Why does it have to be so complicated? (Good reader for PDF's)

drumknott · 11-13-2009, 03:42 PM

Hello everybody, it's nice to be on this forum.

I live in Germany and, ever since I saw the Sony PRS-505 in a bookstore a few weeks ago, I have been wanting one. An ebook reader seems a very practical solution for me because I don't have so much room for books and I'm tired of always selling my used books on eBay. But, to make a long story short, I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the ebook formats available.

I know PDF isn't probably the best format for a reader but I have a lot of books and documents in PDF format and converting them just doesn't do it for me. I've converted a sample PDF to word and then it's been a lot of work until I managed to manually format the document so that I can convert it to epub in calibre (manually removing each page number, removing hyphens, etc). I would really like to find a reader on which I can just read my PDF's without all this hassle of converting and formatting. The IREX iLiad book edition seems to be the best choice but I just can't afford to pay 550€ or more. Also, here in Germany, we don't have so much variety when it comes to choosing a reader. The txtr is supposed to become available next month but it still has the same screen size as the PRS-505 and I don't know if it would be a solution for me.

I haven't been able to test my PDF's (resolution of about 595x842 pixels) on any reader because I don't own one yet but from what I've read on this forum, they can't really be read on the PRS-505.

So, my question is: could you recommend any readers for PDF documents that are not formatted for the Sony reader?

Thank you!

Alex

gwynevans · 11-13-2009, 03:46 PM

If you post a sample PDF, someone with a Sony could try & capture some images of it in use, but other than a Kindle DX (which isn't out in Europe yet) it's probably the best option at the moment.

wallcraft · 11-13-2009, 04:15 PM

The Kindle DX has demonstrated that a 9.7" EInk screen is large enough to display PDFs without doing much beyond trimming margins and adding a landscape mode. There are going to be many large screen EInk devices available by the spring of next year, and they are going to cost significantly less than $500. Note that the enTourage eDGe has an 9.7" Wacom touch EInk screen and a 10" LCD screen and it will cost $490.

It is possible that 8" screens are also "good enough". The first real test of this will be the DR800SG, which I expect to get cheaper by the time it is introduced in Europe next year.

drumknott · 11-13-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwynevans

If you post a sample PDF, someone with a Sony could try & capture some images of it in use, but other than a Kindle DX (which isn't out in Europe yet) it's probably the best option at the moment.

Here's a sample, if anyone can help me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallcraft

The Kindle DX has demonstrated that a 9.7" EInk screen is large enough to display PDFs without doing much beyond trimming margins and adding a landscape mode. There are going to be many large screen EInk devices available by the spring of next year, and they are going to cost significantly less than $500. Note that the enTourage eDGe has an 9.7" Wacom touch EInk screen and a 10" LCD screen and it will cost $490.

It is possible that 8" screens are also "good enough". The first real test of this will be the DR800SG, which I expect to get cheaper by the time it is introduced in Europe next year.

So it seems the best option would be to wait a little longer. And I was hoping to get one for Christmas...

pikelet · 11-14-2009, 06:20 AM

Here it is on a Sony PRS-300 (which is only a 5" screen).

In portrait mode, the text was too tiny to read easily. Viewing it in landscape mode: The text size is small, but it's readable.

On medium text size in portrait mode: There are some problems with the formatting as you can see:

drumknott · 11-14-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikelet

Here it is on a Sony PRS-300 (which is only a 5" screen).

In portrait mode, the text was too tiny to read easily. Viewing it in landscape mode: The text size is small, but it's readable.

On medium text size in portrait mode: There are some problems with the formatting as you can see:

Thank you! So it is possible.

11-13-2009, 03:42 PM	#1
drumknott Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: no idea...	Why does it have to be so complicated? (Good reader for PDF's) Hello everybody, it's nice to be on this forum. I live in Germany and, ever since I saw the Sony PRS-505 in a bookstore a few weeks ago, I have been wanting one. An ebook reader seems a very practical solution for me because I don't have so much room for books and I'm tired of always selling my used books on eBay. But, to make a long story short, I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the ebook formats available. I know PDF isn't probably the best format for a reader but I have a lot of books and documents in PDF format and converting them just doesn't do it for me. I've converted a sample PDF to word and then it's been a lot of work until I managed to manually format the document so that I can convert it to epub in calibre (manually removing each page number, removing hyphens, etc). I would really like to find a reader on which I can just read my PDF's without all this hassle of converting and formatting. The IREX iLiad book edition seems to be the best choice but I just can't afford to pay 550€ or more. Also, here in Germany, we don't have so much variety when it comes to choosing a reader. The txtr is supposed to become available next month but it still has the same screen size as the PRS-505 and I don't know if it would be a solution for me. I haven't been able to test my PDF's (resolution of about 595x842 pixels) on any reader because I don't own one yet but from what I've read on this forum, they can't really be read on the PRS-505. So, my question is: could you recommend any readers for PDF documents that are not formatted for the Sony reader? Thank you! Alex

11-13-2009, 03:46 PM	#2
gwynevans Wizard Posts: 1,234 Karma: 1676 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Sony 505 (Blue)	If you post a sample PDF, someone with a Sony could try & capture some images of it in use, but other than a Kindle DX (which isn't out in Europe yet) it's probably the best option at the moment. __________________ Gwyn My UK-based eBook Reader Guide site.

11-14-2009, 06:20 AM	#5
pikelet girl from oz Posts: 33 Karma: 90 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Device: Sony PRS-300, Cybook Gen3	Here it is on a Sony PRS-300 (which is only a 5" screen). In portrait mode, the text was too tiny to read easily. Viewing it in landscape mode: The text size is small, but it's readable. On medium text size in portrait mode: There are some problems with the formatting as you can see: __________________ Attempting to read the 1001 Must Read Before You Die list as eBooks: http://1001ereads.blogspot.com/

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11-13-2009, 04:15 PM	#3
wallcraft reader Posts: 5,297 Karma: 10146 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: iLiad, Kindle 1, EZ Reader Basic and Pocket Pro	The Kindle DX has demonstrated that a 9.7" EInk screen is large enough to display PDFs without doing much beyond trimming margins and adding a landscape mode. There are going to be many large screen EInk devices available by the spring of next year, and they are going to cost significantly less than $500. Note that the enTourage eDGe has an 9.7" Wacom touch EInk screen and a 10" LCD screen and it will cost $490. It is possible that 8" screens are also "good enough". The first real test of this will be the DR800SG, which I expect to get cheaper by the time it is introduced in Europe next year.