looking for e-reader mainly for academic papers (PDFs) etc.

[chexmix]

Hi everyone,

I am in much the same situation as the original post-er in this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=191985

... I'd like to find a good e-reader for articles, in PDF format, that come from academic journals (plus the occasional novel from Gutenberg or wherever). In my case these articles are overwhelmingly astronomy and astrophysics articles, so they can get graphic- and table-heavy.

Like many other people who have posted here, I don't think I am interested in a tablet because of the eyestrain issue. I have a 1st generation Kindle and I use it a lot for Gutenberg texts, for hours, actually, without perceptible discomfort. I stare at a computer screen all day and would prefer not to have to stare at the same kind of thing for reading.

I'm not sure that a 6" reader would suffice for what I'd like ... the Boox M92 looked good but then I read a few things here that indicated PDF support might not quite be there ... Pocketbook has apparently pulled out of the US market ... so I'm really wondering what my best options are for this sort of thing.

What model(s) of e-reader should I look at for heavy PDF reading where the documents can have fairly high graphical and or tabular content?

I hope this topic hasn't been done to death in these forums: feel free to redirect me to appropriate threads (other than the one I cite above) if so.

Regards,

Glenn

[Gagarin Gambit]

Originally Posted by chexmix

Hi everyone,

I am in much the same situation as the original post-er in this thread:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=191985

... I'd like to find a good e-reader for articles, in PDF format, that come from academic journals (plus the occasional novel from Gutenberg or wherever). In my case these articles are overwhelmingly astronomy and astrophysics articles, so they can get graphic- and table-heavy.

You may have guessed already, but I should clarify that I'm into the social sciences meaning that, although I heavily use quantitative research methods, roughly 80-90% of the articles I read include text only. That's why I can be content with a six inch reader (plus, I also enjoy reading novels with it). In your case, I don't think that any 6 inch reader is up to the task.

Having become familiar with the Onyx software, I'd say it's quite good for pdf support and keeping notes in them. An M92 should be definitely a good choice - not that you have many when it comes to 9 inches... However, be warned that it is rather on the slow side (which is a problem for all e-ink devices anyway), it tends to have minor bugs, and you'd need to invest some time in order to understand how to fully take advantage of it. But it seems that the firmware is constantly improving, and I read there is an Android portal in the works.

However, I can't recommend with absolute certainty until I'm in the process of working with numerous articles within a short period of time, which does not seem likely in the near future.

[chexmix]

Thanks -- I appreciate the input!

[chexmix]

I think I know the answer ("not really"), but how about a Kindle DX? Has the PDF support improved enough that one can at least read documents reasonably well (again, given the kind of documents I'm wanting to read)?

[Fluribus]

If it wasn't before, then it probably isn't now. My understanding is that the DX firmware has not been updated since the reign of Augustus. Claudius was going to order an update but he got sidetracked by the campaign in Britain.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Fluribus

If it wasn't before, then it probably isn't now. My understanding is that the DX firmware has not been updated since the reign of Augustus. Claudius was going to order an update but he got sidetracked by the campaign in Britain.

Don

[JSWolf]

Your best bet for PDF/scientific papers is an iPad. A 6" eink screen is just not going to work for what you need.

[chexmix]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Your best bet for PDF/scientific papers is an iPad. A 6" eink screen is just not going to work for what you need.

I'm after a 9.7" e-reader. :^) I prefer a dedicated device for reading, as I am easily distracted by shininess.

Hey, I see you and I are neck-and-neck in the Librarything '75 in 2012' thingumabob. I'm at 61, as well.

[Tarana]

For academic papers in .pdf, I'd recommend a tablet. Even if the main part of the paper is OCR'd, the tables and diagrams rarely are and they are too small to read. Heck, some are too small to read on an Apple Tablet, but way too small on a 6 inch ereader.

[chexmix]

Originally Posted by Tarana

For academic papers in .pdf, I'd recommend a tablet. Even if the main part of the paper is OCR'd, the tables and diagrams rarely are and they are too small to read. Heck, some are too small to read on an Apple Tablet, but way too small on a 6 inch ereader.

I'm not looking for a 6" e-reader.

Plus I've already ordered a Boox M92.

I am one of the crowd of people who maintain that (for them, anyway) there is a difference in eyestrain between e-ink and lcd screens. I stare at a computer screen all day at work.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by chexmix

I'm after a 9.7" e-reader. :^) I prefer a dedicated device for reading, as I am easily distracted by shininess.

Hey, I see you and I are neck-and-neck in the Librarything '75 in 2012' thingumabob. I'm at 61, as well.

You can get a screen protector to reduce the shininess. A 9.7" eink reader is going to cost as much or more then an iPad and give you less functionality and less usability for the PDF you want to read. There is no eink reader that will be as good as the Goodreader app on an iPad. It just isn't done. I have the Goodreader app and it is very good. I have an eink reader and if my 650 had a 9.7" screen, it would still not be as good a Goodreader and iPad.

As for my Librarything, it's actually GoodReads. I found Librarything atrocious and found GoodReader to be pretty good. Shefari is even worse then LIbrarything.

[Rizla]

Why don't people read the original post? The OP doesn't want a tablet.

Get the biggest e-ink device available which can be rooted / customized. For example, Duokan for Kindle and Prs+ for Sony (though these are for 5 / 6 inch readers only, I belive. Maybe Duokan exists for the DX?). Most out-of-the-box software makes poor use of the hardware.

If there is a large, rootable Android tablet, I believe that would probably be your best bet. Failing that, make sure it's big with decent pdf funtionality.

[jojoba]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Why don't people read the original post? The OP doesn't want a tablet.

The thing is, a lot of us have been there, done that with e-ink for academic work, and found it doesn't really do the job. When I first started looking for something to manage my pdfs for research, I also wanted e-ink, without realising how much that would deprive me of functionality.

If the OP has a full understanding of the differences in functionality between e-ink and tablets with regard to academic work and s/he still wants e-ink, that's one thing. But if s/he doesn't, I think it's good that posters point it out so s/he can make an informed choice. IMO, e-ink devices aren't made to support serious research work, but YMMV.

[snahfu]

i had both versions of the kindle 4 (touch and non touch). both were horrible when viewing pdfs from my professor.

i had to zoom in to view the small text, and the kindle makes it very difficult to do that. its just way too slow.....

has anyone tried the new light up Kobo Glo. i saw a video of the zoom and slide function and it was VERY FAST compared to the kindle paper white.