pdf-oriented e-reader recommendation?

[speedrrracer]

Hi all, my first post --

My only use case for an e-reader is the large collection of programming / software books I have in pdf format. I've done a bit of reading on this great site, and learned a lot, but I'm still puzzled about a few things.

It seems that a 9.7" screen will be best, since that size screen can display a pdf as-is, and there are many issues with re-flowing pdfs or otherwise converting them. Is this an accurate understanding? I'm a software engineer, I don't mind using any software on any OS to convert my pdfs, but it seems there is no tried-and-true formula to get a good ebook experience from a pdf.

Kindle DX / Amazon seemed great, but I've heard that they removed/deleted books that had been purchased by users, IIRC it was 1984 by G. Orwell. I don't want to buy a device where Amazon (or anyone) has this kind of power over my collection. Is this still a concern?
On the Amazon page to purchase the Kindle DX, they mention that you can upload pdfs and they will convert them to [some proprietary Amazon format I can't remember] which then displays fine. Does this work brilliantly, or is Amazon in the same boat as Caliber, et al who have many issues converting pdfs to ebook formats?

The PocketBook Pro 902 seems interesting; love the Linux kernel underneath, but I can't find any info about how well it handles pdfs:
http://shop.pocketbookreader.com/Poc...m?categoryId=1
Anyone have any experience with it?

Price is not an issue. I wouldn't mind buying (e.g.) an iPad, but I want something where I can fall asleep reading and the battery will still be strong in the morning.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[vxf]

I have gone through a PhD program over the past five years and I read and annotate lots of PDFs every day. I have some things... here are my experiences:

1) iPad + iAnnotate + boxwave stylus. Still the best option. The backlit screen is a pain when your eyes are tired (need to turn the brightness way down) and the limited battery means you need to always schedule your recharges. But the big screen, the fast scrolling and zooming, the ability to open multiple copies of the same file on different pages in different tabs, smooth annotation you can save in PDF format and view on other devices are just priceless. Especially if you want to annotate.

2) Kindle DX - I actually didn't use it much. Office mate has it. I can't comment on the PDF conversion (but I believe it handles PDFs now, the conversion thing is a thing of the past... but someone else might want to confirm this). But the lack of a touch screen makes annotations clunky. If you just want to read PDFs, this might still be the best eink option. Not if you need to highlight/annotate.

3) SONY PRS950. The screen is not big enough to read in portrait - at least, not for most people. Some people have a high tolerance for small fonts - but I don't think it's doable. But you can turn the reader landscape and view a third of the page at the time. That way, it's actually better than the Kindle DX - you get a larger image. But not the full page. If you are doing text, it works fine. But tables and graphs might get cut and require some clunky zooming. Annotations work nicely, but they are only exportable in RTF or viewable on PCs only through SONY's own software. PDF reflow is supported, but with mixed results.

4) I tried various devices with smaller screens (SONY PRS650, Kindle2, Samsung E60) but it just doesn't work.

5) My office-mate has an Asus Transformer. I used it for a week while he was on vacation. Measure it on any metric, the iPad wins out.

Overall... I still think the iPad is the only solution that will NOT make you want to go back to paper. As far eink goes, Kindle DX if no annotations, PRS950 if you want to highlight/take notes.

An interesting new product is the Asus EENote. I have not seen it yet, but that might be a nice alternative.

[Latinandgreek]

If you will only be reading and not annotating, you will probably like the Kindle DX. I hear that Amazon has a great selection for programming books as well for the Kindle - but I haven't ever checked that out myself. If you need something very portable (that can fit into an inner jacket pocket, for example), you might like a Sony 950. If you have to annotate, go with the iPad. I really wanted a large screen eink reader for annotating my PDFs, but I ended up getting an iPad, as the eink technology is still a little slow for non linear reading. I use Goodreader, and I love the ability to cut and paste quotes directly into Pages. It really helps when writing essays.

[jocampo]

Just helped someone else today with a similar question.

I'm a DBA and Engineer. I mostly read computer and programming books and the best PDF reader is the iPad with GoodReader app.

Sorry if I make you sad while saying this but PDFs are not ebook formats hence, eink readers won't provide the same editing capabilities and reading experience that you could probably get from reading a regular ePub or mobi book.

Kindle DXG is ok if you don't need lot of editing features. The 10 inches screen is ideal plus has landscape capabilities.

Anything below 10 would be too small in my opinion. And if landscape is not an option, even worse.

Sony readers have nice PDF features but The screen is too small. Be prepare to zoom a lot or do lot of scrolling if your PDF has complex layouts and tables. That can be annoying and slow the reading process.

Converting PDF to ePub or mobi has bad results, so that's probably not an option. Why bad? because the same reason I exposed before, PDFs are not ebooks, so converting the fix layout is a hit or miss.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

If you will only be reading and not annotating, you will probably like the Kindle DX. I hear that Amazon has a great selection for programming books as well for the Kindle - but I haven't ever checked that out myself. If you need something very portable (that can fit into an inner jacket pocket, for example), you might like a Sony 950. If you have to annotate, go with the iPad. I really wanted a large screen eink reader for annotating my PDFs, but I ended up getting an iPad, as the eink technology is still a little slow for non linear reading. I use Goodreader, and I love the ability to cut and paste quotes directly into Pages. It really helps when writing essays.

Confirmed by experience! Amazon has the best collection of IT books, followed by O'Reilly.

Agree with your iPad statement!

[TimW]

Originally Posted by speedrrracer

Kindle DX / Amazon seemed great, but I've heard that they removed/deleted books that had been purchased by users, IIRC it was 1984 by G. Orwell. I don't want to buy a device where Amazon (or anyone) has this kind of power over my collection. Is this still a concern?

No, that shouldn't be a concern.

http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/r...x2G7WLMRCU49NO

[reprep]

PDF and e-ink don't get along well unfortunately. So far the best option seems like Kindle DXG which i own myself if you too can't read for more than 10 minutes on a screen which refreshes and is back-lit.

[speedrrracer]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Sounds like the Kindle DX (not sure what y'all mean by DXG) has significant room for improvement but is a decent e-reader.

I'll go look at an iPad2 today, at least that I can interact with before buying.

[Latinandgreek]

Originally Posted by speedrrracer

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Sounds like the Kindle DX (not sure what y'all mean by DXG) has significant room for improvement but is a decent e-reader.

I'll go look at an iPad2 today, at least that I can interact with before buying.

The DXG is referring to the newest iteration of the DX, which comes in a graphite colour and has better contrast then the last generation.

[vxf]

Originally Posted by speedrrracer

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Sounds like the Kindle DX (not sure what y'all mean by DXG) has significant room for improvement but is a decent e-reader.

I'll go look at an iPad2 today, at least that I can interact with before buying.

I think that's your best choice.

You will need a couple of extra things.

iAnnotate - an app to annotate PDFs and manage files. I hear good things about Goodreader, but it wasn't up to par when I tried it (but that was long ago and I heard they improved big time).

A stylus. They are not all equal - actually, some really stink. I like the Boxwave ones, but I am sure other people will recommend different brands.
http://www.amazon.com/BoxWave-Capaci...9374904&sr=8-1

Dropbox - there is a free app allowing you to transfer files to your iPad without the pain of iTunes - and you can access Dropbox folders directly from iAnnotate, if that's what you decide to use. There are other options, such as emailing the file to yourself.

A cover for your ipad, but that goes without saying...

[corona]

Originally Posted by reprep

PDF and e-ink don't get along well unfortunately.

Yes, and it depends on the specifics. Text PDFs that have been created correctly -- and that seems to include the majority of online professional publications -- can almost always be converted via Calibre to entirely readable ePubs.

That's just in my experience, but I've done this dozens of times. The results are usually not perfect, but they're definitely highly readable.

If there are pictures and graphs, fuhgedaboudit. But for a lot of PDF documents, the results are usable.

Just my 2 cents.

[reprep]

Originally Posted by corona

Yes, and it depends on the specifics. Text PDFs that have been created correctly -- and that seems to include the majority of online professional publications -- can almost always be converted via Calibre to entirely readable ePubs.

That's just in my experience, but I've done this dozens of times. The results are usually not perfect, but they're definitely highly readable.

If there are pictures and graphs, fuhgedaboudit. But for a lot of PDF documents, the results are usable.

Just my 2 cents.

yup, mostly text based pdfs convert well but of course there are exceptions.

1) for texts which contain non-Latin characters

2) 2 column pdfs. They do not convert well with calibre but i heard amazon's own service handles them well too.

in any case kindle DXG is enough for mostly text based pdfs with its own software or with Duokan in some cases.