How bad of an idea is a DX Graphite these days?

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

I use a Dx regular for pdfs.

I have scripts to use either Willus's k2pdfopt or Ghostscript to pre-process pdfs for it. Some pdfs fail for various reasons.

Same for me with k2pdfopt. Though without any scripts, I just use the k2pdfopt GUI, tweaking until the Preview shows it's all good. k2pdfopt makes the DX a good PDF reader for some of us, for some PDFs.

Originally Posted by MarjaE

I have neurological issues and can't use bright screens or touch devices, so I am not aware of anything else which can replace the Dx. I know some Onyx Boox devices have large e-ink screens, and the Kindle Oasis has a moderate-sized e-ink screen, but they're very expensive and I'm not sure if they've solved the touchscreen accessibility issues.

I have an Oasis, and all controls except page turns must be done on the touchscreen.

[MarjaE]

Thank you. I understand there's a setting to turn off certain touch options to avoid accidental tapping/gestures...? I can't find anything on overlays and cutouts, but I understand they can also help avoid accidental tapping/gestures, and are available for some tablets.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

Thank you. I understand there's a setting to turn off certain touch options to avoid accidental tapping/gestures...? I can't find anything on overlays and cutouts, but I understand they can also help avoid accidental tapping/gestures, and are available for some tablets.

With Kobo Readers, you can set page turns to swipe so you cannot accidentally turn the page with a tap.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

With Kobo Readers, you can set page turns to swipe so you cannot accidentally turn the page with a tap.

This is an especially nice feature. For anyone who may be confused about the efficacy of such a control, it allows one to hold an ebook reader inside of the 'active' screen. This can result in two positive outcomes:

1) A better (stronger) grip on the device as one reads
2) Minimize accidental page turns as one fidgets and reads

[ratinox]

Terrible.

Copying myself from
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=323434

If contrast is a thing then Forma wins. If PPI is a thing then Forma wins. If resolution is a thing then Forma wins. If size is a thing then DXG barely wins -- barely because the top and bottom margins on the Kindle are hard-coded and you lose from 50 to 100 pixels depending on the file format. That's ~1cm which brings the effective screen size to about 1cm wider and 1.5cm taller than Forma. The only clear winner is price and that's only if you think your time is better spent making the Kindle work.

Personally, I don't think it is.

You'll also want to specifically check this post of mine:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...4&postcount=32

[Jack Torrance]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Buying a DX these days is a waste of money. FrustratedReader gave a lot of good reasons not to get a DX.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The main problem with the DX is that it was too much ahead of it's time. If Amazon was to make a 9.7" Kindle now with modern equipment, it might sell. But given how obsolete the electronics are of the DX, I'd say no way.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

This thread is dead as the OP has not been back for over a month since the post was made. So don't bother to keep this thread alive.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

A DX is a waste of money.

I think you’ve made your feelings known, probably time to move along.

Back on topic.

While a few people have had good luck with the PDFs I haven’t found that to be the case, probably the pdfs problem more than the kindle. Any pictures/maps Ive found in books usually are so small as to be illegible. The few comics I’ve tried have been a mess. Though really thats neither here nor there as thats not why I bought it, Im sure if the stuff is formatted correctly it works,as the few comics i’ll read they are a 1000 times better on an iPad Its screen and ability to zoom and scroll and of course the color

While the other shortcomings mentioned are true, its a little slow, no lighting etc, how slow it gets with a large library and how it organizes its library but for me It doesn’t matter how fast the newer ones are, how good the 1000 fonts are without the screen real estate and the page buttons they aren’t on the radar.

That said, since my previous comment Ive noticed a small crack in the screen. For many years I kept mine in its Amazon cover case but as of late Ive been using it without it and there is a small 1/4 crack in the screen.

I don’t know how long before this causes and issue but for me I’ve already looked into replacements and a Pearl wink display is about $55 so if gets worse then thats my plan. The battery has shown no issues so i’ll let be and replace it as needed. I thought about I would just read on my iPad if my DXG died but as of late I like the distraction free reading. MY phone and iPad have turned me into a 12 year with ADHD it seems so I like it not being connected.

I have looked into the Kobo with the larger screens but I don’t want spend $300 on one Ialso like the look of the new Oasis with its buttons but again the screen is too small and by the time you get a cover its close to $300 though the $5 trade in plus 20% makes it a little better.

[montalex]

I have an elderly friend who needs large print. He is delighted with his DX and still reads on it daily.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by montalex

I have an elderly friend who needs large print. He is delighted with his DX and still reads on it daily.

IMHO, I would go with a hi-res 8" screen for large print as it's much clearer then the DX low res screen.

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

IMHO, I would go with a hi-res 8" screen for large print as it's much clearer then the DX low res screen.

I would always use my 8" Kobo, if only I could read A4 sized pdf page with about 17.5-18.5 cm text width + 3-4 cm of empty margins on 16 cm screen width (landscape orientation) of 8" reader, since using reflow mode is not good enough for my needs (too many wrong characters for scientific documents and deranged page layout).

On any 10" reader (about 20 cm width in landscape) pdf text (font size) will be considerably magnified (if read without margins in landscape mode, two screens per page) whereas on 8" (16 cm width) it will be diminished.

I can still comfortably read about 50-60 % of my A4 pdf documents on my 8" Kobo reader, but those are either A4 documents with about 16-17 cm text width + 4-5 cm of empty margin i.e. they are easily legible on 16 cm screen width (with cropped margins), or are documents with 18-19 cm text width + 2-3 cm of empty margins, but implementing two-columns layout with about 7-9 cm width for each column, so, they can still be read relatively easily using two-column mode (four screens per page in portraite mode).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Marinolino

I would too, if only I could read A4 sized pdf page with about 17-18 cm text width + 3-4 cm of empty margins on 16 cm screen width (in landscape mode) of 8" reader, since using reflow mode is not good enough for my needs, too many wrong characters for scientific documents and deranged page layout.

On any 10" reader (20 cm width in landscape) pdf text (font size) will be magnified (if read without margins in landscape mode, two screens per page) whereas on 8" (16 cm width) it will be diminished.

I can still read many of my A4 pdf documents on my 8" Kobo reader, but those are either with about 16-17 cm text width i.e. they are easily legible on 16 cm screen width, or their text width is 18-19 cm + 2-3 cm empty margins, but with two-columns, so, they can still be read relatively easily using two-column mode (four screens per page).

Your 10" Reader is going to do a much better job at PDF then a DX. You device has better software and a better screen. The DX is not all that good at PDF given the low res screen and no way to remove the margins.

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Your 10" Reader is going to do a much better job at PDF then a DX. You device has better software and a better screen. The DX is not all that good at PDF given the low res screen and no way to remove the margins.

I have 10" eink Hanvon (an older 150 dpi eink with frontlight & pen) and several iPads & 10" Android tablets, but outdoors I still rather use DXG instead, for reading troublesome A4 pdf documents with 18-19 cm text width or for wider b/w comics, otherwise I use 8" Kobo outdoors for the majority of my pdf, djvu, epub documents.

I have all the necessary reading functions on DXG including a margin removal, since I always use KPV reader app, instead of its poor native pdf reader, and I can also read my Djvu books & documents using KPV.

Indoors, for troublesome A4 documents I usually use iPad, and also outdoors under a nice shade e.g. blanket over the rope in the garden or on the balcony.

If I were a student I'd definitely buy a new quicker 10" eink, but since I don't mind using a paper for the note taking and the reading speed is not essential to me, I'll probably make a good use of my DXG till the arrival of an affordable 10" color epaper.

Occasionally I even make a good use of my white DX (lower contrast than in DXG) and older 6" readers like Sony prst1, e.g. I'd simultaneously read the same book with DXG and DX but would use DX just for the notes at the end of the book or chapter, or would simultaneously use Sony prst1 for its good dictionaries.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Your 10" Reader is going to do a much better job at PDF then a DX. You device has better software and a better screen. The DX is not all that good at PDF given the low res screen and no way to remove the margins.

Also, margins is a paper skeuomorphism. There's no need for them. All they do is waste screen real estate.

[Quoth]

You do need some margin, just nothing like as much. Or a border to the real screen that matches perfectly. Certainly the Kindle minimum is way too big. It should be user configurable up to the edge.

I don't actually have text to the edge on my laptop screen as the windows have borders.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ratinox

Also, margins is a paper skeuomorphism. There's no need for them. All they do is waste screen real estate.

I agree that there is no reason for the margins. But the problem is that the PDF is designed for printing and software on a computer can handle the margins no issue.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

... the problem is that the PDF is designed for printing and software on a computer can handle the margins no issue.

My bold. Because that is the elephant in the room.

Some programs can reduce margins of PDF, but not automatically. Also often fails if there is a binding offset / mirrored margins. Which would be practically every professional PDF that is proof for a bound printed copy rather than the stupid PDFs from Governments and Corporates instead of a responsive web page. Originally ALL web sites were "responsive" which is why the innards of most ebook formats are HTML based, it inherently has no screen or page size. PDFs inherently specify a page size and elements are related to the edges of the page, not a screen or window.

Indeed the problem is PRECISELY that PDFs were designed to distribute documents to be printed exactly as even the SAME wordprocessor will display differently (printer metrics and historically page setup and fonts).
PDFs are not eBooks and never ever should be sold as such. It's a format to proof a paper printout on screen.