FIGURE D

QED has most desirable features, plus the ability to create and edit files.

Qvadis Express GT 2.02
Qvadis Express GT 2.02 (at http://www.qvadis.com/expressreader/gt.html) can display fewer lines, making text more readable. It's the only reader that toggles full screen with a single tap in one place. It's got a clean full screen, without icons or lines.

Qvadis Express GT has text copy, but it requires many taps and a dialog box. It reads but cannot add bookmarks. The software is fast at opening documents, but it bogs down if there are a lot of bookmarks, even in small documents. It's got advanced Find features, but the dialogue box gets in your way and requires a tap to close. Other boxes force a choice--you can't tap elsewhere to send them away.

One big problem is that it always displays the time. I want to know what time it is at my command--not be assaulted with it by the software. Qvadis Express GT requires 50K and is priced at $15. It's pictured in Figure E.

FIGURE E

Qvadis Express GT 2 is the only reader that toggles full screen with a single tap in one place.

RichReader 1.62
RichReader 1.62 (at http://users.rcn.com/arenamk/RichReader.html) shows the time on the opening screen. This could be a negative, particularly at night when one may not want to be worrying about what time it is. There are no font choices while viewing a document. You must go to the document selection window, then to a font select dialog box, and finally select "View with Font." Then it takes a long time to change. Each time you reopen the document, it reverts to the smaller font, so you must repeat the process! There's no full screen, but the bottom command line is much thinner than on other readers, so that's okay.

My biggest issue with RichReader is it's much too slow to load files. MegaDoc, PalmReader, TomeRaider, and WordSmith are also tortoises.

If you're a Mac user,you'll need to knoow that RichReader's RTF (Rich Text Format) feature requires a Windows program to convert documents. Sadly, the software writer's Web site indicates he's waiting for others to step in: "I encourage developers to port these converters to the Mac and other operating systems." RichReader requires 50K and is priced at $15. It's pictured in Figure F.

FIGURE F

RichReader has a thin command line at the bottom.

SmartDoc 2.0
SmartDoc 2.0 lacks full screen, but it has a large font, a read/edit toggle icon, and excellent document handling (backing up, privatizing). It's got advanced bookmarking; it grabs selected text (or the top line) and can sort alphabetically or by position. Four font icons waste space. This program is no longer developed, but it's the basis for Quickword (at http://www.cesinc.com/quickword/index.html). However, that's not installable from Macs. The software requires 114K and is priced at $20. Quickword is pictured in Figure G.

FIGURE G

SmarDoc is the basis for QuickWord.

TealDoc 4.12
TealDoc 4.12 (at http://www.tealpoint.com/softdoc.htm) takes some time to "initialize" a file, but it's speedier than most that scan for bookmarks. It may startle you when it first reads a document with bookmark tags (such as its own manual) because it automatically starts moving through the document. Subsequent reads are nearly immediate.