No time to surf? Download the Web to your PDA

Jason Parker, ZDNet US

12 May 2004 11:36 AM

Tags: pda, web, offline, palm, read, browse, let, download

No time to surf? Download the Web to your PDAIf you want to browse the Web but don't have time, why not download what you need to read to your PDA and look at it later? Here's three apps that'll let you do just that.

Last month, I told you about how you can download e-mail to your mobile device so that you can read it while you're away from your PC. But I also like to download articles from news sites to my Palm for the same purpose. That's where offline Web browsers come into play.

If I want to catch up on current events during my commute, I synchronize my PDA with my home or work computer and use an offline Web browser. That way, I can read chosen news stories, see where my stocks are, and more, all without a live Internet connection. Here are my three favorite programs for offline browsing on my PDA.

WebCopier (Pocket PC) works great with its desktop counterpart. Also, it lets you scale down Web sites for viewing on your Pocket PC's screen. (Shareware/Pocket PC)

Plucker lets you view Web content offline and read e-books. This one is my favourite because it's free and offers a great interface for navigating around Web pages. (Free/Palm)

AvantGo Mobile Internet Service lets you take the Web with you on your Palm. It also offers tons of channels to choose from so that you can find content that suits your needs. In addition, both PC and Mac users can take advantage of this service. (Shareware/Palm)

What do you think? Have you ever tried a Web-clipping app on your PDA? Did it work? TalkBack to me below!

Advertisement

Talkback 2 comments

  1. Given the WIFI availibility, is there a product which would enable me to browse on-line and later on off-line without having to replicate the pages via a desktop client? (either Pocket PC or Palm) Anonymous -- 19/05/04

    Given the WIFI availibility, is there a product which would enable me to browse on-line and later on off-line without having to replicate the pages via a desktop client? (either Pocket PC or Palm)

  2. used avantgo for years, just about fool proof, easy to set up, syn in the morning and read the newspaper on the palm during the day. Handstory is a bit easier for clipping web pages and images on the fly from the web thru PC to the palm. I woul Anonymous -- 28/07/04

    used avantgo for years, just about fool proof, easy to set up, syn in the morning and read the newspaper on the palm during the day.
    Handstory is a bit easier for clipping web pages and images on the fly from the web thru PC to the palm.
    I wouldnt be without either.

Add your opinion


Reviews by category

ZDNet's CIO Vision Series

Customs | Murray Harrison, CIO

Australian Customs CIO Murray Harrison dislikes SLAs and runs away if a vendor talks to him about innovation. In this interview, he also explains why getting excited about gadgets can be dangerous and talks about how Customs' outsourcing strategy has evolved.

Sponsored content

Power Centre - Content from our premier sponsors

Blogs

  • Munir Kotadia iPhone suckers test our patience
    So how many of you have bought a 3G iPhone? Do you feel like a sucker? If you don't, maybe you will once your first bill arrives.
  • Array Westpac bank: AVG's toughest competitor
    The next time you're buying antivirus software, don't go direct to Symantec or McAfee. Don't download free antivirus. And definitely don't see Harvey Norman. Ask your bank — they're quite literally giving the stuff away.
  • Array Will you manage in the exabyte era?
    Mammoth growth in storage volumes is a fact of life, but even so it's helpful to pause occasionally and try and work out whether our information strategies have fallen hopelessly out of step with the pace of technological growth and changes in costs.
  • More blogs »

Tags

Back to top

Featured