E ink device for a student.

Cpfoxhunt · 08-27-2008, 07:36 PM

Hiya. As a philosophy student, I often find myself squinting at long articles on my laptop screen. This is not idea. It also stops me reading articles on the go or in bed. So i am currently looking into buying some sort of e ink ebook reader, what with all the publicity they are suddently getting.

So I am looking for an e ink device which will let me read these articles. Some are pdfs, some are html (and could be cut and pasted into rtf), some are just straight up word docs.

Also, as a student, price is an issue - the lower the better is the order of the day.

So given that this will be used mainly for articles from places like jstor or mind, what would you guys recommend?

Cheers

Cpfoxhunt

igorsk · 08-27-2008, 08:11 PM

If you're in US or Canada, put a bunch of PDFs and other docs converted to RTF (or LRF with Calibre) on an SD card and visit a nearby SonyStyle or Borders store which has a Reader on display. This way you can check how your docs look like. PRS-505 is currently the cheapest option (besides PRS-500) and it's the only one that has PDF reflow.

Cpfoxhunt · 08-28-2008, 02:03 PM

What is pdf reflow?

And is there any sort of educational discount on the iliax?
Thanks for the reply, but as i'm in the UK, I can't just go and test them out. I will probably end up getting ne over from america anyway.

Chris

wallcraft · 08-28-2008, 02:21 PM

The iLiad is probably the best for what you want, and it is available at some Border's stores in the UK. See iliad_book_edition.

If you put some PDFs on a USB stick, this should be readable on the iLiad - assuming Border's has a user accessible display unit.

NatCh · 08-28-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpfoxhunt

What is pdf reflow?

That's actually a fairly complicated question, Cpfoxhunt.

The short answer is that reflowing is taking the text content of a PDF and displaying it without the embedded layout information, so that they text "reflows" to fit the shape of the screen, rather than being locked into the line lengths set in the PDF itself.

The longer answer revolves around the fact that PDF is designed to preserve the layout of a document: i.e. I can print it on my machine and someone on the total other side of the world can print it on their machine and the two print-outs will look exactly the same. To accomplish that, it holds things like line length and the arrangement of text and images on the "page" static, and relies on horizontal and vertical scrolling to allow a user to see the full virtual "page" when viewing the file on an electronic display.

e-Ink devices still have slow enough refresh rates (the speed of changing the display contents, I mean) that scrolling isn't really practical. This means that without reflow, all you can get is a shrunken image of the PDF page on an e-ink reader. As you might imagine, a letter size page, which is about 14" diagonally, can be a bit difficult to read when displayed on a 6" diagonal display.

But the new PRS505 firmware can strip all the formatting out of a PDF file when it displays it, and display the text at a size that can actually be read by normal folks.

That removing of formatting, with line lenghts appropriate to the display being used, is what we mean when we say "reflow."

Hope that's helpful.

igorsk · 08-28-2008, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpfoxhunt

Thanks for the reply, but as i'm in the UK, I can't just go and test them out. I will probably end up getting ne over from america anyway.

As wallcraft mentioned, you can go have a look at iLiad in a Borders shop. I don't think you can get any kind of discount though. You can also wait a week or so until the Reader is released in UK - it will be available from Waterstone's.

zelda_pinwheel · 08-28-2008, 05:01 PM

and, if you're in London, you might want to go to the London meetup on the 6th september. there should be several different devices there, including an Iliad and probably more than one sony.

wallcraft · 08-28-2008, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpfoxhunt

Some are pdfs, some are html (and could be cut and pasted into rtf), some are just straight up word docs.

On the iLiad you would read PDFs using its PDF viewer, and would convert the HTML, RTF, DOC to MOBI using Windows MobiPocket Reader and then use the iLiad's Mobipocket Reader. Or you could use FBReader (3rd party add-on) to read single-file HTML or RTF directly.

On the Sony I think you would typically use Calibre to format shift the documents, except for PDFs. You can also get an idea of how the PRS-505 will display documents using Sony's Windows ebook Reader.

DaleDe · 08-28-2008, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpfoxhunt

What is pdf reflow?

Chris

Read about PDF in the wiki. It explains reflow.

Dale

Cpfoxhunt · 08-30-2008, 02:54 PM

Thanks for all the ideas, and especially for NatCh's clear explanation of reflow. The issue with the iliad is effectively price - four hundred quid for something just to reduce eyestrain is a bit on the steep side. I think i'll have a play around with the sony reader in a sony store when it comes out though. Are these the only two worth looking at?

Cheers

Cpfoxhunt

igorsk · 08-30-2008, 05:07 PM

There's also Jinke's Hanlin V3 which is available in Europe as BeBook. Not sure how well it handles PDFs though.

LazyScot · 08-30-2008, 10:15 PM

If you're in, or close to, London, it may be worth coming to the meet-up. It looks like there will be a good selection of devices to look at.

I used (a good few years ago) to be a lecturer, albeit not in philosophy, so I have some ideas about what I think would make a good device, but I want to think them through, so they'd make sense to others who might be asking similar questions.

ePossum · 09-02-2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Are these the only two worth looking at?

If you're mainly reading non-reflowable pdfs, then I'd go as far to say that at present, the iLiad (despite cost) is the best choice. iLiad screen is 140x203 mm - all the others are 90x120mm (although I think there was an older model Hanlin that had a larger screen ... might turn up on ebay or the flea market???). The extra screen space is very handy indeed for reading non-reflowable pdfs.

If you like scribbling on your docs, the iLiad is good for that too (I do my copy editing on the iLiad instead of on paper - I print the original doc to pdf, and then annotate the pdf on the iLiad).

If you're looking at using bibiographic software (you didn't mention what level you're studying at) - one of the iLiad users has done some on integrating their iLiad with how they use JabRef / BibTeX

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15705
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19336

Cpfoxhunt · 09-10-2008, 07:55 PM

I'm studying at undergrad level, so nothing too serious yet. Does anyone know where I could get an Iliad for under or around 300 quid?
400 is, i'm afraid, beyone my means.

And what is the difference between the book edition and the 2nd edition?

nekokami · 09-10-2008, 08:59 PM

The "book edition" doesn't have the WiFi connection, but is otherwise the same.

As a graduate student, I use my iLiad to read articles from JStore all the time. It also has very nice annotation features. I got mine half-price, used, from someone who decided they wanted a smaller ebook reader. You might try eBay or post in the "flea market" section to see if someone has a used one they want to sell. You might also contact iRex and see if they have any refurbished units for sale. Or see if maybe you can talk iRex into doing some kind of study at your university where they loan some units to students and monitor their experiences. Sony is doing that with a US university right now, so maybe you could get them interested.

08-27-2008, 07:36 PM	#1
Cpfoxhunt Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: still looking	E ink device for a student. Hiya. As a philosophy student, I often find myself squinting at long articles on my laptop screen. This is not idea. It also stops me reading articles on the go or in bed. So i am currently looking into buying some sort of e ink ebook reader, what with all the publicity they are suddently getting. So I am looking for an e ink device which will let me read these articles. Some are pdfs, some are html (and could be cut and pasted into rtf), some are just straight up word docs. Also, as a student, price is an issue - the lower the better is the order of the day. So given that this will be used mainly for articles from places like jstor or mind, what would you guys recommend? Cheers Cpfoxhunt

08-27-2008, 08:11 PM	#2
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	If you're in US or Canada, put a bunch of PDFs and other docs converted to RTF (or LRF with Calibre) on an SD card and visit a nearby SonyStyle or Borders store which has a Reader on display. This way you can check how your docs look like. PRS-505 is currently the cheapest option (besides PRS-500) and it's the only one that has PDF reflow. Last edited by igorsk; 08-27-2008 at 08:13 PM.

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08-28-2008, 02:03 PM	#3
Cpfoxhunt Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: still looking	What is pdf reflow? And is there any sort of educational discount on the iliax? Thanks for the reply, but as i'm in the UK, I can't just go and test them out. I will probably end up getting ne over from america anyway. Chris

08-28-2008, 02:21 PM	#4
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The iLiad is probably the best for what you want, and it is available at some Border's stores in the UK. See iliad_book_edition. If you put some PDFs on a USB stick, this should be readable on the iLiad - assuming Border's has a user accessible display unit.

08-28-2008, 05:01 PM	#7
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	and, if you're in London, you might want to go to the London meetup on the 6th september. there should be several different devices there, including an Iliad and probably more than one sony.

08-30-2008, 02:54 PM	#10
Cpfoxhunt Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: still looking	Thanks for all the ideas, and especially for NatCh's clear explanation of reflow. The issue with the iliad is effectively price - four hundred quid for something just to reduce eyestrain is a bit on the steep side. I think i'll have a play around with the sony reader in a sony store when it comes out though. Are these the only two worth looking at? Cheers Cpfoxhunt

08-30-2008, 05:07 PM	#11
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	There's also Jinke's Hanlin V3 which is available in Europe as BeBook. Not sure how well it handles PDFs though.

08-30-2008, 10:15 PM	#12
LazyScot DSil Posts: 3,201 Karma: 6895096 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Hants, UK Device: Kindle, Cybook	If you're in, or close to, London, it may be worth coming to the meet-up. It looks like there will be a good selection of devices to look at. I used (a good few years ago) to be a lecturer, albeit not in philosophy, so I have some ideas about what I think would make a good device, but I want to think them through, so they'd make sense to others who might be asking similar questions.

09-10-2008, 07:55 PM	#14
Cpfoxhunt Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: still looking	I'm studying at undergrad level, so nothing too serious yet. Does anyone know where I could get an Iliad for under or around 300 quid? 400 is, i'm afraid, beyone my means. And what is the difference between the book edition and the 2nd edition?

09-10-2008, 08:59 PM	#15
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	The "book edition" doesn't have the WiFi connection, but is otherwise the same. As a graduate student, I use my iLiad to read articles from JStore all the time. It also has very nice annotation features. I got mine half-price, used, from someone who decided they wanted a smaller ebook reader. You might try eBay or post in the "flea market" section to see if someone has a used one they want to sell. You might also contact iRex and see if they have any refurbished units for sale. Or see if maybe you can talk iRex into doing some kind of study at your university where they loan some units to students and monitor their experiences. Sony is doing that with a US university right now, so maybe you could get them interested.

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