Grad Student... so lost...

[Gideon]

Something to consider, too: a light weight laptop that has a program that can rotate PDF's can be an excellent reader. I use a Macbook to read comics sideways all the time. Works great!

[cbell]

Photos, as promised. My photography skill's terrible, but these should give you a good indication anyway.

Both files are perfectly clear and readable on the DR1000S. Page turns take approx 1 second each (running the new firmware - its great!)

Click 3 times on each thumbnail to view the photo more clearly.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by cbell

Photos, as promised. My photography skill's terrible, but these should give you a good indication anyway.

Wow... the text looks darker on the iLiad. Is that the case or is that just a lighting issue? Mostly look at the diagram in the top left corner in the second set of pics.

BOb

[DesiLinguist]

Thank you so much for the photos, cbell! The DR1000S looks pretty nice but it's really eye-opening to see it side by side with the iLiad ... it's huge!

[DesiLinguist]

OK, now that Kindle 2 is out, I guess it's time for me to make a decision. I will be honest, the Amazon store is a big pull in favor of the Kindle (as it was with Kindle v1) but the fact that they ignored PDF support again (still classified as experimental) disappoints me. And I really would like to read all sorts of PDFs on an e-book reader. So, I am about ready to order the iLiad (the book edition) now. It may not have as much of an e-book selection available as the Kindle but it has native support for PDFs, can read borrowed titles from overdrive (at the local library in Washington DC) and, IMO, is better looking than the Kindle (v1 and v2). The only significant minus points would be the lack of a sleep/suspend mode (leading to short battery life) and the purported lackluster support from iRex. I guess everything in life is a trade-off. *sigh*

I want to thank everyone for helping out and answering all of my questions. Here's hoping to join you as an actual e-book reader very soon

Actually, now that I have decided, I thought I would share my specific choices (including accessories) with the other members in case it could help them make up their minds.

I have decided to go with the iLiad Book Edition. I made this choice because the silver on the book edition looks better than the black and plus I save a $100. I don't really need the wi-fi because I would much rather transfer content via SD cards. Also, I don't really need to browse the web on the iLiad because I will always have my iPhone with me.

As for cases, I searched long and hard and I narrowed it down to two choices:
(a) This case from M-edge which seems pretty sturdy but I am worried about how it will hold up during long flights and taking the reader in and out during security checks at the airport.

(b) This snug neoprene case which provides protection at the cost of making the iLiad unusable while it is still in the case. I am tempted to go with this one.

For SD cards, I actually think that the built-in 128MB of internal memory might be sufficient for me as I am unlike to have more than 10-20 books or articles on the device at one time. But, if I had to get one for, say installing 3rd party applications, I would probably go with this CF card (since they seem to be better supported than SD or MMC cards)

I don't think I need any other accessories. If anyone has any comments on my choices, please feel free to share them with me. I want to make sure I use the collective wisdom on these forums to make the best choices available.

Update:
Just talked with Jeff over at ERO and he strongly recommended the M-Edge Genuine Leather case as well. This also looks nice. Has the advantage that I can get it at the same time as my iLiad from ERO.

[DesiLinguist]

Just ordered the book edition and the m-edge leather case from ERO. And the compact flash card from Amazon.

Thanks everyone! Really excited about my iLiad now

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by DesiLinguist

Just ordered the book edition and the m-edge leather case from ERO. And the compact flash card from Amazon.

Thanks everyone! Really excited about my iLiad now

Congrats. Can't wait to see your first report.

BOb

[cbell]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Wow... the text looks darker on the iLiad. Is that the case or is that just a lighting issue? Mostly look at the diagram in the top left corner in the second set of pics.

BOb

Its just my lack of photography skills. The text on the iLiad and DR1000S screens look much the same 'darkness', side by side.

The flash on my camera phone's on the left and I guess it made the text on the DR look a bit washed out.

And... DesiLinguist, you've made an excellent choice! Another option for adding memory is to use a USB stick. Its very easy to put files on one and plug it directly into the top of the iLiad. I use a 2GB SD card in a USB stick card reader plugged into my iLiad and it works fine.

[DesiLinguist]

Thanks for the encouragement, cbell!

I have a question: what should I do with regards to charging the iLiad when I get it? iRex recommends that I go through five complete cycles in the beginning to allow the batteries to properly calibrate themselves. So, does the iLiad come fully charged and I can start using it? Or should I plug it in as soon as I turn it on?

And another one ... the wiki says that I should use the CF card as a backup in some way so that I can reflash the iLiad if something goes wrong. Is there a guide available on how to do this? Also, do people generally run programs like FBReader etc. from the CF card (which would eat up more battery for sure) or do they copy them to the internal memory?

Update: Found an answer to the second question by searching in the forum, as I should have done in the first place. Still need an answer to the first question.

[Huyggy]

Hi everyone.
I have been following this forum for a long time, hoping to find the ebook reader of my dreams... That is to say for me: a PDF reader !
But wow: 700€ for a DR 1000s from Irex (or 859$: for this time, it is expensive even if you pay with $...): it's the price of a laptop !

What is the future for the PDF readers ? Is 2009 full of promises or spending 700€ (or 859$) on a reader is the best choice for now ?

[Manichean]

Originally Posted by Huyggy

What is the future for the PDF readers ? Is 2009 full of promises or spending 700€ (or 859$) on a reader is the best choice for now ?

Well, that depends. I've seen some announcements for large-screen eink devices that should be pretty good for PDF reading, but quite a few of those are aimed at the business market and will be pretty expensive. It seems to me that eink is still a developing technology, so we can expect quite a few improvements over the next few years that may include the absolute perfect PDF device. You see, you never know- the device of your dreams could be announced right after you finally jumped in the water and bought some compromise.

Allow me to ask: Are you looking for a PDF reader or do you want to read ebooks in general? If the latter, you should take a look at some other ebook formats, PDF isn't quite the first choice for ebooks because of its inflexibility. AFAIK its intended purpose is print preparation, so it's geared towards exact reproduction of a page layout that can't easily be reflown, which can be quite a pain on a smaller screen device (though, at least in my personal opinion, it works- have a look at the pictures I posted somewhere in this thread).

[Huyggy]

In fact I want to be able to read PDF document because I would use it (like the author of this thread) to read scientific papers.
But I am still thinking about this: Finally, except for the autonomy (which is not great for the DR1000s anyway if I've understood well), why not to buy a HP TC1100 for about 350€ (or 450$) ( http://www.tabletpc2.com/Review-HPTC1100.htm ) ?

[Manichean]

Originally Posted by Huyggy

But I am still thinking about this: Finally, except for the autonomy (which is not great for the DR1000s anyway if I've understood well), why not to buy a HP TC1100 for about 350€ (or 450$) ( http://www.tabletpc2.com/Review-HPTC1100.htm ) ?

Yeah, why not? You should decide this yourself based on what you expect from the device you get, whichever one you get. Or, try to see it this way: If you are already asking this, shouldn't you rather buy a laptop? I'm not trying to discourage you here, it just came to my mind. Really, you should buy whatever you expect to work best in your situation.

[Cheez-It]

Hello all,

Seeing as the thread has come to a conclusion...

I am in a very similar predicament. About to start work on a thesis (as in: no idea what the specific topic is yet, much reading to do), and don't want to kill a tree in the process, or spend the time printing it all, have the mess of papers around, or spend the $ on ink.

Correct me if I am wrong, but these seem to be the findings:

TLDR: The only real option for adequate viewing of PDF's is the iRex DR1000...

~6" readers offer a nice selection of regular books and content, but have difficulty displaying academic journal PDF files. There are methods to cut these files up, but they aren't perfect, or anywhere near it, particularly for studies involving odd tables and diagrams.

iRex iLiad: Same as above, but worse selection for standard books/content (and purchasing options), and a little better for PDFs, but still not ideal.

iRex DR1000: Ideal for standard sized PDFs. Same as above for other details. Cost is exorbitant.

netbook/ultratiny PC: Battery life, weight, screen (for reading) and shape are problematic.

tablet PC: Battery life, screen and weight are problematic.

Is that about it? The DR1000 is highly appealing, but how long will it be used for? Will I have a wide variety of content to justify a $$$$$ price tag after my thesis is complete? A tablet PC seems like it could be a reasonable choice, and Asus has a cheap one coming soon, but battery life and readability could be problematic (and weight, but I have trouble envisioning this issue due to lack of experience).

Any thoughts? suggestions? I'm also a bit hesitant with dedicated e-book readers given the fact that this is such a young technology, and the tech will be accelerating quite quickly, obsoleting this product incredibly quickly (IMHO)... So $750+ for one seems a bit nuts.

Thanks for any help!

[Huyggy]

I've finally made my choice : TC1100 just ordered (for 350€ -450$).
I have been waiting for "the perfect device" for too long.
As so well said by everyone in this forum before me, IT DOESN'T EXIST.

I've thought about the disadvantages that you've raised:
battery life: except travel by train for 3-4 hours max, I won't use the reader outdoor. (and I can always buy extra-battery for longer journeys)
screen: it's not the trendy E-ink screen... But I've read a lot of PDF scientific papers and books on my laptop without problems.
Weight: 1.4kg. Don't know exactly how it feels... But well settled, could be supportable enough.

I will see quite soon if I was wrong about all this. , and will be pleased to report this on the forum.