A year of TXT reading; want PDFs now !

smallhagrid · 07-18-2010, 11:33 AM

A year ago I did extensive checking around and concluded that THEN the widest format supporting, independent, affordable reader was the Jetbook.
Considering all the others were more expensive when I got it the fact that it really only did TXT files well was acceptable, though it's PDF "support" was a big disappointment.

The 2 WORST things about the Jetbook are a toss-up:
Ectaco's abysmal, miserable "support" - or their hugely overblown claims of it's battery runtime.
(The claimed 20+ hours turns out to usually be UNDER 5 hours.)

For a time I've been tempted to just get a Jetbook Lite (via Newegg), but while I've been considering my options the market has...EXPLODED !!!

Also - I am quite enchanted with the idea of an Android tablet device as an ebook reader (and little else).

What I seek:
-A bigger screened reader that mostly has great support for TXTs and PDFs.
-Price: under $150
-Ability to use external power sources - AC and/or battery.
-Good reliability and durability
-A replacement warranty for when it kraps out.
-Universal type connections so cabling is easy.
-NOT tied to a vendor or site in ANY manner for content.
-NOT tied to ANY form of DRM.
-(And if it can use externals via USB 2 USB ports would be fabulous !)

Thus far:
I was attracted to some models at DealExtreme - but just out of curiosity called Squaretrade to ask about buys at DX +/- their service and that is an absolute NO GO. Nixed DX.

There's LOTS of decent looking choices at fleabay (which is 100% OK with the Squaretrade folks...) but LOTS of controversy over Android versions, upgradeability, access to the 'market', battery life, touchscreen quality - and on and on and on...

My usual test for any fleabay seller is to hit them with questions and watch the quality and speed of their response(s), if any - I also use great care with Asian sellers and in watching items sold vs. feedback.

The top runner, model-wise and price-wise so far is an 8" 'Apad' EKEN M003, for $125 + 10sh offered by an unresponsive Asian seller (ooops.).

After extensive checking around I am even considering the M001 model because of all the work done to improve it by so many people.

I consider either one a minimal risk buy because it is easy enough to get one via fleabay with a warranty so it is a loss-free buy.

The gist of my inquiry:
Amongst all the current bazillions of readers - tablets - handhelds is there an OS or a gem which meets my qualifications that I may have missed ?

Wireless/internet/video/audio are NOT things that matter to me in this quest.

A last condition - even if it were under $150-> NO APPLE.

Thanks !

mark

cfrizz · 07-18-2010, 04:48 PM

Hi Mark. You have quite a few choices, you just have to do your research to find the best model that suits your needs.

If you are just really planning on doing ereading, then there really is no need to get an adroid device.

You will need to avoid Amazon & B&N since their readers are tied to their stores.

You have the choice if you want to buy drm books or not.

There are lots of readers that read more then pdf which in my opinion is one of the worst formats. I prefer epubs, however, since you don't plan on buying drm locked books, you can download Calibre & convert your pdfs to the format of your choice if you choose.

Like I said there are a lot of ereaders to choose from that can access lots of stores which will read pdfs, epubs as well as txt, rtfs etc.

I love my Sony PRS-600 it has a touch screen, I can convert my word docs to rtfs within Word & transfer them to my reader. I also just converted those rtfs over to epubs using Calibre, it did a great job.

I think it's important to get a reader that reads lots of formats, has expandable memory and not locked into a certain stores so that when you decide to get a new reader you can easily transfer your books to your new reader.

So start exploring the different readers & let us know which one you decided on.

smallhagrid · 07-18-2010, 06:50 PM

Thanks for your reply !
The reason for wanting MUCH better PDF support is that I already have quite a few of them, and some-> like the Mother Earth News (and other) magazines - simply cannot be converted (I've tried...).
They are meant to be displayed with their graphics and defy conversion in any realistic manner.

An Android device strikes me as smartest because of the possible flexibility going forward.
There are so, so many of them for sale though that it is baffling.

Being able to change display s/w, for example, if the PDF display can be better is very attractive to me rather than a single-purpose reader.
Formats then are only limited by the availability of s/w, a very good thing which is 100% missing from single-purpose readers.

Getting one via Ebay with an add-on warranty is also a huge plus.

It is the whittling-down of choices which I would love some help with !!!

Anyone have a recent, good buy on a great device they'd like to share about with me ?

Best Wishes,

mark

07-18-2010, 11:33 AM	#1
smallhagrid Hillbilly Posts: 189 Karma: 132498 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vermont Device: EZReader	A year of TXT reading; want PDFs now ! A year ago I did extensive checking around and concluded that THEN the widest format supporting, independent, affordable reader was the Jetbook. Considering all the others were more expensive when I got it the fact that it really only did TXT files well was acceptable, though it's PDF "support" was a big disappointment. The 2 WORST things about the Jetbook are a toss-up: Ectaco's abysmal, miserable "support" - or their hugely overblown claims of it's battery runtime. (The claimed 20+ hours turns out to usually be UNDER 5 hours.) For a time I've been tempted to just get a Jetbook Lite (via Newegg), but while I've been considering my options the market has...EXPLODED !!! Also - I am quite enchanted with the idea of an Android tablet device as an ebook reader (and little else). What I seek: -A bigger screened reader that mostly has great support for TXTs and PDFs. -Price: under $150 -Ability to use external power sources - AC and/or battery. -Good reliability and durability -A replacement warranty for when it kraps out. -Universal type connections so cabling is easy. -NOT tied to a vendor or site in ANY manner for content. -NOT tied to ANY form of DRM. -(And if it can use externals via USB 2 USB ports would be fabulous !) Thus far: I was attracted to some models at DealExtreme - but just out of curiosity called Squaretrade to ask about buys at DX +/- their service and that is an absolute NO GO. Nixed DX. There's LOTS of decent looking choices at fleabay (which is 100% OK with the Squaretrade folks...) but LOTS of controversy over Android versions, upgradeability, access to the 'market', battery life, touchscreen quality - and on and on and on... My usual test for any fleabay seller is to hit them with questions and watch the quality and speed of their response(s), if any - I also use great care with Asian sellers and in watching items sold vs. feedback. The top runner, model-wise and price-wise so far is an 8" 'Apad' EKEN M003, for $125 + 10sh offered by an unresponsive Asian seller (ooops.). After extensive checking around I am even considering the M001 model because of all the work done to improve it by so many people. I consider either one a minimal risk buy because it is easy enough to get one via fleabay with a warranty so it is a loss-free buy. The gist of my inquiry: Amongst all the current bazillions of readers - tablets - handhelds is there an OS or a gem which meets my qualifications that I may have missed ? Wireless/internet/video/audio are NOT things that matter to me in this quest. A last condition - even if it were under $150-> NO APPLE. Thanks ! mark

07-18-2010, 04:48 PM	#2
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,531 Karma: 34583358 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	Hi Mark. You have quite a few choices, you just have to do your research to find the best model that suits your needs. If you are just really planning on doing ereading, then there really is no need to get an adroid device. You will need to avoid Amazon & B&N since their readers are tied to their stores. You have the choice if you want to buy drm books or not. There are lots of readers that read more then pdf which in my opinion is one of the worst formats. I prefer epubs, however, since you don't plan on buying drm locked books, you can download Calibre & convert your pdfs to the format of your choice if you choose. Like I said there are a lot of ereaders to choose from that can access lots of stores which will read pdfs, epubs as well as txt, rtfs etc. I love my Sony PRS-600 it has a touch screen, I can convert my word docs to rtfs within Word & transfer them to my reader. I also just converted those rtfs over to epubs using Calibre, it did a great job. I think it's important to get a reader that reads lots of formats, has expandable memory and not locked into a certain stores so that when you decide to get a new reader you can easily transfer your books to your new reader. So start exploring the different readers & let us know which one you decided on. Last edited by cfrizz; 07-18-2010 at 04:52 PM.

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07-18-2010, 06:50 PM	#3
smallhagrid Hillbilly Posts: 189 Karma: 132498 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vermont Device: EZReader	Thanks for your reply ! The reason for wanting MUCH better PDF support is that I already have quite a few of them, and some-> like the Mother Earth News (and other) magazines - simply cannot be converted (I've tried...). They are meant to be displayed with their graphics and defy conversion in any realistic manner. An Android device strikes me as smartest because of the possible flexibility going forward. There are so, so many of them for sale though that it is baffling. Being able to change display s/w, for example, if the PDF display can be better is very attractive to me rather than a single-purpose reader. Formats then are only limited by the availability of s/w, a very good thing which is 100% missing from single-purpose readers. Getting one via Ebay with an add-on warranty is also a huge plus. It is the whittling-down of choices which I would love some help with !!! Anyone have a recent, good buy on a great device they'd like to share about with me ? Best Wishes, mark

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