E-readers

[DicedT]

Finally decided to buy an e-reader. Bought a refurbished Nook Simple Touch. Is it my imagination, or is the text awfully dim? Wondering if I should try a Kindle Paperwhite for the illumination.

Also, I have a lot of materials on PDF. I've heard that PDFs don't look great on e-readers?

Michael

[bayonetbrant]

PDFs depend on how the PDF was made.  E-readers don't render raster-based PDFs well, but postcript-based PDFs generally look just fine.  Basically, it depends on the source files from which the PDF was created.

[Staggerwing]

For PDFs you can't beat an iPad. I'd be willing to bet that some of the better Android tablets also probably do PDFs well.
For just reading (especially outdoors) a high quality e-ink (or similar) display is best. It's easier on the eye. I don't have the Paperwhite Kindle (yet?) but I do have an older model and I like it a lot for the 'book reading' experience. When I read at night I find that I can read comfortably for much longer with it that I can on an LCD device. Also, it is very light weight because it doesn't require the massive battery that a tablet-style device needs. Unfortunately PDFs not formatted for it are almost unreadable due to having to scroll back and forth. For those I go back to my iPad.

[Shelldrake]

My Acer a700 (Android) does a fine job with pdfs - just great for game manuals. :)

[MikeGER]

I have very good results with the Galaxy Note 10.1  (Android)
the S-Pen functionality (pixel sharp digitizer), that comes with it, allows to make all kind of annotations to an automatically generated copy of the pdf. And you can work with it then just like a print-out version.
i also like the S-Pen for websurfing (those tiny links, and page 2,3,4,5,... counts in forum threads) and also never fingerprints on the display.
back set: some games don't recognise the S-Pen on all their buttons in-game, and its 'the finger' again. 
   
like all those LCD devices its not possible to use in the outdoors with the bright sun on the display, and only limited with the sun shining on the backside of tablet (sun in your face, as usual)  outdoor is best when sitting in the shade and the background behind your place (which may mirror in the display) is dark.     

[DicedT]

I'm wondering if I need multiple devices (not the preferred option). I'm reading indoors, and I'll be reading a mixture of PDFs and e-books. I hate reading long documents on my desktop and 19-inch screen. It's just unpleasant on the eyes. Won't a tablet be the same way?

But the Nook Touch didn't seem all that readable either (in our den, where there light is pretty good, but not super-bright like the overhead lights in a store). I'm wondering if I should get a Kindle Paperwhite for books, and a tablet for PDFs?

That Galaxy Note sounds like a beauty, but $550 is a little heftier than I'd like.

Michael

[Staggerwing]

Personally, I agree with the divide and conquer approach. I'll probably be replacing my 2nd gen Kindle with a Paperwhite very soon because I like some of the new Kindle features such as the oblique backlighting for evenings and the XRay feature. For the PDFs or image-heavy books (such as comics or military tomes with maps, photos, and vehicle diagrams) my lcd tablet will still be the go-to device.

The iPad Mini and a Kindle Paperwhite together will cost you less than the Galaxy Note. No 3/4G but no telecom fees either...

[Shelldrake]

I agree with Staggerwing. Tablet for image-heavy pdfs and ereader for regular books. The iPad mini is a nice piece of kit but the smaller screen isn't the best IMO for tired old eyes but YMMV.

[DicedT]

Okay, so which tablet? Apple is too pricey. Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire? I'm leaning toward the Nexus because I don't want to be tied to the Amazon store.

[Shelldrake]

Nexus 7 is pretty slick and you can't beat the price.

[DicedT]

Is is worth the extra money for a 10-inch tablet? Some people say they're too bulky compared to a 7-inch.

[Staggerwing]

Maybe. Easier to read maps and diagrams on thought...

[GDS_Starfury]

on thought?
you have a mind meld with you tablet?


dude.... unplug and go smell a rose.

[MikeGER]

DicedT you are doing it right.
my tablet purchase was not an impulsive buy, it was a very long process.
i also considered an ebook reader from Sony first (expensive and out of stock at that time), and also checked out tablets in the local malls (Media Markt and Saturn stores)  i even brought a CM:BN pdf manual on usb stick into the store to check how it looks on a display of an Acer Iconia Tab 500 at that time...
fun story: when the (greenish?) clerk, who helped me to get it displayed, saw what kind of document i was checking out ... he looked at me as if it was kiddie porn! :o  ... and lost any future sales at that place :P   
later i got my first smart phone the Galaxy S2 (after years of using an old 'outdoor-hardened' Nokia from 2004, i am not an early adapter on gadgets)  and use it as a pdf / ebook reader too... and postponed the tablet once more (and the ebook reader was dropped to just another nice to have surplus-item ) ... but in the meantime i had acquired a taste for the smart gadget usage, ... then the Note 10.1 got releases and what got me over was the S-Pen.
(i waited until the price had dropped below my personal threshold for that item, at a serious online trustworthy distributor... and purchased)             

[GDS_Starfury]

which distributor?