academic ereading - Page 2

zacitana · 04-21-2010, 05:40 AM

any news here?

i myself am in a desperate need of a reader that can decently display scanned books (as pdf) - i'm from croatia, there's nothing on the market here, so i depend on germany/austria to buy a device.

i'm thinking of buying a sony prs600 (i'd like prs900, but i don't seem to be able to find a retalier either in austria or germany - does anyone know if it's available in these two countries?), i've been doing some pdf-image-splitting so those scanned books can be read page by page, but i would be really really grateful if somebody could tell me if that sort of document is readable on prs600 (or prs900 for that matter).

while i'm at it: what's the display quality of scanned pdfs on kindle dx?

TGS · 04-21-2010, 05:57 AM

I bought an IREX DR800 for just such a purpose. It seems the ideal compromise and with the updates to the firmware (zooming rather than just reflowing, and annotations on pdf) it is becoming more and more useful. The big drawback is the cost - more expensive than most, but if you need a tool for a particular job my thinking was you might as well get the best tool you can rather than save 100 euros and get a tool that doesn't really do what you want it to.

Good luck with your search!

zacitana · 04-21-2010, 06:17 AM

i'm afraid irex dr800 is too pricey for my budget at the moment... what i need is something that can primarily properly manage those scanned pdfs (i teach at a university and i do a lot of research all the time), the books are nothing image-heavy, so i'm interested solely in proper text appearance of non-reflowable pdfs, annotations on pdf aren't that important right now.

but thanks for your advice :-)

beachwanderer · 04-21-2010, 06:20 AM

As I'm strongly leaning towards buying an enTourage eDGe myself and (overall) like the things they tell us about the device in the eDGe subforum here I can only repeat aleks question: Have you considered the enTourage eDGe?

This video here is not one of the presentations by the company itself and does show the handling and reaction of the device quite well.

Update: Just saw your post about annotations not being so important and the price-question. That taken into account it's probably not for you at the moment ...

zacitana · 04-21-2010, 06:30 AM

@beachwanderer

i was actually in love with entourage edge when i first saw the announcements for it :-D but i somehow lost track of it over time... how much does it cost and can it be bought in germany?

beachwanderer · 04-21-2010, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zacitana

@beachwanderer

i was actually in love with entourage edge when i first saw the announcements for it :-D but i somehow lost track of it over time... how much does it cost and can it be bought in germany?

If one has a faible for niche market devices and multiple purpose gadgets it's really love at first sight.

BUT: The price of love ... The company is currently selling in the US (and Canada?) only. So you would have to import it yourself through an US-Import-Site ( you need a delivery-address in the US) which means additional fees, taxes etc. I did hear from someone that she had to pay about 650,- EUR all in all for it in the end

. Said she did not add up properly so she would not spoil her own fun ...

zacitana · 04-21-2010, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachwanderer

Said he did not add up properly so he would not spoil his own fun ...

LOL

well, so much for entourage edge then...

right now - motivated by TGS' post - i'm doing some google reserach on irex dr800s and trying to persuade myself that 500€ (which is more than 2/3 of my monthly earnings) isn't too high a price to pay for a proper e-reader ;-)
it seems sony prs600 is problematic with its display glare, and prs900 is nowhere near being sold in europe, so i'm changing my mind about which one to buy.

beachwanderer · 04-21-2010, 07:01 AM

If you can wait till late summer: The guys from pocketbook will be coming up with the 901 (or something) then. They have told us nothing about the pricetag yet ...

Have a look over here or here.

zacitana · 04-21-2010, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachwanderer

If you can wait till late summer:

yeah, that waiting thing - i've been waiting for the last two years, believe it or not

it's always devices are either too small or not developed enough or too expensive or there'll be something better in a few months... i had extremely high hopes for plastic logic que, and now when it's available it's out of my reach (again). the next thing i set my eyes on was asus dr-950, but god knows when they'll release it...

i don't think i can do that any more. i need an e-reader and i need it now

beachwanderer · 04-21-2010, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zacitana

yeah, that waiting thing - i've been waiting for the last two years, believe it or not

it's always devices are either too small or not developed enough or too expensive or there'll be something better in a few months... i had extremely high hopes for plastic logic que, and now when it's available it's out of my reach (again).

I do believe it. Oh yes. Same thing here. It's about three years now. But then (2 years ago now?) I wanted to try out eInk nevertheless and got myself that hanlin v3 which is still very good for reading for leisure. But not my job ... And I don't think the Que will ever be on my desk either ...

citac · 04-22-2010, 03:01 PM

zacitana, you just described myself! Edge would be the perfect device for me too, but it's too costly to order from Bosnia. I've been reading various posts on this forum and narrowed down my choice to a 9 inch Astak or Copia.

Copia especially seems to fit my needs, with it's social aspect, ability to take notes and share them with other students/professionals. The price range was announced as $199 for their 6" devices and $299 for the 9". Unfortunately, both have been delayed due to problems with sipix screens. The delay may last a few weeks or couple of months, I don't know.

I too need one now.

zacitana · 04-22-2010, 03:07 PM

@citac

i don't know why but i have never looked into Astak - i'll check it out now

as far as waiting for a device that's supposed to be released some time in the future - well, i already said it: no more waiting for me

i'm seriously contemplating buying an iRex dr800, the issue right now is whether from europe or from the usa...

citac · 04-22-2010, 03:35 PM

Yeah, waiting is no fun! I'm afraid I will have to, though, as iRex is way beyond my price limit. If you want it and it fits your needs, and can get it through relatives, I'd say go for it.

zacitana · 04-22-2010, 03:45 PM

i will definitely try to get it through some friends, with customs and VAT it's way too expensive (truth be told, i'll be using up my savings to buy it in any case

)

TGS · 04-23-2010, 11:12 AM

Have you checked the Flea Market thread on here. There were a couple of IREX units (not DR800 - it's a bit early for them to be coming into the used market), for sale. OK, you don't get a bright shiny fresh out of the box unit - but you do get something that's really useful and save money too!

Just a thought.

04-21-2010, 05:40 AM	#16
zacitana a happy reader Posts: 36 Karma: 76 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: iRex DR800S :))	scanned books (pdf)? any news here? i myself am in a desperate need of a reader that can decently display scanned books (as pdf) - i'm from croatia, there's nothing on the market here, so i depend on germany/austria to buy a device. i'm thinking of buying a sony prs600 (i'd like prs900, but i don't seem to be able to find a retalier either in austria or germany - does anyone know if it's available in these two countries?), i've been doing some pdf-image-splitting so those scanned books can be read page by page, but i would be really really grateful if somebody could tell me if that sort of document is readable on prs600 (or prs900 for that matter). while i'm at it: what's the display quality of scanned pdfs on kindle dx?

04-22-2010, 03:07 PM	#27
zacitana a happy reader Posts: 36 Karma: 76 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: iRex DR800S :))	@citac i don't know why but i have never looked into Astak - i'll check it out now as far as waiting for a device that's supposed to be released some time in the future - well, i already said it: no more waiting for me i'm seriously contemplating buying an iRex dr800, the issue right now is whether from europe or from the usa... Last edited by zacitana; 04-22-2010 at 03:16 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
eReading Magazines?	GlenBarrington	General Discussions	13	07-05-2010 04:52 PM
eReading. The experience of eReading.	fglaysher	News	65	03-02-2009 11:44 AM
Are you enjoying your eReading experience?	NGross	News	9	12-08-2008 06:09 PM
How to promote ereading and ereaders	anahid	News	22	10-11-2008 02:10 AM
Ergonomics of ereading	Liviu_5	Which one should I buy?	3	07-06-2006 01:04 PM

04-21-2010, 05:57 AM	#17
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	I bought an IREX DR800 for just such a purpose. It seems the ideal compromise and with the updates to the firmware (zooming rather than just reflowing, and annotations on pdf) it is becoming more and more useful. The big drawback is the cost - more expensive than most, but if you need a tool for a particular job my thinking was you might as well get the best tool you can rather than save 100 euros and get a tool that doesn't really do what you want it to. Good luck with your search!

04-21-2010, 06:17 AM	#18
zacitana a happy reader Posts: 36 Karma: 76 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: iRex DR800S :))	i'm afraid irex dr800 is too pricey for my budget at the moment... what i need is something that can primarily properly manage those scanned pdfs (i teach at a university and i do a lot of research all the time), the books are nothing image-heavy, so i'm interested solely in proper text appearance of non-reflowable pdfs, annotations on pdf aren't that important right now. but thanks for your advice :-)

04-21-2010, 06:20 AM	#19
beachwanderer - Posts: 2,602 Karma: 16748808 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: At the Baltic Sea Device: Some	As I'm strongly leaning towards buying an enTourage eDGe myself and (overall) like the things they tell us about the device in the eDGe subforum here I can only repeat aleks question: Have you considered the enTourage eDGe? This video here is not one of the presentations by the company itself and does show the handling and reaction of the device quite well. Update: Just saw your post about annotations not being so important and the price-question. That taken into account it's probably not for you at the moment ...

04-21-2010, 06:30 AM	#20
zacitana a happy reader Posts: 36 Karma: 76 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: iRex DR800S :))	@beachwanderer i was actually in love with entourage edge when i first saw the announcements for it :-D but i somehow lost track of it over time... how much does it cost and can it be bought in germany?

04-21-2010, 07:01 AM	#23
beachwanderer - Posts: 2,602 Karma: 16748808 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: At the Baltic Sea Device: Some	If you can wait till late summer: The guys from pocketbook will be coming up with the 901 (or something) then. They have told us nothing about the pricetag yet ... Have a look over here or here.

04-22-2010, 03:01 PM	#26
citac Fanatic Posts: 550 Karma: 1020204 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 (Android)	zacitana, you just described myself! Edge would be the perfect device for me too, but it's too costly to order from Bosnia. I've been reading various posts on this forum and narrowed down my choice to a 9 inch Astak or Copia. Copia especially seems to fit my needs, with it's social aspect, ability to take notes and share them with other students/professionals. The price range was announced as $199 for their 6" devices and $299 for the 9". Unfortunately, both have been delayed due to problems with sipix screens. The delay may last a few weeks or couple of months, I don't know. I too need one now.

04-22-2010, 03:35 PM	#28
citac Fanatic Posts: 550 Karma: 1020204 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 (Android)	Yeah, waiting is no fun! I'm afraid I will have to, though, as iRex is way beyond my price limit. If you want it and it fits your needs, and can get it through relatives, I'd say go for it.

04-22-2010, 03:45 PM	#29
zacitana a happy reader Posts: 36 Karma: 76 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: iRex DR800S :))	i will definitely try to get it through some friends, with customs and VAT it's way too expensive (truth be told, i'll be using up my savings to buy it in any case )

04-23-2010, 11:12 AM	#30
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	Have you checked the Flea Market thread on here. There were a couple of IREX units (not DR800 - it's a bit early for them to be coming into the used market), for sale. OK, you don't get a bright shiny fresh out of the box unit - but you do get something that's really useful and save money too! Just a thought.