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Old 09-27-2010, 04:40 PM   #1
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Technical PDFs on 650

A question to you PRS-650 owners: Do you read technical content on your device? One that include code? diagrams?

I'm a happy owner of PRS-505, unhappy owner of a broken IREX DR800, and today I've got shown PRS-650. Apart from the better screen, the zoom options, speed and landscape mode got my attention. Nowadays, with 505 it's rather futile to read books about (say) Python - 6" screen means either a reflow (which kills the code layout) or a very small letters. How does that look on 650?

As far as I can tell, from oogling at videos and reading the manual, the zoom-mode is something that you need to enable explicitly, and there's no easy way to pan around with cursor keys - you'd need to use swipe gestures for that. I *think* that with the speed of redraws that I've seen on the videos, landscape mode + fit to width would do just fine, for reading technical content. Most awesome option would be 'double tap image to zoom in', but it looks like this gesture only works if you're already in a zoom mode?

Anyway, all opinions about this kind of 650 use are welcome. And I'm more interested in your opinion, in terms of readability and reading comfort[1], rather than lack/presence of features that you don't use

[1] I read books from my 505 while walking down the street. Works excellent, as far as it's prose.

Thanks!
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Old 09-28-2010, 06:57 PM   #2
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My interest is in science books so...
bought a PRS650 last week.

It's more-or-less useless for books with maps, diagrams and photos. Just too much hard work, particularly if you want to read the text and see a diagram at the same time. So for study stick to a laptop or notebook/netbook setup.
I'm working on making a stand for my laptop so that the screen is in portrait orientation as I lounge in an armchair.

Wife tried the 650 for novels and now won't let go of it. Nice and light for reading in bed.
Off to buy another one today for myself to read novels. So it has role but not for tech books.
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Old 09-28-2010, 07:44 PM   #3
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I've actually played with it today, and I have mixed feeling. Ended up reading things in landscape mode, with quick drop-in to zoom-in mode for any detailed images/graphs. Not ideal, but far better compared to what 505 can offer.

Now the question of course is whether I'd be happier with giant Kindle DX - I don't think anyone else is making >6" ebook readers. I'm kind of convinced that 650 would be the right move, as the ratio of technical stuff I read on the reader to prose is 1:3... but that might be just shiny gadget talk

Thanks for the opinion.
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Old 09-29-2010, 11:23 AM   #4
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If you read scientific journal papers, the vast majority in PDF format, i would recommend the Kindle DX. Only a screen that size can render the text and graphs, plus images with acceptable quality in a single page. Due to the nature of the papers i read, most of the time i have to have the whole page visible, legible and with the layout as published, so reflow does not work for me, and landscape view requires too much ups and downs. Besides that, technical books look great in that screen. I no longer have paper books even to teach my courses.

I am a fan of Sony products, but i could not read journal papers in my 5 or 6 inches screen readers. The 9.7 screen has saved me a lot of printing so far, with the added bonus that i now carry with me most, if not all the papers i downloaded since a long time ago. No more piles of journal papers lying in my desk anymore! It was a very good investment.

Last edited by Salgueiros; 09-29-2010 at 11:32 AM.
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Old 09-29-2010, 02:43 PM   #5
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IFA Berlin showed a lot new 9.7" ereader which will be available latest by end of the year.

Lookout for : MReader (Pixelar), Asus DR-950 and PocketBook 902/903 just to name a few.

Bigger are better for reading science pdf books. Novels may be ok using a 6" screen.
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:07 PM   #6
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SkyDream, there have been many companies announcing larger eink devices... and none of those delivered so far. I was waiting for this bigger pocketbook (901?), I think they were supposed to be available somewhere in summer.

Anyway, thank you both Salgueiros and SkyDream for opinions. I was thinking about Kindle DX, but it's really huge - and majority of the things I'm reading on the reader is still prose. I guess I'll try to borrow the KDX for few moments and test few things.

Thanks,
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Old 11-04-2010, 04:48 PM   #7
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The MReader from Pixelar is due tomorrow. Let's see.

Pocketbook 902 should also ship this month.
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Old 11-04-2010, 06:33 PM   #8
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One thing to improve PDF reading on PRS650 is to use margin cut with landscape mode (zoom -> page mode -> margin cut), at least for me, those few pixels make a big difference.
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Old 11-04-2010, 08:39 PM   #9
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i wish zoom mode on 650 would remain as you turn the page in a pdf. Right now it seems like you auto-exit zoom mode when you go to the next page, and have to invoke it again and zoom into your previous settings again.

unless i'm missing something.

btw, re: kindle DX and pdf's, here's a good review from youtube showing both limitations and experience. It doesnt look like the DX solves all problems, tho i agree the 10" screen is probably key for technical books.
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Old 11-06-2010, 04:59 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by SkyDream View Post
The MReader from Pixelar is due tomorrow. Let's see.
Got a message from Pixelar today that due to required firmware mods it's scheduled for end of November. Sigh...

Will history repeat ?
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Old 11-07-2010, 10:41 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by ebooker View Post
i wish zoom mode on 650 would remain as you turn the page in a pdf. Right now it seems like you auto-exit zoom mode when you go to the next page, and have to invoke it again and zoom into your previous settings again.

unless i'm missing something.
I think you did, cause I just tried it and the zoom can be locked.
Press the zoom button, zoom and move as you like, then touch the lock button on top of the screen. Then it will exit the zoom mode and you can flip pages without it reverting. *Caution* If you press zoom button or options button afterwards, It annoyingly reverts.

Other than those, one thing more annoying is that a "Unlock" watermark shows up on top left when you locked the zoom, supposedly to ease you tune-fix the zooming (because if you press the zoom button it will revert back and you have to do it from the start all over again). The watermark is semi transparent but it is still annoying.
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Old 11-07-2010, 11:08 AM   #12
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@OP
I do put coding pdfs in my reader, and I can only recommend reading them in landscape. I agree with pete_1967 above, this is the currently the only sensible way of doing it at least for me. I attached some pics for you to decide yourself.
Hope it helps.

the first, original portrait,
second, margin cut, portrait,
third, manually zoom in (I don't need to see the headers and footers) and lock.
fourth, margin cut, landscape.
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Old 11-07-2010, 12:45 PM   #13
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Quote:
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I think you did, cause I just tried it and the zoom can be locked.
yes i know, its a nice feature, but on most pdfs that doesnt help me, because locking the view means on every page it shows you the same frame or section of the page. This is different from being able to lock the zoom (or 'magnification level' as you can on your desktop's pdf reader), which would still allow you to pan around the page at that zoom level. Lock wont let you pan, thats the limitation with that.

Quote:
Other than those, one thing more annoying is that a "Unlock" watermark shows up on top left when you locked the zoom
yes and that watermark gets in the way of the text most of the time, as well.

Quote:
it will revert back and you have to do it from the start all over again
ya, thats the real problem. If you want to pan, then you have to rezoom on every single page.

I wish, instead, the sony pdf reader controls worked just like the average desktop pdf reader's controls. But at the moment they dont...
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Old 11-07-2010, 12:51 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ebooker View Post
yes i know, its a nice feature, but on most pdfs that doesnt help me, because locking the view means on every page it shows you the same frame or section of the page. This is different from being able to lock the zoom (or 'magnification level' as you can on your desktop's pdf reader), which would still allow you to pan around the page at that zoom level. Lock wont let you pan, thats the limitation with that.
Yeah I see what you mean now. You need one step between that, which is tap unlock, pan, lock again, and so forth. I see it is not a desirable behavior compared to desktop pc's pdf viewer.
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