MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Reading academic pdfs

Gagarin Gambit · 09-25-2012, 09:32 AM

I intend to buy an e-book reader which will be mostly for the purpose of reading academic articles and books, which usually come in pdf format, with all sorts of text formatting and, occasionally, with tables and figures. Moreover, my budget is rather limited so 9 inch readers tend to be expensive for me. After looking into 6 inch options, I decided on the Onyx i62HD... however I am cautious, especially since I can't find a video review in English. Will I be able to use this ebook reader for this purpose, or would it be problematic, and I should decide that I need to throw in an extra 100-150 euros and get a reader such as Onyx M92 or Pocketbook 912?

Any input from users familiar with this particular ebook reader and/or with academic pdfs would be welcome.

A few details.

I also intend to read literature, and the browser and the occasional application are good bonuses. However, without good support for academic texts, an ebook reader would only be a nice gadget for me. Therefore, the following features are a must:
a. Easy pdf reading, regardless of formatting.
b. Adding annotations and highlights in any document and pdf formats. Ideally, browsing your highlights/notes should be at least as fast as in a paper (as you constantly need to look into your bibliography and notes when you're writing a work of your own).
Unless someone has a very pleasant experience from another 6 inch reader, I'm rather firm in my decision on the Onyx i62HD. Firstly, because I hope that the 1024x800 definition will make smaller fonts (and pdfs) more readable. Secondly, because when you're located in Europe, shipping and tax becomes an issue since most readers are shipped from the US. Thus, for instance, the Kindle touch would cost me roughly the same, even though its base price is much lower. Therefore, with Onyx I get more features at the same cost. Also, I'm looking only into e-ink displays, I spend too much time looking at the LCD computer screen as it is.
I'm familiar with pdf converting via Calibre or tools such as k2pdfopt. However, they are not always successful. I experimented with pdfs and various conversions using an ancient, pretty basic 6 inch reader borrowed from a friend, and the results were mixed. I even had trouble getting a decent result when trying to convert my own PhD thesis...
Portability is a considerable advantage of 6 inch readers. A 9 inch reader has the cost and size of a notebook or a tablet... the only significant advantage it has over them is the e-ink display and the battery life.

Thanks for any replies, I hope they will be useful for anyone else facing a similar dilemma. BTW, you have a very good forum on ebooks

09-25-2012, 09:32 AM	#1
Gagarin Gambit Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: Onyx i62HD	Reading academic pdfs - Onyx Boox i62HD or a 9 inch reader? I intend to buy an e-book reader which will be mostly for the purpose of reading academic articles and books, which usually come in pdf format, with all sorts of text formatting and, occasionally, with tables and figures. Moreover, my budget is rather limited so 9 inch readers tend to be expensive for me. After looking into 6 inch options, I decided on the Onyx i62HD... however I am cautious, especially since I can't find a video review in English. Will I be able to use this ebook reader for this purpose, or would it be problematic, and I should decide that I need to throw in an extra 100-150 euros and get a reader such as Onyx M92 or Pocketbook 912? Any input from users familiar with this particular ebook reader and/or with academic pdfs would be welcome. A few details. I also intend to read literature, and the browser and the occasional application are good bonuses. However, without good support for academic texts, an ebook reader would only be a nice gadget for me. Therefore, the following features are a must: a. Easy pdf reading, regardless of formatting. b. Adding annotations and highlights in any document and pdf formats. Ideally, browsing your highlights/notes should be at least as fast as in a paper (as you constantly need to look into your bibliography and notes when you're writing a work of your own). Unless someone has a very pleasant experience from another 6 inch reader, I'm rather firm in my decision on the Onyx i62HD. Firstly, because I hope that the 1024x800 definition will make smaller fonts (and pdfs) more readable. Secondly, because when you're located in Europe, shipping and tax becomes an issue since most readers are shipped from the US. Thus, for instance, the Kindle touch would cost me roughly the same, even though its base price is much lower. Therefore, with Onyx I get more features at the same cost. Also, I'm looking only into e-ink displays, I spend too much time looking at the LCD computer screen as it is. I'm familiar with pdf converting via Calibre or tools such as k2pdfopt. However, they are not always successful. I experimented with pdfs and various conversions using an ancient, pretty basic 6 inch reader borrowed from a friend, and the results were mixed. I even had trouble getting a decent result when trying to convert my own PhD thesis... Portability is a considerable advantage of 6 inch readers. A 9 inch reader has the cost and size of a notebook or a tablet... the only significant advantage it has over them is the e-ink display and the battery life. Thanks for any replies, I hope they will be useful for anyone else facing a similar dilemma. BTW, you have a very good forum on ebooks