MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

nonabelian · 10-09-2011, 09:57 PM

Hi,

I am a physics graduate student. I would like to get an e-book reader to combat the accumulation of papers in my office and the eye-strain I suffer from reading things on the computer for a long time. I'd like some advice about what reader is good for me. My criteria are as follows:

1) Should use E Ink. I do not want an iPad or anything else that is backlit in the same way as a typical laptop screen.

2) Should read technical pdf's well. Which means that it should be able to display complex figures, strange symbols, and have zoom feature for multi-column papers with small text. It should be able to handle hyperlinks in pdf files if I want to look at a foot note or annotation. It should have some navigation features for moving quickly between sections of a pdf. Here is the preprint server for my field of physics, which demonstrates a good sampling of the sorts of things that the reader ought to be able to display: http://arxiv.org/list/hep-th/new

3) Should have good organizational tools for my files. I almost pulled the trigger on the Kindle DX until I learned that it just lists all the files on the device in a big, random list with no sorting or organization like folders. This is obviously unscalable if I start to load the device with hundreds (or thousands) of pdf's.

4) Large screen. The larger the better.

5) Battery life. I want something that has battery life that is measured in days or weeks, not hours.

6) Durability. I've heard some horror stories about the Kindle DX breaking under its own weight when being held with one hand. I obviously do not want this to happen.

Obviously these may not all be achievable with current devices, but what is the best compromise? In addition, here are some things that are not relevant to me:

1) Annotations. I write notes in a notebook, not on the paper.

2) Price. I would be willing to pay quite a lot for a reader that fulfills my needs well.

3) Weight and size. I'd be using this mostly in the office.

Thanks so much in advance, and I hope to join the ranks of eBook reader users soon!

10-09-2011, 09:57 PM	#1
nonabelian Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: none	E Ink reader for scientific use Hi, I am a physics graduate student. I would like to get an e-book reader to combat the accumulation of papers in my office and the eye-strain I suffer from reading things on the computer for a long time. I'd like some advice about what reader is good for me. My criteria are as follows: 1) Should use E Ink. I do not want an iPad or anything else that is backlit in the same way as a typical laptop screen. 2) Should read technical pdf's well. Which means that it should be able to display complex figures, strange symbols, and have zoom feature for multi-column papers with small text. It should be able to handle hyperlinks in pdf files if I want to look at a foot note or annotation. It should have some navigation features for moving quickly between sections of a pdf. Here is the preprint server for my field of physics, which demonstrates a good sampling of the sorts of things that the reader ought to be able to display: http://arxiv.org/list/hep-th/new 3) Should have good organizational tools for my files. I almost pulled the trigger on the Kindle DX until I learned that it just lists all the files on the device in a big, random list with no sorting or organization like folders. This is obviously unscalable if I start to load the device with hundreds (or thousands) of pdf's. 4) Large screen. The larger the better. 5) Battery life. I want something that has battery life that is measured in days or weeks, not hours. 6) Durability. I've heard some horror stories about the Kindle DX breaking under its own weight when being held with one hand. I obviously do not want this to happen. Obviously these may not all be achievable with current devices, but what is the best compromise? In addition, here are some things that are not relevant to me: 1) Annotations. I write notes in a notebook, not on the paper. 2) Price. I would be willing to pay quite a lot for a reader that fulfills my needs well. 3) Weight and size. I'd be using this mostly in the office. Thanks so much in advance, and I hope to join the ranks of eBook reader users soon! Last edited by nonabelian; 10-09-2011 at 10:05 PM.