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Old 07-08-2010, 04:37 AM   #661
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Edy View Post
Dear all,


This is my first post in this forum and I thought this is the right thread to post my question.

I'm from Switzerland and have an iPad and a Kindle2. I love both devices. I do like the concept of Kindle to read on different platform and being able to sync bookmarks. In my job I'm an IT guy and bought the iPad especially for reading technical PDF. It's very good and I don't regret my purchases.

I have one issue , which I believe I'm not alone living abroad. I do like from time to time reading books in German. I have realized surfing around the German or Swiss books store that their e-book are sold in epub format with Adobe DRM. Unfortunately the Kindle and the iPad won't support it and the selection of German books in those stores are very thin.

Therefore I would like to ask you guys, which e-reader is a good choice, which fits this requirement. I would have no problem to buy the device in the US. I haven't figured out if a Nook or a Kobo would be capable of Adobe DRM. I know Sony does and is offered by German/Swiss stores.

I don't want to spend to much for an Adobe DRM reader, since my main reading will always be in English.

What can you recommend?

Thank you
Edy
As Sweetpea wrote: You can strip all DRMed content from DRM and convert to whatever format you need. I recommend "calibre" (there's another forum on this website for it) for converting between the various formats.
Stripping from DRM (= removing the copy protection) is easy enough: No programming, just installing Python and the respective Python scripts.

Scenario 1: Strip the ePUBs from DRM and use them on a ePUB-capable device. Most of the readers can do ePUB, it's more or less the standard. I can recommend: BeBook Neo, iRex 800, Sony 900 for example.

Scenario 2: You can read stripped ePUBs on iPad.

Scenario 3: You can convert stripped files to other formats, for example Mobipocket and read on other readers.
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Old 07-08-2010, 04:48 AM   #662
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Kindle DX Graphite

I've just received it. Exactly on time, as scheduled.
Phantastic planning.

For now:
First snapshots of DX vs. DX Graphite.
Obviously, the black bezel = Kindle DX Graphite.

Differences are quite significant.

First of all: By far, I prefer Graphite's design. There are intense discussions about the impact of the housing's color on the contrast. But whatever the impact may be: Black simply seems way cooler and more stylish to me.

And: The contrast, as advertised, clearly is way better. The background is less gray.
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Old 07-08-2010, 05:33 AM   #663
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller View Post
I've just received it. Exactly on time, as scheduled.
Phantastic planning.

For now:
First snapshots of DX vs. DX Graphite.
................
And: The contrast, as advertised, clearly is way better. The background is less gray.
Hi,
How would you rate the contrast of DX Graphite against Nook, PRS 505. Thanks.
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Old 07-08-2010, 05:45 AM   #664
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Originally Posted by krish View Post
Hi,
How would you rate the contrast of DX Graphite against Nook, PRS 505. Thanks.
Hi,

it's not easy to compare.
I'd say, the background is more or less identical.
But the text on DX Graphite seems a bit darker. And that's in comparison to nook, which because of it's well chosen font already has benchmark contrast.
I wouldn't consider DX Graphite (from my very first impression) a revolution or quantum leap. But it's definitely a keeper.

As before: Dark bezel = Kindle DX Graphite, white bezel = B&N nook.
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Last edited by mgmueller; 07-08-2010 at 05:52 AM.
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Old 07-08-2010, 05:55 AM   #665
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Hm, that's a significant difference in blackness of the text...
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Old 07-08-2010, 06:07 AM   #666
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Kindle DX Graphite

Firmware: 2.5.5 (495460008)

It's been mentioned before, but still a (positive) surprise: The buttons (turning pages, Home, ...) are way smoother and feel more "robust" than on Kindle DX.

Last edited by mgmueller; 07-08-2010 at 06:10 AM.
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Old 07-08-2010, 08:04 AM   #667
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this is a fantastic thread! especially love reading it as I"m also limited to options that work well outside the US.. thank you so much mgmueller!! I'm still undecided between Nook and Kindle though
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Old 07-08-2010, 08:48 AM   #668
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this is a fantastic thread! especially love reading it as I"m also limited to options that work well outside the US.. thank you so much mgmueller!! I'm still undecided between Nook and Kindle though
Between nook and Kindle 2 or Kindle DX (Graphite)?
If you're checking out Kindle 2 (which makes sense in comparison to nook), personally I'd recommend nook.
I love its design (Kindle 2 isn't ugly either, but doesn't quite make it for me) and you easily can softroot it.
AND: When softrooting, you can exchange nook's AT&T SIM and replace with your own. So you've got working WiFi AND 3G outside of US.

Last edited by mgmueller; 07-08-2010 at 08:51 AM.
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Old 07-08-2010, 10:17 AM   #669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetpea View Post
Hm, that's a significant difference in blackness of the text...
But a really disappointing lack of added background whiteness. The video of the pearl demo looked to have an amazingly white background. So most of the 50% bump in contrast is due to the font resolution?

mgmueller, we can always depend on you for great info. This may be a scoop--the first real world screen comparison pics?
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Old 07-08-2010, 10:38 AM   #670
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Thank you for the replies.

I didn't know I could strip DRM.

Edy
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Old 07-08-2010, 11:39 AM   #671
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Originally Posted by jj2me View Post
But a really disappointing lack of added background whiteness. The video of the pearl demo looked to have an amazingly white background. So most of the 50% bump in contrast is due to the font resolution?

mgmueller, we can always depend on you for great info. This may be a scoop--the first real world screen comparison pics?
I guess my pic just wasn't good enough. In "real life" DX Graphite's background in fact is a bit less grey than the former DX's background. But it's not a significant difference.
Attached another try, Kindle DX Graphite again.
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Old 07-09-2010, 04:49 AM   #672
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Hi Mgmueller,

I'm interested in big-screen readers, and have narrowed it down to the Kindle DX G, the Sony 900 and the Irex 800 (I'm not sure I can even buy the latter two here in Austria).

For my work I frequently have to print out many pages of text, which I then proofread and correct by hand before making the final corrections on the computer. I find that when I proofread texts on the computer itself, I miss too many typos.

Instead of printing out such texts, I would like to use an ereader for proofreading and marking up the text before making the final corrections on the computer.

Which ereader, if any, do you think would be most suitable for such a task?

Thanks!
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Old 07-09-2010, 07:38 AM   #673
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*jawdrop* That's quite a collection. So, I have a comparisson question. Like emai7s2 I want a reader for scientific/reference ebooks... that means tables, graphs, figures. In your experience with direct comparisson.... which one is the best, the new Kindle Graphite or the iPad... OR... should I better wait for other readers later this year?

GJMS
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Old 07-09-2010, 08:58 AM   #674
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Hi Mgmueller,

I'm interested in big-screen readers, and have narrowed it down to the Kindle DX G, the Sony 900 and the Irex 800 (I'm not sure I can even buy the latter two here in Austria).

For my work I frequently have to print out many pages of text, which I then proofread and correct by hand before making the final corrections on the computer. I find that when I proofread texts on the computer itself, I miss too many typos.

Instead of printing out such texts, I would like to use an ereader for proofreading and marking up the text before making the final corrections on the computer.

Which ereader, if any, do you think would be most suitable for such a task?

Thanks!
Hi,
as far as I know, Sony 900 still only is available in the US. There are lots of options to get it. B&H Photo for example should have it, so you wouldn't have to pay brokerage fees. Shipment will be about $ US 40.
iRex 800 is less complicated to get. You still should be able to order directly from iRex in the Netherlands. Being under chapter 11 doesn't mean, they don't exist anymore. And I haven't heard anything else about them.
Amazon is shipping globally and their logistics are absolutely phantastic. Shipment will be $ US 20 to $ US 30 (without or with cover).

You've chosen display sizes > 6". This makes perfectly sense, especially when (proof)reading PDFs, which usually are DIN A4 or letter format.
Still I'd like to bring another unit to the table: BeBook Neo/Onyx Boox. It's HarryT's favorite - and he's doing a lot of proofreading.

Concerning the readers you've mentioned:
Sony 900 I like a lot. Its design is phantastic. It's really a joy to hold it in my hands. BUT: I find the screen size convenient for casual reads. But I don't see any advantage of the slightly bigger screen for "professional" documents. The 2-page-mode is a nice idea, but I find it pretty useless. It's too small for me to read comfortably. And when I have to zoom in, the original benefit is lost.
Kindle DX I like both Kindles. Else I wouldn't have ordered the DX Graphite just a few days ago. But, in my opinion, their PDF support still is very basic. And for proofreading, which usually means adding comments, mark sentences and add corrections, I'd always prefer a touchscreen unit.
iRex 800 is such a touchscreen unit and, since the firmware update, one of the best in the market. Its design is nice enough, the form factor is great and the touchscreen features are tops.

So my recommendations:
Of the readers you've named, I'd choose iRex 800.
Second choice would be Sony 900 (for your needs).
In addition, I'd take a look at BeBook Neo as well. Only 6", but tons of features. Personally, I prefer iRex 800, but BeBook Neo has lots of fans out there...

Last edited by mgmueller; 07-09-2010 at 11:47 AM.
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Old 07-09-2010, 09:09 AM   #675
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*jawdrop* That's quite a collection. So, I have a comparisson question. Like emai7s2 I want a reader for scientific/reference ebooks... that means tables, graphs, figures. In your experience with direct comparisson.... which one is the best, the new Kindle Graphite or the iPad... OR... should I better wait for other readers later this year?

GJMS
Although I just got my Kindle DX Graphite, I wouldn't recommend any Kindle for your needs.
The zoom of Kindle for PDFs isn't the worst in the market. But it's very limited. Other readers offer a bigger variety of zooming options: Zoom to width, zoom to height, zoom by X%, ....
And what I really prefer for your needs. Zooming freely. Meaning: Mark any area of the document and explode to full screen. You need a touchscreen for this of course.
So I'd recommend iRex 800 or BeBook Neo/Onyx Boox (same hardware, different but exchangeable firmware) for your task.

iPad is a tough one. Personally, I don't read much on it. For me, it's for surfing, checking emails, online banking and all those web related tasks.
And I read magazines on it.
For books it's fine, but I still prefer ePaper. Not so much because of the contrast, but mainly because of the battery and the weight.
When surfing the web and doing my other stuff, battery of iPad runs dry in less than 8 hours. That's way too little for a business trip of 2 or 3 days. So I still use one of my ePaper readers for reading and iPad for the rest.
And personally (but that's just a matter of taste) I prefer the WACOM tablet readers (iRex 800, BeBook Neo/Onyx Boox, ...) and their stylus for marking text, adding comments and things like that. Doing the same with my finger on iPad seems a bit ridiculous to me. And I don't like the styli for iPad.
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