Quote:
Originally Posted by julon2000
After seeing this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVj41...eature=related
made by an Asus Eee Note early-adopter, I don't find this device so interesting anymore: it seems like, as usual, not all PDF's display correctly - and I guess technical PDF's are most likely to be part of the bad ones.
It's amazing that among all the (mostly useless?) electronic devices that are released each month, none of them was made for the (apparently simple) purpose of reading PDF's... For instance, the Motorola Xoom would display the full width of a PDF with its 21.7 cm wide screen, but it wasn't designed for annotations.
I'm starting to think that the best solution would be a tablet PC. Lenovo's and Fujitus are out of price (2000+ US$). HP released something more affordable and interesting (HP TM2): a 12'' screen including a wacom matrix, at about 1000$. But this device is thick (about 4 cm at the thickest) and massive (more than 2 kg), not practical to have it on the go |
this device has been pointed out to you already perhaps you missed it?
http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=QhWKR7Fmv4jDLbBY
Yeah, it does not use any brand of EPD panel, E-ink or otherwise (you are aware E-ink is a brand not a technology, yes?). But it delivers everything you want save the battery life. So it's not ideal but as mentioned already real and usable color is not going to happen for a couple years yet. But if you combine this device with the Eee Note EA-800.
A person can whinge and whine about all of it or accept these are the tools from which you can select. Your call, this can be easy or hard. Is it disappointing there has not been better progress in the area of academic application of these devices, sure, but there is more cash in selling trash novels than serving students. And it has always been that way. Plus tools do exist already to let you do what you want. I am thrilled there are going to be at least a couple Windows larger format devices out this year. Now how well they will work as slate PC's remains to be seen but the thing is you won't have ANY of the compromises in terms of software on a PC compared to using a dedicated reader device. Dedicated readers are NOT research or study tools for all but a small subset of disciplines and none of those are in the hard sciences.
But on a true Slate PC you can run most everything from Wolfram, whoever owns Mathcad these days, your favorite DJVU reader, full Adobe PDF reader software, OneNote or whatever note management you prefer, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and any apps which are specific to your area of study. And with this new Eee 121 slate PC it's all in a device with a much larger screen than the iPad or Kindle DX or any other current in production "large" format dedicated reader. And yeah, the 121 is about $1,100 list right now, it's unproven. But if you combine it with one of the Onyx devices with Wacom and HWR or even the Eee Note EA-800 as sort of the portable note and sketch pad I don't think there is a better setup. I still think I would also want a standard laptop as well or a desktop whatever a person prefers. I would opt for a 17" refurb HP business build laptop for about another grand. So yeah, you'll be shelling out between $2000-$3000 no matter how you approach it but with the multiple devices you can go light, medium or heavy for the day. And the only trade off is power of the slate as today even a 17" laptop can manage 10-12hrs with the extended life battery. I am going to hold back on the Eee 121 specifically because of the reported battery life of just about 4.5hrs as I recall. But if that is the best there is, then that's life.
I know this is a pretty much a repost of my previous post but maybe it did not make any sense, and maybe this one doesn't either but I tried. so good luck accepting what is vs. what you want.