Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Which one should I buy?

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 09-24-2009, 09:41 AM   #1
martienne
.~^пиратка^~.
martienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshes
 
martienne's Avatar
 
Posts: 238
Karma: 14000
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Ask NSA...
Device: Onyx Boox M92
Kindle DX outside United States?

I like the Kindle DX because of the large screen size and its' larger user base and low price compared with iRex.

I want an eBook reader mainly to read pdfs, in original format or cropped.

Would it make sense for me to buy a Kindle DX despite the fact that I don't live in the US? I realise I can't subsribe to magazines or use the roaming access to Amazon's eBook store..

Would i be able to use the Kindle DX for reading original or transformed PDFs?

I don't mind some moderate hacking or other tweaking of the Kindle if needed.

What do you Americans think and are there any Europeans here who own a Kindle DX?

My other options are:
---Sony PSL-600 (too small screen, I think???) OR
---iRex Digital Reader (too expensive, prone to malfunction, smaller user base..?)

I would really appreciate some advice to help me decide which make to get! Right now I'm leaning to Kindle.
martienne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 12:38 PM   #2
mgmueller
Member Retired
mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mgmueller's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,308
Karma: 13024950
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Augsburg (near Munich), Germany
Device: 26 Readers, 44 Tablets
Quote:
Originally Posted by martienne View Post
I like the Kindle DX because of the large screen size and its' larger user base and low price compared with iRex.

I want an eBook reader mainly to read pdfs, in original format or cropped.

Would it make sense for me to buy a Kindle DX despite the fact that I don't live in the US? I realise I can't subsribe to magazines or use the roaming access to Amazon's eBook store..

Would i be able to use the Kindle DX for reading original or transformed PDFs?

I don't mind some moderate hacking or other tweaking of the Kindle if needed.

What do you Americans think and are there any Europeans here who own a Kindle DX?

My other options are:
---Sony PSL-600 (too small screen, I think???) OR
---iRex Digital Reader (too expensive, prone to malfunction, smaller user base..?)

I would really appreciate some advice to help me decide which make to get! Right now I'm leaning to Kindle.
You can use Kindle 2 or Kindle DX outside of the US without any problems.
I do exactly the same here in Germany.
Two minor issues: You have to download manually via your PC instead of going through Whispernet.
The internal clock is set automatically. You can do it manually, but it would be necessary each time your battery went dry.

BUT: For PDFs, Kindle DX isn't first choice. Not even second...
iRex iLiad or iRex 1000S for example are far superior.
Even Sony 600 is.
My personal ranking for the units you mention concerning PDFs:
iRex iLiad, iRex 1000S, Sony 600, Kindle DX
mgmueller is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 09-24-2009, 12:53 PM   #3
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
The PDF support on the Kindle DX is extremely primitive. No hyperlinks, no table of contents, no search, no annotation, no dictionary lookup. No iRex devices are far, far superior for this, although significantly more expensive.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 03:38 PM   #4
martienne
.~^пиратка^~.
martienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshes
 
martienne's Avatar
 
Posts: 238
Karma: 14000
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Ask NSA...
Device: Onyx Boox M92
Thanks a lot both of you!
MGMueller's post made me reconsider the Kindle.
Well that's one model off my list, I'll follow up on the other ones.


Some more questions if that's ok!

1) I thought the iRex Iliad was getting a bit dated and I didn't want to buy something that was near end-of-life. Do you know anything about how much life is left in the Iliad?

2) The other thing I should mention is that I definitely don't plan to spend too much on actually BUYING any books. I'd only buy (and share) books that I couldn't get hold of using, erm, other methods. So I want a reader that has as little DRM and weird formatting as possible. With this in mind, is the iLiad or the or Sony PRS 600 the best choice?

3) The Iliad has a larger screen than the Sony PRS 600, right? Does the user notice a lot of difference? (I plan to read a lot of technical material...)

4) Which one is better for annotation (making notes on the pages?)

Last edited by martienne; 09-24-2009 at 04:34 PM.
martienne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 04:37 PM   #5
mgmueller
Member Retired
mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.mgmueller ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
mgmueller's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,308
Karma: 13024950
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Augsburg (near Munich), Germany
Device: 26 Readers, 44 Tablets
Quote:
Originally Posted by martienne View Post
Thanks a lot both of you!
MGMueller's post made me reconsider the Kindle.
Well that's one model off my list, I'll follow up on the other ones.


Some more questions if that's ok!

1) I thought the iRex Iliad was getting a bit dated and I didn't want to buy something that was near end-of-life. Do you know anything about how much life is left in the Iliad?

2) The other thing I should mention is that I definitely don't plan to spend too much on actually BUYING any books. I'd only buy (and share) books that I couldn't get hold of using, erm, other methods. So I want a reader that has as little DRM and weird formatting as possible. With this in mind, is the iLiad or the or Sony psl 600 the best choice?

3) The Iliad has a larger screen than the Sony psl 600, right? Does the user notice a lot of difference? (I plan to read a lot of technical material...)

4) Which one is better for annotation (making notes on the pages?)
iRex iLiad already doesn't receive any firmware updates anymore.
IMHO not too problematic, already very advanced OS.
I'm not too concerned about spare parts either. Realistically, I'll have my unit another 2 to 3 years and support should be given for that period of time.

DRM is in the books, not in the readers. Meaning: Readers can handle some DRMed formats, but they don't "mess anything" up. Whether iRex iLiad for example handles DRMed Mobipocket or only DRM-free Mobipocket won't make any difference in quality or layout, the reading engine will be the same.
I'd suggest always using a format, your respective reader is able to handle natively. Stripping from DRM and/or converting can be extremely time-consuming and boring.
So, one criteria for choosing your reader should be the file format(s) you most likely will use the most.
Many users in this forum prefer ePUB (ADOBE) which already is kind of a quasi-standard. iRex iLiad for example can't handle it natively.

Screen size in my opinion DOES make a difference. For example, I'm using my 5" units only as a second source. Using them as my sole reader would be critical for some files.
6" seems a very good compromise between mobility and readability. But of course PDFs very often are in A4 or letter format and can be difficult to read on 6" displays. iRex iLiad has a great zooming feature and iRex 1000S has the "perfect" screen size for those formats.

Personally, I don't annotate much. But when I do so, I very much prefer a touchscreen over a keyboard. So, in my opinion, Sony 600 or both iRex units are more convenient than Kindle for that feature.

To make your decision even more complicated: I really LOVE the iPhone Kindle application. Reading my Kindle books on iPhone/iPod touch without any additional costs - great for a quick read while on the road. It can be done with other readers/formats as well, but the Amazon solution by far is the most convenient one.
mgmueller is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 09-24-2009, 05:04 PM   #6
frozennorth
Evangelist
frozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic something
 
frozennorth's Avatar
 
Posts: 407
Karma: 18772
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Alberta, Canada
Device: Onyx Boox RIP, Sony PRS-T1, Kobo Libra
What about the new IREX DR800SG?
frozennorth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 05:39 PM   #7
martienne
.~^пиратка^~.
martienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshes
 
martienne's Avatar
 
Posts: 238
Karma: 14000
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Ask NSA...
Device: Onyx Boox M92
Thanks so much both!

mg, you are a true guru of ebook readers!

Wow!!! I watched CNETs video on the IREX DR800SG and that is brilliant! Could be the perfect reader for me!
I want one!

CNET says it's due out "in October". Obviously they take an American perspective.



Youtube video of DR800SG


EDIT
: Unbelievable!! I am so angry! IREX is a European company, from Belgium no less. But nevertheless they are launching this product in the US only, 6 months before launching in the EU. Only one shop will be selling it in the US, an outfit called "Bestbuy" which has a strict policy against shipping outside of the US.
I don't know a lot of Americans and I don't want to trouble the ones that I do know with taking deliveries and forwarding to me. ARRRGH!

Last edited by martienne; 09-24-2009 at 06:08 PM.
martienne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 07:49 PM   #8
HansTWN
Wizard
HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HansTWN ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 4,538
Karma: 264065402
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Taiwan
Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD
Quote:
Originally Posted by martienne View Post
Thanks so much both!

mg, you are a true guru of ebook readers!

Wow!!! I watched CNETs video on the IREX DR800SG and that is brilliant! Could be the perfect reader for me!
I want one!

CNET says it's due out "in October". Obviously they take an American perspective.



Youtube video of DR800SG


EDIT
: Unbelievable!! I am so angry! IREX is a European company, from Belgium no less. But nevertheless they are launching this product in the US only, 6 months before launching in the EU. Only one shop will be selling it in the US, an outfit called "Bestbuy" which has a strict policy against shipping outside of the US.
I don't know a lot of Americans and I don't want to trouble the ones that I do know with taking deliveries and forwarding to me. ARRRGH!
You can use a commercial forwarding service like shipito.com. You buy it online, have it sent to them and they forward it to you in your country. I can recommend them.
HansTWN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 07:49 PM   #9
frozennorth
Evangelist
frozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic somethingfrozennorth has a certain pleonastic something
 
frozennorth's Avatar
 
Posts: 407
Karma: 18772
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Alberta, Canada
Device: Onyx Boox RIP, Sony PRS-T1, Kobo Libra
I'm sure it will be available on ebay not long after release. I guess they all go where the market is the biggest. Wonder if they'll eventually sell in Canada.
frozennorth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 07:57 PM   #10
martienne
.~^пиратка^~.
martienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshesmartienne can read faster than his screen refreshes
 
martienne's Avatar
 
Posts: 238
Karma: 14000
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Ask NSA...
Device: Onyx Boox M92
Thanks for the tip Hans and Frozen North!

Bestbuy is actually saying on their "shipping policy" page: We will cancel orders to known mail forwarding companies. But they probably don't know all of them, and they'd definitely have to refund, so I guess there'd be no harm trying.

I want this NOW though and if they launch mid October, say - then I hope it would be available on eBay immediately. I haven't bought a lot there so I don't know how it normally works.

But really - it seems like I should wait until October.
martienne is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Government United States: U.S. Constitution with Amendments. v1 17 May 2010 Hamlet53 ePub Books 1 05-17-2010 10:03 PM
Free Book (Kindle) - Budget of the United States Government koland Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 0 02-13-2010 12:52 PM
Onyx Boox 60 available in the United States MikeOnyx News 8 02-05-2010 11:19 AM
Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States’’ kennyc Reading Recommendations 14 02-02-2010 11:11 AM
Government United States: Declaration of Independence etc, v1, 21 Oct 2007. Patricia Kindle Books 0 10-21-2007 06:06 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:26 PM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.