested features" - along with a choice of fonts. The built-in dictionary is Webster's New World Vest Pocket Dictionary - you invoke it by holding the stylus on the word until the definition appears.

In addition to the Pocket PC, Palm Reader eBooks can be read on Palm handhelds - and even on desktop computers (and notebook PCs) so you can move your book over to the big screen.

More information about Palm Digital Media is available at Palm's Web site.