e reader for techies

[lostsoul62]

I don't won't to download 1500 books. I don't want to download any books thought wireless. I don't need wireless. I just need an e reader to upload a couple of techie books so I can bring with me and so I can do word searches and so worth for greater understanding and ease. Does anything like this exist or do I still have to wait to technology to catch up?

[zetareticuli]

I am assuming all these manuals are PDF. In my opinion, you need a large screen for that. A 6" is not good enough and I have tried many. Today, right now, there is only one product like that: the Kindle DX/Graphite. And this one is seriously lacking features when it comes to PDF.

Now, there will be a wider variety of devices later this year and early 2011. One of them is the Pocketbook 901.

There are methods to format PDF files to display on 6" devices but that is not helpful for PDF files I read. Others have been successful with this approach, though.

[Noah98]

Originally Posted by lostsoul62

I don't won't to download 1500 books. I don't want to download any books thought wireless. I don't need wireless. I just need an e reader to upload a couple of techie books so I can bring with me and so I can do word searches and so worth for greater understanding and ease. Does anything like this exist or do I still have to wait to technology to catch up?

The Pandigital Novel would work after you hack it and install some software (actually really easy to do). You can get one for $124 (that includes tax) after rebate and a coupon.

Android has a few good, free PDF reading programs like Adobe Reader and Beamreader (Beamreader does word searches, and you can zoom and reflow). The Pandigital Novel has a 7 inch backlit touchscreen, wifi, and decent battery life.

[zetareticuli]

Wasn't the Pandigital Novel recalled as a result of so many issues? I don't think it is being sold anywhere right now. Correct me if I am wrong...

[zsmomma]

Originally Posted by zetareticuli

Wasn't the Pandigital Novel recalled as a result of so many issues? I don't think it is being sold anywhere right now. Correct me if I am wrong...

They're back on the market. At Bed, Bath, and Beyond. There's a $20 mail in rebate and you can get a 20% coupon (not sure where, maybe through the mailers?)

[zetareticuli]

Interesting. Have all the problems been corrected or are there still glitches here and there? I recall that the touchscreen was very unresponsive. It required the user to tap it a few times for it to respond. At times, it wouldn't respond at all and the device needed to be restarted. Is everything working well now?

[Noah98]

Originally Posted by zetareticuli

Interesting. Have all the problems been corrected or are there still glitches here and there? I recall that the touchscreen was very unresponsive. It required the user to tap it a few times for it to respond. At times, it wouldn't respond at all and the device needed to be restarted. Is everything working well now?

The main issue with the Pandigital Novel in the past was that the firmware had many issues, and rather than just put it out as is, Pandigital decided to recall it (actually before it officially went on sale), work on the firmware, and re-release it. Some people were still able to get them before the recall, but most had to wait.

It has been re-released now and is readily available at Bed, Bath and Beyond, most Kohls stores, and various other retailers.

For the most part, the new firmware available on the Pandigital website fixes the majority of the problems. I find the touchscreen to be fine, and haven't had any problems with responsiveness. The only issue that still needs to be sorted is that the wifi sometimes drops unexpectedly, or has problems when waking from sleep. This doesn't happen all the time, but enough that it is a minor annoyance. However, the wifi continues to improve with each firmware release.

Also, after the hack the device becomes very versatile and responsive.

[zetareticuli]

Noah, thanks for the detailed explanation. I am curious, after the hack and the jailbreaking, can you read PDFs on it? How are PDFs displayed? I am wondering how complex PDFs (technical manuals, scientific, etc) display on it. It seems to me the 7" display is small for most technical PDFs.

[Noah98]

Originally Posted by zetareticuli

Noah, thanks for the detailed explanation. I am curious, after the hack and the jailbreaking, can you read PDFs on it? How are PDFs displayed? I am wondering how complex PDFs (technical manuals, scientific, etc) display on it. It seems to me the 7" display is small for most technical PDFs.

Well, the default Barnes and Noble app allows you to read PDF's, but not very well.

With the hack, you have a lot of options:

Adobe Reader: good display, but not many options.
Beamreader: can do word searches
Documents to go: Very full featured app
...and various other options!

Although the display is small, you can use the touchscreen to pan around the document and zoom in and out. Most of the apps allow for reflow as well.

[zetareticuli]

Thank you for the info. I will check it out for sure. I will try to find a local store that carries it so that I can try it.

[Noah98]

Today a new hack was discovered to enable the Google Marketplace. It took some time, but I finally figured it out and have it working. Having the official app store for installs and updates is very useful!

[davidspitzer]

What is your budget