Ereaders- best for reading?

sirdouglas · 10-13-2009, 12:11 AM

Hello everybody,

I will be headed out to backpack Europe from December to January and have decided that I will need an ereader. I had a BeBook, but it got stolen on a bus, so now I am thinking about going with a different ereader.

The BeBook was wonderful because of the multiple formats it supported, continuous firmware updates, and it was very easy to use. Now I am seeing that the options in the ereader market have expanded, and many more are to come. Because I read a lot of academic PDFs, I thought the Kindle DX would work well for me, but I think I might start with something a bit simpler before throwing $500 on the DX. I think we are in the stage of ereader devices that can be compared to the first laptops in the 90s that were quite primitive compared to what we have today. Of course you can never catch up with technology, but I think I will wait until at least next year for better touch-screen devices that allow note-taking, highlighting, and good internet capacity.

In the meantime, I am thinking about getting a rather simple ereader that best fulfills its main purpose, reading. The BeBook was nice, but I thought the screen could be a little crisper and paper-like. I was also slightly bothered by the slow button response. Which ereader is best for reading, that is, has the clearest display, quick and easy page turns, and simply substitutes a real book the best? According to times.com (http://www.time.com/time/photogaller...929384,00.html), the Elonex eReader was considered the best ereader for reading, which was first reported by Stuff magazine. Upon further research of the device, I saw that it got average reviews and was often considered "just another ereader." What do you think of the device? Others that I thought were interesting:

Sony's Reader Daily Edition
-released in December?.. I need it by November.
-how about the other Sony ereaders? (the Touch Edition?)

Irex DR800
-looks very nice
-I read that the display isn't perfect
-it has all the bells and whistles I eventually want, but should I wait for future ereaders that handle such tasks better (no web browser?)

Cybook Opus
-just 5 inch screen? easy to convert PDFs?
-is it good for reading? good display?

Others, such as the Plastic Logic and the Polymer are part of my hesitation in buying the best that already exists.. they both look very nice, but next year only!

I always stress out with all the options in the technology world whenever I want to get something new. Anyone able to point me in the right direction? A lot of these new readers looks great, but which to go with? Like I said, I will need to have it by November. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Doug

Ea · 10-13-2009, 06:42 AM

I doubt you could get something with a significantly better screen than the Bebook - at the moment. Some have reported that the 5" devices appear a little sharper/crisper because of the relatively higher resolution (200 dpi vs. 166 on the 6")

If you are going backpacking, I would value portablity highly. For that reason alone, I wouldn't recommend even the new iRex if you could get in time (I don't know where you live??) - but it's also a bit unknown yet how well it can perform.

You are probably already aware of the limitations with regarding reading academic PDF journals on a 6" screen

In my experience you can't go below 10" to get a good reading experience - so perhaps you should prioritise portability and price and get a small cheap reader and then splurge on a large one in a year or two? I agree with you that we're still in the middle 90's with regards to ereader technology.

Have you tried converting PDFs? It depends enourmously on the source material how well it converts. One column, text-only, no footer and header works (very) well. The more fragmented the page are, the more likely you are to get a bad result.

A 5" screen is somewhat smaller than a 6", but if you are comfortable with reading smaller print, then perhaps it would still be okay. Personally I would not like it because I prefer at least 12 pt text, but I know many reads 10 pt. I don't have personal experience with 5" ereaders though.

You could also go for a Sony 505 - they're about as cheap - or cheaper - than the new 5" devices, such as Sony 300, Hanlin V5, Bookeen Opus.

sirdouglas · 10-13-2009, 05:27 PM

I now found another website, showing more interesting choices, and I'm still in doubt.
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/technology/.../browse/711499

I also took a look at the eReader matrix:
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix

There are a lot of nice looking choices. Not much has been said about the Hanvon eReaders, but they look almost too good to be true.

Hanvon n518: handwriting as well? Looks good to me.

WISEreader N526: keyboard, handwriting, highlighting... wow

Foxit eSlick: looks rather simple, but the screen looks nice (at least from the picture. Is the grey-scale level what determines how nice the screen is?)

Sony Reader Touch: maybe worth it?

I know I'm not really getting anywhere or being specific, but if you have any thoughts on this, let me know! Hanvon looks awesome!

Thanks,

Doug

Ea · 10-13-2009, 05:34 PM

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't

sirdouglas · 10-14-2009, 03:44 PM

Does anyone have any information about the Hanvon devices? They seem very nice, but so little has been said about them. Of course it is possible that it's a terrible device, but I'd at least like to find someone saying that... so far too little has been said for judgment.

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/WISEreader_N518

I found a video of one, but I am not sure which model it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcN28YIxVZc

It is also on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Hanvon-N518-En.../dp/B002NBSP92

Any words on the device?

Thanks!

Doug

Yar-PocketBooker · 10-15-2009, 01:06 AM

I'll throw my little nickel here: if you are looking at CyBook, please don't forget to cast a glance at PocketBook - it is developed on the same platform as CyBook, but has a little bit different firmware, and very intuitive UI.

sirdouglas · 10-16-2009, 04:03 PM

The Pocketbook looks very nice. Is the 360 available yet? Where can I get it? The only place I found was on the official website, but do they ship to the US? I might be sold on this one

AnemicOak · 10-16-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirdouglas

The Pocketbook looks very nice. Is the 360 available yet? Where can I get it? The only place I found was on the official website, but do they ship to the US? I might be sold on this one

The official site does ship to the US (according to Andry their rep), but from what I've gathered the US distro should be getting them soon and the price he was talking was much nicer.

Yar-PocketBooker · 10-16-2009, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

The official site does ship to the US (according to Andry their rep), but from what I've gathered the US distro should be getting them soon and the price he was talking was much nicer.

It is quite possible that the 360s might hit the US soil by the end of October!

In the worst case scenario - November. But... very limited quantity, as for such a market as USA...

...

So, folks, please, register on the website not to miss the moment when we start selling these beauties!

HarryT · 10-17-2009, 04:00 AM

All the eInk devices use the same screens, so unfortunately if you considered the BeBook's screen to be unsatisfactory, no other eInk-based reader is going to meet your requirements.

The only other real candidate at present is the "Jetbook" which uses a transflective grey-scale LCD screen, rather than eInk. Some people prefer this.

sirdouglas · 10-21-2009, 06:24 PM

Okay, so I am pretty sure I have "decided" which ereader to buy about a dozen times by now... but this might be something worth looking into.

The Nook by Barnes & Noble.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/20/b...-259-pre-orde/

There are definitely some interesting things on there way.

10-13-2009, 12:11 AM	#1
sirdouglas Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: BeBook	Ereaders- best for reading? Hello everybody, I will be headed out to backpack Europe from December to January and have decided that I will need an ereader. I had a BeBook, but it got stolen on a bus, so now I am thinking about going with a different ereader. The BeBook was wonderful because of the multiple formats it supported, continuous firmware updates, and it was very easy to use. Now I am seeing that the options in the ereader market have expanded, and many more are to come. Because I read a lot of academic PDFs, I thought the Kindle DX would work well for me, but I think I might start with something a bit simpler before throwing $500 on the DX. I think we are in the stage of ereader devices that can be compared to the first laptops in the 90s that were quite primitive compared to what we have today. Of course you can never catch up with technology, but I think I will wait until at least next year for better touch-screen devices that allow note-taking, highlighting, and good internet capacity. In the meantime, I am thinking about getting a rather simple ereader that best fulfills its main purpose, reading. The BeBook was nice, but I thought the screen could be a little crisper and paper-like. I was also slightly bothered by the slow button response. Which ereader is best for reading, that is, has the clearest display, quick and easy page turns, and simply substitutes a real book the best? According to times.com (http://www.time.com/time/photogaller...929384,00.html), the Elonex eReader was considered the best ereader for reading, which was first reported by Stuff magazine. Upon further research of the device, I saw that it got average reviews and was often considered "just another ereader." What do you think of the device? Others that I thought were interesting: Sony's Reader Daily Edition -released in December?.. I need it by November. -how about the other Sony ereaders? (the Touch Edition?) Irex DR800 -looks very nice -I read that the display isn't perfect -it has all the bells and whistles I eventually want, but should I wait for future ereaders that handle such tasks better (no web browser?) Cybook Opus -just 5 inch screen? easy to convert PDFs? -is it good for reading? good display? Others, such as the Plastic Logic and the Polymer are part of my hesitation in buying the best that already exists.. they both look very nice, but next year only! I always stress out with all the options in the technology world whenever I want to get something new. Anyone able to point me in the right direction? A lot of these new readers looks great, but which to go with? Like I said, I will need to have it by November. Any ideas? Thanks, Doug

10-13-2009, 05:27 PM	#3
sirdouglas Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: BeBook	let the options continue... I now found another website, showing more interesting choices, and I'm still in doubt. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/technology/.../browse/711499 I also took a look at the eReader matrix: https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix There are a lot of nice looking choices. Not much has been said about the Hanvon eReaders, but they look almost too good to be true. Hanvon n518: handwriting as well? Looks good to me. WISEreader N526: keyboard, handwriting, highlighting... wow Foxit eSlick: looks rather simple, but the screen looks nice (at least from the picture. Is the grey-scale level what determines how nice the screen is?) Sony Reader Touch: maybe worth it? I know I'm not really getting anywhere or being specific, but if you have any thoughts on this, let me know! Hanvon looks awesome! Thanks, Doug

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Do you finish reading every book you start reading?	JSWolf	General Discussions	56	08-12-2010 05:52 PM
New to ereaders etc	fibee7	Introduce Yourself	10	03-24-2010 08:36 PM
ereaders for the uk	redbaron101	Which one should I buy?	32	09-04-2009 12:50 PM
new to ereaders	davidhrtly	Introduce Yourself	3	09-10-2008 12:06 PM
Environmental study: 30 min of e-paper reading = 30 mins of print reading	Steven Lyle Jordan	News	36	12-14-2007 03:29 PM

10-13-2009, 06:42 AM	#2
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	I doubt you could get something with a significantly better screen than the Bebook - at the moment. Some have reported that the 5" devices appear a little sharper/crisper because of the relatively higher resolution (200 dpi vs. 166 on the 6") If you are going backpacking, I would value portablity highly. For that reason alone, I wouldn't recommend even the new iRex if you could get in time (I don't know where you live??) - but it's also a bit unknown yet how well it can perform. You are probably already aware of the limitations with regarding reading academic PDF journals on a 6" screen In my experience you can't go below 10" to get a good reading experience - so perhaps you should prioritise portability and price and get a small cheap reader and then splurge on a large one in a year or two? I agree with you that we're still in the middle 90's with regards to ereader technology. Have you tried converting PDFs? It depends enourmously on the source material how well it converts. One column, text-only, no footer and header works (very) well. The more fragmented the page are, the more likely you are to get a bad result. A 5" screen is somewhat smaller than a 6", but if you are comfortable with reading smaller print, then perhaps it would still be okay. Personally I would not like it because I prefer at least 12 pt text, but I know many reads 10 pt. I don't have personal experience with 5" ereaders though. You could also go for a Sony 505 - they're about as cheap - or cheaper - than the new 5" devices, such as Sony 300, Hanlin V5, Bookeen Opus.

10-13-2009, 05:34 PM	#4
Ea Wizard Posts: 3,490 Karma: 5239563 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kindle 3\|iPad air\|iPhone 4S	If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't

10-14-2009, 03:44 PM	#5
sirdouglas Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: BeBook	Does anyone have any information about the Hanvon devices? They seem very nice, but so little has been said about them. Of course it is possible that it's a terrible device, but I'd at least like to find someone saying that... so far too little has been said for judgment. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/WISEreader_N518 I found a video of one, but I am not sure which model it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcN28YIxVZc It is also on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hanvon-N518-En.../dp/B002NBSP92 Any words on the device? Thanks! Doug

10-15-2009, 01:06 AM	#6
Yar-PocketBooker Fanatic Posts: 589 Karma: 6976 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New York Device: PocketBooks and Onyxes and anything E-Ink...	I'll throw my little nickel here: if you are looking at CyBook, please don't forget to cast a glance at PocketBook - it is developed on the same platform as CyBook, but has a little bit different firmware, and very intuitive UI.

10-16-2009, 04:03 PM	#7
sirdouglas Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: BeBook	The Pocketbook looks very nice. Is the 360 available yet? Where can I get it? The only place I found was on the official website, but do they ship to the US? I might be sold on this one

10-17-2009, 04:00 AM	#10
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 the eInk devices use the same screens, so unfortunately if you considered the BeBook's screen to be unsatisfactory, no other eInk-based reader is going to meet your requirements. The only other real candidate at present is the "Jetbook" which uses a transflective grey-scale LCD screen, rather than eInk. Some people prefer this.

10-21-2009, 06:24 PM	#11
sirdouglas Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: BeBook	Okay, so I am pretty sure I have "decided" which ereader to buy about a dozen times by now... but this might be something worth looking into. The Nook by Barnes & Noble. http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/20/b...-259-pre-orde/ There are definitely some interesting things on there way.