if you want a reader for text based PDFs...

paulpod · 12-25-2010, 05:20 PM

...you want a kindle 3.

i am an undergrad studying philosophy, and have to read several papers and ebooks all in PDF format.

i know the general feeling is that a 6 inch reader is too small for pdfs, and the lack of reflow is a pain. however, if you load up a pdf and then turn the kindle to landscape, its perfectly readable. the kindle splits the page up into 3. For papers this is perfect.
i dont have much to say about technical pdfs with lots of tables, diagrams etc but im sure it would be fine.

the moral of the story is that if you have a load of text based pdfs, the kindle 3 is more than adequate.

cheers

vxf · 12-25-2010, 06:19 PM

I agree. But I wonder how does that compare to the SONYs. I had a similarly positive experience with the PRS900 and PRS950.

paulpod · 12-25-2010, 07:08 PM

i spose the main thing would be the price. with the kindle wifi at £109, the closet to that sony wise is the 350 which comes in at about £130. the 350 has a smaller screen, no wifi, half the battery life, and half the storage. (plus i dont think it looks as good but theres not accounting for taste!)

all i would say is if you want an ereader for text base pdf, specifically academic papers, the kindle is more than adequate!

brbubba · 01-02-2011, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulpod

i spose the main thing would be the price. with the kindle wifi at £109, the closet to that sony wise is the 350 which comes in at about £130. the 350 has a smaller screen, no wifi, half the battery life, and half the storage. (plus i dont think it looks as good but theres not accounting for taste!)

all i would say is if you want an ereader for text base pdf, specifically academic papers, the kindle is more than adequate!

Even in landscape I found the resolution lacking and zooming is out of the question. I'm getting a Sony, so we will see how well reflow works in a few weeks.

raac · 01-03-2011, 10:25 AM

I have a PRS900 and I definitely wouldn't try reading research papers on it. No way. Not in any mode. It's way too slow and awkward for that. You'd want a reader like the Kindle DX or an iPad if reading research papers.

FF2 · 01-03-2011, 12:18 PM

I don't know what it is about pdf's other than they were NOT intended for electronic viewing but to be reprinted. I have a 22 inch desktop monitor for my computer and frankly, there are a number of pdf files which still present viewing font/scrolling issues. I will admit most of these are product manuals which sometimes have odd layouts rather than purely text type books.

Some pdf's have looked okay on my k3 but some just do not work well at all. In a pinch they are there but for regular perusal - forget it.

paulpod · 01-04-2011, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raac

I have a PRS900 and I definitely wouldn't try reading research papers on it. No way. Not in any mode. It's way too slow and awkward for that. You'd want a reader like the Kindle DX or an iPad if reading research papers.

it must depend on the sort of paper you are reading. i am currently working on an essay and am reading all the necessary papers on the kindle with ease - landscape is great and for the one or two papers that it has been uncomfortable with, i've just converted them to mobi. the papers are purely text so that makes it easier. but in terms of speed, readability etc, the kindle is great.

further, as a dyslexic i am finding reading on the kindle much much easier. im reading faster, and more continuously.

love it!

vxf · 01-04-2011, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raac

I have a PRS900 and I definitely wouldn't try reading research papers on it. No way. Not in any mode. It's way too slow and awkward for that. You'd want a reader like the Kindle DX or an iPad if reading research papers.

I think you are being a bit too harsh. For a while, I used both an iPad and a PRS900 for PDFs (stuff from JSTOR, SSRN and similar...). While the large screen of the ipad is nice, especially if you have lots of graphs and tables, I found that the PRS900 worked just fine, in landscape mode. For long papers (50+ pages of text) I always use the PRS (well, now the PRS950), as e-ink is much easier on the eyes.

The KindleDX is a better option than the PRS9x0 UNLESS you need to annotate. In which case, a touch screen is a big advantage.

waffleman · 01-05-2011, 10:43 AM

I would agree that if your goal is mainly to read PDF documents, I would get the Kindle DX...or the Ipad perhaps. I have the Nook Color which I really enjoy. It gives the ability to read colored PDF articles, but there are times I would rather have the bigger screen for PDF documents (but for books and magazines, the NC is awesome).

mrbonheur · 01-06-2011, 06:46 AM

I'm reading rather technical papers from JSTOR, Springer and more text-based pdfs and I prefer the PRS-650 to the Kindle 3 in landscape mode. Put it into landscape mode and cut margins deliver very satisfying results. I always wanted to buy a 950 device to read my PDFs (I already had the Kindle 3), but since I posess the 650 now, I will not longer go for it as I prefer smaller devices.

So, if you ask me as owner of Kindle 3 and PRS650, I think PRS650 does a pretty good job.

GreenMonkey · 01-07-2011, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waffleman

I would agree that if your goal is mainly to read PDF documents, I would get the Kindle DX...or the Ipad perhaps. I have the Nook Color which I really enjoy. It gives the ability to read colored PDF articles, but there are times I would rather have the bigger screen for PDF documents (but for books and magazines, the NC is awesome).

I agree. I would say

Kindle DX (for big PDFs) or an ...ick...ipad

Nook color (for smaller / text pdfs)

The NC does pretty well with PDF. I haven't used it extensively, but tested it out on a few, and it works pretty well in landscape.

12-25-2010, 05:20 PM	#1
paulpod Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: none	if you want a reader for text based PDFs... ...you want a kindle 3. i am an undergrad studying philosophy, and have to read several papers and ebooks all in PDF format. i know the general feeling is that a 6 inch reader is too small for pdfs, and the lack of reflow is a pain. however, if you load up a pdf and then turn the kindle to landscape, its perfectly readable. the kindle splits the page up into 3. For papers this is perfect. i dont have much to say about technical pdfs with lots of tables, diagrams etc but im sure it would be fine. the moral of the story is that if you have a load of text based pdfs, the kindle 3 is more than adequate. cheers

01-03-2011, 10:25 AM	#5
raac Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 1003802 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NY Device: Sony PRS-950	not for research papers I have a PRS900 and I definitely wouldn't try reading research papers on it. No way. Not in any mode. It's way too slow and awkward for that. You'd want a reader like the Kindle DX or an iPad if reading research papers. Last edited by raac; 01-03-2011 at 10:27 AM.

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12-25-2010, 06:19 PM	#2
vxf Guru Posts: 944 Karma: 1490348 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Norman, OK Device: Sony PRS 350, 900, 950; Kindles (ALL of them!); Kobo Aura One	I agree. But I wonder how does that compare to the SONYs. I had a similarly positive experience with the PRS900 and PRS950.

12-25-2010, 07:08 PM	#3
paulpod Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: none	i spose the main thing would be the price. with the kindle wifi at £109, the closet to that sony wise is the 350 which comes in at about £130. the 350 has a smaller screen, no wifi, half the battery life, and half the storage. (plus i dont think it looks as good but theres not accounting for taste!) all i would say is if you want an ereader for text base pdf, specifically academic papers, the kindle is more than adequate!

01-03-2011, 12:18 PM	#6
FF2 Wizard Posts: 1,105 Karma: 1025784 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: WiFi Kindle3	I don't know what it is about pdf's other than they were NOT intended for electronic viewing but to be reprinted. I have a 22 inch desktop monitor for my computer and frankly, there are a number of pdf files which still present viewing font/scrolling issues. I will admit most of these are product manuals which sometimes have odd layouts rather than purely text type books. Some pdf's have looked okay on my k3 but some just do not work well at all. In a pinch they are there but for regular perusal - forget it.

01-05-2011, 10:43 AM	#9
waffleman Enthusiast Posts: 47 Karma: 10000 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: NookColor	I would agree that if your goal is mainly to read PDF documents, I would get the Kindle DX...or the Ipad perhaps. I have the Nook Color which I really enjoy. It gives the ability to read colored PDF articles, but there are times I would rather have the bigger screen for PDF documents (but for books and magazines, the NC is awesome).

01-06-2011, 06:46 AM	#10
mrbonheur Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2006	I'm reading rather technical papers from JSTOR, Springer and more text-based pdfs and I prefer the PRS-650 to the Kindle 3 in landscape mode. Put it into landscape mode and cut margins deliver very satisfying results. I always wanted to buy a 950 device to read my PDFs (I already had the Kindle 3), but since I posess the 650 now, I will not longer go for it as I prefer smaller devices. So, if you ask me as owner of Kindle 3 and PRS650, I think PRS650 does a pretty good job.

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