Tech Guide: Alternatives to AvantGo - Reviews - Cool Gear - PDA

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Tech Guide: Alternatives to AvantGo

By Lee Chee Wee, Special to ZDNet
May 26, 2004
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/pdas/soa/Tech-Guide-Alternatives-to-AvantGo/0,139023392,139148754,00.htm

AvantGo alternatives

If you are looking for an AvantGo replacement, here are five software programs you can utilise to put the Web on your PDA.

Most avid PDA users will have heard of AvantGo. This mobile service lets you access your favourite Web sites on your handheld even if it has no connectivity option. The content is downloaded via a desktop or a wireless Internet connection.

Though AvantGo is a popular solution, it has two issues. Firstly, synchronization can be sluggish at times as data has to be transferred through AvantGo's server. Secondly, to manage resources, the company imposes size and bandwidth limits. To address these issues, we sieve out five replacements worth considering.

Price: US$12.95
1. World Off-Line

Think of World Off-Line (WOL) as AvantGo minus the quirks. Rather than needing a centralised server, WOL allows you to download information directly from the various content providers. With this approach, there're no issues with speed or size restrictions. Unlike AvantGo, you can manage your subscribed channels on your device. WOL also includes the convenience of automatically grabbing contents at predetermined timings. To help you get started quickly, the company has set up a portal with links to interesting Web sites.

Download now

Price: US$29.95
2. HandStory Suite

HandStory Suite, touted by its developers as the "Swiss Army Knife of media viewers", is more than a possible AvantGo replacement. The complete suite consists of browser, Converter and Clip Editor. The browser is loaded onto your handheld to view information in a variety of formats. HandStory's desktop components, Converter, converts text and images from your PC or the Internet, while Clip Editor lets you create custom channels of your favourite sites to be automatically updated daily.

Download now

Price: US$19.95
3. Mobipocket Reader Pro

If you're a news person, the Mobipocket Reader is definitely worth a look. It extracts and read news formatted in RSS--a popular XML format that Web owners use to share content between sites -- using Mobipocket's Web Companion software. In addition, you can set up news channels to be automatically sent from your desktop to your mobile devices at scheduled times.

Download now

Price: US$29.95
4. RepliGo

After the installation of Repligo, the software creates a virtual printer so you can convert any files to the RepliGo format simply by printing it. With this approach, nearly all documents can be ported to your handheld. Apart from preserving the original document layout, Repligo provides an additional reflowed text view for easy reading on smaller screens.

Download now

Price: US$19.99
5. iSilo

The advantage iSilo has over the rest of the pack is its efficient compression algorithm which results in smaller file sizes. To entice people to use its software, iSiloX is available as a free download to port contents to the iSilo format. However, the software isn't as polished and does not offer the convenience of scheduled downloads.

Download now