Reader for magazines and pdf

[fekish]

Hello,

i am interested in a reader for magazines and pdf books with pictures mostly. I am targetting Nook Color, however i am skeptical about its screen.
Where i live there is a lot sunshine, and i dont know if it such a good idea for getting such a reader. For example i would be travelling for about a 20 days vacation, and i would want to be able to read it anywhere possible..

That is why i am thinking also the new touch screen e-readers.

What would you say? Wait for those readers, or just get the Nook Color?

Thanks!

[GeoffC]

Welcome to Mobileread fekish - hopefully someone will pop in and give you an opinion - have you had a read of other posts asking similar questions - it is a common theme ....

[LucidDreams]

Originally Posted by fekish

i am interested in a reader for magazines and pdf books with pictures mostly. I am targetting Nook Color, however i am skeptical about its screen.
Where i live there is a lot sunshine, and i dont know if it such a good idea for getting such a reader. For example i would be travelling for about a 20 days vacation, and i would want to be able to read it anywhere possible..

For magazine and PDF reading, I would have to recommend something that has both a large screen and that is in color. The best device for that purpose right now would be the iPad (certified refurbished by Apple for $349). It won't work well outside but if you're primarily looking to use the device for magazines and books with pictures then there really isn't any other option, at least not yet.

I can't recommend the Nook Color since the screen size isn't large enough to really enjoy magazines. Sure, they made the magazines more interactive which will break out the text from the page so it's readable, etc. but it's not the same experience as just looking at the full page as you would with a regular magazine.

[hel]

Nook Color has a really nice screen. If you feel 7" is enough, just get it. Only one reason to buy iPAD instead - it has 9.7" screen, which is definitely better for big sized magazines. But Nook is much easier to carry. But anyway they both will be almost blind at the direct sunshine.

[Dawdler]

Welcome to Mobilereads

I have a Nook Color and once I updated the NC and bought the ezpdf app for 99 cents, I was able to enjoy all my technical pdf's a whole lot better even though some of the text can be small at times it's not a big issue for me, I've also gotten comics to look pretty good without a dedicated comic app and getting an anti-glare screen may also help in sun light, in the end though its really up to your needs and urgency.

good luck

[Dulin's Books]

Check this review of the new Onyx M90. its in Chinese but this is the translation and it has plenty of pics that show how mags and pdfs look

[Dulin's Books]

sorry the correct link is http://translate.google.nl/translate...-9694-1-1.html

[delphin]

I agree that the Nook will give you trouble outdoors, as will the iPad.

Tablets with backlit TFT LCD screens are just too battery challenged to crank up the screen brightness enough for viewing in full sun.

If you really need outdoor usability, and can live with a device in a slightly larger form factor, I have found that many of the newer Netbook PC's remain fairly usable outdoors.

Still not great in full direct sun, but at least usable.

The difference is the battery capacity -

iPad -> 25 watt hours

Nook Color -> 14.8 watt hours

Netbook PC -> 48 watt hour battery standard, and you can carry a spare battery, with up to 63 watt hour replacement batteries available.

This extra juice lets the Netbooks offer more screen brightness, and by overriding the power save settings and setting my netbook's screen to full brightness, I can still read or work for hours outdoors if needed.

Because of the brighter screen, my Netbook looks great in indirect sun, like under an awning at an outdoor cafe, and remains at least marginally legible in full sun (where the Nook Color is essentially useless).

By way of comparison in bright indirect sun, a Nook Color will be just barely usable (ok in a pinch, but not something you would want to use on a regular basis), and in full direct sunlight both the iPad and Nook Color become basically useless.

Of course the tradeoff is size. Open, my netbook is about the size and weight of medium sized hardback book, but still offers a nearly full sized keyboard, which meets my needs for both usability and portability, but may not meet yours.

With Netbook prices falling as tablets become more popular though, I was able to pick up BOTH a Sony PRS-650 AND a nice Netbook for less than the price of even the most basic iPad.

This gives me an eInk device that works great in full sun and has weeks of battery life, and a portable color e-reader with great video/web-surfing capability, and enough screen brightness and battery capacity to work for hours outdoors in a pinch.

The iPad has some pretty amazing apps, and Android tablets are getting better all the time, but it will be awhile before they can match the versatility that I get from my netbook which I have set up to run both Ubuntu and Windows 7, plus XP and Android in VirtualBox. (Some folks don't realize that Netbooks can also run Android apps, as there is now an open-source x86 version of Android that runs on netbooks.)

Tablets like the Nook Color have a very attractive form factor that does fill a definite need, but in the end, after trying the Nook, I decided that I would go with a proven technology in the form of a PC compatible netbook device, and wait until the tablet technology matures a little bit more.

Edit :

The iPad and Nook Color look great INDOORS, with the iPad having the edge on screen legibility due to it's larger size (and of course the Nook Color having the edge on portability due to it's smaller form factor.)

But OUTDOORS, both the Nook Color and iPad have serious issues because their screens can't pump out enough brightness.

Bottom line - all tablet devices are limited on battery capacity, and even with efficient LED back-lit LCD screens, until there is a breakthrough in screen technology of some sort, there are going to be issues with using the devices in direct sunlight.

If you MUST use the device outdoors, a Netbook with a brighter screen may be an option, but they are not all created equal, so you may need to compare and audition several devices first to find one that will work well outdoors.

An eInk device will work great outdoors, but currently eInk color technology is not widely available so most of the available devices are black and white.

Color eInk devices are coming (google eInk Triton and Mirasol to keep tabs), so for now I will use my netbook, and wait for the color eInk tablet technology to improve.

An absolutely KILLER PRODUCT, for example, would be a 'flipable' iPad with a color eInk Triton screen on one side, and something like the current TFT LCD on the other side.

When not in use, the ePaper side could display a nice 'skin' graphic, and the orientation sensor could be set to automatically disable the power hungry TFT LCD and activate the eInk display when you flip the device over in bright outdoor conditions.

If Apple doesn't offer such a tablet, one of the dozens of Android manufactures is sure to do so, so the good news is, sooner or later, we will be able to 'have our cake and eat it too' when it comes to both indoor and outdoor usability

[jocampo]

eink devices are not good for Magazines and PDF readers, not in my opinion. So if you want a good device for those, faster and lot of features, you need a tablet. Kindle DXG and Sony are ok for PDF documents but you won't get color and they are slower than tablets.

I follow LucidDreams advice, an iPad. iPad+Goodreader app is a great combination for read and edit (highlighting, annotations, etc) PDF documents. The bigger screen reduces page turns and it is also easier to read. On the iPad, there is also a Magazine app called Zinio. It is great for Magazines and allows you to buy and read a huge selection of full color Magazines, even with embedded clips.

Downside... glare.... Magazines are one of those things that for outdoors, a real one or paper one would be better than any current electronic device.