MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - iRex iLiad vs Sony Reader 505 for a university student

i, Podius · 12-13-2007, 11:34 PM

Which should I buy?

There are, I know, a whole bunch of these threads, but I thought it’d be best if I could tap your collective expertise in helping me with my particular situation.

So first, a little about me: I am a university student, having just finished my BA in Ancient History and Philosophy, planning to do honours in Ancient History next year. I’m also an aspirant writer.

The principal use intended for my e-reader will be to read course notes - of which there is, I can assure you, no shortage. Now, the majority of these exist in the form of A4 formatted PDFs, which are usually scans of books, so they’re really 2 A5 pages side by side on the one A4 page. There are also usually notes in .DOC format that my professors make, typically collections of quotes from ancient sources.

I would also use it to read books, particularly classics from the Gutenberg Project and perhaps comics as well.

At the moment I have a Dell Axim x51v with a foldout Bluetooth keyboard that I use for taking notes in class and I print out the course notes. I’m particularly fond of the Axim because its battery life is around 14 hours with the extended life battery, and it’s small and light as well – much better than a laptop, in my opinion. However, that said, it lacks advanced the advanced text editing capabilities of a full document editor, and its screen size (3” 640x480) essentially precludes any in-depth editing, which is left for when I get home.

So as I see it, I have two options: I get the Sony Reader, and use it in parallel with my Axim for my course notes. The advantages of this as I see it are:
1. It’s cheaper
2. The Sony has a far better battery life
3. The Sony is smaller, lighter, &c.
4. It's sometimes preferable to have two separate devices for reading and writing, particularly when you're doing both at once

The disadvantages:
1. The Sony isn’t great for reading large PDFs
2. Screen size

Alternately, I could get the iLiad, combined with an installation of AbiWord, and a folding USB keyboard (assuming it’s not possible to get my Bluetooth keyboard working using a USB Bluetooth adaptor?) and then use it both for reading my course notes and taking notes, as well as writing when I’m out and about. The advantages here would be:
1. Bigger & higher resolution screen
2. The ability to annotate my course notes
3. The iRex would be smaller and lighter than the combination of the Sony Reader and my Axim – though I would probably still carry my Axim around for its other features, (like playing Monkey Island and watching videos).
4. Installing AbiWord would allow for more advanced editing features, most notably footnotes
5. Expandable via USB port

The disadvantages:
1. More expensive
2. Shorter battery life
3. Installing AbiWord (or any other useful software) voids the warrantee
4. Lower contrast screen?

Some questions:

* Is it possible to search text inside documents on the iLiad or the Sony Reader? Nope

* How does the iLiad’s screen stand up to use of the stylus? Does it scratch? Would I need a screen protector? How sturdy is it – is it easily cracked/broken?

* What sort of effective “real world” battery life do you actually get out of the iLiad?

* I recall reading somewhere that the screen on the iLiad has lower contrast than the Sony Reader, and thus isn’t quite as good for reading – is this true?

* I’m pretty technically proficient, so I don’t imagine that I’ll irretrievably brick my iLiad, but that said, what experience have people had with installing software and/or reflashing the iLiad? Should I be worried about voiding my software warrantee?

* What’s it like drawing/sketching on the iLiad? I’m no Da Vinci, but I wouldn’t mind the ability to do my doodles digitally if it’s actually usable.

* When you annotate a file on the iLiad, can you view those notes on your PC? If, for instance, I write a bunch of notes on a PDF, will they be saved into the file? How about .DOCs? I assume it wouldn’t for .TXTs. It stores the annotations in a separate .PNG file, Only for PDF, JPG, BMP and PNG

* When typing in AbiWord on the iLiad, does every keystroke cause the whole page to refresh, or can it manage just updating the section of the screen that is changing? "Standard typing refresh" - whatever that means

* What is it like using the iLiad with AbiWord as a document editor? Has anyone been doing it successfully long-term, or has it proven maddening after the first few days?

* Is it possible to switch quickly between, say, an open PDF and AbiWord? So if I was reading my course notes, then wanted to switch to write something in a document, then switch back to the course notes, how long would it take me?

* Is there a way to get the iLiad to stand on its own, either in portrait or landscape mode, without having to hold it? I’m thinking of when I’m typing; I don’t want to have to type one-handed while holding the reader. If need be, I suppose I could jerry-rig some kind of stand, but I’d prefer it if it could be done with the iLiad’s cover, or some such. Nope. But many standard book-stands will work, or perhaps even a hacked-up or origami one...

* What sort of external battery options are available for the iLiad? Has anyone made anything themselves? I read that tribble used a solar charger, but has to run it through the travel hub and car charger first. I would be happy to make my own little battery pack that takes a couple of AA’s, or a 9 volt battery or whatever, or even use a direct solar power solution, but I don’t want to have to carry around a whole bunch of adaptors.

* Is there a version of the Oxford English Dictionary in iLiad or Sony Reader-friendly format? And if so, is it searchable? Such a thing would be deliciously useful.

Initially I was leaning towards the Sony Reader, because of its impressive battery life and its small size. I figured that I could probably get around its unimpressive treatment of large PDFs by cutting my PDFs in half, as most of them are actually scans of two pages side-by side – however my understanding is that the iLiad would make this extra effort unnecessary. Also, having now seen an iLiad in the flesh thanks to Dymocks, I realise that it’s a lot smaller and lighter than I thought it would be (I imagined it being about the size of an A4 sheet of paper) and, having thought about it, I also realise that it’s exceedingly rare that I’m away from accessible electricity for more than a day, so if the iLiad’s “15 hour” battery life would probably be enough for a day’s worth of solid reading, annotating, writing, &c.

Plus, as it was my birthday on November the 23rd, I have the opportunity to get the iLiad as a combined birthday-Christmas gift, thus essentially making the price question irrelevant. However, when I think about it, I don’t actually tend to write on my uni notes that much, which means that tablet feature, while nifty, is probably not essential. Being able to edit documents on a high-res screen without a laptop, however, while again not absolutely essential, would be nice.

Sorry my inquiry is so long, but I’d like to be as well informed as possible before making my decision.

Thankyou in advance for your help,

Spencer

12-13-2007, 11:34 PM	#1
i, Podius Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 258 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Dell Axim x51v, Bookeen CyBook Gen 3, Sony PRS-T1	iRex iLiad vs Sony Reader 505 for a university student Which should I buy? There are, I know, a whole bunch of these threads, but I thought it’d be best if I could tap your collective expertise in helping me with my particular situation. So first, a little about me: I am a university student, having just finished my BA in Ancient History and Philosophy, planning to do honours in Ancient History next year. I’m also an aspirant writer. The principal use intended for my e-reader will be to read course notes - of which there is, I can assure you, no shortage. Now, the majority of these exist in the form of A4 formatted PDFs, which are usually scans of books, so they’re really 2 A5 pages side by side on the one A4 page. There are also usually notes in .DOC format that my professors make, typically collections of quotes from ancient sources. I would also use it to read books, particularly classics from the Gutenberg Project and perhaps comics as well. At the moment I have a Dell Axim x51v with a foldout Bluetooth keyboard that I use for taking notes in class and I print out the course notes. I’m particularly fond of the Axim because its battery life is around 14 hours with the extended life battery, and it’s small and light as well – much better than a laptop, in my opinion. However, that said, it lacks advanced the advanced text editing capabilities of a full document editor, and its screen size (3” 640x480) essentially precludes any in-depth editing, which is left for when I get home. So as I see it, I have two options: I get the Sony Reader, and use it in parallel with my Axim for my course notes. The advantages of this as I see it are: 1. It’s cheaper 2. The Sony has a far better battery life 3. The Sony is smaller, lighter, &c. 4. It's sometimes preferable to have two separate devices for reading and writing, particularly when you're doing both at once The disadvantages: 1. The Sony isn’t great for reading large PDFs 2. Screen size Alternately, I could get the iLiad, combined with an installation of AbiWord, and a folding USB keyboard (assuming it’s not possible to get my Bluetooth keyboard working using a USB Bluetooth adaptor?) and then use it both for reading my course notes and taking notes, as well as writing when I’m out and about. The advantages here would be: 1. Bigger & higher resolution screen 2. The ability to annotate my course notes 3. The iRex would be smaller and lighter than the combination of the Sony Reader and my Axim – though I would probably still carry my Axim around for its other features, (like playing Monkey Island and watching videos). 4. Installing AbiWord would allow for more advanced editing features, most notably footnotes 5. Expandable via USB port The disadvantages: 1. More expensive 2. Shorter battery life 3. Installing AbiWord (or any other useful software) voids the warrantee 4. Lower contrast screen? Some questions: * Is it possible to search text inside documents on the iLiad or the Sony Reader? Nope * How does the iLiad’s screen stand up to use of the stylus? Does it scratch? Would I need a screen protector? How sturdy is it – is it easily cracked/broken? * What sort of effective “real world” battery life do you actually get out of the iLiad? * I recall reading somewhere that the screen on the iLiad has lower contrast than the Sony Reader, and thus isn’t quite as good for reading – is this true? * I’m pretty technically proficient, so I don’t imagine that I’ll irretrievably brick my iLiad, but that said, what experience have people had with installing software and/or reflashing the iLiad? Should I be worried about voiding my software warrantee? * What’s it like drawing/sketching on the iLiad? I’m no Da Vinci, but I wouldn’t mind the ability to do my doodles digitally if it’s actually usable. * When you annotate a file on the iLiad, can you view those notes on your PC? If, for instance, I write a bunch of notes on a PDF, will they be saved into the file? How about .DOCs? I assume it wouldn’t for .TXTs. It stores the annotations in a separate .PNG file, Only for PDF, JPG, BMP and PNG * When typing in AbiWord on the iLiad, does every keystroke cause the whole page to refresh, or can it manage just updating the section of the screen that is changing? "Standard typing refresh" - whatever that means * What is it like using the iLiad with AbiWord as a document editor? Has anyone been doing it successfully long-term, or has it proven maddening after the first few days? * Is it possible to switch quickly between, say, an open PDF and AbiWord? So if I was reading my course notes, then wanted to switch to write something in a document, then switch back to the course notes, how long would it take me? * Is there a way to get the iLiad to stand on its own, either in portrait or landscape mode, without having to hold it? I’m thinking of when I’m typing; I don’t want to have to type one-handed while holding the reader. If need be, I suppose I could jerry-rig some kind of stand, but I’d prefer it if it could be done with the iLiad’s cover, or some such. Nope. But many standard book-stands will work, or perhaps even a hacked-up or origami one... * What sort of external battery options are available for the iLiad? Has anyone made anything themselves? I read that tribble used a solar charger, but has to run it through the travel hub and car charger first. I would be happy to make my own little battery pack that takes a couple of AA’s, or a 9 volt battery or whatever, or even use a direct solar power solution, but I don’t want to have to carry around a whole bunch of adaptors. * Is there a version of the Oxford English Dictionary in iLiad or Sony Reader-friendly format? And if so, is it searchable? Such a thing would be deliciously useful. Initially I was leaning towards the Sony Reader, because of its impressive battery life and its small size. I figured that I could probably get around its unimpressive treatment of large PDFs by cutting my PDFs in half, as most of them are actually scans of two pages side-by side – however my understanding is that the iLiad would make this extra effort unnecessary. Also, having now seen an iLiad in the flesh thanks to Dymocks, I realise that it’s a lot smaller and lighter than I thought it would be (I imagined it being about the size of an A4 sheet of paper) and, having thought about it, I also realise that it’s exceedingly rare that I’m away from accessible electricity for more than a day, so if the iLiad’s “15 hour” battery life would probably be enough for a day’s worth of solid reading, annotating, writing, &c. Plus, as it was my birthday on November the 23rd, I have the opportunity to get the iLiad as a combined birthday-Christmas gift, thus essentially making the price question irrelevant. However, when I think about it, I don’t actually tend to write on my uni notes that much, which means that tablet feature, while nifty, is probably not essential. Being able to edit documents on a high-res screen without a laptop, however, while again not absolutely essential, would be nice. Sorry my inquiry is so long, but I’d like to be as well informed as possible before making my decision. Thankyou in advance for your help, Spencer Last edited by i, Podius; 12-17-2007 at 12:08 AM. Reason: Answered some of my own questions...