MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Trying to pick a large sized E-reader

Nick_Djinn · 01-26-2011, 08:47 AM

Hello. I am new to the forums. I came here because it seemed like a good place to get informed before making a purchase. I would like to tell you a little about my needs.

1. I read a lot of PDFs and textbooks. A 6 inch probably isnt going to work for me. I considered getting an Onyx Boox because they have neat ways of working around the size limitation, but it sounds like a pain in the ass.

2. I dont "buy" books. Ever. I have absolutely no interest in Amazon. Besides preferring to obtain all of my reading material for free, I am a major proponent of open source and free formats. I use Linux at home and would prefer a Linux reader, but one that doesnt encourage you to 'buy' books at the exclusion of most free content.

3. I run a small business but I am still in school and have not given up my dreams. I want to be able to take notes. Exporting them is a bonus, but just taking them would be nice.

4. Im a fan of the pearl screans, but I am flexible. A better interface, no glare, text reflow and good handling of PDF are the most important criteria. It MUST be able to make text large and reformat the page accordingly and make it readable, and I would like to be able to hit chapters like links.

5. I dont care about 3g....if I had it I would just try to hack it and see if I could tether it to my laptop. I already pay way too much for a samsung Epic every month with unlimited data.

6. I tried the entourage edge.....I kind of like this thing, especially as a student. Its great in the classroom, but its not so great for casual reading. Its like carrying around a netbook instead of a papperback, and the battery life is better than a notebook but not as good as a reader....I think I will sell my edge for $350, OR keep it for class but get a real dedicated reader....Its a cool device for what it is though, so Im not knocking it. Its just redundant now that I have the android phone. Maybe Ill appreciate it more when they upgrade to Froyo and Ill regret selling it.

Right now I am looking at 3 brands.....The Onyx Boox.....considering the 6 inch reader in the new rugged form factor or waiting for the new 8 and 10 inc readers....after using the edge, even 10 inches seems like skimping......Also I am looking at the Pocketbook 903 which seems to be available now....Is this any good? Glare? Is the company in general reliable? Perl?......finally, I am looking forward to the Asus that is soon to be on the market. I like Asus, at least their motherboards.....they use crappy keyboards sometimes though.

Any suggestions on larger ebooks that fit my needs, or opinions on quality or your best guess on quality between those 3 companies?

01-26-2011, 08:47 AM	#1
Nick_Djinn Member Posts: 22 Karma: 50256 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Boox, Pocketbook, Asus	Trying to pick a large sized E-reader Hello. I am new to the forums. I came here because it seemed like a good place to get informed before making a purchase. I would like to tell you a little about my needs. 1. I read a lot of PDFs and textbooks. A 6 inch probably isnt going to work for me. I considered getting an Onyx Boox because they have neat ways of working around the size limitation, but it sounds like a pain in the ass. 2. I dont "buy" books. Ever. I have absolutely no interest in Amazon. Besides preferring to obtain all of my reading material for free, I am a major proponent of open source and free formats. I use Linux at home and would prefer a Linux reader, but one that doesnt encourage you to 'buy' books at the exclusion of most free content. 3. I run a small business but I am still in school and have not given up my dreams. I want to be able to take notes. Exporting them is a bonus, but just taking them would be nice. 4. Im a fan of the pearl screans, but I am flexible. A better interface, no glare, text reflow and good handling of PDF are the most important criteria. It MUST be able to make text large and reformat the page accordingly and make it readable, and I would like to be able to hit chapters like links. 5. I dont care about 3g....if I had it I would just try to hack it and see if I could tether it to my laptop. I already pay way too much for a samsung Epic every month with unlimited data. 6. I tried the entourage edge.....I kind of like this thing, especially as a student. Its great in the classroom, but its not so great for casual reading. Its like carrying around a netbook instead of a papperback, and the battery life is better than a notebook but not as good as a reader....I think I will sell my edge for $350, OR keep it for class but get a real dedicated reader....Its a cool device for what it is though, so Im not knocking it. Its just redundant now that I have the android phone. Maybe Ill appreciate it more when they upgrade to Froyo and Ill regret selling it. Right now I am looking at 3 brands.....The Onyx Boox.....considering the 6 inch reader in the new rugged form factor or waiting for the new 8 and 10 inc readers....after using the edge, even 10 inches seems like skimping......Also I am looking at the Pocketbook 903 which seems to be available now....Is this any good? Glare? Is the company in general reliable? Perl?......finally, I am looking forward to the Asus that is soon to be on the market. I like Asus, at least their motherboards.....they use crappy keyboards sometimes though. Any suggestions on larger ebooks that fit my needs, or opinions on quality or your best guess on quality between those 3 companies?