eReader for technical literature

LonelyStar · 08-11-2009, 05:28 AM

Hi,

I am thinking of buying an eReader for reading technical literature.
This means
- Lot of formulas
- I often need to go to a specific chapter, I am not reading "linear"

Has anyone expirience with this? Does it work? Can you suggest what kind of reader I need?

Thanks!
Nathan

HarryT · 08-11-2009, 06:53 AM

If it's within your price range, the iRex DR1000S is probably your best choice.

pthwaite · 08-11-2009, 08:47 AM

As Harry says, the DR1000 is the one to go for at present.

Floeee · 09-01-2009, 01:16 PM

im also into reading technical literature
got the 505 a few days ago and im not happy with the pdf function in it and the page turning speed

im looking for the 600 with the zoom function and his good price, but i wouldnt also be happy with this zoom, because i know that from reading on my mp3 player, but would be much better than the 505

im also looking for an irex iliad2 or DR, but the price is very high :/
is the screen of the irex devices as good as the sony devices ?

i want to read the pdfs in landscape, so can i use the iliad2 or better the DR, what is the main difference in the appearing of pdfs in it?

HarryT · 09-01-2009, 01:22 PM

The screen of the DR1000S is at least as good as the Sony - probably better for graphics, in that it support 32 grey-scales compared with the Sony's 8.

The iRex devices have by far the most sophisticated handling of PDF files of any device on the market. There are lots of facilities such as being able to seamlessly remove margins, display the file in either page-by-page, or "continuous" format, and lots more.

The DR has much better document handling than the iLiad. It will allow you to have multiple documents open at the same time, and flip between them with the tap of the stylus. You can also search PDFs, and look up words in a Mobi dictionary, something which the iLiad doesn't allow.

If you can afford it, the DR1000S is the machine to go for.

wallcraft · 09-01-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floeee

im looking for the 600 with the zoom function and his good price,

i want to read the pdfs in landscape, so can i use the iliad2 or better the DR, what is the main difference in the appearing of pdfs in it?

The PRS-600's zoom is for a single page at a time, it is not appropriate for reading a book.

E-book Reader Matrix: Larger Devices provides a good overview. The 8" screen in landscape is the same width as the DR1000's 10.2" screen in portrait mode. The iLiad software is long in the tooth, but its PDF support is good (no dictionary lookup for PDFs though). A better bet might be to wait for the DR800, which is presumably like the DR1000 but smaller. It won't include MOBI support, and so its dictionary capability is unknown (and perhaps absent entirely).

Floeee · 09-01-2009, 01:59 PM

thanks for this very quick answers to all !!

so my question is, is the iliad2nd edition newer than the DR or not?
waiting for the 800 is a nog go, because im from austria and the devices are releasing now with 1-2 years delay... cant wait that long and i think the 800 will not come to europe because of the 3G, like the kindle

my only fear is that the DR is to big :/ so where can i see good comparison of both reader? in pictures videos or something like that, searched youtube, but didnt find anything good

HarryT · 09-01-2009, 02:03 PM

No, the iLiad SE is older than the DR.

The screen on the DR1000S is A5 sized, so if you fold a sheet of A4 paper in half, you'll get a good idea of the size of the screen. The whole machine, in its "flip cover", is a little smaller than a sheet of A4 paper, and about 1cm thick.

Floeee · 09-01-2009, 03:13 PM

the screen is exactly a5 sized? wow thats nice
whats with glare of the display?

pthwaite · 09-01-2009, 05:11 PM

I don't find glare a problem. There are photos on the DR1000 of the display if you do search there. I haven't tried reading it outside in the sun though.
Howard

Floeee · 09-01-2009, 05:47 PM

ok thank all of you for answering, its a very hard decision, because its much money for only reading... could print many pdf files for that money or buy books

so i have 2 more questions ^^
-whats about the battery, i read somewhere only 5 hours, why only 5 hours? sony prs 505 is about 7500 pages and i thought, eInk doesnt waste battery while displaying a page...
-has the irex DR got wifi, like the iliad? read in some articles, yes and on some, no

PhishStyx · 09-01-2009, 06:16 PM

On battery life, remember the DR is almost twice the size of the Sony, & the DR has a touch screen. It simply uses power at a faster rate than smaller e-book readers.

However, it does not have Wifi. The version that was supposed to have it never came out, and truthfully, I'm just as happy without it. If it did have wireless, I would never get any work done.

wallcraft · 09-01-2009, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhishStyx

On battery life, remember the DR is almost twice the size of the Sony, & the DR has a touch screen. It simply uses power at a faster rate than smaller e-book readers.

If you compare against the Kindle DX (similar screen size, same processor) the DR1000S has a 30% smaller battery but a ~10x shorter battery life. There are 5" EInk devices with a larger battery than the DR1000S. There is something about batteries and power management that iRex can't get right. Under the 3rd times the charm theory, perhaps the DR800 will do better.

Floeee · 09-01-2009, 06:33 PM

hehe ok thats so true ^^

but im tired of sitting hole time on the computer surfing in forums and reading news
and even with my laptop its not very fine on my couch ^^

oh man, i really like the iliad2 because of the usb hub, the comfortable size and the wireless
but DR has better menu is faster and you can read better on it

i fear, that the DR is to big, so that im not able to use it on the way very often

edit: and with the battery thing, the sony prs600 is maybe becoming an alternative again, he got nearly same battery life like the 505 and is a touchscreen device
so i think, touchscreen is not the problem of battery life
and why isnt the battery life gauging per page at the irex devices? are they using battery while a page is displayed ?

HarryT · 09-02-2009, 02:46 AM

All devices use battery power while a page is displayed - it's only the eInk screen that doesn't. It's a computer, like any other, and the CPU, memory, etc, all use power.

I use my DR1000 exclusively for reading on, and get about 12h usage from it - I recharge it perhaps once a week. If you make extensive use of the stylus, the battery life will be rather shorter. For my needs, the battery life is perfectly adequate.

Don't look at the DR1000 as an eBook reader - that's not really the market it's aimed at. It's competing in the "Tablet PC" market, not the "reader" market.

08-11-2009, 05:28 AM	#1
LonelyStar Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: none	eReader for technical literature Hi, I am thinking of buying an eReader for reading technical literature. This means - Lot of formulas - I often need to go to a specific chapter, I am not reading "linear" Has anyone expirience with this? Does it work? Can you suggest what kind of reader I need? Thanks! Nathan

09-01-2009, 06:33 PM	#14
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	hehe ok thats so true ^^ but im tired of sitting hole time on the computer surfing in forums and reading news and even with my laptop its not very fine on my couch ^^ oh man, i really like the iliad2 because of the usb hub, the comfortable size and the wireless but DR has better menu is faster and you can read better on it i fear, that the DR is to big, so that im not able to use it on the way very often edit: and with the battery thing, the sony prs600 is maybe becoming an alternative again, he got nearly same battery life like the 505 and is a touchscreen device so i think, touchscreen is not the problem of battery life and why isnt the battery life gauging per page at the irex devices? are they using battery while a page is displayed ? Last edited by Floeee; 09-01-2009 at 06:37 PM.

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08-11-2009, 06:53 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	If it's within your price range, the iRex DR1000S is probably your best choice.

08-11-2009, 08:47 AM	#3
pthwaite Fanatic Posts: 597 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ellesmere Port, UK Device: DR1000S Sony PRS505 iPad iPhone	As Harry says, the DR1000 is the one to go for at present.

09-01-2009, 01:16 PM	#4
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	im also into reading technical literature got the 505 a few days ago and im not happy with the pdf function in it and the page turning speed im looking for the 600 with the zoom function and his good price, but i wouldnt also be happy with this zoom, because i know that from reading on my mp3 player, but would be much better than the 505 im also looking for an irex iliad2 or DR, but the price is very high :/ is the screen of the irex devices as good as the sony devices ? i want to read the pdfs in landscape, so can i use the iliad2 or better the DR, what is the main difference in the appearing of pdfs in it?

09-01-2009, 01:22 PM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The screen of the DR1000S is at least as good as the Sony - probably better for graphics, in that it support 32 grey-scales compared with the Sony's 8. The iRex devices have by far the most sophisticated handling of PDF files of any device on the market. There are lots of facilities such as being able to seamlessly remove margins, display the file in either page-by-page, or "continuous" format, and lots more. The DR has much better document handling than the iLiad. It will allow you to have multiple documents open at the same time, and flip between them with the tap of the stylus. You can also search PDFs, and look up words in a Mobi dictionary, something which the iLiad doesn't allow. If you can afford it, the DR1000S is the machine to go for.

09-01-2009, 01:59 PM	#7
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	thanks for this very quick answers to all !! so my question is, is the iliad2nd edition newer than the DR or not? waiting for the 800 is a nog go, because im from austria and the devices are releasing now with 1-2 years delay... cant wait that long and i think the 800 will not come to europe because of the 3G, like the kindle my only fear is that the DR is to big :/ so where can i see good comparison of both reader? in pictures videos or something like that, searched youtube, but didnt find anything good

09-01-2009, 02:03 PM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	No, the iLiad SE is older than the DR. The screen on the DR1000S is A5 sized, so if you fold a sheet of A4 paper in half, you'll get a good idea of the size of the screen. The whole machine, in its "flip cover", is a little smaller than a sheet of A4 paper, and about 1cm thick.

09-01-2009, 03:13 PM	#9
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	the screen is exactly a5 sized? wow thats nice whats with glare of the display?

09-01-2009, 05:11 PM	#10
pthwaite Fanatic Posts: 597 Karma: 430 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Ellesmere Port, UK Device: DR1000S Sony PRS505 iPad iPhone	I don't find glare a problem. There are photos on the DR1000 of the display if you do search there. I haven't tried reading it outside in the sun though. Howard

09-01-2009, 05:47 PM	#11
Floeee Groupie Posts: 179 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vienna Device: iRex DR1000s returned / Sony PRS-505 returned / Asus eee PC t91	ok thank all of you for answering, its a very hard decision, because its much money for only reading... could print many pdf files for that money or buy books so i have 2 more questions ^^ -whats about the battery, i read somewhere only 5 hours, why only 5 hours? sony prs 505 is about 7500 pages and i thought, eInk doesnt waste battery while displaying a page... -has the irex DR got wifi, like the iliad? read in some articles, yes and on some, no

09-01-2009, 06:16 PM	#12
PhishStyx The me that I am Posts: 413 Karma: 1078 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: In my house! Duh! Device: Kindle 1 & DR 1000s	On battery life, remember the DR is almost twice the size of the Sony, & the DR has a touch screen. It simply uses power at a faster rate than smaller e-book readers. However, it does not have Wifi. The version that was supposed to have it never came out, and truthfully, I'm just as happy without it. If it did have wireless, I would never get any work done.

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09-02-2009, 02:46 AM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	All devices use battery power while a page is displayed - it's only the eInk screen that doesn't. It's a computer, like any other, and the CPU, memory, etc, all use power. I use my DR1000 exclusively for reading on, and get about 12h usage from it - I recharge it perhaps once a week. If you make extensive use of the stylus, the battery life will be rather shorter. For my needs, the battery life is perfectly adequate. Don't look at the DR1000 as an eBook reader - that's not really the market it's aimed at. It's competing in the "Tablet PC" market, not the "reader" market.