Sony PEG-NZ90 - Manual (Page 3)

Picsel Excel File Format Support Page 3
Introduction
On handheld computers, traditional applications typically rely on
synchronization with a PC to convert content from the original
document format into a simpler format used by the device. This creates
at least three problems. Firstly, some visual integrity is inevitably lost in
the conversion process from a rich format to a simpler one, resulting in
documents that do not look exactly like the original. Secondly, the
reliance on a PC for synchronization means that direct network access is
difficult, and the device is severely hampered when untethered from the
PC. Thirdly, traditional applications take a monolithic approach,
converting only a single format so that separate applications are needed
for each different document type.
Picsel’s ePAGE applications present a new concept in document
viewing software. Unlike traditional approaches, the viewer can access
native files, so synchronisation is not necessary and files can be grabbed
straight off PC filing systems, flash cards and networks/internet without
the need for pre-conversion. ePAGE deals directly with the original
document in its native format, and aims to faithfully represent all of the
features of the original. Moreover, the novel software architecture
based on Picsel’s ePAGE technology enables multiple format types to be
richly supported in a single application.
ePAGE achieves a breakthrough in its ability to interpret and render
complex file formats. Many apparently straightforward formats have in
the past encountered difficulties even when used in their original
application software on a different platform, for example when going
from a PC to a Macintosh. Sometimes these files assume characteristics
of the computer on which they are used, such as the screen size or byte
order, and such assumptions have to be unravelled when using them on
a different device. To compound the challenge, some formats may
contain proprietary features which are not revealed to the public, and
which even have been forgotten within the originating company.
Others, such as HTML, have written standards yet are still subject to
differing interpretations as evidenced by the varying treatment of web
pages in proprietary browsers.