MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - The perfect PDF Reader for 8 1/2 x 11" ???

ndorf · 04-16-2011, 11:04 AM

Many thanks to all who contributed to this thread, and particularly to "The Old Man" who prompted me to reconsider the Apple iPad.

I did some research on GoodReader as well as some "inking" applications, then I went back into Best Buy to look at the Motorola Xoom, the IPad, and anything else they carry.

In a weak moment, I purchased a new 32Gb ipad wifi-only for $450, and have not looked back. Well, sort of. I was about to leave for a 1 week business trip with a 5 hour coast-to-coast flight and really got the "bug" to have something before I left to work with on the flight(s). I might have ponied-up for the 16 ipad2 wifi if any were availalble, but any stores were only taking orders with no committment dates for delivery. Best Buy and the ipad and ipad2 side by side for me to lift (to compare feel of the weight and thickness) and also responsiveness. To me, the difference was not enough to warrant the wait or extra $150. People I have talked to who have the ipad2 attest to it's being "faster" but as far as opening documents, flicking pages, etc, fast is relative. I am experiencing that even the origninal ipad is still a much more brisk page turning experience when comparing the same large PDF on both my wife's kindle 3 and my ipad. Maybe it's not a fair comparison since the K3 screen is smaller, but the K3 also might have a faster processor than the DX that I was considering. I just love the bright and crisp display of the ipad as well. I personally find that 8 1/2 x 11" inch pages are quite readable when cropped and sized to the ipad's crisp display.

Also, I had been underestimating the value of color in the PDF documents in my library. I am finding that color does truly increase comprehension for me. I also was, in my own mind, playing down the value of multitouch pinch and zoom, but I have to say it too also enhances the usability experience.

So on to the applictions. I purchased GoodReader and it truly has become the "killer app" for me that justifies the ipad hardware. Not only does it display a crisp page that it easily readable (indoors), but yes, hyperlinks, table of contents, annotations, and all PDF features I need are built-in. The "crop" feature to minimize page white space (globally across pages) works great. But there's more. One truly negative point of the ipad is its lack of a true filesystem. There's no global folder structure in which to organize documents. Well, this is another shining light of Goodreader. Its "manage files" mode has allowed me to create a hierarchical folder filing system for all my PDF, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel documents so I can logically organize everything. Yes, it reads (but does not write to) MS Office formats. All I need.

And I can also attest to its ability to handle a 1,200 page manual--about 40Mb in file size--easily and without crashing. It has the ability to pre-cache some pages (you can switch this on or off) and this really helps page turns. Yes, ever now and then I get the checkerboard instead of a page display, that lasts for maybe 1/2 second at the most. I can live with that, and I suspect that this would not even happen with the dual-core iPad 2.

Another nice feature is it's many methods of supporting getting documents onto the ipad. It supports FTP, email, Dropbox, Evernote, and USB transfer via the Apps folder in iTunes. It is integrated with the email app such that with attachments you can choose "Open in Goodreader" and then your document can be managed in GoodReader's folder tree.

The other app that I find extremely useful is NoteShelf. I purchased a Targus capacative stylus and in my meetings last week captured 20 pages of handwritten notes, never once reverting back to paper. No, I don't care about OCR or converting to text. I wouldn't have that feature with paper anyway. The "inking" experience with NoteShelf was a pleasant surprise. There are many other inking apps available for the ipad and which one you would choose is a matter of personal preference. it seems that the most popular ones for which I found reviews include:

Penultimate
Notes Plus
Note Taker HD
NoteShelf

To close, and respond to those who chimed-in about the Edge, well it looks powerful and it does look like it would have met my application requirements, but I would not have chosen any device that exceeds 2lbs and 1/2 inch. The Edge is a 3lb device and 1" thick. My briefcase is already bulging at the seams.

Thanks again to all that contributed. I encourage keeping this thread alive and especially as the the new crop of ereaders surface (and the HP touchpad) I'll be interested to see and hear what direction you all take and which ones you choose.

Neil

04-16-2011, 11:04 AM	#23
ndorf Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Boox M90 or Pocketbook Pro 903	Many thanks to all who contributed to this thread, and particularly to "The Old Man" who prompted me to reconsider the Apple iPad. I did some research on GoodReader as well as some "inking" applications, then I went back into Best Buy to look at the Motorola Xoom, the IPad, and anything else they carry. In a weak moment, I purchased a new 32Gb ipad wifi-only for $450, and have not looked back. Well, sort of. I was about to leave for a 1 week business trip with a 5 hour coast-to-coast flight and really got the "bug" to have something before I left to work with on the flight(s). I might have ponied-up for the 16 ipad2 wifi if any were availalble, but any stores were only taking orders with no committment dates for delivery. Best Buy and the ipad and ipad2 side by side for me to lift (to compare feel of the weight and thickness) and also responsiveness. To me, the difference was not enough to warrant the wait or extra $150. People I have talked to who have the ipad2 attest to it's being "faster" but as far as opening documents, flicking pages, etc, fast is relative. I am experiencing that even the origninal ipad is still a much more brisk page turning experience when comparing the same large PDF on both my wife's kindle 3 and my ipad. Maybe it's not a fair comparison since the K3 screen is smaller, but the K3 also might have a faster processor than the DX that I was considering. I just love the bright and crisp display of the ipad as well. I personally find that 8 1/2 x 11" inch pages are quite readable when cropped and sized to the ipad's crisp display. Also, I had been underestimating the value of color in the PDF documents in my library. I am finding that color does truly increase comprehension for me. I also was, in my own mind, playing down the value of multitouch pinch and zoom, but I have to say it too also enhances the usability experience. So on to the applictions. I purchased GoodReader and it truly has become the "killer app" for me that justifies the ipad hardware. Not only does it display a crisp page that it easily readable (indoors), but yes, hyperlinks, table of contents, annotations, and all PDF features I need are built-in. The "crop" feature to minimize page white space (globally across pages) works great. But there's more. One truly negative point of the ipad is its lack of a true filesystem. There's no global folder structure in which to organize documents. Well, this is another shining light of Goodreader. Its "manage files" mode has allowed me to create a hierarchical folder filing system for all my PDF, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel documents so I can logically organize everything. Yes, it reads (but does not write to) MS Office formats. All I need. And I can also attest to its ability to handle a 1,200 page manual--about 40Mb in file size--easily and without crashing. It has the ability to pre-cache some pages (you can switch this on or off) and this really helps page turns. Yes, ever now and then I get the checkerboard instead of a page display, that lasts for maybe 1/2 second at the most. I can live with that, and I suspect that this would not even happen with the dual-core iPad 2. Another nice feature is it's many methods of supporting getting documents onto the ipad. It supports FTP, email, Dropbox, Evernote, and USB transfer via the Apps folder in iTunes. It is integrated with the email app such that with attachments you can choose "Open in Goodreader" and then your document can be managed in GoodReader's folder tree. The other app that I find extremely useful is NoteShelf. I purchased a Targus capacative stylus and in my meetings last week captured 20 pages of handwritten notes, never once reverting back to paper. No, I don't care about OCR or converting to text. I wouldn't have that feature with paper anyway. The "inking" experience with NoteShelf was a pleasant surprise. There are many other inking apps available for the ipad and which one you would choose is a matter of personal preference. it seems that the most popular ones for which I found reviews include: Penultimate Notes Plus Note Taker HD NoteShelf To close, and respond to those who chimed-in about the Edge, well it looks powerful and it does look like it would have met my application requirements, but I would not have chosen any device that exceeds 2lbs and 1/2 inch. The Edge is a 3lb device and 1" thick. My briefcase is already bulging at the seams. Thanks again to all that contributed. I encourage keeping this thread alive and especially as the the new crop of ereaders surface (and the HP touchpad) I'll be interested to see and hear what direction you all take and which ones you choose. Neil