MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - A cross between a tablet and an e-reader?

Naurgul · 09-14-2011, 06:57 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a all-in-one kind of gadget that I can use mostly in the context of studying. I am starkly aware that I probably I won't find something that does everything I'd want to, but ideally, I'd like to be able to accomplish all of the following tasks on it (listed in order of importance):

Reading books
Taking notes
Browsing the Internet
Recording lectures
Making phone calls
Listening to music
Running my own apps

My main concern about reading is eye strain. I have tried reading books on my computer screen and my eyes don't like it. So, I guess a standard LCD screen is out of the question? As for the kind of books I want to import, my collection comes in many formats (chm, djvu, epub, mobi, pdf, comic book archive) although I am aware I can use Calibre if the device can't handle all of them.

I strongly prefer taking notes in handwriting, if I can add an app that does some sort of handwriting recognition that's a plus, but I can live with having to read my own scribbles later. So, I suppose I'd need support for stylus and a rather responsive touch screen?

For both reading and writing, I'd prefer the device to be as close to small-notebook-size as possible. Probably something like 20 x 15 cm would be the best.

As for browsing the internet, I don't care about videos and games. All I need is the ability to read text pages, like the university's blackboard system etc. So I guess wifi support would be nice?

For making phone-calls, I need a place to put my SIM card and then the phone company should treat the device like a regular phone, I hope. I currently live in the Netherlands, if it matters.

About running my own apps, I guess if the device is running or can be made to run a recent version of Android, that should do it? I'm not really sure, I haven't tried programming for mobile devices yet.

My budget depends on how well the device covers my needs and how long I anticipate to keep it. Feel free to suggest devices of any price.

Some devices I have found so far that seem at least somewhat close to my needs:

Nook touch
Adam tablet
HTC Flyer
Innoversal Lattice
ZTE Light 2

Of those, the Lattice in particular seems to be the best match (Pixel Qi seems like a good compromise between eye strain and slow refresh rates / lack of colours). However, their site is a mess and I'm not sure I understand the specs correctly, not to mention that it isn't getting released soon.

Thank you for reading this far despite all my insane demands and rambling...

09-14-2011, 06:57 PM	#1
Naurgul Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: none	A cross between a tablet and an e-reader? Hi everyone, I'm looking for a all-in-one kind of gadget that I can use mostly in the context of studying. I am starkly aware that I probably I won't find something that does everything I'd want to, but ideally, I'd like to be able to accomplish all of the following tasks on it (listed in order of importance): Reading books Taking notes Browsing the Internet Recording lectures Making phone calls Listening to music Running my own apps My main concern about reading is eye strain. I have tried reading books on my computer screen and my eyes don't like it. So, I guess a standard LCD screen is out of the question? As for the kind of books I want to import, my collection comes in many formats (chm, djvu, epub, mobi, pdf, comic book archive) although I am aware I can use Calibre if the device can't handle all of them. I strongly prefer taking notes in handwriting, if I can add an app that does some sort of handwriting recognition that's a plus, but I can live with having to read my own scribbles later. So, I suppose I'd need support for stylus and a rather responsive touch screen? For both reading and writing, I'd prefer the device to be as close to small-notebook-size as possible. Probably something like 20 x 15 cm would be the best. As for browsing the internet, I don't care about videos and games. All I need is the ability to read text pages, like the university's blackboard system etc. So I guess wifi support would be nice? For making phone-calls, I need a place to put my SIM card and then the phone company should treat the device like a regular phone, I hope. I currently live in the Netherlands, if it matters. About running my own apps, I guess if the device is running or can be made to run a recent version of Android, that should do it? I'm not really sure, I haven't tried programming for mobile devices yet. My budget depends on how well the device covers my needs and how long I anticipate to keep it. Feel free to suggest devices of any price. Some devices I have found so far that seem at least somewhat close to my needs: Nook touch Adam tablet HTC Flyer Innoversal Lattice ZTE Light 2 Of those, the Lattice in particular seems to be the best match (Pixel Qi seems like a good compromise between eye strain and slow refresh rates / lack of colours). However, their site is a mess and I'm not sure I understand the specs correctly, not to mention that it isn't getting released soon. Thank you for reading this far despite all my insane demands and rambling... Last edited by Naurgul; 09-15-2011 at 05:57 AM.