Thread: Need help picking an eReader

Hey guys, I've been really in love with the idea of eReaders (kindle, nook, etc) since I first heard about them, and I'm looking to get one.

My main concern though is whatever I get must allow me to transfer PDFs and Txt documents from my computer to the reader.



If no readers do this, are there alternative devices that will? I tried using the iPod notes, but there's a character limit per note, which isn't acceptable.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Plenty of +rep to go around.

Plenty of -rep to those who post one or two word answers as well.

Just because I'm posting this in Tiddle Taddle doesn't mean I'm encouraging spam.

Don't know specifically about eReaders but I use the app GoodReader on my iPod Touch.
I haven't found a pdf I haven't been able to open yet.
I transfer documents over WiFi and Dropbox. It can download of a number of other webservers as well.
I assume it would work the same on an iPad.

There's a free version to try which has a five document limit.
The paid version is US$0.99 I think

I've gotten to play around with my friend's Nook and really like it. Wow, that is a pretty lewd-sounding sentence. But I digress. The Nook definitely has .pdf support--my friend loaded his up with a bunch of them. I think the Kindle added support for .pdf viewing as well.

I don't think that the Nook supports .txt file viewing but it does support EPUB. I don't know if you can convert .txt to EPUB or if I'd even be worth it to you depending on the number of .txt docs you have. As far as the reader function--I really like the Nook. Text is clear and the device is nicer looking than the Kindle IMO. One drawback is that the page refresh rate sometimes is laggy, which can be annoying.

I dug up Engadget's review of the Nook, which is pretty detailed and useful I think. Link to review. Of course, one concern with the Nook is its viability as the second big mover in a market dominated by Amazon and which Apple is gunning for.

One other thing to think about--if I recall correctly, the major book publishers hate Amazon's fixed $9.99 price for e-versions of hardcover releases and Apple is cutting deals at higher price points, so there could be price creep on your e-purchases in the future if you like buying books during the hardcover window.

Thats the thing, I don't plan on buying books. I plan on... finding.. them in PDF format - I just want to be sure that there wont be any DRM issues in doing so.


Also - taking that into account - I don't care about the store the various devices offer. My main concerns are;

Readability
Ease of Use/Simplicity
Memory
Ability to put pdf's onto the device.

As a bonus it would be nice if it could play music. But not required.

Among many of my friends that own eReaders, many of them have Kindle and they tell me it is very nice. I am sure it is compatible with many of the common files pdf for exmaple, maybe not djvu but you could probably easily convert any files to pdf.
And I do think you can play music on the Kindle.
cheers

Kindle DX is the only Kindle device with native PDF support. For the others, Amazon runs a free service where you can send them a PDF and they'll convert it for you. It's probably not the device for you though. Amazon has wiped pirated books in the past (Ironically, the best known of these was a mass wipe of copies of 1984). Anyways, there are a few other companies that make e-ink based e-readers. Wikipedia has a good list of therm here: Comparison of e-book readers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The one which I would recommend most highly is the iRex Illiad. It has native PDF support, built in Wi-Fi so you can subscribe to newspapers/blogs via RSS (or send files to it over your network), and write capabilites. You can find it here: IREX Corporate Website

Well, i had thought about getting a reader, since i do tend to read a lot of books. But I decided to try GoodReader on my iphone, and i found it works really well. As stated above, havent really found a pdf it cant open, GoodReaders text extraction from pdf is commendable, and reading is not really a pain to the eye. If you already own a ipod or iphone, you could certainly try it to get a feel. Then maybe you could get a ipad(though i find that the iphone suffices completely, mainly because its so portable and i can read in class :D). Putting files on it is a breeze if you have wifi. Though even if you do not have wifi, you can use diskAid to get files on the device using the synchronisation cable(though it only works if jailbroken). So i +1 Goodreader, you cant go wrong trying it right?

Originally Posted by norq

Kindle DX is the only Kindle device with native PDF support. For the others, Amazon runs a free service where you can send them a PDF and they'll convert it for you. It's probably not the device for you though. Amazon has wiped pirated books in the past (Ironically, the best known of these was a mass wipe of copies of 1984). Anyways, there are a few other companies that make e-ink based e-readers. Wikipedia has a good list of therm here: Comparison of e-book readers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The one which I would recommend most highly is the iRex Illiad. It has native PDF support, built in Wi-Fi so you can subscribe to newspapers/blogs via RSS (or send files to it over your network), and write capabilites. You can find it here: IREX Corporate Website

Looks good but want to keep the price under 300 :P

Ah, in that case your best bet is probably the Sony PRS-600 (http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665921192). It has native PDF support, and write support (for notation, highlighting, note taking, etc.). Good battery life too.