Best for PDFs

[amiami]

Hi all,

I read a lot of A4 PDF files and want a small device to read them on the go. With more and more models coming out I've started looking at the list below.

Can anyone make any suggestions? I want to avoid resizing PDF files and be selective about them.

Many thanks
Ami

Readius by Polymer Vision (2008)
Astak Mentor (2008)
BeBook Reader by Endless Ideas (2008)
GeR2 by Ganaxa (2007)
Kindle by Amazon (2007)
Cybook Gen3 by Bookeen (2007)
FLEPia by Fujitsu (2007)
Hanlin eReader by Jinke
Sony Reader by Sony (2006)
ILiad by iRex (2006)
Librié by Sony (2004)

[DaleDe]

You will need to eliminate all of the 6" devices (and smaller). That leaves one unit - The Irex iLiad. In you list you also list some devices that are not ready to be delivered and won't be until near the end of 2008 or later. These are the 9.7" devices which are on the drawing boards by several vendors you have listed. So, you are left with the iLiad and its 8" screen which displays A4 PDF's well by using landscape mode and displaying them 1/2 page at a time.

Dale

[TheJohnNewton]

You best bet would be a reader with a screen size close to that of A4 so that would eliminate all the 6 inch screen readers such as the Kindle and Sony. I don't know the specifics of all the models you listed but I do have a friend who uses an Iliad for working on 8.5x11 pdfs which is pretty close right?

Oops, I see DaleDe answered as I was typing. Well at least we concur I didn't realize they were viewed landscape though.

[seajewel]

while the iLiad is the best suited for this purpose, it is important to note one of the biggest drawbacks of the iLiad: much much shorter battery life. I think it is little more than 10 hours use.

[amiami]

thanks for the quick replies!

I would need a 5-6 inch device (much more practical and mobile...)

I realise it's tricky - I heard you can resize pdf files...

any thoughts on the mater?

Regards,
Andy

[axel77]

Originally Posted by amiami

thanks for the quick replies!

I would need a 5-6 inch device (much more practical and mobile...)

I realise it's tricky - I heard you can resize pdf files...

any thoughts on the mater?

Regards,
Andy

Take a paper cut out a 6inch hole (this is smaller than A6!, not even a quarter of the A4), then printout one of the a4 papers,ile moving the hole around. Then you get the feeling how it is like reading an A4 pape then put the paper with the hole on the printout, and try to study that paper whr on a small screen.

Zooming only works a bit, soon the letters would be too small to read, normal A4 printouts are already at the size convenient for the eye. The smaller you zoom the more strain on the eyes.

I'd go for a screen as big as possible if your target is observe a4 pdfs.

[amiami]

Just to move away from my previous post

Around 50% of my PDF files are ebooks like the sort you'd download from amazon. So given the list below, what would you say is the best device out there (I'm still viewing PDF files, only they are the right size...)

Many thanks guys
Andy

Readius by Polymer Vision (2008)
Astak Mentor (2008)
BeBook Reader by Endless Ideas (2008)
GeR2 by Ganaxa (2007)
Kindle by Amazon (2007)
Cybook Gen3 by Bookeen (2007)
FLEPia by Fujitsu (2007)
Hanlin eReader by Jinke
Sony Reader by Sony (2006)
ILiad by iRex (2006)
Librié by Sony (2004)

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by amiami

Around 50% of my PDF files are ebooks like the sort you'd download from amazon.

Do you mean Secure Adobe ebooks? These are sometimes called PDFs, but in any case they are only readable by Adobe Digital Editions or some otherwise obsolete versions of Adobe PDF reading software. There is no E-Ink based device that can read these at present, but Sony says they will have Digital Editions on the PRS-505 and this might (or might not) be able to read them.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by amiami

Readius by Polymer Vision (2008)
Astak Mentor (2008)
BeBook Reader by Endless Ideas (2008)
GeR2 by Ganaxa (2007)
Kindle by Amazon (2007)
Cybook Gen3 by Bookeen (2007)
FLEPia by Fujitsu (2007)
Hanlin eReader by Jinke
Sony Reader by Sony (2006)
ILiad by iRex (2006)
Librié by Sony (2004)

Good sources of information are the E-book Reader Matrix and OpenInkpot. Some you can definitely exclude:

1. Readius (small, low resolution, not available)
2. Libre (1st gen Sony, no longer sold)
3. FLEPia (very expensive, available only in Japan)

The BeBook is a Jinke Hanlin V3 (so are lBook V3, DigiBook Reader V3, Apolo-Hanlin V3, Walkbook). The GeR2 is a rebaged Netronix EB-600 (so also are Explay TXT.BOOK, STAReBOOK STK-101, Orsio b721). The Cybook Gen3 is the same EB-600 hardware, but with different software.

The iLiad is hands down the best at displaying A4 PDFs. Of the devices with 6" screens, I don't know if there is a best. The Kindle has no native PDF capability, but this may not matter because the most broadly successful approach is off-line conversion to images. There are probably more off-line converters for the PRS-505, but that does not help if they are all less than what you want. Some people are happy with one approach or another for A4 PDFs on 6" E-Ink, but most people are not. The Astak line is not yet available, but if its 6" screen device runs WinCE, it might have a different PDF reader to try than the current Linux based devices. Similarly, like the Sony PRS-505, if it comes with Adobe Digital Editions it will presumably have Adobe's best technology for displaying PDFs on smallish screens. The 9.7" Astak, like any device with this screen, will have a huge head start in displaying A4 PDFs (since the screen is essentially A5 size). None of the 9.7" devices will be available until late this year at best.

[lordmax]

Hi

[QUOTE=amiami;208596]Just to move away from my previous post

Around 50% of my PDF files are ebooks like the sort you'd download from amazon. So given the list below, what would you say is the best device out there (I'm still viewing PDF files, only they are the right size...)

[quote]

I'm using an iLiad for reading a great amount of PDF, the most of them are originally on A4.
I'd used CyBook for a while but it's really too small for PDF.

For your eyes believe in me.... use an iLiad. ^___^

[skoobwoman]

I've only used the Kindle, the iLiad and the two Sonys (old and newest). Those are what I can judge by. The new Sony is hands down the best device for PDFs UNLESS they are Scanned. The iLiad is the only one that has a reasonable zoom for reading these since they can't be reflowed. Unless I'm doing something wrong, the Sony allows for Zoom on just one page at a time and the zoom bar blocks the text. If you close the zoom bar or change pages, the text defaults back to the non-zoomed version. With that one exception, while both read PDF files, the new Sony is much easier I find, in terms of zooming. Skoobwoman

[redbaron101]

hi,

Ive got a bebook which I bought a few weeks ago, I have a lot of pdfs, but they generally dont cut the mustard on a bebook, the bebook (and other hanlin clones) have three levels of zoom for their pdfs - first one displays the whole pdf page including the margins - depending on the font of the pdf the letters are usually extremely small, on the second zoom the margins are cut out and the reading is usually bearable (again depending on the font), on the third zoom the page is rotated and you effectively can see the fisrt half of the page, pressing next page shows the bottom half of the pdf. On the second and third level zooms pages are readable, if not a tad bit small.

Having spoken with other users the general concensus is that if you are after just reading 'normal' ebooks, a 6" device is king, but for pdfs you really need to look at the iLiad - I've been told the new iLiad (DR1000), while not looking the greatest is actually extremely good for pdfs.

Be warned though there a quite a number of users that have bought their Iliad for study, but then sold them afterwards to get a 6" device for 'normal' reading, while the reader excels at pdfs, is not comfortable enough for everday casual use.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by redbaron101

Be warned though there a quite a number of users that have bought their Iliad for study, but then sold them afterwards to get a 6" device for 'normal' reading, while the reader excels at pdfs, is not comfortable enough for everday casual use.

I agree with this if you often read away from home. If you do all or almost all of your reading at home, then the iLiad's 8" screen is better than any 6" screened device in my opinion. The new iRex DR1000S is significantly larger than the iRex iLiad, and it is definitely better for PDFs but I don't know if I would find it better for ebook reading around the house or if it would be too large.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

I agree with this if you often read away from home. If you do all or almost all of your reading at home, then the iLiad's 8" screen is better than any 6" screened device in my opinion. The new iRex DR1000S is significantly larger than the iRex iLiad, and it is definitely better for PDFs but I don't know if I would find it better for ebook reading around the house or if it would be too large.

I sold my iLiad for two main reasons - the long boot-up time (around 45s) and the fact that I found it too large to conveniently carry around.

If you read mainly at home, then I agree, it's better than a 6" device, but it you want to carry it around, if or you read in short "bursts" rather than sustained sessions, then for me personally it was far from ideal.