Quote:
Originally Posted by paola
Thierry, I cheated, as I confess currently I use both an e-reader and a laptop - for webbrowsing and downloading of papers it is much more convenient, which is why I think I will end up with a tablet, too - as much as I hate (i mean I really hate) lcd screens - but to display math on the web, unfortunately things are not yet good with e-ink readers  |
Thanks for the precision Paola!
I feel I perfectly understand what you mean, even if for now I haven't had the opportunity to test either a tablet or an e-reader. The latter will be better for my eyes and for autonomy. Usually lighter, too.
Leaving completely my computer won't be possible. But if I can browse (read) the web and download some papers on the device, then its better, of course.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toastedpine
More information would be needed about the type of work is being done. For example, if you'd actually like to be able to do some light data-crunching on the side, then it's unlikely that you'd want an ebook reader.
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At the current stage, I think no real scientific work can be done without having a laptop or a desktop computer. At least for manipulating data and writing articles. In my case, I even need cluster of computers for some calculations.
So the point with either a tablet or an e-reader, is to be able to leave the computer for some "low intensive" tasks, especially reading. The purpose is mostly a greater comfort and, perhaps, mobility.
Note that by reading, I mean
reading for research/work. Hence, to get rid of printouts and computer for this task, the device should not only allow you to read, but also enable at least some light researches (dictionaries, web, within other files, etc.) and some light annotations. As there are lots of things to read on the web, it surely is a benefit if one can transform some texts into PDF or ePUB (like with, e.g., the Readable plugin).
For 10" devices, I would summerize the advantages of each type of devices as :
E-readers
- Readability
- Autonomy
- Lightness
Tablets
- Powerful
- Multitasking
- Quality sustained (raised) thanks to by well-established computer companies (software, hardware)
Unfortunately, it seems that we cannot have both at the moment.