ereader for a student

4eyes · 01-28-2012, 02:51 AM

Hi! I'm new to the forum and I'm sorry if there's a similar thread.

I'm a student and I plan on buying an ereader for reading electronic version of textbooks we use in school.

Most/All of my ebooks is in pdf format. What do you think would be suitable for me?

Formats I would most likely use: pdf, epub, (djvu probably

), mobi would just be for reading novels.

I don't want to zoom in so I'm thinking of converting the textbooks to epub (though I haven't tried that), is that advisable?

Another concern for me is: am I allowed to import my files to e-readers? I have novels saved in epub and mobi formats, i'm wondering if I'll be able to transfer these?

I'm not looking for any additional features (that would just be a bonus), but I would also like for the reader to have a good battery life and not slow when turning pages..

Thank you for anyone who could help me. I'm new to this and I want my first reader to be good.

Billi · 01-28-2012, 10:40 AM

Hi, 4eyes, welcome to MobileRead!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4eyes

I'm a student and I plan on buying an ereader for reading electronic version of textbooks we use in school.

Most/All of my ebooks is in pdf format. What do you think would be suitable for me?

If you want to buy an eink ebook reader (not a tablet, not a laptop) then you should buy one of the bigger 10" models as there are Kindle DXG, Pocketbook 912, Onyx M90-92, for instance.

Quote:

Formats I would most likely use: pdf, epub, (djvu probably

), mobi would just be for reading novels.

All the readers mentioned read pdf files and epub. Kindle only reads mobi files but using a conversion software like Calibre it is no problem to switch between epub and mobi files.

Quote:

I don't want to zoom in so I'm thinking of converting the textbooks to epub (though I haven't tried that), is that advisable?

I don't think this is advisable. Normally (there are exceptions) pdf files convert badly to epub or mobi. That's why I suggested you to buy a reader with a big screen. You can try this beforehand: download Calibre or Mobipocket Creator (or any other program that promises to convert pdf files) and convert your pdf files there. If the result is acceptable for you, then go for it!

Quote:

Another concern for me is: am I allowed to import my files to e-readers? I have novels saved in epub and mobi formats, i'm wondering if I'll be able to transfer these?

You can load your own files onto your reader. You can do this via usb.

Quote:

I'm not looking for any additional features (that would just be a bonus), but I would also like for the reader to have a good battery life and not slow when turning pages.

All the eink readers have a very good battery life, that's one of their biggest advantages compared to laptops or tablets.

Quote:

Hi! I'm new to the forum and I'm sorry if there's a similar thread.

You don't have to be sorry at all, but for your own sake it might be useful to browse this "Which one should I buy" subforum to learn as much as possible as many students have the same questions about reading pdf files.

Forkosigan · 01-28-2012, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billi

If you want to buy an eink ebook reader (not a tablet, not a laptop) then you should buy one of the bigger 10" models as there are Kindle DXG, Pocketbook 912, Onyx M90-92, for instance.

Pocketbook grant 15% student discount when ordering directly in our shop.

http://www.pocketbook-readers.de/index.php?cPath=1

Beryll Snyder · 01-28-2012, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4eyes

Hi! I'm new to the forum and I'm sorry if there's a similar thread.

I'm a student and I plan on buying an ereader for reading electronic version of textbooks we use in school.

Most/All of my ebooks is in pdf format. What do you think would be suitable for me?

Formats I would most likely use: pdf, epub, (djvu probably

), mobi would just be for reading novels.

I don't want to zoom in so I'm thinking of converting the textbooks to epub (though I haven't tried that), is that advisable?

Another concern for me is: am I allowed to import my files to e-readers? I have novels saved in epub and mobi formats, i'm wondering if I'll be able to transfer these?

I'm not looking for any additional features (that would just be a bonus), but I would also like for the reader to have a good battery life and not slow when turning pages..

Thank you for anyone who could help me. I'm new to this and I want my first reader to be good.

Textbooks in the field of education tend to be picture heavy and with color pictures/tables.
If that is the case your only option would be a tablet - also preferable because of handling PDFs ...

jojoba · 01-28-2012, 04:17 PM

I was looking for an e-reader for academic literature and pdfs a little while back, and ended up buying a tablet. E-ink readers just couldn't give me the functionality I needed, and IME really don't work well for pdfs. I have some threads on the topic that you can look up for more info.

Celtia · 01-28-2012, 10:10 PM

Textbooks are an interesting case. You say you don't care about zooming, but I guarantee you WILL care when you can't see what you need to on a picture or diagram!

I have (in order of size), a 3.5" iPhone 4, a 6" Kindle Keyboard, and and 10" Asus EeePad Transformer tablet. My husband has a Kindle Fire, and my daughter has a Kindle Touch. My sister-in-law has an e-ink Nook.

For reading books, I recommend eink, hands-down. But textbooks are not "books". Textbooks have fine details that need to be seen. Textbooks need the ability to easily highlight, annotate, bookmark, and index all of these markups. Readers actually are pretty good at these tasks, but tablets are PHENOMENAL at all of these things and more. Tablets also have color, which you think you don't need, but you may soon find you want.

I am using my tablet for a textbook for the first time ever, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I highlight in different colors, I draw boxes around important tables, I use a freehand drawing tool to scribble in the margins, and I can bookmark all over the place. The app I use can keep track of everything I highlight, and export or print that "review" page.

Tablets like the Transformer aren't cheap, but they will be useful productivity tools for some time. I have a keyboard dock that "transforms" my tablet into a netbook-like device. The Samsung Galaxy tablet has a dock too, and iPad and other tablets can use bluetooth keyboards. The combination of textbook reader, slide presenter, Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint apps), plus email and web browsing all in one device is totally worth every penny I paid ($380 for the tablet + $109 for the keyboard dock). Not to mention that the tablet is light enough to toss in a school bag and carry all day. And other than serious photo editing and Calibre, I no longer use my laptop.

I highly suggest you really review all your options before you buy anything. The perfect device for you and your intended use may be very different from the people who offer you advice. If you see a classmate using a tablet or ereader, ask them their opinion. Ask if they would choose something different now, or what they'd change.

I tried to attach a copy of a textbook page I marked up. Sorry if it doesn't load! Good luck with your choice!

jojoba · 01-29-2012, 05:13 AM

I'll second everything Celtia said. I also use various highlighting/marking up apps on my iPad and it's extremely useful for processing academic literature. It just can't be compared to an e-ink reader, IMO. I love my e-readers, but I use them for recreational books, not text books and pdfs.

pj123 · 01-29-2012, 11:04 AM

Celtia, sounds like you are taking a P. Chem class. Good luck!

Celtia · 01-30-2012, 10:08 AM

Hi pj123 - you are correct! Pchem, Ochem, thermo, a splash of physics, a touch of quantum, and about a decade from now, maybe I'll be done with grad school. I really am loving etexts for thier portability and searchability. I think half the back problems adults have can be traced to improperly carrying heavy textbooks. Long live the etext!

4eyes · 01-31-2012, 07:39 AM

wow.. thank you guys... now i have to re-think my decision...

@Celtia can I pm you with questions? I like to hear more from you since you have used both tabs and ereaders..

Celtia · 01-31-2012, 09:13 PM

Absolutely 4eyes. I just updated my UserCP, so I'll be able to get pm's. Bring on your questions!

Mono · 02-02-2012, 01:19 PM

You are right that tablets provide more versatility and colour comparing to e-ink readers.

However, Onyx Boox M92 can do the same annotations as Celtia has shoved for tablet, but only in 16 grades of grey. It is the truth that the work with annotation is inrudimentary state now, but it may be much better in several months, year...

At present time, tablets provide better workflow for work with documents like text books, scientific texts, etc. E-readers provide less eyestrain and much longer 'battery life'. Using e-reader is sort of compromise between usability and eyestrain, now. I belive e-readers will catch up tablets soon.

01-28-2012, 02:51 AM	#1
4eyes Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: none	ereader for a student Hi! I'm new to the forum and I'm sorry if there's a similar thread. I'm a student and I plan on buying an ereader for reading electronic version of textbooks we use in school. Most/All of my ebooks is in pdf format. What do you think would be suitable for me? Formats I would most likely use: pdf, epub, (djvu probably ), mobi would just be for reading novels. I don't want to zoom in so I'm thinking of converting the textbooks to epub (though I haven't tried that), is that advisable? Another concern for me is: am I allowed to import my files to e-readers? I have novels saved in epub and mobi formats, i'm wondering if I'll be able to transfer these? I'm not looking for any additional features (that would just be a bonus), but I would also like for the reader to have a good battery life and not slow when turning pages.. Thank you for anyone who could help me. I'm new to this and I want my first reader to be good.

01-28-2012, 10:10 PM	#6
Celtia Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Textbooks are an interesting case. You say you don't care about zooming, but I guarantee you WILL care when you can't see what you need to on a picture or diagram! I have (in order of size), a 3.5" iPhone 4, a 6" Kindle Keyboard, and and 10" Asus EeePad Transformer tablet. My husband has a Kindle Fire, and my daughter has a Kindle Touch. My sister-in-law has an e-ink Nook. For reading books, I recommend eink, hands-down. But textbooks are not "books". Textbooks have fine details that need to be seen. Textbooks need the ability to easily highlight, annotate, bookmark, and index all of these markups. Readers actually are pretty good at these tasks, but tablets are PHENOMENAL at all of these things and more. Tablets also have color, which you think you don't need, but you may soon find you want. I am using my tablet for a textbook for the first time ever, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I highlight in different colors, I draw boxes around important tables, I use a freehand drawing tool to scribble in the margins, and I can bookmark all over the place. The app I use can keep track of everything I highlight, and export or print that "review" page. Tablets like the Transformer aren't cheap, but they will be useful productivity tools for some time. I have a keyboard dock that "transforms" my tablet into a netbook-like device. The Samsung Galaxy tablet has a dock too, and iPad and other tablets can use bluetooth keyboards. The combination of textbook reader, slide presenter, Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint apps), plus email and web browsing all in one device is totally worth every penny I paid ($380 for the tablet + $109 for the keyboard dock). Not to mention that the tablet is light enough to toss in a school bag and carry all day. And other than serious photo editing and Calibre, I no longer use my laptop. I highly suggest you really review all your options before you buy anything. The perfect device for you and your intended use may be very different from the people who offer you advice. If you see a classmate using a tablet or ereader, ask them their opinion. Ask if they would choose something different now, or what they'd change. I tried to attach a copy of a textbook page I marked up. Sorry if it doesn't load! Good luck with your choice! Attached Thumbnails

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01-28-2012, 04:17 PM	#5
jojoba Addict Posts: 277 Karma: 1039638 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Europe Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3gen, Cybook Odyssey FL HD	I was looking for an e-reader for academic literature and pdfs a little while back, and ended up buying a tablet. E-ink readers just couldn't give me the functionality I needed, and IME really don't work well for pdfs. I have some threads on the topic that you can look up for more info.

01-29-2012, 05:13 AM	#7
jojoba Addict Posts: 277 Karma: 1039638 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Europe Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3gen, Cybook Odyssey FL HD	I'll second everything Celtia said. I also use various highlighting/marking up apps on my iPad and it's extremely useful for processing academic literature. It just can't be compared to an e-ink reader, IMO. I love my e-readers, but I use them for recreational books, not text books and pdfs.

01-29-2012, 11:04 AM	#8
pj123 Zealot Posts: 114 Karma: 1050004 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Lenovo Tablet 3 Pro, Kobo Aura H2O, Ipad	Celtia, sounds like you are taking a P. Chem class. Good luck!

01-30-2012, 10:08 AM	#9
Celtia Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Hi pj123 - you are correct! Pchem, Ochem, thermo, a splash of physics, a touch of quantum, and about a decade from now, maybe I'll be done with grad school. I really am loving etexts for thier portability and searchability. I think half the back problems adults have can be traced to improperly carrying heavy textbooks. Long live the etext!

01-31-2012, 07:39 AM	#10
4eyes Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: none	wow.. thank you guys... now i have to re-think my decision... @Celtia can I pm you with questions? I like to hear more from you since you have used both tabs and ereaders..

01-31-2012, 09:13 PM	#11
Celtia Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Absolutely 4eyes. I just updated my UserCP, so I'll be able to get pm's. Bring on your questions!

02-02-2012, 01:19 PM	#12
Mono Mono Posts: 699 Karma: 13333 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Boox M92	You are right that tablets provide more versatility and colour comparing to e-ink readers. However, Onyx Boox M92 can do the same annotations as Celtia has shoved for tablet, but only in 16 grades of grey. It is the truth that the work with annotation is inrudimentary state now, but it may be much better in several months, year... At present time, tablets provide better workflow for work with documents like text books, scientific texts, etc. E-readers provide less eyestrain and much longer 'battery life'. Using e-reader is sort of compromise between usability and eyestrain, now. I belive e-readers will catch up tablets soon.