ready to buy ! help !

MO74 · 12-30-2009, 10:04 AM

I think I want to buy an ereader. Mostly I will use it to read out of print books available online in PDF format. I do not want to sit in front of my computer (desktop) and read so the ereader seems to be a logical step.

None of the available ereaders seem to be good for PDF, though.

If i do go with the ereader i think the Sony has more options for free books - can someone explain how the Google books works with Sony ? Are thet PDF or what ? Is it true that Kindle only lets you read Amazon purchased books ?

So maybe a netbook would be better ? For the same $$ I get a mini laptop to carry around with me and read my books also.

Has anyone tried to use a netbook as an ereader ? Like reading in bed or reclined on the sofa - is it comfortable ?

All advice welcome.

omk3 · 12-30-2009, 10:15 AM

Welcome to mobileread, MO74.

You might be better off posting your question in the "Which one should I buy" section.
If you are interested in public domain books, you can find a lot of them right here in mobileread, lovingly formatted by our members, in various popular formats.

The sony handles pdf files quite well. If the paper size of the pdf is large you will have to reflow, maybe losing some formatting along the way, but nothing serious if there are not a lot of graphics and tables. Most public domain books can be found in many other formats though, like epub, which is much better supported.

You can read any non-drm mobi book on the kindle (maybe pdf too, I'm not sure, check the reader matrix). The restrictions only apply for when you buy drm ebooks (like commercial new releases). For those you can only use the amazon store.

I don't find a computer screen comfortable for reading, and I know that at least for me, buying an ebook reader (or three) was one of my best buying decisions ever. I do 90% of my reading on my prs-600 now.

Good luck with your choice!

poshm · 12-30-2009, 10:17 AM

Hi welcome to mobileread

Gosh lots of questions - I hope they all get answered for you!

If you specifically want to read .pdf files, all the ebook reading devices I'm aware of have some issues with them. Having viewed pdfs myself on a whole variety of screen sizes, I say the bigger the screen size the better generally.

But perhaps you can find the books you want in .epub format which is the ebook standard format and this will open up many more possibilities to you in terms of which device to get.

I have a netbook which I carry around the house on a tray. It is great for Internet use and email but I can't comfortably read on it for long before the screen starts making my eyes ache. For long periods of reading, an e-ink ereader screen is very comfortable.

Anyway hope you get more advice soon.

neilmarr · 12-30-2009, 11:36 AM

Sony's pretty good with PDFs, MO. Remember, though, that -- using the free and simple Calibre library software -- you can instantly convert a PDF to ePub, which Sony displays even better. From what you say, I reckon Sony's your huckleberry. Good luck. Neil

MickeyC · 12-30-2009, 05:34 PM

Hi MO74 and welcome to MobileRead

12-30-2009, 10:04 AM	#1
MO74 Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	ready to buy ! help ! I think I want to buy an ereader. Mostly I will use it to read out of print books available online in PDF format. I do not want to sit in front of my computer (desktop) and read so the ereader seems to be a logical step. None of the available ereaders seem to be good for PDF, though. If i do go with the ereader i think the Sony has more options for free books - can someone explain how the Google books works with Sony ? Are thet PDF or what ? Is it true that Kindle only lets you read Amazon purchased books ? So maybe a netbook would be better ? For the same $$ I get a mini laptop to carry around with me and read my books also. Has anyone tried to use a netbook as an ereader ? Like reading in bed or reclined on the sofa - is it comfortable ? All advice welcome.

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12-30-2009, 10:15 AM	#2
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	Welcome to mobileread, MO74. You might be better off posting your question in the "Which one should I buy" section. If you are interested in public domain books, you can find a lot of them right here in mobileread, lovingly formatted by our members, in various popular formats. The sony handles pdf files quite well. If the paper size of the pdf is large you will have to reflow, maybe losing some formatting along the way, but nothing serious if there are not a lot of graphics and tables. Most public domain books can be found in many other formats though, like epub, which is much better supported. You can read any non-drm mobi book on the kindle (maybe pdf too, I'm not sure, check the reader matrix). The restrictions only apply for when you buy drm ebooks (like commercial new releases). For those you can only use the amazon store. I don't find a computer screen comfortable for reading, and I know that at least for me, buying an ebook reader (or three) was one of my best buying decisions ever. I do 90% of my reading on my prs-600 now. Good luck with your choice!

12-30-2009, 10:17 AM	#3
poshm Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1003580 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cambs, UK Device: PocketBook 360, Sony Reader Touch, Ipod touch & Kindle 2	Hi welcome to mobileread Gosh lots of questions - I hope they all get answered for you! If you specifically want to read .pdf files, all the ebook reading devices I'm aware of have some issues with them. Having viewed pdfs myself on a whole variety of screen sizes, I say the bigger the screen size the better generally. But perhaps you can find the books you want in .epub format which is the ebook standard format and this will open up many more possibilities to you in terms of which device to get. I have a netbook which I carry around the house on a tray. It is great for Internet use and email but I can't comfortably read on it for long before the screen starts making my eyes ache. For long periods of reading, an e-ink ereader screen is very comfortable. Anyway hope you get more advice soon.

12-30-2009, 11:36 AM	#4
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Sony's pretty good with PDFs, MO. Remember, though, that -- using the free and simple Calibre library software -- you can instantly convert a PDF to ePub, which Sony displays even better. From what you say, I reckon Sony's your huckleberry. Good luck. Neil

12-30-2009, 05:34 PM	#5
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi MO74 and welcome to MobileRead

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