Which E-Book reader to buy?

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You know I will need to read a lots of Scientific PDF documents too (I am an SRF) and I wonder how the Kindle 3 will handle it. Can anyone point me to some photographs?
 
logistopath said:
@bacillus: I don't think you'll be happy with the 6" screen. The Kindle DX should better suit your needs. Check the pics in this review by techie007: http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/sony-prs-505-paper-books-out-139944.html

He had posted additional pics of pdf documents on my request. I don't think the Kindle 3 will be any different.

P.S: What research do you do? And where?
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I am working on Cardiomyopathy (genetic aspects and all) at PGI, Chandigarh.

You know, I don't really think I can afford a DX right now. I think it will be wiser to just wait for the newer and hopefully cheaper Kindle DX comes out. What do you think?

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Here's a really good article about Ebook readers...
 
@bacillus (nice nick BTW :))

As one medico to another, I am in love with my iPad. I have been reading Harrison's, Robbins, Washington Manual and tons of other books on it since the day I got it. All those books are in PDF format and are rendered beautifully on the iPad's screen. I think this is where the 9.7" screen comes into play. Crisp colors and clear illustrations. I am accessing popular medicine websites continuously on the browsers to keep myself up to date, and reading tons of research papers on it everyday. It has served me beautifully and I wonder whether I can live without it anymore. :)

Oh and did I mention I am also reading a lot of books and graphic novels and comics on it too? I am and its awesome!
 
That was a good read Baccilus.... I have seen a youtube video showcasing graphic novel on a sony PRS 600. It looked fine to me. Although I understand that if we are going for a 6" reader, I will have to sacrifice my comic/graphic novel needs.. I really cant afford anything beyond a prs 600. So far I am torn between

The orice after the device price is (leather case + light) price.

Kindle WIFI - $139 + $60 = $169 (pros: annotations, no touchscreen, so no fingerprints, landscape mode, large no. of books available in store; cons: Not all formats supported, DRM books from other sellers can not be read, non-expandable memory :()

Sony PRS 600 - $155 + $25 = $180 (pros: annotations, Open support for many file formats, expandable memory, landscape mode; cons: slightly more glare and touchscreen, no wifi)

B&N Nook: $149 + $30 = $179 (pros: same as sony + kindle; cons: NO LANDSCAPE MODE)

All the other readers are either out of range price wise or features wise. I took a look at many more online (BeBook reader, Onyx, Foxit, Astac, Wink, Infibeam Pi etc.), but they lack in some way or the other.

Another reader that stands out is Pocketbook reader, but its way too expensive. It can even read LIT format native. It has in all 23 formats supported out of which 8 are music or image related and it even supports graphic novels natively. But, very expensive.... $279 on amazon :(.
 
Nook would be a better option. Nook runs on Android, and I believe landscape mode will just be a matter of a small update in firmware. As for me, I am hell bent on getting a large display reader, and so I will wait till the end of Jan 2011 (Need time to save dough also.. :P ). If Adam releases by then, I will go for it. Else it will be Kindle DX for me. ;)
 
Yeah, to each his own I guess. The 6" screen is exactly what we need in a reader IMO. Because when you are reading for long hours, you dont want your arm to be tired. But, again, I have not seen a reader ever so I dont know whether a 9" reader will hurt your arm or not, but I guess it will....
 
@phoenix844884: Isn't reading on an ipad similar to reading on a Netbook (I have one) in terms of the eye strain? Moreover, since I already own a netbook, I can't really justify buying the iPad to myself.
BTW, What do you do?
 
Sei said:
^ iFan :P



PS: jus j/k have fun!
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:) Just a fan of the iPad. I would never ever ever ever throw my money on a Mac or any of their other pointless, over expensive, 'magical' accessories.

@bacillus

No brother. Reading on the iPad is not a strain on the eye at all. I use the iBooks and Stanza apps for all my reading needs. Both have in-app brightness controls. I set the brightness according to the ambient light situation and its a pleasure to read on it. Stanza renders all PDFs so well, with proper formatting and complete image preservation.

Like I said previously, don't get confused between what type of device you need. If your only need is reading then go for an ebook reader, but if you want media consumption abilities, maybe read graphic novels and comics, or want to surf the web seamlessly, then the iPad is a clear winner.

Let any Android tablet come and match its might against the iPad. The smooth UI, the extra responsive screen, the apps, nothing will beat the iPad. In fact, let any one Android/Other OS tablet at least come into the market. All of them have been in production/planning for so long while the iPad has set the bar already. That is why Apple makes a huge profit, because they put out their products in the market before anyone else and they lead the pack by a margin by the time other similar products even make an appearance. Some of the obscure companies making the news for their cheap hardware based tablets are going to bomb out soon because who'll buy rickety hardware and scratchy UI for $300 when for another $200 you get the well rounded iPad? (I have a few examples in mind, so if you need the links hit me up and I'll post them here.)

I am a doctor dude. Working part time in North Illinois Medical Center, McHenry County, Illinois while applying for residency.
 
phoenix844884 said:
@bacillus

Like I said previously, don't get confused between what type of device you need. If your only need is reading then go for an ebook reader, but if you want media consumption abilities, maybe read graphic novels and comics, or want to surf the web seamlessly, then the iPad is a clear winner.

Let any Android tablet come and match its might against the iPad. The smooth UI, the extra responsive screen, the apps, nothing will beat the iPad. In fact, let any one Android/Other OS tablet at least come into the market. All of them have been in production/planning for so long while the iPad has set the bar already. That is why Apple makes a huge profit, because they put out their products in the market before anyone else and they lead the pack by a margin by the time other similar products even make an appearance. Some of the obscure companies making the news for their cheap hardware based tablets are going to bomb out soon because who'll buy rickety hardware and scratchy UI for $300 when for another $200 you get the well rounded iPad? (I have a few examples in mind, so if you need the links hit me up and I'll post them here.)

I am a doctor dude. Working part time in North Illinois Medical Center, McHenry County, Illinois while applying for residency.
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Well, I would rather not have all the distractions that the iPad offers.

BTW, I am a Senior Research Fellow, pursuing my PhD.... It seems you are a doc who is really into technology..
 
baccilus said:
Well, I would rather not have all the distractions that the iPad offers.

BTW, I am a Senior Research Fellow, pursuing my PhD.... It seems you are a doc who is really into technology..
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Thats what I am talking about. I researched the market for every kind of ebook reader/tablet device before I finally homed in on the iPad. I looked at popular devices like the Kindle, I found and played with unheard of devices like the Kobo Reader and Pandigital Novel reader, I even met a guy who works for a company that recently released the Velocity Cruz Reader and Tablet (two separate products) and pleaded with him to let me try the device prototype. I have been following all kinds of tablet computers and slates since the day iPad was announced, and I really tried to find a suitable device that matched the iPad, but couldn't.

In the end of it all I knew exactly what I wanted out of my device. Instead of getting a second laptop or netbook I got myself an iPad. Made perfect sense to me. :)
 
Now, this is awesome,
New Sony Readers Pic Reveals More Details | The eBook Reader Blog

Engadget says that there are 3 new models of Sony in the pipeline. Sony usually releases new products in aug sep. Lets see.......... This shd make older models disappear eventually, but there will be huge price cuts before that happens.... Me sooooo happyyyyy.......
Also, here is a "How to get a kindle WIFI in $109... Yes, thats right $10 ****in 9............or a 3g kindle 3 in $159 (or any other product including other e readers with a discount of $30)... Now, thats fun..
How To Get a New Kindle for $109 | The eBook Reader Blog

After discount, prices of few readers:
1) Kindle 3........... $109(Wifi), $159(3g+Wifi)
2) Sony Prs-600........$129
3) B&N Nook..............$120(Wifi), $169(3G+Wifi)

Wow.......

And, Baccilus, if price is the constraint for you and not the screen size, then PRS 300 is available for 129-30 = $99 (the cheapest I could find)
 
@ATIAMD: If I want to buy the Sony reader, will that have to be bought from amazon.com too? I hope the Sony pricing is competitive. They have been showing suicidal tendencies lately.
 
Dude, I will certainly tell you to wait up. Ereader market is heating up as you said. I dont have a choice. I have a constraint to get it right now or I will not get it for a year from now :(.. You, on the other hand should wait. I think this Christmas will be the best time to go for it with all the new models available and holiday price cuts....
 
atiamd said:
Dude, I will certainly tell you to wait up. Ereader market is heating up as you said. I dont have a choice. I have a constraint to get it right now or I will not get it for a year from now :(.. You, on the other hand should wait. I think this Christmas will be the best time to go for it with all the new models available and holiday price cuts....
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I think it will be wise of me to take your advice on this one.
 
phoenix844884 said:
Like I said previously, don't get confused between what type of device you need. If your only need is reading then go for an ebook reader,
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There is absolutely no competition there. neither for the e-Ink display nor for the battery life. I do not find time to read a lot these days, but whenever I started with a book, I used to read obsessively for 10~14 hours at a stretch (often finishing off the book in a single stretch). Thats hardly possible on a Computer screen or even a tablet with an LCD. If what you primarily do is reading, then tablets won't cut it at all. ADAM with its dual display tech may become the first tablet to actually double as a serious e-book reader.

phoenix844884 said:
In fact, let any one Android/Other OS tablet at least come into the market. All of them have been in production/planning for so long while the iPad has set the bar already. That is why Apple makes a huge profit, because they put out their products in the market before anyone else and they lead the pack by a margin by the time other similar products even make an appearance.
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Actually there were a few android/Win CE tablets before iPad came out (assuming your statement was in the context of tablets with mobile OS). I have myself come across a 7" Chinese one which dual booted Android 1.5 and some sort of Linux. There were essentially tablets, but were being marketed as PMP's or MID's. COWON Q5 is another example of a tablet/PMP with a Mobile OS (Win CE). COWON Q5 was popular in its own way although it does not have the hype iPad has. iPad sells not because it came to the market first, but because Apple markets it properly.

phoenix844884 said:
but if you want media consumption abilities, maybe read graphic novels and comics, or want to surf the web seamlessly, then the iPad is a clear winner.

Let any Android tablet come and match its might against the iPad. The smooth UI, the extra responsive screen, the apps, nothing will beat the iPad.
Click to expand...

That depends on ones needs and changes from person to person. I need a multi-purpose device myself, but I for one don't care about smooth UI or overly a responsive screen (I consider that to be a bad thing). I already knew the limitations of the iPad and recently I had some time to try out the one we got at our office for development and found it completely useless for me. What I need and care about is functionality. I was initially planning for a net book, but I put a hold on that plan in hopes of a tablet that offers me similar functionality. I don't care if the OS is a Mobile OS, but what I want is proper web browsing experience with Flash and HTML5, Document editing, expandable and more importantly switchable storage, media playback, video out of some sort to be able to connect it to a projector, USB support for peripherals and mass storage devices and a good battery life. I also want to start reading books again. The only device that seems to come close to my needs is ADAM. Something like an iPad that is heavily restrictive hardly suits me. Just look at how it needs a stupid camera connectivity kit just to get photos from your camera to your tablet. If ADAM doesn't work out, I would simply get a Net book/compact lappy or a tablet PC.
 
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