budget e-link reader for pdf reading?

[muffinman123]

which of the cheap popular ones have the best support for pdf right now? I don't mind standard small screen if there's good enough zooming and scrolling capability for the reader.

budget, e-ink and pdf capability are my primary concerns, although I am guessing lower budget automatically means small form factor so I probably can't find anything bigger than 6 inch screen at that price range.

[susan_cassidy]

PDF is not a good format for a 6-inch screen, if the PDF files are created for an 8.5 x 11 inch page. PDF is not really an ebook format. Go with a tablet with a bigger screen if you are primarily interested in reading pdf files.

[charmian]

E-ink is just bad at zooming and scrolling. Try getting a cheap LCD tablet, like a refurb Nook Color (not Nook Tablet).

[Xanthe]

The Aluratek Libre Pro and the Sony readers have PDF reflow support making them better choices for PDF. The Aluratek is priced inexpensively now. But like others have said, the 6" and smaller e-readers are not the best choice for PDF reading - and especially not for documents that have a lot of diagrams or pictures.

[muffinman123]

but budget e-readers can't possible have size larger than 6 inch right... can they? I could wait a bit longer for future models to come out, but Sony PRST 1 is on sale right now.

I want e-ink so I can read under the sun and longer battery life.

local store only has kobo, alura, sony and a few others for e-ink reader, and I guess sony PRST is worth forking out that extra few bucks to get, unless you guys have other suggestions.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/catego...=1&PageSize=15

http://www.futureshop.ca/Search/Sear...Category=28277

[Cdesja5]

Kobo Vox is a 7" Android reader tablet, is $179.99 (in canada) and marketed as being optimized for reading outdoors contrary to most tablets. Since you want cheap, pdf and to read outdoors, it's probably your best choice. You can add the Ezpdf or Aldiko or Mantano reading apps to read your pdf material.
Quote:
1. Display

Both Kindle Fire and Kobo Vox sport 7-inch multitouch color displays. Amazon has deployed IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment on Kindle Fire’s display that offers a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels at 169 ppi. Meanwhile, Kobo Vox’s display features a better resolution of 1024 x 800 pixels. Thanks to AFFS+ technology, the display of Vox has extra wide viewing angles and is optimized for reading in sunlight.

Winner: Kobo Vox as it has better screen resolution and AFFS+ technology.

Full article here:
http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/earl...n-kindle-fire/

PS contrary to what the article says, you can add a micro-sd card to the Vox to expand it's memory beyond the tablet's own 8 gb.

[apos]

Just another - critical - 2 cents about the Vox:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVgqwSWGwZ4

and full review: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/23/2...obo-vox-review

[muffinman123]

I guess I will have to wait another 2~3 years until e-ink technology advances some more and processors improves enough to read any pdf successfully.

[Cdesja5]

Originally Posted by apos

Just another - critical - 2 cents about the Vox:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVgqwSWGwZ4

and full review: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/23/2...obo-vox-review

There have been 3 updates since these reviews... Several of the points critiqued have been resolved or improved and are no longer relevant. These all date from November 2011.
I have a Vox ($179) as well as a Galaxy Tab ($500+) and although the Vox is not as "good" a tablet as the Samsung, it is a reader not a full-fledged tablet and runs basically what is a stock Gingerbread OS which can be easily rooted and customized or simply left as is using Kobo's ecosystem which is not limited to the US. As a reader it is quite acceptable, especially for someone new to the "tablet" world.

[apos]

Originally Posted by Cdesja5

There have been 3 updates since these reviews... Several of the points critiqued have been resolved or improved and are no longer relevant.

Could you tell us what improvements there have been made? It is clear, that a 800 MHz device cannot do wonders

BUT: if I remember right, one of the main critics in the above review was also the hardware of the screen, which was

1. not responsive (touch functionality)
2. has major drawbacks concerning the viewing angle
3. Also: can you confirm the special readability when in "outdoor" usage which is advertised by the manufactor. I couldn't find any real life demonstration about that feature!

Would be nice to see, if you could tell us a little bit more or point us to the right directions.

Thanks in advance.

[Cdesja5]

First of all, I wasn't saying that the Vox was in any way as great an experience as a true, full feature tablet. It is rather an "e-reader with benefits" and has the advantage of being inexpensive with a decent screen and easily available outside the US, contrary to the Kindle Fire and Nook Color.
The Vox is first and foremost a reader. The hardware of the screen was not the reason the responsiveness was lagging. The software update of March addressed the issue. The Vox is quite good for reading outdoors (except for direct sunlight) in my experience, as well as indoors where there is some glare from overhead lighting. That said, of course, it is NOT as good as an e-ink reader by any means. However, I would not read my Samsung in those circumstances but can generally read the Vox.
Besides assorted bug fixes and improvements, v1.9.17 improved the responsiveness of the touchscreen and fixed some connectivity problems. The new software also provides integration with Facebook Timeline. The viewing angle is +/- 89. That is quite good.
1.9.17 update (March 2012):
- improved recognition of page-turn taps
- Home screen correctly remembers your carousel choice
- Improved sync performance
- Fixed render of menu items when a word is highlighted
- Fixed trouble connecting with wifi
- Option to share your reading activity to Facebook Timeline
- Other stability and performance improvements
1.9.16 update (Dec 2011):
- Speed improvements to page turns & when performing searches
- Crisper sharper text
- A new recommended for you list, a listing of books related to your tastes.
- Changes to the home screen
1.9.15 update (Dec 2011)
• Resolved issue with battery level not reporting the correct charge.
• Resolved issue with some customers losing their WiFi connectivity.
• Improved video streaming.
• Improved the stability of device resuming from Standby mode.
• Plus various bug fixes.
A number of other enhancements were added at the same time:
- Updated reading menu
- Dictionary
- New Page themes
- New Fonts
- New Shelf Backgrounds
- Search Store from Android Search
--------------------------------------------------------
Here a some other reviews that talk about the screen:
http://ebookreader.org/kobo-vox-review.php
Quote: The other thing you need to check is whether the screen will work perfectly even in outdoor lighting. Like most screens these days, this one is glossy and very reflective. This means that outdoor reading will not be as enjoyable as with an E-Ink e-book reader. However, the screen of the Kobo Vox towers tall above majority of its peers in terms of outdoor reading. It is more than readable unless you expose it to direct sunlight. The text quality is as impressive as that of the Nook Color. The background is lighter and the text noticeably darker than on most other tablets.
.
http://goodereader.com/blog/electron...full-hands-on/
Quote: pdate 2: Many people have been asking about the new screen Kobo is using on their Vox. It is a AFFS display which is being billed as Anti-Glare! When we were in Toronto it was raining like crazy and we could not test it out in direct light. The one thing I can say is the screen pops, and I found it way better then resistive screens found in lower-end tablets. The big thing I noticed was that the resolution was tremendous and even with lots of overhead light there was little to no glare at all.
.
http://www.squidoo.com/kobo-vox-colo...-tablet-review
Quote: I have been using the Kobo Vox for about 6 months, and it has work great as a eReader Tablet. The screen is very sharp and easy to read text on websites, and eBooks. I think reading eBooks in color is also awesome since it allows me to see the color of a picture instead of just black and white like a eBook reader. I like using the Vox for reading ebooks because it takes less then a minute to start up, and It is always speedy, so I don't have to defrag the hard disk, run computer maintenance softtware, or update it because the Vox is a eReader and not a computer.
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/eboo.../kobo_vox.aspx
Reading Experience
While LCD screens are definitely inferior to E Ink for reading text, the Vox still provides a decent reading experience. The company boasts an FFS+ coating on the display in order to reduce glare in direct sunlight, the same coating used in airplane cockpits.
.
IMO, for someone from the general public (not a techie) looking for a "starter" tablet or an inexpensive device to read pdfs (and can't afford a "real" tablet) the Vox is a good choice.

[apos]

Thank you very much for this in deep informations

[jojoba]

Yes, I agree with others that e-ink readers (including Sony T1) are not functional for pdf reading. I got a tablet in the end - it is definitely your best option at the moment.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by muffinman123

which of the cheap popular ones have the best support for pdf right now? I don't mind standard small screen if there's good enough zooming and scrolling capability for the reader.

budget, e-ink and pdf capability are my primary concerns, although I am guessing lower budget automatically means small form factor so I probably can't find anything bigger than 6 inch screen at that price range.

Like other alread explained to you, 6" eink devices are not your best option. Too small, too slow for PDFs, plus lack of features.

While not eink, I would suggest a 1st generation iPad , even the 2nd generation. Their prices drop dramatically and used ones are a good deal. That plus GoodReader app would a a fantastic way to read PDFs.