e-reader for reading PDF-files on the go

[Belgi]

I would like to buy an reader for the main purpose of reading pdf
files (mostly textbooks, some are in the format of scanned images).

I would also prefer the device to be somewhat portable, since I will
be doing a lot of reading on buses (5 hours every week)

I did some research, but I still have a few questions and concerns
that I hope I can get help with:

1. I first considered getting the Kindle Paperwhite. But from reviews
I watched on Youtube, it seems that although this is great for e-book
its not good for pdf's. Is it indeed the case ? the PW have some great
features and is very portable as it is 6'' and so I really hesitate
about this product.

2. I also considered buying the M92. It have a larger display and
it seems to have a good pdf support - but the price it twice as much
as the price of the PW, it does not have a touch screen that works
with the hand and it doesn't have external light like in the PW.

I wonder if the case that the M92 comes with does have some kind of
a way to light the screen (I saw this feature on a kindle that does
not have an external light) ? as I am concerned with the readability
in different lighting conditions.

Is the problem with something like the PW is just the size, or the
firmware ?

In case its the latter, is there a good 6'' (or smaller than the
9.7'' display the M92 have) e-reader for this purpose ?

Do you think it is worth waiting for the new 9.7'' that Onyx will
release sometime in the future ? I am worried I'll buy this and the
new version will be resealed a few months afterward and for about
the same price . Link: https://onyx-boox.com/news/computex-2013-fair/

I would greatly appreciate to hear you opinions on the matter

[Randy11]

I have a M92, it's a good size for the PDF. You can display the full page, zoom in the page, use the portrait or landscape mode, works with multicomum documents. I had bought a M92 for the textbooks, and the technical papers.

I think that a small screen is not usable.

Do you must wait for the new model ? I don't know. "few months", it's an aim, but the reality could be very different.

PocketBook announce a 8", Onyx is working on a color 8", announce a new M92 (9.7",Android), Sony works on a 13". There is some projects for big screen. If you have the time ...

[markom]

If your pdf's are not in A4 format (21 cm page width) but with page width less than, let's say, 16-17 cm, you can read those pdf comfortably on almost every 6" reader in landscape mode after cropping/zooming, but to be always able to do that easily you should;

For Kindles install kindlepdfviewer(KOReader) thereon and for Sony PRS, Nook and other rootable android readers install good pdf reader like Orion.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2466450

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

If you don't want to install anything on e-reader, you can just easily crop the white borders (with Briss or Pdfscissors) beforehand and then print-to-file such cropped pdf in Adobe Reader (Poster mode 120x90 mm), in about 5-10 minutes for an average book, or use k2pdfopt application to do that in one go.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=440

For A4 pdf's the best solution is bigger e-ink like Kindle DX (with installed kindlepdfviewer), M92, Icarus Excell, Pocketbook 903/912 etc.

[Belgi]

Originally Posted by Randy11

Do you must wait for the new model ? I don't know. "few months", it's an aim, but the reality could be very different.

PocketBook announce a 8", Onyx is working on a color 8", announce a new M92 (9.7",Android), Sony works on a 13". There is some projects for big screen. If you have the time ...

I can wait a few month if needed, its not really urgent.

I looked at the new 13.3” Sony reader, it looks really nice and I can imagine that it saves up some time not having to zoom in and out (or zoom less).

Its just that the M92 is quite expansive for me, and I am willing to pay such a price for an e-reader but this e-reader should serve me in the next few years (I think about 3-4 years), but if the new models (such as the new M92 or the new Sony) will be a major improvement and will come out in 2013, I would rather wait for them.

[Randy11]

Originally Posted by Belgi

Its just that the M92 is quite expansive for me, and I am willing to pay such a price for an e-reader but this e-reader should serve me in the next few years (I think about 3-4 years), but if the new models (such as the new M92 or the new Sony) will be a major improvement and will come out in 2013, I would rather wait for them.

Yes, it's a good reason.

[Randy11]

Originally Posted by markom

If your pdf's are not in A4 format (21 cm page width) but with page width less than, let's say, 16-17 cm, you can read those pdf comfortably on almost every 6" reader in landscape mode after cropping/zooming, but to be always able to do that easily you should.

I'm curious to see the result. Could you post a picture of the following PDF on a 6" device ?
For the comparaison, I post a picture of my M92 with a ruler.

[Teknikal]

Personally I'd still avoid e-ink for pdf's, as well as the slow refresh they don't really have the ram available or raw grunt to deal with big pdf's in my personal opinion it's certainly doable but it doesn't make a very pleasant reading experience.

I've read a couple of pdf's on my Nexus 7 using mantano reader it has two pretty good modes one is page cropping which can make thing's much easier to read and the other text reflow which actually worked really good on one book I tried.

Just for the record I have attempted to read pdf's on my sony T1 a few times and never managed to complete the book I spent more time trying to make things readable than actually reading.

[markom]

Originally Posted by Randy11

I'm curious to see the result. Could you post a picture of the following PDF on a 6" device ?
For the comparaison, I post a picture of my M92 with a ruler.

That pdf page is 7,44 x 9.68 inch.

We can see exact pdf dimension by pressing Ctrl+D or using "Distance Tool" usually under the Menu--Comments--Measurements.

7,44 inch width is about 189 mm, so way more than recommended 16-17 cm for optimal size of letters after cropping of margins.

Margins on that page are about 19 mm each, meaning the text width itself is about 150 mm.

So, for 150 mm text to be comfortably legible on 12 cm (landscape width for 6" e-ink), its letters size sholud not be to small in original document, in the first place.

Here is your page cropped (in Briss) and printed in Adobe Reader (posters mode 4.7x3.54 inch or about 119x85 and 119x89).

First file takes three screens in e-reader, another one just two screens but has got 2-3 mm of unused space to the left and right (i.e. smaller letters).

[DSpider]

Here's hoping for a new Kindle with improved PDF support this Fall! But I kinda doubt it, since their focus is mainly on Mobi and KF8/AZW3 (and selling them in these formats). PDF support on Kindles always sucked for this very reason.

I guess we'll find out in the following months, eh?

[markom]

Originally Posted by DSpider

Here's hoping for a new Kindle with improved PDF support this Fall! But I kinda doubt it, since their focus is mainly on Mobi and KF8/AZW3 (and selling them in these formats). PDF support on Kindles always sucked for this very reason.

I guess we'll find out in the following months, eh?

As has already been mentioned on this page, Kindles are already very good for PDF's, but only after installation of kindlepdfviewer(KOReader) or Duokan.

Kindlepdfviewer also reads epub, djvu, cbz etc. so no need for conversions either, just maybe for cbr comics to cbz, which can be done in a minute, using just winrar app (first we unrar file(folder) and then save file as zip with minimal zip compression or without compression).

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho....php?p=2466450

[Randy11]

Originally Posted by markom

That pdf page is 7,44 x 9.68 inch.

We can see exact pdf dimension by pressing Ctrl+D or using "Distance Tool" usually under the Menu--Comments--Measurements.

7,44 inch width is about 189 mm, so way more than recommended 16-17 cm for optimal size of letters after cropping of margins.

Margins on that page are about 19 mm each, meaning the text width itself is about 150 mm.

So, for 150 mm text to be comfortably legible on 12 cm (landscape width for 6" e-ink), its letters size sholud not be to small in original document, in the first place.

Here is your page cropped (in Briss) and printed in Adobe Reader (posters mode 4.7x3.54 inch or about 119x85 and 119x89).

First file takes three screens in e-reader, another one just two screens but has got 2-3 mm of unused space to the left and right (i.e. smaller letters).

Thanks for the pictures. It's interesting. For me it, just a little, small.

With my M92, I crop the margin, I don't use an external tools. Could you make the same thing with your device ?

[JakeBadlands]

If you are going to read scientific books and technical documentation,
with color diagrams, it would be really important to have color E-Ink book.
Personally, I am going to wait for Pocketbook Color Lux, with Triton 2nd gen
color E-Ink screen, or a better alternative if it would come out suddenly

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JakeBadlands

If you are going to read scientific books and technical documentation,
with color diagrams, it would be really important to have color E-Ink book.
Personally, I am going to wait for Pocketbook Color Lux, with Triton 2nd gen
color E-Ink screen, or a better alternative if it would come out suddenly

The Triton screen as used on the Jetbook Color is pretty awful - the colours are washed out and murky, and the resolution is very poor, because the colour mask halves the linear resolution. Unless there have been dramatic improvements made in the new screen, I think you'll be disappointed. I would certainly try and see one before buying.