Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
If portability is no issue, why go with a laptop?
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Because he's already got the laptop, he's asking if there is a substantial enough improvement in reading PDFs on a tablet to be worth buying one.
Some of the display factors that will influence readability of PDFs are:
1. Screen brightness. Tablets are probably a bit brighter on average than laptops. Not an issue if you're reading in a garage.
2. General screen quality (contrast, viewing angles, colour calibration). Tablets generally consist of low end components and fewer bits so it's cheaper to get a decent quality screen. Although 12" laptops are often premium models. However, assuming most of your reading is text then it's not going to make a whole lot of difference.
3. Screen type. Both Laptops and Tablets use emissive screens, both LCDs in fact and generally of the same types (primarily TN with a few IPS).
4. Screen resolution. PDF is a format designed to replicate appearances as closely as possible rather than aiming for maximum readability so it is actually affected by screen resolution unlike most text. Denser screens will help mitigate the fuzzyness of PDF text and this is probably the best argument for getting a different device, with a tablet probably being the cheaper option.
Of course, the component to be considered is ergonomics. Whether it would be more comfortable to position a large tablet than a small laptop when reading for extended lengths of time.
Personally I would start using the laptop. You've already got it and then if you find you can't read it as you want, you can look into other options.