How is the PocketBook 626 Touch Lux 3 when it comes to reading scientific PDFs?

cheflo · 03-22-2017, 12:51 PM

Does anyone have any experience with the PocketBook 626 Touch Lux 3 when it comes to reading scientific PDFs?

I am looking for a device that is great for reading ebooks, and preferably also decent for reading and performing rudimentary annotation on scientific PDFs (2-3 columns, some figures). I am currently choosing between the Touch Lux 3 and the Kindle Paperwhite3 (a tablet is not an option for me due to eye strain).

The pocketbook is 30 CAD more expensive than the Kindle, for slightly worse screen resolution and slower processor. But pocketbook seems to have great PDF features based on this video. Hardware buttons, and support for all ebook formats are also advantages to me.

LucyOne · 03-22-2017, 01:56 PM

If the decision is between the Kindle and the Pocketbook, you can't go wrong with the PB. Kindle is terrible in handling PDF, PB has great features like reflow. You might consider getting the new PB Touch HD with more RAM and thus faster PDF handling.

cheflo · 03-22-2017, 02:21 PM

Thanks for the reply LucyOne! Have you tried reading a multicolum pdf with images on the pocketbook? If I have reached the end of the first column, will the device usually find the right starting point in the second column? Even if there are images or tables on top? This has been my biggest problem when trying my friend's kindle, I think the kindle is good for reading one column, but it is difficult to get to the next one, especially if there is some other element on the page apart from the two columns.

I also saw that someone mentioned that pocketbook is really slow in annotating PDFs with notes and highlights. Is this true in your experience, or is it pretty much as fast as with the kindle?

cheflo · 03-22-2017, 02:52 PM

And do you happen to know any places selling the Pocketbooks? I live in Toronto, Canada, and the cheapest I have found online is 175 CAD (~120EUR) for the Touch Lux 3 and 270 CAD (~190 EUR) for the Touch HD (shipping is really expensive for this one...).

rkomar · 03-23-2017, 12:04 AM

I don't think there is any 6" reader that is good for reading scientific two-column PDFs. You can do it, but it's no fun. You also brought up annotating. PocketBook devices allow you to annotate the PDFs, but it is in a proprietary format that isn't really portable to any other program out there. The annotations are designed to only be read on the device. So, you either need a larger ereader to read those PDFs, or use the 6" model for reading fiction and get a tablet for the papers.

P.S. I used to buy my PocketBook devices through a French webstore (Canada is considered to be in the Francophone region), and the shipping prices were reasonable. But the one French store left now (maliseuse.com) seems to be down for maintenance, and I don't know if you can buy ereaders there anymore. As you say, buying from other European shops can mean very high shipping costs.

nhedgehog · 03-23-2017, 07:06 AM

I agree to both of the previous writers. LucyOne is right the pdf performance of Pocketbooks is better than that of the kindle variety. But as rkomar states it is not very delightful to read the pdf's you mentioned on a 6" device. Even on some Android ereaders which offer some more comfortable apps to read pdf's it is still not very easy on the eye (fllackering, slow page turning, screen too small).

cheflo · 03-23-2017, 08:49 AM

Thanks for your advice everyone!
I tried a scientific PDF on my friend's Kindle Paperwhite3 and I think the 6 inch screen will not be a problem for me. Of course, it is difficult to view very complex figures and color images, but this is what I expected, and I primarily care about reading the text and viewing standard graphs/plots.

As long as the device does a good job following along the columns as I press next page, I think I will be happy with it. This was the only part I found annoying on the kindle, it would change the zoom level when switching columns if there was an image, table, or some differently formatted text above the columns on the page. If the Pocketbook handles this, I think it will be great for my needs!

nhedgehog · 03-23-2017, 08:51 AM

This is a problem, sometimes it will, often not.
This depends very much on the pdf and how it is created.

cheflo · 03-23-2017, 09:29 AM

That's unfortunate. Thanks for letting me know.

I previously heard a reviewer mention that the Pocketbook software is slower than Kindle and Kobo when it comes to reading PDFs. Is this something you have noticed? In their test they used a 100 MB PDF, which is much bigger than my typical uses (~0.5-3 MB, occasionally ~10-15 MB).

nhedgehog · 03-23-2017, 10:03 AM

Since you don't have a store nearby to check it, I offer you to videotest a pdf you provide. Just provide 2 (one normal and one of extreme proportions) and PM me a link to them.
I only have the PB 626 which is supposed to be a little slower than the PB631.

cheflo · 03-23-2017, 10:43 AM

Thank you! I just sent you a PM.

For reference, if anyone else is interested, I sent these two open access articles for testing:

1. A pretty standard pdf in my field, ~300 kb. http://msb.embopress.org/content/msb/5/1/326.full.pdf

2. A more complex article, some tables, and lots of small elements (even takes a while to load on my computer), ~10mb. http://msb.embopress.org/content/6/1/415.full.pdf

nhedgehog · 03-23-2017, 12:55 PM

I did the tests and the pocketbook looked better than expected in it. I have to convert the videos before giving links to them.

Pajamaman · 03-23-2017, 01:44 PM

You might consider an Onyx or a Boyue. Both are available on banggood. They Android OS readers which means you will have access to a lot of different PDF reading apps.

cheflo · 03-23-2017, 01:45 PM

Exciting!

nhedgehog · 03-23-2017, 01:56 PM

As requested:

Big size 17MB test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBVQwWq5nbg

Small size (250KB)test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtCg2zG8Dnk

03-22-2017, 12:51 PM	#1
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	How is the PocketBook 626 Touch Lux 3 when it comes to reading scientific PDFs? Does anyone have any experience with the PocketBook 626 Touch Lux 3 when it comes to reading scientific PDFs? I am looking for a device that is great for reading ebooks, and preferably also decent for reading and performing rudimentary annotation on scientific PDFs (2-3 columns, some figures). I am currently choosing between the Touch Lux 3 and the Kindle Paperwhite3 (a tablet is not an option for me due to eye strain). The pocketbook is 30 CAD more expensive than the Kindle, for slightly worse screen resolution and slower processor. But pocketbook seems to have great PDF features based on this video. Hardware buttons, and support for all ebook formats are also advantages to me.

03-23-2017, 12:04 AM	#5
rkomar Wizard Posts: 2,986 Karma: 18343081 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Sudbury, ON, Canada Device: PRS-505, PB 902, PRS-T1, PB 623, PB 840, PB 633	I don't think there is any 6" reader that is good for reading scientific two-column PDFs. You can do it, but it's no fun. You also brought up annotating. PocketBook devices allow you to annotate the PDFs, but it is in a proprietary format that isn't really portable to any other program out there. The annotations are designed to only be read on the device. So, you either need a larger ereader to read those PDFs, or use the 6" model for reading fiction and get a tablet for the papers. P.S. I used to buy my PocketBook devices through a French webstore (Canada is considered to be in the Francophone region), and the shipping prices were reasonable. But the one French store left now (maliseuse.com) seems to be down for maintenance, and I don't know if you can buy ereaders there anymore. As you say, buying from other European shops can mean very high shipping costs. Last edited by rkomar; 03-23-2017 at 12:07 AM.

03-23-2017, 01:56 PM	#15
nhedgehog Guru Posts: 746 Karma: 619508 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: EnergySistemEreaderPro, Nook STG, Pocketbook 622, Bookeen Cybooks ...	PDF performance on PB 626 As requested: Big size 17MB test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBVQwWq5nbg Small size (250KB)test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtCg2zG8Dnk Last edited by nhedgehog; 03-24-2017 at 01:30 AM.

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03-22-2017, 01:56 PM	#2
LucyOne Librocubicularist Posts: 617 Karma: 11908623 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Germany Device: PocketBook InkPad 3 & Touch HD 3, Kobo Clara HD, Kindle Paperwhite 5	If the decision is between the Kindle and the Pocketbook, you can't go wrong with the PB. Kindle is terrible in handling PDF, PB has great features like reflow. You might consider getting the new PB Touch HD with more RAM and thus faster PDF handling.

03-22-2017, 02:21 PM	#3
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	Thanks for the reply LucyOne! Have you tried reading a multicolum pdf with images on the pocketbook? If I have reached the end of the first column, will the device usually find the right starting point in the second column? Even if there are images or tables on top? This has been my biggest problem when trying my friend's kindle, I think the kindle is good for reading one column, but it is difficult to get to the next one, especially if there is some other element on the page apart from the two columns. I also saw that someone mentioned that pocketbook is really slow in annotating PDFs with notes and highlights. Is this true in your experience, or is it pretty much as fast as with the kindle?

03-22-2017, 02:52 PM	#4
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	And do you happen to know any places selling the Pocketbooks? I live in Toronto, Canada, and the cheapest I have found online is 175 CAD (~120EUR) for the Touch Lux 3 and 270 CAD (~190 EUR) for the Touch HD (shipping is really expensive for this one...).

03-23-2017, 07:06 AM	#6
nhedgehog Guru Posts: 746 Karma: 619508 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: EnergySistemEreaderPro, Nook STG, Pocketbook 622, Bookeen Cybooks ...	I agree to both of the previous writers. LucyOne is right the pdf performance of Pocketbooks is better than that of the kindle variety. But as rkomar states it is not very delightful to read the pdf's you mentioned on a 6" device. Even on some Android ereaders which offer some more comfortable apps to read pdf's it is still not very easy on the eye (fllackering, slow page turning, screen too small).

03-23-2017, 08:49 AM	#7
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	Thanks for your advice everyone! I tried a scientific PDF on my friend's Kindle Paperwhite3 and I think the 6 inch screen will not be a problem for me. Of course, it is difficult to view very complex figures and color images, but this is what I expected, and I primarily care about reading the text and viewing standard graphs/plots. As long as the device does a good job following along the columns as I press next page, I think I will be happy with it. This was the only part I found annoying on the kindle, it would change the zoom level when switching columns if there was an image, table, or some differently formatted text above the columns on the page. If the Pocketbook handles this, I think it will be great for my needs!

03-23-2017, 08:51 AM	#8
nhedgehog Guru Posts: 746 Karma: 619508 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: EnergySistemEreaderPro, Nook STG, Pocketbook 622, Bookeen Cybooks ...	This is a problem, sometimes it will, often not. This depends very much on the pdf and how it is created.

03-23-2017, 09:29 AM	#9
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	That's unfortunate. Thanks for letting me know. I previously heard a reviewer mention that the Pocketbook software is slower than Kindle and Kobo when it comes to reading PDFs. Is this something you have noticed? In their test they used a 100 MB PDF, which is much bigger than my typical uses (~0.5-3 MB, occasionally ~10-15 MB).

03-23-2017, 10:03 AM	#10
nhedgehog Guru Posts: 746 Karma: 619508 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: EnergySistemEreaderPro, Nook STG, Pocketbook 622, Bookeen Cybooks ...	Since you don't have a store nearby to check it, I offer you to videotest a pdf you provide. Just provide 2 (one normal and one of extreme proportions) and PM me a link to them. I only have the PB 626 which is supposed to be a little slower than the PB631.

03-23-2017, 10:43 AM	#11
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	Thank you! I just sent you a PM. For reference, if anyone else is interested, I sent these two open access articles for testing: 1. A pretty standard pdf in my field, ~300 kb. http://msb.embopress.org/content/msb/5/1/326.full.pdf 2. A more complex article, some tables, and lots of small elements (even takes a while to load on my computer), ~10mb. http://msb.embopress.org/content/6/1/415.full.pdf

03-23-2017, 12:55 PM	#12
nhedgehog Guru Posts: 746 Karma: 619508 Join Date: Sep 2013 Device: EnergySistemEreaderPro, Nook STG, Pocketbook 622, Bookeen Cybooks ...	I did the tests and the pocketbook looked better than expected in it. I have to convert the videos before giving links to them.

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03-23-2017, 01:44 PM	#13
Pajamaman Wizard Posts: 2,827 Karma: 10700629 Join Date: May 2016 Location: Canada Device: Onyx Nova	You might consider an Onyx or a Boyue. Both are available on banggood. They Android OS readers which means you will have access to a lot of different PDF reading apps.

03-23-2017, 01:45 PM	#14
cheflo Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2017 Device: none	Exciting!