another newbie!!!

gogo · 08-04-2011, 08:46 AM

Hi Everyone,
I want to buy an ereader for my husband. He wants to get away from the computer screen once in a while and I heard that the eink looks like a book.

I have been doing a lot of research already. I was looking at the kobo wifi not the new touch.

He will be reading 99% technical books. Programming etc.....

I was reading about how the ereaders (the kobo specifically) does not handle pdf's very well and if I have pdf books than I will have to convert them using software (which kind of sounds like a pain).

The question I had was how these ereaders handle epub files for tech books. If I were to buy the tech books online in epub format will this be a problem as well?

I do not care to much about the touch screen and I heard there isn't too much of a difference with the wifi and the new touch.

Any thoughts?

charmian · 08-04-2011, 06:04 PM

Not only is it a pain, it often doesn't work out very well, although that depends on the format of the PDF.

The Kobo handles epub natively, so assuming that the books are sold in epub form, it'll be fine with them. However, I would read reviews of the ebooks you have in mind to make sure the publishers did a good job converting them to .epub format.

The new Kobo Touch uses the e-ink Pearl screen, which I think does make a difference.

polly · 08-04-2011, 06:18 PM

The problem with technical books is that they often have diagrams, charts, figures, and pictures that don't display well on the average 6" screen. In addition, PDFs often have page headers and footers, with such things as page number, book or journal title, and author. When the reader tries to reflow this sort of document, the header and footer stuff often ends up buried in the text. The best option for a "native" display, where the pages look like they do on a computer screen is a larger reader. The Sony 950, Kindle DX, and Pocket 902 all come to mind.

The ePub format is designed to reflow well on any screen size, so that often helps with the header and footer problems. However, there's only so much space on a 6" screen to display information, so the charts and diagrams would still be a potential issue.

hughes · 08-08-2011, 07:54 AM

I agree with charmian regarding going for the Kobo Touch (or Nook Touch, Kindle 3, or Sony Reader), if possible money-wise, to pick up an E Ink Pearl display rather than the older E Ink Vizplex of the Kobo classic.

08-04-2011, 08:46 AM	#1
gogo Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2011 Device: none	another newbie!!! Hi Everyone, I want to buy an ereader for my husband. He wants to get away from the computer screen once in a while and I heard that the eink looks like a book. I have been doing a lot of research already. I was looking at the kobo wifi not the new touch. He will be reading 99% technical books. Programming etc..... I was reading about how the ereaders (the kobo specifically) does not handle pdf's very well and if I have pdf books than I will have to convert them using software (which kind of sounds like a pain). The question I had was how these ereaders handle epub files for tech books. If I were to buy the tech books online in epub format will this be a problem as well? I do not care to much about the touch screen and I heard there isn't too much of a difference with the wifi and the new touch. Any thoughts?

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08-04-2011, 06:04 PM	#2
charmian Addict Posts: 386 Karma: 1814548 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kindle 3, Kindle PW2	Not only is it a pain, it often doesn't work out very well, although that depends on the format of the PDF. The Kobo handles epub natively, so assuming that the books are sold in epub form, it'll be fine with them. However, I would read reviews of the ebooks you have in mind to make sure the publishers did a good job converting them to .epub format. The new Kobo Touch uses the e-ink Pearl screen, which I think does make a difference.

08-04-2011, 06:18 PM	#3
polly Evangelist Posts: 454 Karma: 270240 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS 650, PocketBook 360, Astak PocketPro (RIP), Tungsten T3	The problem with technical books is that they often have diagrams, charts, figures, and pictures that don't display well on the average 6" screen. In addition, PDFs often have page headers and footers, with such things as page number, book or journal title, and author. When the reader tries to reflow this sort of document, the header and footer stuff often ends up buried in the text. The best option for a "native" display, where the pages look like they do on a computer screen is a larger reader. The Sony 950, Kindle DX, and Pocket 902 all come to mind. The ePub format is designed to reflow well on any screen size, so that often helps with the header and footer problems. However, there's only so much space on a 6" screen to display information, so the charts and diagrams would still be a potential issue.

08-08-2011, 07:54 AM	#4
hughes Addict Posts: 223 Karma: 1006020 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Akron, OH USA Device: Kindle PW, Galaxy Nexus, iPad 1	I agree with charmian regarding going for the Kobo Touch (or Nook Touch, Kindle 3, or Sony Reader), if possible money-wise, to pick up an E Ink Pearl display rather than the older E Ink Vizplex of the Kobo classic.

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