GEB eBook Librarian v1.2

Copyright © 2003 – breeno.org

Welcome to the GEB eBook Librarian v1.2

With the withdrawal of Gemstar from the sale of GEB eBook devices and content, users of these fabulous devices have been left with a choice: Continue with what content we have, or leave behind this chapter of eBook history and move on to other devices. I for one have waited for eBook technology from a long time – and when the Rocket books first came out, with their perfect form factor and the ultimate usability that can only come from a dedicated device, I was hooked.

What does the GEB eBook Librarian do?

The Librarian is a tool for creating and downloading documents to your Gemstar eBook device (mainly the GEB2150, REB1200, GEB1150 with some REB1100 support).

With the GEB eBook Librarian, you can unlock your Gemstar eBook and quickly and easily download your own content you create from RB (Rocket eBooks) files, HTML files (such as those saved from MS word), Microsoft Word .DOC and .RTF files as well as simple plain TXT files such as those downloaded from Project Gutenberg.

Here’s a brief overview of the benefits of the GEB eBook Librarian:

Create Content from many popular formats

  • Imports documents in the popular Rocket eBook format (RB), HTML (from Microsoft Word and other sources), Plain Text Files (TXT), Microsoft Word (.DOC [requires MS word]) and RTF (Rich Text Format [requires MS word]).

Web Centered

  • Create a list of your favorite eBook content sites and launch your Web Browser right from the GEB Librarian. When you download files for conversion, save them to the folder “My Documents\GEBLibrarian eBooks to Import” and the files will be ready for import the next time your run the Librarian. Downloading and converting eBooks could not be any easier!

Quality Formatting

  • The GEB eBook Librarian takes care of formatting issues for you by creating clean documents which include such features as Graphics, Running Pages Headers and page margins.

Connect to your GEB1150, REB 1200 and GEB 2150 automatically

  • Download eBooks using direct methods such as USB transfers for GEB 1150 devices or use ethernet connections with the REB 1200 and GEB 2150 and quickly download your newly created eBooks.

REB 1100 Friendly too!

  • Create eBooks for your REB 1100 also.

CompactFlash and SmartMedia friendly too!

  • If you prefer to use a Card Reader to transfer your content, the GEB Librarian can also copy books to your SmartMedia or CompactFlash cards at the click of a button.

Keep your books organized!

  • Keep books separated into disctinct bookshelves to make it easier to work with multiple eBook users and device types. Copy and Move books from bookshelves with a few simple mouse clicks.

Getting started

Simply launch the downloaded file GEBLibrarianSetup.exe and follow the on screen instructions. As the last step in the installation process, the Librarian will start and give you the opportunity to create shortcuts on both the Desktop and the Start Menu.

Now you are ready to go!

Creating new eBooks

You may create new eBooks from a variety of source files to add to your local bookshelf.

There are several convenient ways to create new eBooks

  • From Windows Explorer
  • Right click on a source file (.RB, .DOC, .RTF, .TXT, .HTML…) and choose Send To -> GEBLibrarian eBooks to Import. When you are ready to import these documents, switch over to the GEB Librarian and select “Import waiting eBooks now” to import these files.
  • Drop and drag files onto the GEB eBook Librarian window to bring up a window to begin the import process.
  • From the GEB eBook Librarian
  • Click “Create New…” from the main window and fill out details you are prompted for and click Ok to begin the import process. Upon successful completion, your new eBook will be copied to your current bookshelf.

That’s it! You should now be able to download the document to your eBook.

Downloading eBooks to your eBook reading device

The GEB eBook Librarian can interact with your eBook device by selecting the Online Bookshelf on your eBook device.

Here’s how:

1)Start the GEB eBook Librarian and select the bookshelf you want your eBook device to select an eBook from.

2)Connect your REB1200/GEB1150/GEB2150 to your computer (see below for details specific to your eBook device)

3)On your eBook, click on the Online Bookshelf and select your eBook to download, just as if you were connected to the Gemstar ™ servers.

That’s it!

GEB 1150 users: you will need to have the USB driver downloaded and installed before connecting to the Librarian. If you do not have this driver, you can download it at Please be sure you can access your Online Bookshelf (if they are still in operation at the time of this reading) before attempting to access your local bookshelf via the Librarian.

GEB 2150 / REB 1200users: simply plug in your eBook into your Ethernet connection and fill out the proxy server information with the IP address of your main computer (the one running the GEB Librarian) with Port 9090 as the IP port. You can find out what the IP address of your computer is by clicking on the “About…” button on the main GEB Librarian window.

If you do not have an Ethernet network setup, you can also export eBooks to a CompactFlash ™ card reader via the main menu item “Export to Memory Card…”

Exporting eBooks to External Memory Card

Another convenient method of copying eBooks to your eBook device is to use a CompactFlash (REB1200/GEB2150) or SmartMedia (REB1100/GEB1150) card reader device, which can be purchased at most any electronics store such as Best Buy ™ and CompUSA ™.

To export an eBook to a card reader, simply select the eBook from the GEB eBook Librarian main window and select “Export to Memory Card…”. Be sure your eBook memory card is installed in your card reader before selecting this option.

Organizing your eBooks using the Bookshelves

The Librarian’s Bookshelf feature is hand for users that want to keep eBook collections segregated, such as family members that each have a collection or users that have multiple eBook devices (1150 and 2150/1200 models).

To create a new bookshelf, right click the eBook listing in the Librarian window and choose the menu item Bookshelf -> New Bookshelf… A new empty bookshelf will be created and you can now add eBooks to this new bookshelf.

To switch to another existing bookshelf, right click on the eBook listing in the Librarian window and select the desired bookshelf from the Bookshelf popup menu.

Known Issues

When importing .DOC or .RTF files, Microsoft Word (2000 or greater) is started automatically to aid in the conversion process. On some systems, Microsoft word can cause errors than cannot be trapped by the GEB eBook Librarian and the import of the document can fail. If this happens, try converting the .DOC or .RTF file to HTML and using this file to create a new eBook in the GEB eBook Librarian.

Registration

I’m an eBook fanatic and I want everyone that loves the GEB eBook platform to have this software. I do, however, have a lot of time and energy wrapped up in this project, and I want to be able to throw the deer up on the hearth like any other red-blooded male to make the wife go “ooooh and ahhhhh”. So, for the (at least I think it is) modest registration fee of 30$ I will email you a registration key that will unlock the complete features of the Librarian allowing for an unlimited local bookshelf listing on the eBook as well as HTML, DOC, RTF, and RB import support. You may register online and receive a license key file by visiting us at

Thank you for your support!

Contact

Feel free to contact me for bug reports, feature ideas, and general eBook banter at . Please check back at for news and updates. Registered users can upgrade their software to the latest version at any time, and the license key will continue to work.