I'm looking for a new device

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Jaie

I can actually read books on my LG from Verizon. But, tiny tiny screen. And really annoying when you are trying to read say, Gibbon's Fall of Rome or something involved like that.

Which is one major reason I don't want to try that on a phone.

On my PDA, I can use custom fonts and get a reasonable amount of text on screen.

I've been researching this question for months and it seems to get more confusing sometimes I know I'd like to be able to read PDFs, but it's not a deal breaker. I'd also like to be able to use the plucker format on Gutenberg, but again, not a deal breaker.

PDFs are problematic on a Palm OS device. There is a superb open source PDF viewer called PalmPDF, which has handled everything I've thrown at it. But it doesn't handled DRMed PDFs, and most PDFs don't reflow well on small screens, so I get PDFs only when there is no other option.

Plucker requires either a Palm device, or there is a an open source viewer for Plucker documents on Windows Mobile called Vade Mecum.

If you have a browser that can handle the actual PG HTML without requiring conversion, no need for a Plucker file. Just grab the HTML.

My big thing is, does it handle HTML well, and is it mandatory that I use the books offered by the manufacturer poor college student, can't invest $9.99 each time I want a Kindle book. Or, if I can use a book from anyplace, is it going to be simple to convert it to the format I need in order to install it on my reader. I'm not really that determined to have wifi, it simply would be easier to download books that way, and not have to move files from one electronic to the next. (I'm apparently that lazy )

I can't tell you about mandatory texts without know which they are. But I'll bet that if they are available in electronic form, it will be PDF.

And of course, storage is a concern. I enjoy reading, otherwise I wouldn't have a personal book collection (I'm on librarything as Jaie if you ever get curious) and I don't want something that'll hold 4 books and then I need to delete in order to store more.

Which means you really want something that can store books on an expansion card.

My device has two SD card slots, with a 2GB card in each. Card one has 3,210 Plucker documents occupying about 1.5GB. Card two has 335 Mobipocket documents taking 114MB. Then there is a miscellaneous assortment of files in PDF, text, RTF and Word format.

I like having a full library in my pocket.

So, now to continue narrowing down I suppose.

I think so.
______
Dennis

[JSWolf]

If you really need to have text books with you all the time, then the best best is a laptop where the screen can do double duty as a tablet. The iLiad is currently the best eink device for dealing with PDF. It has a touch screen and you can take notes with it. But in most cases, I don't see a computer or reader taking the place of the big heavy hardback text books.

[zelda_pinwheel]

well, this won't help you narrowing things down , but since you're on a budget you might want to look at the ebookwise 1150. i just got one last month on ebay ; i think it cost me around 130$ including around 30$ shipping (to France... it would be cheaper for you), and while it does have some disadvantages (no e-ink screen, alas, and it's on the heavy side if you want to carry it with you a lot, in my opinion anyway) overall i think it's a brilliant device and quite possibly one of the best designs in ergonomic terms including the more recent ones (but i've never had the opportunity to try any others so i can't make a true comparison).

some excellent features particularly for students :
- price (check on ebay, they are around 100€ with a memory card included)
- dictionary look-up (mine came with the webster's dictionary, many others are available), one of my favorite features
- bookmarks
- search feature
- touch screen and stylus to add notes (you can add a blank page to write more, or just highlight / underline / write in the margins) which is useful for reseach
- very easy to read gutenberg project books on it (that's what i use mine for, mainly), as it can easily convert several different text formats and html.

some drawbacks :
- no wifi
- no e-ink screen
- the memory cards are limited in size (i can't remember how big), but i already have dozens of books on mine and it's only half full, and you can always store the extras on your computer
- battery is not user replaceable, however it does hold a charge for a loooong time (i've only recharged mine once since i got it and i've used it several hours every day).

you can get a lot of good info on this site, that's how i made up my mind. check the wiki for example if you want more specifics.

[Jaie]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

well, this won't help you narrowing things down , but since you're on a budget you might want to look at the [B]ebookwise 1150

I have looked at those actually. And it's an option for sure. I liked the looks of them (hey, I'm a female, it's all about looks sometimes ) and the price was great.

To answer something else, I don't *need* to carry texts all the time, but anything I can do to cut down on the amount of texts is a Good Thing™. Textbooks are outrageous expensive in case you aren't in school or don't have kids in school. My own math book was $130 and that didn't cover the lab pack. So it's not about saving money on the device as much as it is saving money on the sheer amount of books I buy, not just for school but for mundane life.

I'm narrowed down to the bookwise and the reader thus far. I have to say for the reader it's all aesthetics.

[iAmBeer]

I'm reading "Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits" text book on my iliad.
I use zoom func. from iLiad and I'm satisfied from its display result.
The text size is readable and all the equations and graphs are well displaying

[aapezzuto]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

...you might want to look at the ebookwise 1150.

I was thinking about making this sugestion as well. These really are the work horses of the last generation of ebook readers (and the only real survivors). Its batery life is only about 15-20 hours if the backlight is turned up to 50-60%. And I have replaced the batteries in my wife's one (its actually an reb1100).

This is the perfect low end work horse to read on. The limit is 128mb. If you have no images the standard 300-400 page fiction paperback is about 500k, so thats 250 books that fit on there.

The last thing you have to consider is how much time you are willing to spend formating your text. Though I love our 1100, It takes more TLC to get a readable book than our sony 505.

The long and the short of it is, if your a technophile then you'll find a way to make any device that you like work... If you just want to read text, this is a great option, If you need the "perfect solution" come back in another 10-20 years and we will be closer.

Hell, all of this is worlds better that what we use to use ...

[talaivan]

I'm not sure that epaper is that much superior to a good backlit screen. The Nokia n800 has an extremely clear, high-res color screen and allows the backlight to be adjusted from very weak to quite strong (the 2008 OS is less accommodating this way, cutting out the very low settings -- which is why I haven't switched). I have a Sony 505 and have the same material on both, but I tend to use the Nokia. It's easier to carry around, is much faster, the buttons are customizable in FB, and in spite of what people say I don't find it harder on the eyes. Note that the screen of the n800 is quite a bit better than the n770.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by aapezzuto

what we use to use ...

heh... suddenly my eb1150 seems almost like a feather...

aapezzuto, do you mind my asking how you replaced the batteries in your wife's reb 1100 ? that is one of my biggest worries with mine, what to do when the battery eventually dies, so if it's possible to replace it myself i would love to know how ! i should mention i don't have much experience repairing electronics and i don't think i could resolder anything if that is required, but if you could tell me approximately how you did it (and what kind of battery i need) maybe at worst i could find someone who could do that for me. if it can be done with just a screwdriver i'm pretty sure i could handle it ! perhaps it's not a good idea to hijack this post for that (not really on topic) but if you wanted to explain in a new post that would be brilliant... i'm sure i'm not the only one interested.

as for formatting text for the eb1150, i've only just started to try to learn how to do things like make a clickable TOC but if it's just a question of getting a .doc or .rtf or whatever onto the book, at first i used the filament books site with almost no intervention before hand. the site did the format conversion for me and it really couldn't have been easier, and the result is quite satisfactory i think. maybe my standards are low because i don't know how good it could be...

[renderstudio]

I really, really love my nokia 770. I geek out with making the background image black and the text glowing green. My favorite feature is that I can change text size, font, and screen orientation on the fly (lay in bed, on stomach, reader close, font small-lounge at starbucks, gadget at arm's length, font large). It's wi-fi often ignores wep keys and let's me surf (don't know how, not going to ask). I literally have 800 books stored in its card. In a pinch it is a laptop replacement for a weekend. I ditched the metal half-case for a slim black aluminium second-skin from box-wave, and it's pretty bad-ass.

I have successfully dropped a bunch of textbook-like pdfs on it. no problems. since it is so compact, it fits well in large coat pockets and small backpack pockets.

Did I mention that it is kinda bad-ass?

When I do finally have the opportunity to pick up an e-ink reader, I am going to go for the Cybook. The kindle is too ungainly for my tastes, and I am still angry with Sony about the whole MiniDisk thing.

[eno]

Originally Posted by Jaie

OK, I've looked at the N800 and the 770. My question is this, every one I've seen doesn't strike me as a "reader" but more of something like a blackberry. Is this device simply not the same as say, the Sony reader? It's more multi use than *just* a book reader?

The Nokia is an excellent reading device. The web browser and PDF viewer are good. And there's lots of additional apps for this device. NB: The N800 is a bargain right now ($230) on Amazon and buy.com - you can flash upgrade it to the same software as the new N810.

[eno]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

The 810 uses a micro-SD card.

Not quite right - it uses miniSD. You could use smaller formats too with an adapter.

[sheygetz]

Quite a few people have been mentioning the various versions of the Nokia tablet. Now, I understand this has a 4.13" screen with 800x480 Pixel. If one is willing to make do with that, why not go with a pda? HP will be offering a new Ipaq 214 from sometime in Feb which has a 4"-TFT-display with 64k colors and 480x640. In Europe this will sell for about 330EUR, roughly the same as the N810. But, it will be a much more versatile machine.

Hendrik

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by sheygetz

If one is willing to make do with that, why not go with a pda? HP will be offering a new Ipaq 214 from sometime in Feb which has a 4"-TFT-display with 64k colors and 480x640. In Europe this will sell for about 330EUR, roughly the same as the N810. But, it will be a much more versatile machine.

Hendrik

Hi Hendrik,

I used an HP iPaq 4900 (which I still have) as a book reader for a couple of years; it has exactly the screen you describe - 4", 640x480, 64k colours. Quite nice to read on, but certainly nothing even approaching as nice as the eInk devices I now use.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by sheygetz

Quite a few people have been mentioning the various versions of the Nokia tablet. Now, I understand this has a 4.13" screen with 800x480 Pixel. If one is willing to make do with that, why not go with a pda? HP will be offering a new Ipaq 214 from sometime in Feb which has a 4"-TFT-display with 64k colors and 480x640. In Europe this will sell for about 330EUR, roughly the same as the N810. But, it will be a much more versatile machine.

Why do you think the Ipaq is more versatile?

I am waiting for the N810 I have ordered. being able to program it myself, the built in keyboard and the built in GPS makes it for me much more versatile than a Windows based Ipaq.

[sheygetz]

Originally Posted by tompe

...being able to program it myself, the built in keyboard and the built in GPS makes it for me much more versatile than a Windows based Ipaq.

Well, if you can program it to sync with my (and about everbody else's) Outlook and - though in a limited fashion - with Office, run Tom-Tom and MS Reader ...

Let's face it, most people do not have your ability (or, if they did, the time) to program this or any other device, but rather have it work out of the box. Especially given the fact, that at least in Europe this "raw" N810 is more expensive than the Ipaq. Plus, obviously, if I wanted a GPS, phone, radio, keyboard or cocktail-shaker there are other PPCs to fulfill the obscurest desires . I picked this one for the screen real estate.

Hendrik