7" tablet for reading PDFs?

[flyash]

I used to have a 10" Galaxy tablet and that was pretty good for reading PDFs. I'd like a smaller (and less expensive) tablet to make toting it around a little easier.

Just wondering if I'll hate a 7" tablet for reading PDF's. Thoughts?

[burnafterreading]

i use a 7" and a 10" (kobo arc hd series). i find the 7 to be just fine, since the resolution [1200x1920] is high enough to render a lot of things very cleanly. and these specific tablets are cheap, probably because they're not a samsung/lg/acer/hp/whatever and also cuz kobo is not going to keep making tablets (they're sticking to eink readers)

i only use adobe's own pdf reader app. i tried 2-3 other apps and didn't like them at all.

[robko]

I think it probably depends a bit on your eyesight and what the pdf's contain. Maybe try shrink the size of the pdf on screen down so it covers the approximate area that a 7" would have and see how readable it is. Personally I find it OK on my 8" but it's marginal depending what the pdf is. I had a 7" tablet before this and the extra 1" makes a big difference.

[Ripplinger]

I have the Asus MeMO HD7 that I got for $99 and it's perfect for reading PDFs. I prefer Moonreader+ Pro though over any other app for PDFs, even over Adobe's app.

[flyash]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I have the Asus MeMO HD7 that I got for $99 and it's perfect for reading PDFs. I prefer Moonreader+ Pro though over any other app for PDFs, even over Adobe's app.

That price is right!

Why do you say it's perfect for PDFs? I assume people using 7" tablets are using them in landscape mode, and zooming in a bit?

I have Moonreader + Pro (paid for it when I had the Galaxy 10"). Does it do a good job of automatically centering pages when zooming in so that you don't have to manually recenter as you scroll?

[flyash]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

i use a 7" and a 10" (kobo arc hd series). i find the 7 to be just fine, since the resolution [1200x1920] is high enough to render a lot of things very cleanly. and these specific tablets are cheap, probably because they're not a samsung/lg/acer/hp/whatever and also cuz kobo is not going to keep making tablets (they're sticking to eink readers)

i only use adobe's own pdf reader app. i tried 2-3 other apps and didn't like them at all.

Seems these were only sold in Canada? All the used listings I see on fleabay are from Canada.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by flyash

That price is right!

Why do you say it's perfect for PDFs? I assume people using 7" tablets are using them in landscape mode, and zooming in a bit?

I have Moonreader + Pro (paid for it when I had the Galaxy 10"). Does it do a good job of automatically centering pages when zooming in so that you don't have to manually recenter as you scroll?

Tablets are much heavier than ereaders and even with the 7" I had to be in a comfortable position. I would imagine the 10" would be too heavy for me to be comfortable with for any length of time.

And yes, Moonreader+ Pro did a great job keeping the page centered when I was zoomed in on the pages. It's the only reading app that did let me flip pages without having to re-adjust position each time (that I found at least).

Edit to add that I also read PDFs in landscape mode on the tablet and that works perfectly for me.

[burnafterreading]

Originally Posted by flyash

Seems these were only sold in Canada? All the used listings I see on fleabay are from Canada.

entirely possible. i bought mine new at future shop for around $99 (7HD) and $179 (10HD), in early december. i've seen people trying to sell used ones or new-in-box on a used site for more than that. it's odd.

i always use my 7 in portrait mode and the 10 in landscape mode. it makes more sense for me that way. the 7 fits one page, the 10 fits 2 pages side-by-side.

[ottdmk]

I have two tablets that I read PDFs on, a Blackberry Playbook (7") and an Asus MeMoPad FHD 10 (10"). For most of my PDFs, I find the Playbook works just fine for reading in portrait, my preferred way to read. A few of them the pages are too wide for portrait, and in those cases landscape works just great.

[flyash]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

i always use my 7 in portrait mode and the 10 in landscape mode. it makes more sense for me that way. the 7 fits one page, the 10 fits 2 pages side-by-side.

Originally Posted by ottdmk

I have two tablets that I read PDFs on, a Blackberry Playbook (7") and an Asus MeMoPad FHD 10 (10"). For most of my PDFs, I find the Playbook works just fine for reading in portrait, my preferred way to read. A few of them the pages are too wide for portrait, and in those cases landscape works just great.

Interesting that some people are reading in portrait mode on 7" tablets. Even on a 10" tablet, I tended to read in landscape mode. Are you mostly reading novels? I mostly read non-fiction, and usually more technical material. I wonder if there's a page/text formatting difference at play.

[Anthem]

For reading PDFs I just don't think there is any substitute for a large format tablet such as a full sized iPad or a 10 inch Android tablet.

8.9" is the absolute minimum size that I would go for PDF reading. YMMV.

[burnafterreading]

Originally Posted by flyash

Interesting that some people are reading in portrait mode on 7" tablets. Even on a 10" tablet, I tended to read in landscape mode. Are you mostly reading novels? I mostly read non-fiction, and usually more technical material. I wonder if there's a page/text formatting difference at play.

for PDF i read a number of types of books - some technical (all my user manuals are PDF), some reference (... For Dummies). for epub, they're primarily fiction, but there are a few professional-interest books as well. i have no problems reading everything in portrait on the 7". it fits, the resolution of the display is enough that i don't need to zoom, and the volume rockers which i use for page turning are in the right place (and in the same place as the 10" when the 10 is used in landscape - so whichever tablet i grab, the controls end up in the same consistent location)

when i had an iPad mini, i always read in portrait, but sometimes had to zoom because the screen resolution was too low to render all letters clearly from a page. i tried reading in continuous mode in landscape but for some reason i didn't like it as much. i'm used to real dead-tree pages being tall, not wide.

[jehane]

It really depends on what you're reading. I could probably manage novels, but most pdfs that I read are scientific journal articles and I struggle to read them on my 10" Asus without constantly zooming and panning. Two-column style in landscape orientation means constant scrolling up and down the page which is just annoying. I've ended up going back to either printing out articles or reading them on the laptop.

[cellphonesdomain]

Pros:
-you can watch HD video in original format (divx, xvid, mkv, etc) without conversion.
-wifi-only version has GPS (unlike iPad). I installed MapDroyd(lets you download maps) for off-line navigation
-full support of Flash (so far, no issues accessing flash sites that I usually visit)
-SD card slot (for up to 32GB)
-comes with ThinkFree office (you can read .doc .pdf, and etc)
-you have choice of 3 app stores (Google Market, Amazon app store, Samsung app store) Samsung app for u.s. version has only few apps now, but hope it grows bigger
-portable size - you can hold with one hand, and it goes into your pocket
-you can connect to any pc to transfer the files (movies, musics, docs, etc) unlike iPad which requires iTunes.

Cons:
-Reader's Hub is missing somehow.
-Proprietary connector instead of mini or micro USB
-most of the apps I installed work fine with the resolution, but a few apps are displayed smaller in the center (for example: Engadget app)

[ucfgrad93]

I'd recommend the Samsung Tab Pro 8.4 or the Tab S 8.4.