Hello.

cpilson · 07-05-2009, 11:28 AM

I'm new to dedicated ebook reading devices, and hope to soak up enough knowledge to inform my buying decision. Furthermore, I am--and have always been--interested in spending time reading, and it is good to see others in our modern era who share this interest.

I anticipate reading many PDF files, and my needs are really quite simple. I need the ability to annotate (mark up) and highlight regions within the PDF file, as I anticipate using the device for looking at academic research.

Hello; I'm glad to be here!

BookishDreamer · 07-05-2009, 11:30 AM

Welcome to MobileRead, cpilson!

Dreamer

MickeyC · 07-05-2009, 12:38 PM

Hi cpilson and welcome to MobileRead. I've had a Sony 505 for over a year and a half and really like it

rlparker · 07-06-2009, 10:10 AM

Hi cpilson. Welcome to MR!

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to help with your questions about reading PDFs. So far, I'm mostly reading classics that I've downloaded from MR

If no one answers your question here in "Introduce Yourself", you might try browse around or post again in the PDF forum (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=184) or one of the device-specific forums.

Lady Blue · 07-06-2009, 10:17 AM

Hello cpilson, and

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to Mobileread.

kazbates · 07-07-2009, 03:46 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, cpilson!

I don't read many pdf files, but I do know that I can highlight and make notes on my Sony 700, which I know also displays pdf. If you want to compare the available readers, go to the Wiki here at MR. It is an excellent source of information!

Happy reading.

hnoto · 07-09-2009, 04:56 PM

Welcome aboard!

cpilson · 07-10-2009, 01:05 AM

Thank you for the warm welcome, all. I should have gone more "hello" and less "help" in this thread, in retrospect.

I own well over 1500lbs. of books, and moving is painful. I've got another move in about a year and I've decided that I have to break myself of my book-hoarding behavior (I just hope they get sent to a nice home and are cherished and read as I've done!) while maintaining the books' content.

This is where a dedicated device comes into play, as I stare at LCDs all day long and have been impressed with the non-touchscreen eInk displays I've seen.

Let's see ... I'm in academia, and will therefore be reading--not always for pleasure--throughout life. I've always loved books and enjoy seeing just how someone will tell a story. Lately, of course, I've gained a new appreciation for what I call "writing for consumption," and am trying to break myself of old writing habits (I'm looking at YOU, James Burke. And 18th-century philosophers.) in an attempt to make my writing more decipherable by academics and lay-people alike.

I like writing--and reading writing--that is very "compact" and that needs to be unfolded in the mind of the reader over many sessions.

I've looked at the comparison pages and have thoroughly enjoyed the reviews and side-by-side pictures and comparisons of devices. Were I to buy today, I've determined that I'd get a Kindle DX. However, with technology, the game is always "buy now ... or wait a few months?" (in this case, for a Plastic Logics display/device).

Ah, the choices!

Anyway; it does my inner (and outer) nerd good to see that people are still reading! Chris Hedges is giving a town hall talk in Seattle later this month, and his premise gives voice to what many have been thinking: that we live in two camps--one that is highly literate and thinks in terms of symbols and analogy, and another that eschews reading and faces a false reality of celebrity pseudo-events.

If you're in Seattle, this would be something interesting to attend, methinks.

Right. This is far too long now. Hi and thanks!

Elfwreck · 07-10-2009, 02:30 AM

The Kindle DX doesn't allow markup/annotation of PDFs. Nor do they attach to its text-to-speech features. (Some discussion here, and some in other threads around the forums.)

The iRex devices do (but they're very expensive compared to other eInk readers), and the Sony PRS-700 has some annotation ability, but it's limited.

I expect we're a year or two off from good PDF markup ability as a common feature. Manufacturers are still trying to figure out what their target demographic wants enough to pay for (or rather, what they want enough to forgo known wanted features for something else offered by the competition). Endless blog posts, comment threads, letters and emails don't seem to affect this process much, because the manufacturers are trying to capture the mythical Everday Person Non-Techie Ebook Reader, the kind who buys $8 books at supermarket checkouts and therefor will be happy to spend $300 on a reader that lets all those books fit in their purse or pocket.

Some manufacturers pay attention to what devoted ebook readers want, assuming that they'll convince other people to try it. But a lot of them seem to be listening to their marketing gurus rather than anyone who works with the devices... guaranteeing they'll continue to get the customers they already have. (That, and most of the device makers seem to think they couldn't possibly make money on the devices unless they tie a bookstore to it.)

07-05-2009, 11:28 AM	#1
cpilson Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: none	Hello. I'm new to dedicated ebook reading devices, and hope to soak up enough knowledge to inform my buying decision. Furthermore, I am--and have always been--interested in spending time reading, and it is good to see others in our modern era who share this interest. I anticipate reading many PDF files, and my needs are really quite simple. I need the ability to annotate (mark up) and highlight regions within the PDF file, as I anticipate using the device for looking at academic research. Hello; I'm glad to be here!

07-06-2009, 10:17 AM	#5
Lady Blue the snarky blue one Posts: 6,001 Karma: 3877825 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: deep in the heart Device: PRS500, 505 & 600, PRST1 & T2, Kindle PW, Moto Razr, Galaxy Tab 2-10"	Hello cpilson, and to Mobileread.

07-05-2009, 11:30 AM	#2
BookishDreamer Cultural Artist Posts: 1,128 Karma: 12829 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Georgia Device: Sony 505, Kindle 2	Welcome to MobileRead, cpilson! Dreamer

07-05-2009, 12:38 PM	#3
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,731 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi cpilson and welcome to MobileRead. I've had a Sony 505 for over a year and a half and really like it

07-06-2009, 10:10 AM	#4
rlparker Ars longa Posts: 1,179 Karma: 17404 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: north carolina, usa Device: Kindle K1, K3 wifi	Hi cpilson. Welcome to MR! Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to help with your questions about reading PDFs. So far, I'm mostly reading classics that I've downloaded from MR If no one answers your question here in "Introduce Yourself", you might try browse around or post again in the PDF forum (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=184) or one of the device-specific forums.

07-07-2009, 03:46 PM	#6
kazbates Wizard Posts: 2,627 Karma: 406616 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Northern Virginia Device: SurfacePro, SurfaceBook 2	Welcome to MobileRead, cpilson! I don't read many pdf files, but I do know that I can highlight and make notes on my Sony 700, which I know also displays pdf. If you want to compare the available readers, go to the Wiki here at MR. It is an excellent source of information! Happy reading.

07-09-2009, 04:56 PM	#7
hnoto Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 177180 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Device: Sony PRS 505	Welcome aboard!

07-10-2009, 01:05 AM	#8
cpilson Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: none	Thank you for the warm welcome, all. I should have gone more "hello" and less "help" in this thread, in retrospect. I own well over 1500lbs. of books, and moving is painful. I've got another move in about a year and I've decided that I have to break myself of my book-hoarding behavior (I just hope they get sent to a nice home and are cherished and read as I've done!) while maintaining the books' content. This is where a dedicated device comes into play, as I stare at LCDs all day long and have been impressed with the non-touchscreen eInk displays I've seen. Let's see ... I'm in academia, and will therefore be reading--not always for pleasure--throughout life. I've always loved books and enjoy seeing just how someone will tell a story. Lately, of course, I've gained a new appreciation for what I call "writing for consumption," and am trying to break myself of old writing habits (I'm looking at YOU, James Burke. And 18th-century philosophers.) in an attempt to make my writing more decipherable by academics and lay-people alike. I like writing--and reading writing--that is very "compact" and that needs to be unfolded in the mind of the reader over many sessions. I've looked at the comparison pages and have thoroughly enjoyed the reviews and side-by-side pictures and comparisons of devices. Were I to buy today, I've determined that I'd get a Kindle DX. However, with technology, the game is always "buy now ... or wait a few months?" (in this case, for a Plastic Logics display/device). Ah, the choices! Anyway; it does my inner (and outer) nerd good to see that people are still reading! Chris Hedges is giving a town hall talk in Seattle later this month, and his premise gives voice to what many have been thinking: that we live in two camps--one that is highly literate and thinks in terms of symbols and analogy, and another that eschews reading and faces a false reality of celebrity pseudo-events. If you're in Seattle, this would be something interesting to attend, methinks. Right. This is far too long now. Hi and thanks!

07-10-2009, 02:30 AM	#9
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,187 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	The Kindle DX doesn't allow markup/annotation of PDFs. Nor do they attach to its text-to-speech features. (Some discussion here, and some in other threads around the forums.) The iRex devices do (but they're very expensive compared to other eInk readers), and the Sony PRS-700 has some annotation ability, but it's limited. I expect we're a year or two off from good PDF markup ability as a common feature. Manufacturers are still trying to figure out what their target demographic wants enough to pay for (or rather, what they want enough to forgo known wanted features for something else offered by the competition). Endless blog posts, comment threads, letters and emails don't seem to affect this process much, because the manufacturers are trying to capture the mythical Everday Person Non-Techie Ebook Reader, the kind who buys $8 books at supermarket checkouts and therefor will be happy to spend $300 on a reader that lets all those books fit in their purse or pocket. Some manufacturers pay attention to what devoted ebook readers want, assuming that they'll convince other people to try it. But a lot of them seem to be listening to their marketing gurus rather than anyone who works with the devices... guaranteeing they'll continue to get the customers they already have. (That, and most of the device makers seem to think they couldn't possibly make money on the devices unless they tie a bookstore to it.)

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