which one for academic pdf ?

[lalebarde]

Hi all,

I was waiting for the new Sony 13.3 (A4 format), but it is still not here, the price will be to high, and Sony involvement in ebook reader looks not certain, as they have stopped on the US market. Does it discalify the Sony Reader PRS-T3 ? Sony software is quite good for pdf (I had a PRS 950).

So, I am considering Onyx Boox M92 (9", 290€), or the coming Onyx Boox T68 (6.8", external applications instalable, price?), or the Kindle paperwhite II (6", 130€)) with koreader (it looks like it manages multi column pdf).

Any advise please ?
EDIT: e-link solutions only please, and only pdf or epub academic papers (no novels nor comics)

Still, I have not found a video of koreader in operation with a multicolumn pdf.

[HarryT]

No 6" device is good for PDFs; they are generally formatted for an A4/Letter page size.

You need at least a 9.7" screen, but personally (and I read a lot of academic PDFs myself) I'd recommend an iPad with the "Goodreader" app. It really is far, far better than any eInk device for this purpose.

You'll find numerous threads on this issue in this forum, and you'll find that most people will recommend a tablet, not an eInk device, for PDF reading. eInk readers are great for reading fiction, but not PDFs.

[lalebarde]

Thanks for your answer HarryT, but LCD is not a valid reply for me, e-link is a must (I already had such a 9" device). It is B&W, it is slow, but I won't go back to something else at any price.

[HarryT]

Fair enough. Simply saving you the trouble of trawling through 50 threads, all of which will tell you the same thing.

[lalebarde]

Definitely not. I have never read any post of anybody reading a lot and having tried e-link that go back to LCD, and I think I read several hundreads of posts the last two years on the topic.

Personnaly, I won't. Possibly oled ? I don't know.

[Billi]

From the readers you've mentioned I would go with the Onyx Boox M92 (the largest, for this reason). I don't know how urgent you need this reader, if it's not that pressing to wait for the big Sony may be a good alternative.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by lalebarde

Definitely not. I have never read any post of anybody reading a lot and having tried e-link that go back to LCD, and I think I read several hundreads of posts the last two years on the topic.

Well, I read an awful lot, and have been using eInk devices since 2006 (the Sony PRS-500), so I'm speaking from extensive personal experience when I say that excellent though eInk readers are for many tasks (they excel for reading fiction), they don't make good PDF readers. eInk devices have low-power, slow CPUs, which are just too slow for the task of rendering complex PDF pages. There's nothing worse than having to wait 10s for a page to be rendered (and it literally can take that long with a complex PDF).

Like you, I need to read a lot of academic PDFs, and it's personal experience that makes me say that an iPad is the best tool for the job. It's a case of using the right tool for the right job. eInk for fiction; iPad for PDF.

But at the end of the day it's your choice, of course. I'm sure you'll find your eInk reader useful for fiction, even if it proves problematic for PDFs.

There are an awful lot of other threads in this forum answering this same question; you may find it illuminating to peruse them.

I agree with Billi that the M92 is the best of the eInk devices for this task.

[Lemurion]

Originally Posted by lalebarde

Definitely not. I have never read any post of anybody reading a lot and having tried e-link that go back to LCD, and I think I read several hundreads of posts the last two years on the topic.

Personnaly, I won't. Possibly oled ? I don't know.

Sign me up as your counter-example. I went from e-Ink to LCD, and have read 4 novels on LCD this week alone.

As Harry says e-Ink is better for fiction; however, I read more than just fiction, I also read comics and graphic novels, and e-Ink doesn't do that. e-Ink devices are better dedicated readers, but for me a tablet is a more useful device because it does more things. I also like that I can get both my Amazon and Nook libraries on the same device. Your mileage may vary.

[lalebarde]

Thanks for your detailed and argued answers, but let me please reword my question : it is not e-link ws LCD, it is e-link only (my eyes don't bear LCD for long readings - I have already e-link experience with academic pdf and the Sony PRS950, it is right for me):
A4 Sony 13.3 (have to wait and pay a lot), Sony Reader PRS-T3, Onyx Boox M92, Onyx Boox T68 (have to wait), Kindle paperwhite II with koreader ?

[lalebarde]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There are an awful lot of other threads in this forum answering this same question; you may find it illuminating to peruse them.

yes, but as technology progress, it has to be re-raised every few months.

[markom]

Originally Posted by lalebarde

Thanks for your detailed and argued answers, but let me please reword my question : it is not e-link ws LCD, it is e-link only (my eyes don't bear LCD for long readings - I have already e-link experience with academic pdf and the Sony PRS950, it is right for me):
A4 Sony 13.3 (have to wait and pay a lot), Sony Reader PRS-T3, Onyx Boox M92, Onyx Boox T68 (have to wait), Kindle paperwhite II with koreader ?

Kindle DX is very good A4 pdf, djvu & epub reader after installation of kindlepdfviewer thereon (takes couple of minutes) .

For handwritten notes you can simultaneously use some e-ink or tablet.

Cybook Ocean could be good for some

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20.../#.UnVPLhyQS78

[lalebarde]

@markom: does kindlepdfviewer enables "natural" flow of multi-column pdf ? By "natural", I mean without having to move the page with the finger, just next page button to follow the columns. Then 6" should be enough.

[markom]

Originally Posted by lalebarde

@markom: does kindlepdfviewer enables "natural" flow of multi-column pdf ? By "natural", I mean without having to move the page with the finger, just next page button to follow the columns. Then 6" should be enough.

Yes, it has got all necessary zooming options, but I usually read two column pdf as I would common A4, i.e. in landscape mode with fit-to-content-width (i.e borders automatically cropped) option, using just prev/next page buttons for navigation.

DX's screen is 20 cm wide in landscape mode and two-columns (without external borders) are usually 18-19 cm wide on paper.

Those who need better magnification can use 2-column mode in portraite or reflow option.

[lalebarde]

Originally Posted by markom

Cybook Ocean could be good for some

As it is under Linux, we can expect to be able to use any pdf reader, including koreader.

[lalebarde]

Originally Posted by markom

Yes, it has got all necessary zooming options, but I usually read two column pdf as common A4 i.e. in landscape mode with fit-to-content-width (i.e borders cropped) option.

DX's screen is 20 cm wide in landscape mode and two-columns are usually 17-18 cm wide on paper.

Thanks markom. Is it correct to say that with koreader (aka kindlepdfviewer), a 6" device is alright for A4 pdf ? Could you please post a video, none exist with multicolumn follow-up with just next page button click (no adjustment required, no move with the finger, and so on) ? If you do it with your DX and big fonts, it would be equivalent to normal font on a 6".