Am I asking too much?

[semioticwafture]

Hi

I'm looking for an e-reader that fits the following requirements. As is distressingly usual for consumer electronic devices, I initially thought I didn't have any tough requirements, then discovered otherwise when I started actually reading up on it, on this forum. Who knew that I needed to have "doesn't come with spyware installed" down on my list, and "can read PDF files with some semblance of usability"? The march of progress is monotonous.

Is there a device that fits my requirements? At all? Reasonably well?

non-negotiable requirements:

1. CLARIFICATION: this first point doesn't mean that PDF support has to be any good: my only hard requirements here are the specific things I spell out in parentheses -- see later posts from me for exactly what I mean by those. usable for reading PDF files (not appallingly slow, sane page-turn behaviour when reading PDF in landscape). I'm OK with cropping the PDF files myself if necessary, if the device can't do that.
2. no spyware (unlike kobo's Google Analytics reporting)
3. no activation / registration / etc. required as long as you won't be reading DRMed books
4. USB mass storage, or some other method supported by calibre, works reliably
5. supports non-DRM epub and PDF files added to the device over USB (or some other reliably calibre-supported means), without gross breakage to standard features (I think I recall reading that the kobo fails this one?)
6. not unstable: rarely freezes more frequently than once per week when used for several hours per day
7. supportable by calibre without too much reverse-engineering effort (I'll do the work to add support myself if necessary)

desired:

1. firmware updates don't require Windows
2. small -- especially distance from top to bottom since it looks like most of them will stick out of my pocket a fair way (I haven't seen any as small as I'd like, but the kobo touch is not too bad -- unfortunately it fails a bunch of my non-negotiables)
3. supports library lending

nice to have:

1. note taking
2. full text search feature (remarkable that some don't have this!)
3. a decent range of font sizes for epub
4. ability to put your own fonts on it
5. ability to read while charging
6. PDF reflow

[semioticwafture]

...I just noticed that I didn't explicitly say that I'm looking for an e-ink reader (or, in principle, technology with similar readability and battery life functionality such as mirasol -- but in practice it's going to be e-ink I guess).

[DuckieTigger]

Yes. You are asking too much. Some requirements are mutually exclusive. Small size (6" or smaller anything) is not feasible with pdf, unless the pdf is mostly text and you should then convert to epub anyway thus not neding pdf support in the first place. Larger epaper devices might theoretically capable of displaying pdf, but only with dificulty (how many DX owners are happy with pdf?). Does not sound like your dream device is not possible, but nobody makes it yet.

[HarryT]

Given that PDF support is a primary requirement, you're looking at a tablet, not an eInk device. It's generally agreed that the iPad with something like the "GoodReader" app is pretty much the best for this. No eInk device will satisfy your requirements.

[Filark]

The original manufacturer is out of business, but the enTourage eDGe or Pocket eDGe might work well for you. Lots of info here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=218.

Even the Pocket eDGe might not be small enough for you, but I think it hits on every other point.

Good luck!

[semioticwafture]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Yes. You are asking too much. Some requirements are mutually exclusive. Small size (6" or smaller anything) is not feasible with pdf, unless the pdf is mostly text and you should then convert to epub anyway thus not neding pdf support in the first place. Larger epaper devices might theoretically capable of displaying pdf, but only with dificulty (how many DX owners are happy with pdf?). Does not sound like your dream device is not possible, but nobody makes it yet.

Perhaps you can be persuaded to humour me in my (perhaps false) belief that that that particular requirement in itself isn't a problem (that belief is based on watching youtube videos of several e-ink based e-readers displaying PDFs in portrait mode, and the fact that I can crop PDFs to remove the borders before putting them on the reader). I'll be disabused of that notion if I settle on one and it turns out not to be true when I try it out in a shop, but for now my problem is more figuring out whether the rest of my requirements are feasible -- those other requirements are more complicated to figure out, for me!

[semioticwafture]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Given that PDF support is a primary requirement, you're looking at a tablet, not an eInk device. It's generally agreed that the iPad with something like the "GoodReader" app is pretty much the best for this. No eInk device will satisfy your requirements.

See my other post -- I think I'm likely much more easily satisfied than most people on the PDF requirement: by "usable for reading PDF files", I do mean specifically a). not appallingly slow (it should be less than a few seconds per page turn for the great majority of non-bitmap, non-pathological PDF files), and b). sane page-turn behaviour when reading PDF in landscape: in your opinion, are THOSE specific requirements alone a problem? Because too slow, or because nothing has sane page-turn behaviour?

(and by sane page-turn behaviour, I mean specifically that when you are not at the bottom of a page, you can easily jump to the next part of that page, and when you are at the bottom of a page, you can easily jump to the top of the next page)

[semioticwafture]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Given that PDF support is a primary requirement, you're looking at a tablet, not an eInk device. It's generally agreed that the iPad with something like the "GoodReader" app is pretty much the best for this. No eInk device will satisfy your requirements.

...putting it another, slightly shorter , way than my previous reply: the PRESENCE of non-broken PDF support is a non-negotiable requirement for me, but I don't have any non-negotiable requirement that PDF support be good, nor even usable-by-most-people's-standards.

[semioticwafture]

Originally Posted by Filark

The original manufacturer is out of business, but the enTourage eDGe or Pocket eDGe might work well for you. Lots of info here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=218.

Even the Pocket eDGe might not be small enough for you, but I think it hits on every other point.

Good luck!

Thanks!

Way, way, too big for me: again, while I know the conventional wisdom is that you want a tablet if you're reading PDF files, I don't think that's going to be a big deal for me: as long as PDF reading fits my "not appallingly slow and has sane page-turn behaviour" criteria, I don't have a problem with it (not yet, anyway).

My eyesight is OK and I plan to read PDFs with margins cropped and in landscape mode.

[semioticwafture]

Just to add: the PDFs I'll be reading will be mostly text, with a few diagrams.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by semioticwafture

Perhaps you can be persuaded to humour me in my (perhaps false) belief that that that particular requirement in itself isn't a problem (that belief is based on watching youtube videos of several e-ink based e-readers displaying PDFs in portrait mode [...]

Now we are getting somewhere. I know you had other requirements for non-pdf and reading ebooks support. The small form factor is in fact a lot more important than pdf-support. I did not know that since it appears to me that size is only in the optional colums, but pdf appears right on top of your must-have list.

If someone says must support pdf, I am thinking that pdf means pdf that cannot be done any other format. Pdf has the beauty of having potentially extensively complicated layout, non-conventional text flow, pictures and graphics that must be inserted in and around certain passages of text or it won't make sence.

Just to add: the PDFs I'll be reading will be mostly text, with a few diagrams.

Plus you are saying you ARE willing to prepare some of the pdf (e.g. cropping of margins if reader is perfect in any other requirement). So now we can concentrate on your ePub and other requirements.

As you can see from other peoples posts, they also believe that you wanted pdf support more than anything else. There still might be a pdf that are mostly text, and should be able to convert into text, but can't b/c no embedded font, text saved as image and so on. That would have to remain as pdf, but might still be readable in landscape on a smaller 6" screen and low resolution of 800x600 (as most 6") by pdf standards.

[semioticwafture]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

If someone says must support pdf, I am thinking that pdf means pdf that cannot be done any other format.

Right: by PDF I do indeed mean PDF (and not pre-processed into epub, or whatever).

Pdf has the beauty of having potentially extensively complicated layout, non-conventional text flow, pictures and graphics that must be inserted in and around certain passages of text or it won't make sence.

You're saying that PDF is designed for a rigid layout and not for text reflow? Agreed.

Plus you are saying you ARE willing to prepare some of the pdf (e.g. cropping of margins if reader is perfect in any other requirement).

Yes. More precisely: any amount of crop pre-processing is fine by me, regardless of how well the reader fits the other requirements. Avoiding the need for pre-processing would be nice, it's true.

So now we can concentrate on your ePub and other requirements.

Excellent, I'm all ears!

As you can see from other peoples posts, they also believe that you wanted pdf support more than anything else.

Sure -- I've fixed up the original message to point out that natural misreading, thanks.

There still might be a pdf that are mostly text, and should be able to convert into text, but can't b/c no embedded font, text saved as image and so on. That would have to remain as pdf, but might still be readable in landscape on a smaller 6" screen and low resolution of 800x600 (as most 6") by pdf standards.

Ah, no: I don't anticipate converting many PDF files to epub -- I'm likely to just read them as PDF files I think (hence my non-negotiable requirement for non-broken PDF support, by the definition of "non-broken" I've discussed in previous posts).

[askyn]

From my personal experience only, I would suggest checking out the PocketBook line of ereaders.

Im currently using the PB360 (older version not the plus), and it would handle all of your requirements to various degrees.

I especially like the fact that the books can be stored in a directory structure directly on the expansion card.

Hope that helps some.

[Rizla]

The Sony T1 is probably your best bet.

[DuckieTigger]

Ok here it comes. A very nice device would be the Odyssey. Not because I have one, but because I have one and just checked pd support out first hand. It was a non-issue for me since I don't do pdf. So I d/led 2 phd thesis - first one a 900k file with actual text and diagrams and tables. The second a 32mb god-aweful scanned in and left as image file for each page. Performance wise both did the same with instant zoom change instant page turns instant portrait to landscape rotation.The first file of course looked a lot better - so lets concentrate on the smaller file since you cant fix ugly. Crop margins works so good that you should disable the display of the status bar or it will cover part of the pdf at the edge as there is literaly no margin left. On a page that only has the page number you are greeted by a HUUUGE number across the screen. Means it does crop each page individually. You can rotate the pdf 90 degrees and flip it upside down and that is independent from your screen rotation. see next post