MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Newbie looking for a decent scanned PDF reader, how about the Boox M96(C)?

Queso · 02-20-2015, 09:11 PM

Greetings!

I am an avid reader and prefer print books to digital. But with the plethora of old, free books available via Archive.org and Google Books, my bookshelves getting full, and my wife suggesting I might be a hoarder, I'm desperate for a decent way to read PDF e-books without straining my eyes. I'm a computer programmer by trade and spend my days staring hour after hour at LCD screens.

I want an e-reader that (1) uses e-ink and (2) can read (sometimes large, usually less than 200MB) scanned PDF files. My long and arduous search brought me to the Onyx Boox M96 or M96C as the only way to do this -- outside of the Sony Digital Paper which is beyond my pay scale. I want something that I can buy and use, I don't have time to endlessly tweak. I understand these devices are not going to be as polished as the mass produced vending machines of Amazon. That's fine. So long as it's going to be stable and usable long term, even after the stream of firmware updates runs dry.

Are one of these two devices what I'm looking for? I don't need to write on it, all I want to be able to do is transfer PDF files to it (USB? Dropbox?), read them, and delete them. Are there any other devices that can do this better for the price that are e-ink? (If it matters, I use Linux. I don't have Windows or OS X.)

If I buy one of these devices, where do I buy it? I have read that some distributors are better because of the software updates made to them. I live in the United States. Assuming my calculations and coversions are correct, if I buy the M96 via http://ereader-store.de/ (which appears to be a distributor that might be recommended) I will be paying $80 more than if I bought it off amazon.com ($410 vs $330), and that's before paying the shipping. What do you recommend I do?

Would you recommend I get the M96 or the M96C? I don't need to write on it, but maybe the M96 is more "stable" anyway? Is the screen quality of the M96 better because it doesn't have the layer on top to support capacitive touch?

Lastly, should I just wait? Are any better devices slated to be coming out in the next few months that would be worth waiting for, whether from Onyx or another company? Or is it a few years between releases anyway and these Onyx devices are really the only suitable e-readers for my needs?

Thanks for your help.

02-20-2015, 09:11 PM	#1
Queso Member Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2015 Device: Onyx Boox M96C	Newbie looking for a decent scanned PDF reader, how about the Boox M96(C)? Greetings! I am an avid reader and prefer print books to digital. But with the plethora of old, free books available via Archive.org and Google Books, my bookshelves getting full, and my wife suggesting I might be a hoarder, I'm desperate for a decent way to read PDF e-books without straining my eyes. I'm a computer programmer by trade and spend my days staring hour after hour at LCD screens. I want an e-reader that (1) uses e-ink and (2) can read (sometimes large, usually less than 200MB) scanned PDF files. My long and arduous search brought me to the Onyx Boox M96 or M96C as the only way to do this -- outside of the Sony Digital Paper which is beyond my pay scale. I want something that I can buy and use, I don't have time to endlessly tweak. I understand these devices are not going to be as polished as the mass produced vending machines of Amazon. That's fine. So long as it's going to be stable and usable long term, even after the stream of firmware updates runs dry. Are one of these two devices what I'm looking for? I don't need to write on it, all I want to be able to do is transfer PDF files to it (USB? Dropbox?), read them, and delete them. Are there any other devices that can do this better for the price that are e-ink? (If it matters, I use Linux. I don't have Windows or OS X.) If I buy one of these devices, where do I buy it? I have read that some distributors are better because of the software updates made to them. I live in the United States. Assuming my calculations and coversions are correct, if I buy the M96 via http://ereader-store.de/ (which appears to be a distributor that might be recommended) I will be paying $80 more than if I bought it off amazon.com ($410 vs $330), and that's before paying the shipping. What do you recommend I do? Would you recommend I get the M96 or the M96C? I don't need to write on it, but maybe the M96 is more "stable" anyway? Is the screen quality of the M96 better because it doesn't have the layer on top to support capacitive touch? Lastly, should I just wait? Are any better devices slated to be coming out in the next few months that would be worth waiting for, whether from Onyx or another company? Or is it a few years between releases anyway and these Onyx devices are really the only suitable e-readers for my needs? Thanks for your help.