need some help

reader_132 · 06-12-2008, 08:01 AM

Hey

I read a lot of ebooks on my computer after years of reading on the laptop i have decided to buy a device for all my ebooks. I read a lot of books mostly all web programing books with images and diagrams I also have some ebooks with full colored pages and i was wondering what device would be best for these things. I was thinking the sony reader 505? Oh and most of my ebooks are pdf's if that helps. Please help.

Thanks in Advance
Andy

reader_132 · 06-12-2008, 08:05 AM

Another thing i don't mind converting them as long as i can still read and see the images and diagrams.

Thanks

HarryT · 06-12-2008, 09:37 AM

No device with a 6" screen is going to do a good job of displaying PDF files. PDF was never intended to be an "eBook" format, and there's just no good way of display an A4/Letter sized page on a screen 1/6th the size of an A4 piece of paper.

The only eInk device that's in any way "good" for PDF display is the iRex iLiad. To be honest, if PDFs are vital to you, I'd stick to using a notebook or Tablet PC.

Jack B Nimble · 06-12-2008, 12:06 PM

I agree with Harry, though I will add an extra reason to it.

You mention that many of the books make extensive use of color? With an eInk reader, you will end up with just a few greyscales (sixteen, on the iRex, less on the others). If the color is necessary or useful for any significant number of the books, you will be better off with a tablet or something along those lines.

Jack

HarryT · 06-12-2008, 12:26 PM

It does dither colours, but you still find that all the "light" colours tend to end up as the same greyscale "shade".

manchuia · 06-13-2008, 09:10 AM

That situation sounds so familiar (exact same boat I was in). There are a couple of threads in this section about PDF reading on the various top readers. The ultimate verdict: For the 6" readers, PDF rendering isn't that good*, but the Iliad does a decent job at rendering, so you could possibly convert all your books and read them on that machine YMMV.

* - I just bought a sony reader 500 (dipping my toes into the pool) and I just used Sony's conversion tool to try to read a number of my Oreily PDF books. The formatting so far has been alright, but the main problem is the font is too small and way too light to read comfortably. The benefit of the Sony series is that there are a number of converter programs out there, so I am hoping that through fiddling with settings and programs I can fix the font issues and be happy. I didn't buy the reader expecting PDF support to work though (did my research), so this is just a bonus that won't determine if I keep / upgrade e-ink devices.

If you absolutely want a 6" device (I know that's the main reason stopping me from getting an Iliad - too big) I would suggest the Kindle (depending on where you live). The only reason why is that the PDF support on all 6" devices will be off, but the Kindle give you two outs: Browser** and Book Store.

If you are able to find online copies (or post online copies; you are a web dev) then the Kindle browser may be a good alternative to having the books on your actual device. Secondly, Amazon is a very large bookstore, and if I had to put money on which device would see more tech books by the top publishers, my money would be on Amazon. Oreiley, Sams, and the like may open up an independent third party store on their own in the future, but I can see digital copies from them (either directly or through outlets like safari) going with the Amazon DRM for maximum market penetration (even if the number don't reflect that the Kindle is actually the best selling reader).

Might be a long winded answer, but I wanted to pass on all the info I got from my research on the same topic. If you keep up with this site, I will post my findings on document conversion in the Sony Content forum, so you can make a more informed decision.

** - Iliad also has a browser, and has been confirmed that it can read the Safari books site, while the Kindle is unable to.

HarryT · 06-13-2008, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manchuia

If you absolutely want a 6" device (I know that's the main reason stopping me from getting an Iliad - too big) I would suggest the Kindle (depending on where you live). The only reason why is that the PDF support on all 6" devices will be off, but the Kindle give you two outs: Browser** and Book Store.

Forgive me for saying so, but to recommend a Kindle to someone who wants to read PDF seems to be a little odd, given that the Kindle is the only one of the "mainstream" eBook devices not to be able to read PDF at all! The others aren't terribly good at it, but the Kindle just plain can't do it. I understand what you're saying about the web browser, a web browser can't render PDF on its own - you still need to have a PDF viewer application involved somewhere.

Every device has PDF conversion tools available for it which will do a more or less decent job of converting PDF to another format which the device can read.

astrodad · 06-18-2008, 11:25 AM

I recently thought about this problem since it's also one that I share and the best that I could come up with was to buy a cheap used tablet device. These devices work really well with electronic magazines like Zinio. They can be had for a couple hundred bucks on ebay.

manchuia · 06-18-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Forgive me for saying so, but to recommend a Kindle to someone who wants to read PDF seems to be a little odd, given that the Kindle is the only one of the "mainstream" eBook devices not to be able to read PDF at all! The others aren't terribly good at it, but the Kindle just plain can't do it. I understand what you're saying about the web browser, a web browser can't render PDF on its own - you still need to have a PDF viewer application involved somewhere.

Well .. i guess I didn't see it as cut and dry as a PDF recommendation I was trying to figure out the best way for the person to get good material for web development.

Native PDF reading on a 6" reader means very little (I have found), so it's always going to be an issue of which reader will do the best conversion (or the closest for you). I recommended the Kindle because it brought other options to the table (web browser, store that will probably have more computer books) not solely on PDF reading.

The tablet is a good suggestion if the user doesn't mind staring at the screen. I whole heartedly agree that it is the best option as far as reading options (web, pdf, all formats, etc.) but i find most people look at e-ink solutions simply to stop looking at a LCD screen for a few hours a day.

I will probably end up getting a UMPC to back up my e-ink reader for variety, but I will probably move to a Kindle what with the recent O'reily announcement.

06-12-2008, 08:01 AM	#1
reader_132 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Planning to buy	need some help Hey I read a lot of ebooks on my computer after years of reading on the laptop i have decided to buy a device for all my ebooks. I read a lot of books mostly all web programing books with images and diagrams I also have some ebooks with full colored pages and i was wondering what device would be best for these things. I was thinking the sony reader 505? Oh and most of my ebooks are pdf's if that helps. Please help. Thanks in Advance Andy

06-12-2008, 08:05 AM	#2
reader_132 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Planning to buy	Another thing i don't mind converting them as long as i can still read and see the images and diagrams. Thanks

06-12-2008, 09:37 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	No device with a 6" screen is going to do a good job of displaying PDF files. PDF was never intended to be an "eBook" format, and there's just no good way of display an A4/Letter sized page on a screen 1/6th the size of an A4 piece of paper. The only eInk device that's in any way "good" for PDF display is the iRex iLiad. To be honest, if PDFs are vital to you, I'd stick to using a notebook or Tablet PC.

06-12-2008, 12:06 PM	#4
Jack B Nimble Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 672 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Tapwave Zodiac, eBookwise 1150	I agree with Harry, though I will add an extra reason to it. You mention that many of the books make extensive use of color? With an eInk reader, you will end up with just a few greyscales (sixteen, on the iRex, less on the others). If the color is necessary or useful for any significant number of the books, you will be better off with a tablet or something along those lines. Jack

06-12-2008, 12:26 PM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It does dither colours, but you still find that all the "light" colours tend to end up as the same greyscale "shade".

06-13-2008, 09:10 AM	#6
manchuia Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 384 Join Date: May 2008 Device: In under a month I will have had both Sonys and a Kindle	That situation sounds so familiar (exact same boat I was in). There are a couple of threads in this section about PDF reading on the various top readers. The ultimate verdict: For the 6" readers, PDF rendering isn't that good, but the Iliad does a decent job at rendering, so you could possibly convert all your books and read them on that machine YMMV. - I just bought a sony reader 500 (dipping my toes into the pool) and I just used Sony's conversion tool to try to read a number of my Oreily PDF books. The formatting so far has been alright, but the main problem is the font is too small and way too light to read comfortably. The benefit of the Sony series is that there are a number of converter programs out there, so I am hoping that through fiddling with settings and programs I can fix the font issues and be happy. I didn't buy the reader expecting PDF support to work though (did my research), so this is just a bonus that won't determine if I keep / upgrade e-ink devices. If you absolutely want a 6" device (I know that's the main reason stopping me from getting an Iliad - too big) I would suggest the Kindle (depending on where you live). The only reason why is that the PDF support on all 6" devices will be off, but the Kindle give you two outs: Browser and Book Store. If you are able to find online copies (or post online copies; you are a web dev) then the Kindle browser may be a good alternative to having the books on your actual device. Secondly, Amazon is a very large bookstore, and if I had to put money on which device would see more tech books by the top publishers, my money would be on Amazon. Oreiley, Sams, and the like may open up an independent third party store on their own in the future, but I can see digital copies from them (either directly or through outlets like safari) going with the Amazon DRM for maximum market penetration (even if the number don't reflect that the Kindle is actually the best selling reader). Might be a long winded answer, but I wanted to pass on all the info I got from my research on the same topic. If you keep up with this site, I will post my findings on document conversion in the Sony Content forum, so you can make a more informed decision. - Iliad also has a browser, and has been confirmed that it can read the Safari books site, while the Kindle is unable to.

06-18-2008, 11:25 AM	#8
astrodad Guru Posts: 962 Karma: 568242 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Oasis 3, Kindle Paperwhite 1, iPad, iPhone	I recently thought about this problem since it's also one that I share and the best that I could come up with was to buy a cheap used tablet device. These devices work really well with electronic magazines like Zinio. They can be had for a couple hundred bucks on ebay.

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