to wait or to buy?

mousy courage · 12-05-2010, 02:15 AM

I'm trying to decide whether to pull the trigger and get an ebook reader now or not and if I do, which one.
On the one hand none of the devices currently on the market do even half of what I want. The Asus eee note comes really close (even though I'm a little bummed out about the LCD screen) but it's not out yet. Should I wait?

Of the devices that are out the ones that stand out to me are pocketbook ereaders and the kobo.
The kobo is really simple and easy for regular reading (of novels and the such) but not all my reading is simple. As a student I read the occasional PDF and the pocketbook ereaders (specifically the 301+ and the 602. I don't think I can spend more than $200 on an ebook reader) were attractive to me because they seem to have slightly superior PDF display capabilities because of the reflow mechanism they have (the PDFs I have worked with have been simple, mostly text and the ones that aren't purely text are usually powerpoints that have been converted into PDFs. Occasionally I will scan a book to read on my laptop because a 3lb laptop is lighter than a 5lb textbook so a decent PDF viewer on the ereader would be nice). I also like that the pocketbook ereaders can read multiple formats. This all being said I would most like to use the ebook reader at leisure. Would it be worth it to spend more money on the pocketbook ereader (I guess what I'm asking is if the PDF viewer is decent enough) or just settle for the kobo?

v1k1ng1001 · 12-05-2010, 02:47 AM

I'm in roughly the same boat and I think I'm going to spend more and get a pocketbook 602. The clincher is being able to drag and drop my files and browse by the file trees I've organized rather than the tags. The 302 is pretty nice too but I'm told that folks have been waiting forever for firmware/software updates to realize some of the features as well as the fact that the screen isn't quite as nice as the 602. The only thing about the 602 is the wonky keyboard. Check some of the vids on youtube and see which one floats your boat.

GA Russell · 12-05-2010, 03:02 AM

Last year the prices that came down for Christmas didn't go back up, so I recommend you wait a bit.

I also recommend that you consider a better screen than the eInk vizplex currently offered by PocketBook and Kobo. Don't make up your mind until you have considered the eInk pearl screens of the Sony and the Kindle and the reflective TFT screens of the jetBook, the jetBook Lite and the Aluratek Libre.

I am quite happy with my jetBook Lite now that it handles pdf reflow quite well with its latest firmware. It reads the ADE, eReader and B&N DRMs. It reads almost all of the formats, including ePub, mobi and rtf. Newegg currently has it for $89.

paola · 12-05-2010, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I also recommend that you consider a better screen than the eInk vizplex currently offered by PocketBook and Kobo. Don't make up your mind until you have considered the eInk pearl screens of the Sony and the Kindle and the reflective TFT screens of the jetBook, the jetBook Lite and the Aluratek Libre.

on screens, though I cannot find the original message in the Pocketbook forum, there is a video here comparing PB602 and Sony 650.

v1k1ng1001 · 12-05-2010, 04:49 AM

Yeah, the Sony 650 is definitely worth a look if you're hot on the 302. The Kindle has an amazing screen but doesn't fit my particular needs very well.

12-05-2010, 02:15 AM	#1
mousy courage Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kobo (non-wifi)	to wait or to buy? I'm trying to decide whether to pull the trigger and get an ebook reader now or not and if I do, which one. On the one hand none of the devices currently on the market do even half of what I want. The Asus eee note comes really close (even though I'm a little bummed out about the LCD screen) but it's not out yet. Should I wait? Of the devices that are out the ones that stand out to me are pocketbook ereaders and the kobo. The kobo is really simple and easy for regular reading (of novels and the such) but not all my reading is simple. As a student I read the occasional PDF and the pocketbook ereaders (specifically the 301+ and the 602. I don't think I can spend more than $200 on an ebook reader) were attractive to me because they seem to have slightly superior PDF display capabilities because of the reflow mechanism they have (the PDFs I have worked with have been simple, mostly text and the ones that aren't purely text are usually powerpoints that have been converted into PDFs. Occasionally I will scan a book to read on my laptop because a 3lb laptop is lighter than a 5lb textbook so a decent PDF viewer on the ereader would be nice). I also like that the pocketbook ereaders can read multiple formats. This all being said I would most like to use the ebook reader at leisure. Would it be worth it to spend more money on the pocketbook ereader (I guess what I'm asking is if the PDF viewer is decent enough) or just settle for the kobo?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Classic Buy or wait?	bmatt	Barnes & Noble NOOK	27	09-20-2010 12:24 PM
Buy now or wait?	txcheart	Which one should I buy?	11	08-22-2008 11:03 PM
Buy or wait	RobbieClarken	iRex	12	07-28-2008 10:03 PM
Buy now or wait?	ragdoll	Which one should I buy?	3	10-26-2007 04:01 PM
buy now or wait?	sorbix	iRex	3	05-07-2007 09:10 AM

12-05-2010, 02:47 AM	#2
v1k1ng1001 Addict Posts: 378 Karma: 1624276 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: South, South Texas Device: Pocketbook 620	I'm in roughly the same boat and I think I'm going to spend more and get a pocketbook 602. The clincher is being able to drag and drop my files and browse by the file trees I've organized rather than the tags. The 302 is pretty nice too but I'm told that folks have been waiting forever for firmware/software updates to realize some of the features as well as the fact that the screen isn't quite as nice as the 602. The only thing about the 602 is the wonky keyboard. Check some of the vids on youtube and see which one floats your boat.

12-05-2010, 03:02 AM	#3
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,583 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Last year the prices that came down for Christmas didn't go back up, so I recommend you wait a bit. I also recommend that you consider a better screen than the eInk vizplex currently offered by PocketBook and Kobo. Don't make up your mind until you have considered the eInk pearl screens of the Sony and the Kindle and the reflective TFT screens of the jetBook, the jetBook Lite and the Aluratek Libre. I am quite happy with my jetBook Lite now that it handles pdf reflow quite well with its latest firmware. It reads the ADE, eReader and B&N DRMs. It reads almost all of the formats, including ePub, mobi and rtf. Newegg currently has it for $89.

12-05-2010, 04:49 AM	#5
v1k1ng1001 Addict Posts: 378 Karma: 1624276 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: South, South Texas Device: Pocketbook 620	Yeah, the Sony 650 is definitely worth a look if you're hot on the 302. The Kindle has an amazing screen but doesn't fit my particular needs very well.