Best for academic pdfs?

[cate]

Hi!

I'm doing a PhD in the biosciences, and I've been having huge problems with all the reading I need to do on a computer screen (headaches, mainly) from downloaded journal articles. My solution to this up until now has been to print them off, but after a couple of months of this the pile of paper is just unmanageable, so an eReader seems like the ideal solution.

My perfect e-reader would have:

1) some kind of document management system (a reference manager would be perfect, but I suspect somewhat unlikely!).

2) big enough to read pdfs comfortably (I'm thinking probably around the 8-9" mark).

3) available in the UK, preferably in some actual shop so I could go and have a play with it before I hand over my money.

4) e-ink or something similar.

5) wireless transfer from my pc to the device? Not sure if this is generally around.

I'm not super fussed about what ebook shop it would be linked to - I would want to use it to read fiction (specially for long trips), but it's not really a deciding factor. Note taking would be great too, but not a dealbreaker.

Is there anything around that fits the bill? I was interested in the asus DR900/950, but I'm not sure what became of it.

Thanks all

[meika]

Looking at your need for a reference manager, what springs to mind first is Zotero running as free plugin on Firefox web browser, because this is available in Linux and many ereaders run linux OS's. For example the (non e-ink) SmartQ reader which is largish and runs an OS one can run apps in (like calibre an itunes for books) (eg http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.39078 ) ( or the more MID version http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.31523).

Not e-ink however. But a lot cheaper than the iliad irex thingos. I don't own any of these, as I am still looking. I read novels on my old palm treo phone (except for bigger nicer screens none of the you-beaut ereaders or ipads can provide more functionality than a 10+ year old operating system).

I'm looking for something similar for my legacy pdfs, and journal articles but the formed content ereader (as opposed to formless content like novels) has yet to be well developed. (This is your fault publishing industry people.) Particularly with some sort of manager that understands academic referencing.

Something which Calibre fails at massively, for despite being most of what I need it has an organising principle based on 'the book' rather than 'the reference" ie the author, the date #FAIL calibre #fail.

A large colour e-ink screen running an academically focussed Calibre style program and which displays "formed content" well (ie legacy pdfs for now), has not yet been built, even though I can describe it. Seems really obvious.

The focus has been on novel readers (paperback replacements) and RSS feed newspaper replacements.

(PDFs are an evil abomination we have to put up with for now.)

[HarryT]

If it's within your price range, the Apple iPad may well be a contender for you. It has a number of excellent PDF readers available for it.

Other than that, I'd consider the iRex DR800.

[beachwanderer]

Or you might consider something in the way of a crossbreed like the enTourage eDGe which apparently will come to Europe (albeit at a hefty price) next month.

Have a look an the eDGe subforum here.

Ah, and Welcome to MR, Cate!

[cate]

Thanks for the help all

I have considered an iPad, but I'm concerned it will trigger my headaches the same way my computer screen does - that's why I'm more interested in anything with e-ink.

I think the IREX is probably closest to what I'm after, though it has a heck of a price tag .

[Barlo]

Cate,

I am looking for a similar solution to yourself with the main priorities of a reader for me being: Large enough screen to read PDFs, using eInk so my eyes do not fatigue and long battery life.

In the brief amount of time I have been searching, the few eReaders that seem to fit the bill are: the Kindle DX, Plastic Logic QUE ProReader and the iRex DR1000 with the Kindle DX winning so far simply because it is cheaper.

The hard part is justifying the price of these readers simply to read PDFs as that is essentially their only function when the 'cool' though functionally inadequate iPad is available at similar price ranges.

[meika]

best to wait a bit more then, Irex is going broke,

there is a colour e-ink ereader due out end of year


and a dual screen humongous Kno expected