Newbie can't make up my mind

Tommo43 · 08-08-2008, 03:56 AM

My main interest is in reading text books in pdf and converting my numourous word and excel files to pdf so that I can study wherever without lugging ll my notes and books with me.
I had almost made my mind up to buy the iliad (damn the expense) and sent them a few e mails to sort out a few questions I have. But the fact that no-one answered my e mails t'd me off a little and Then the news that Sony have introduced pdf reflow in their 505 shortly to be introduced into the UKmakes ,e think that maybe the sony is a valid option? Also the Sony has vizplex whereas the illiad does not mention this.

Either way I would like to see the machines in the flesh and touch them . This I can't do until the release of the 505 in Sept. In the meantime I can travel to cambridge and check out the iliad now.

Thanks

Bob Thomas ( sorry its so long for a first posting)

HarryT · 08-08-2008, 05:01 AM

Hi Bob,

The iLiad does use a Vizplex screen, although they don't mention it in their advertising. That's because they already used a much better screen than the "1st generation" eInk screen that Sony used previously, and changing to VizPlex has made very little difference to the screen quality, whereas for the Sony it made a huge difference.

The iLiad is undoubtedly the best device for PDFs, but is it worth double the cost of the Sony? That's a tough call to make, especially since, as you rightly say, the Sony now supports PDF reflow, and that makes things a lot better for "text" PDFs, but won't really have that much impact on complex graphical PDFs, such as textbooks often seem to use (I'm not sure how good GVE would look

).

The way I think I'd look at it is that the iLiad is the one to go for if reading PDFs is your #1 priority, with fiction of secondary importance, and vice versa for the Sony.

Unfortunately seeing eInk devices in the UK is a bit of a problem at present. Some branches of Borders have the iLiad (presumably that's where you can see it in Cambridge?) but that's pretty much it.

See you on FC

simond · 08-08-2008, 05:33 AM

I'd offer to meet up if you're in London, but having a PRS-500 it won't exactly show off vizplex or PDF reflow (unfortunately

)

wallcraft · 08-08-2008, 09:58 AM

Take a few PDFs on a USB stick with you if you go see an iLiad. It is the only current ebook reader that supports USB sticks.

You can test the Sony's PDF reflowing on a Windows PC, see Sony's Windows ebook Reader. This will tell you how well your documents reflow, but not what the device itself feels like. You can get an idea of the screen size by taking a screenshot on the PC, cropping out the 600x800 display pane and printing it on paper at 3.6" by 4.8".

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08-08-2008, 03:56 AM	#1
Tommo43 Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: sony reader 505	Newbie can't make up my mind My main interest is in reading text books in pdf and converting my numourous word and excel files to pdf so that I can study wherever without lugging ll my notes and books with me. I had almost made my mind up to buy the iliad (damn the expense) and sent them a few e mails to sort out a few questions I have. But the fact that no-one answered my e mails t'd me off a little and Then the news that Sony have introduced pdf reflow in their 505 shortly to be introduced into the UKmakes ,e think that maybe the sony is a valid option? Also the Sony has vizplex whereas the illiad does not mention this. Either way I would like to see the machines in the flesh and touch them . This I can't do until the release of the 505 in Sept. In the meantime I can travel to cambridge and check out the iliad now. Thanks Bob Thomas ( sorry its so long for a first posting)

08-08-2008, 05:01 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	Hi Bob, The iLiad does use a Vizplex screen, although they don't mention it in their advertising. That's because they already used a much better screen than the "1st generation" eInk screen that Sony used previously, and changing to VizPlex has made very little difference to the screen quality, whereas for the Sony it made a huge difference. The iLiad is undoubtedly the best device for PDFs, but is it worth double the cost of the Sony? That's a tough call to make, especially since, as you rightly say, the Sony now supports PDF reflow, and that makes things a lot better for "text" PDFs, but won't really have that much impact on complex graphical PDFs, such as textbooks often seem to use (I'm not sure how good GVE would look ). The way I think I'd look at it is that the iLiad is the one to go for if reading PDFs is your #1 priority, with fiction of secondary importance, and vice versa for the Sony. Unfortunately seeing eInk devices in the UK is a bit of a problem at present. Some branches of Borders have the iLiad (presumably that's where you can see it in Cambridge?) but that's pretty much it. See you on FC

08-08-2008, 05:33 AM	#3
simond Fanatic Posts: 532 Karma: 1062755 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London, UK Device: Kobo Aura One, iPad, iPhone	I'd offer to meet up if you're in London, but having a PRS-500 it won't exactly show off vizplex or PDF reflow (unfortunately )

08-08-2008, 09:58 AM	#4
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	Take a few PDFs on a USB stick with you if you go see an iLiad. It is the only current ebook reader that supports USB sticks. You can test the Sony's PDF reflowing on a Windows PC, see Sony's Windows ebook Reader. This will tell you how well your documents reflow, but not what the device itself feels like. You can get an idea of the screen size by taking a screenshot on the PC, cropping out the 600x800 display pane and printing it on paper at 3.6" by 4.8".

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