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  3. Kindle, E-reader, Tablet, which one?

Kindle, E-reader, Tablet, which one?

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  • G glennPattonWork3

    Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

    L Offline
    L Offline
    lewax00
    wrote on last edited by
    #34

    Maybe you should wait a month and pick up the Nexus 7. It looks pretty nice.

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • G glennPattonWork3

      Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

      V Offline
      V Offline
      Vitaly Tomilov
      wrote on last edited by
      #35

      I had the same thought about 3 month ago, picked up the best Kindle that was suggested and ordered it. But next day I found out: 1. To have my books as Kindle version, not only i'd have to buy them again, but some of them would cost me more than hard copy that I bought :confused: 2. Most books that they convert for developers, pieces of code are of very low quality, converted into images, so you can't even copy'n paste them...what kind of electgronic copy is that...:confused: On the second day I cancelled my order. Kindle, as a device, is great, but everything that stands behind it sucks big time, that's why they fail to make a big impact on the market.

      Let's agree to disagree! Boris the animal Just Boris.

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      • G glennPattonWork3

        Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

        H Offline
        H Offline
        hairy_hats
        wrote on last edited by
        #36

        Google Nexus 7. :-D

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        • G glennPattonWork3

          Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

          P Offline
          P Offline
          peterchen
          wrote on last edited by
          #37

          You can e-mail PDF's to the Kindle (free delivery if connected via WiFi, costs a small amount through 3G). With changing orientation, reading PDF's usually works well. However, PDF's with complex graphics often fail to display correctly. I love my Kindle because it's perfect for reading, and the occasional(!) stint into wikipedia. No fun for surfing, though.

          FILETIME to time_t
          | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

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          • V Vitaly Tomilov

            I had the same thought about 3 month ago, picked up the best Kindle that was suggested and ordered it. But next day I found out: 1. To have my books as Kindle version, not only i'd have to buy them again, but some of them would cost me more than hard copy that I bought :confused: 2. Most books that they convert for developers, pieces of code are of very low quality, converted into images, so you can't even copy'n paste them...what kind of electgronic copy is that...:confused: On the second day I cancelled my order. Kindle, as a device, is great, but everything that stands behind it sucks big time, that's why they fail to make a big impact on the market.

            Let's agree to disagree! Boris the animal Just Boris.

            R Offline
            R Offline
            Rage
            wrote on last edited by
            #38

            Vitaly Tomilov wrote:

            some of them would cost me more than hard copy that I bought

            That'S the rule. eBooks are more expensive than normal ones.

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            • P peterchen

              You can e-mail PDF's to the Kindle (free delivery if connected via WiFi, costs a small amount through 3G). With changing orientation, reading PDF's usually works well. However, PDF's with complex graphics often fail to display correctly. I love my Kindle because it's perfect for reading, and the occasional(!) stint into wikipedia. No fun for surfing, though.

              FILETIME to time_t
              | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

              G Offline
              G Offline
              glennPattonWork3
              wrote on last edited by
              #39

              Some times I have alot of RF circuit diagrams so Hmmm! Glenn

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              • R Rage

                Vitaly Tomilov wrote:

                some of them would cost me more than hard copy that I bought

                That'S the rule. eBooks are more expensive than normal ones.

                L Offline
                L Offline
                Lost User
                wrote on last edited by
                #40

                In the UK there is no VAT on printed books, but there is on eBooks. With VAT currently at 20% eBooks should therefore be that more expensive than paper ones. Of course with an eBook you don't have the costs of materials, printing, storage, and delivery, although there is the cost of storage, processing, and delivery. And of course the value of the intellectual property.

                Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]

                B 1 Reply Last reply
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                • G glennPattonWork3

                  Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

                  S Offline
                  S Offline
                  Stephane Routelous
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #41

                  I have a Kindle keyboard previous generation. I love it for reading ebooks, and the battery last very very long ( 4-6 weeks). The e-ink display is very good IMHO. I took the one with free 3G connection to be able to check my emails on the go (feature I almost never use, even if I don't have data plan on my smartphone). Also, think of the web-browser as a nice extra feature, but to be honest, it sucks. It's fine for checking a few things on occasion, but not for long usage. I don't have a lot of PDFs but I tried to use the kindle to read them and it's not that comfortable. If your library consist mostly of PDFs, I would suggest getting a 10" reader (previous generation e-ink or tablet) EXCEPT if you find a way to convert your PDFs to mobi correctly. (BTW, if you find a way to convert any pdf to mobi without screwing all the layout, let me know ;-) ) The biggest annoyance with PDFs is when they are formatted on multiple columns, with margins, the screen is too small to read, and the scrolling when zooming in (without touch screen) is a pain. just my 2 cents.


                  Stephane "Facebook is like prison - sitting, wasting time, writing on walls and being poked by people you don'k even know."

                  www.exotk.org

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                  • S Stephane Routelous

                    I have a Kindle keyboard previous generation. I love it for reading ebooks, and the battery last very very long ( 4-6 weeks). The e-ink display is very good IMHO. I took the one with free 3G connection to be able to check my emails on the go (feature I almost never use, even if I don't have data plan on my smartphone). Also, think of the web-browser as a nice extra feature, but to be honest, it sucks. It's fine for checking a few things on occasion, but not for long usage. I don't have a lot of PDFs but I tried to use the kindle to read them and it's not that comfortable. If your library consist mostly of PDFs, I would suggest getting a 10" reader (previous generation e-ink or tablet) EXCEPT if you find a way to convert your PDFs to mobi correctly. (BTW, if you find a way to convert any pdf to mobi without screwing all the layout, let me know ;-) ) The biggest annoyance with PDFs is when they are formatted on multiple columns, with margins, the screen is too small to read, and the scrolling when zooming in (without touch screen) is a pain. just my 2 cents.


                    Stephane "Facebook is like prison - sitting, wasting time, writing on walls and being poked by people you don'k even know."

                    www.exotk.org

                    G Offline
                    G Offline
                    glennPattonWork3
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #42

                    Like the signature! The pdf thing is what is bothering me about the Kindle.

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • G glennPattonWork3

                      Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

                      L Offline
                      L Offline
                      Lost User
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #43

                      I have a Kindle Touch and think it is just brilliant. I can email documents to it (including PDFs), copy them by drag and drop from my PC, listen to music and use the dictionary. I can also have most documents available on Kindle for PC so I can read them there as well. Go for it I say.

                      speaking as ...

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • L Lost User

                        In the UK there is no VAT on printed books, but there is on eBooks. With VAT currently at 20% eBooks should therefore be that more expensive than paper ones. Of course with an eBook you don't have the costs of materials, printing, storage, and delivery, although there is the cost of storage, processing, and delivery. And of course the value of the intellectual property.

                        Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends. Shed Petition[^]

                        B Offline
                        B Offline
                        Bergholt Stuttley Johnson
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #44

                        You also have the fact that these books have the price set by the publisher so Amazon cannot discount

                        You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

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                        • V Vitaly Tomilov

                          I had the same thought about 3 month ago, picked up the best Kindle that was suggested and ordered it. But next day I found out: 1. To have my books as Kindle version, not only i'd have to buy them again, but some of them would cost me more than hard copy that I bought :confused: 2. Most books that they convert for developers, pieces of code are of very low quality, converted into images, so you can't even copy'n paste them...what kind of electgronic copy is that...:confused: On the second day I cancelled my order. Kindle, as a device, is great, but everything that stands behind it sucks big time, that's why they fail to make a big impact on the market.

                          Let's agree to disagree! Boris the animal Just Boris.

                          B Offline
                          B Offline
                          Bergholt Stuttley Johnson
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #45

                          sorry but what books are these? dead wood versions? you can get free ebook version of any book you own, all you have to do is type it into a file! (OCR may be of help here) the fact that the publishers are making a hash of producing the ebook does not invalidate the ebook reader, if you bought a paperback that falling apart and missaligned or pages incorrectly seperated (all the above I have found with new books on occasion) would this invalidate paper books? as for copy and paste, this is an electronic book aqnd as you cannot copy and paste with a deadwood version why is the lack of such a function in some ebooks a big issue? where in a kindle were you thinking of copy and pasting too? As ebook sales are outpacing dead the wood version I feel i must disagree

                          You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • G glennPattonWork3

                            Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

                            A Offline
                            A Offline
                            AspDotNetDev
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #46

                            I have a Nook Color, and here is my experience. There are no technical books that survive the conversion to eBook. There is always something wrong. If you are going to get an eReader, I recommend you only use it for books that are plain text (no images, diagrams, or code). Also, even with plain text books, I have found that the quality varies significantly, and the previews offered on the Nook are useless, as they often don't go past the index page. That means you can't check if the eBook is going to be of good quality before buying it. I have seen eBooks with multiple words spelled wrong, while the print book does not have those typos. And any sort of formatting (headers, footnotes, and so on) may be completely butchered. When you're reading a book by Nietzsche, it can be extremely confusing when the eBook leaves out a period and makes his paragraph-long sentences into two-paragraph-long sentences that make even less sense. Also annoying is that reviews for eBooks will sometimes be shared among the various versions of the same book. So you might be tempted to buy the more expensive version in hopes that it will be of higher quality, but you can't confirm that from the reviews because they are shared with the other inexpensive versions. If you want to read about the many other issues I've had with my Nook Color, search the Lounge for "Nook Color author:AspDotNetDev" (without quotes). It seems there is no expectation that eBooks be as high of quality as their print equivalents. eReaders are neat toys, but you may want to save yourself from the frustration.

                            Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

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                            • G glennPattonWork3

                              Some times I have alot of RF circuit diagrams so Hmmm! Glenn

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                              P Offline
                              peterchen
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #47

                              While I want you to get hooked, it's not a good device for this, especially since with those you need fast zooming and panning. I tell you what: you get a kindle, and something else. Or maybe get a Kindle and consider a career change. ;)

                              FILETIME to time_t
                              | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

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                              • G glennPattonWork3

                                Hi All, I'm looking to buy a means of reading books with out the dead wood. My first thought was Kindle (I'm in the UK) like most every one else. But having chatted to a guy on the train he said well you email the books to it and it can show jpegs but he was a little unsure of it showing PDF's. Firstly I have a load of PDF's that I need to carry around (manuals mostly) and I am a bit of a reader as some you might know from comments I have made, really I just want something I can plug into a PC copy over some PDF's and may be the odd eBook, I don't need email, web browsing (Smartphone!) or full Laptop/Netbook. Just something to read all manner of book. Glenn :confused:

                                D Offline
                                D Offline
                                dazfuller
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #48

                                Kindle can handle PDFs but results may vary, I've got some which look great and others not-so-much. I've got a Kindle and a tablet (Lenovo A1), the kindle keeps with me at all times and is my primary reader, simply because the battery life is amazing and it's really light to just keep on me. The tablet I use for home, especially for night time reading as I don't have a light for the Kindle, but also because for contextual lookup it's just way more intuitive. I'm not sure how the Kobo reader handles PDFs but it is stupidly cheap at the moment (something like £69 when I walked by WH Smiths the other day). Never actually used one either so I have no idea if they're any good. Something else to look at is using Calibre to manage your ebook library on your PC. It can transfer ebooks to devices like the Kindle, and can convert between formats, either from being prompted by the user, or on the fly if it knows what the device supports. I've got quite a few books in ePub format, when I transfer them to my Kindle it converts them to .mobi before transferring.

                                G 1 Reply Last reply
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                                • D dazfuller

                                  Kindle can handle PDFs but results may vary, I've got some which look great and others not-so-much. I've got a Kindle and a tablet (Lenovo A1), the kindle keeps with me at all times and is my primary reader, simply because the battery life is amazing and it's really light to just keep on me. The tablet I use for home, especially for night time reading as I don't have a light for the Kindle, but also because for contextual lookup it's just way more intuitive. I'm not sure how the Kobo reader handles PDFs but it is stupidly cheap at the moment (something like £69 when I walked by WH Smiths the other day). Never actually used one either so I have no idea if they're any good. Something else to look at is using Calibre to manage your ebook library on your PC. It can transfer ebooks to devices like the Kindle, and can convert between formats, either from being prompted by the user, or on the fly if it knows what the device supports. I've got quite a few books in ePub format, when I transfer them to my Kindle it converts them to .mobi before transferring.

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                                  G Offline
                                  glennPattonWork3
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #49

                                  Odd that you mention Kobo I walked past WH Smits at the station and they are £59, I was thnking of having a look...

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                                  • G glennPattonWork3

                                    Odd that you mention Kobo I walked past WH Smits at the station and they are £59, I was thnking of having a look...

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                                    D Offline
                                    dazfuller
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #50

                                    At £59 you can't really go wrong as it's just about cheap enough to be counted as a mistake or just use as a casual reading device if it doesn't quite meet your expectations. I've tried their Android app before which was quite nice, but I was already bought into the Kindle way of life by that point

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                                    • D dazfuller

                                      At £59 you can't really go wrong as it's just about cheap enough to be counted as a mistake or just use as a casual reading device if it doesn't quite meet your expectations. I've tried their Android app before which was quite nice, but I was already bought into the Kindle way of life by that point

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                                      glennPattonWork3
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #51

                                      Mmmm might do that, dang why can't I type this am! Glenn

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                                      • G glennPattonWork3

                                        Mmmm might do that, dang why can't I type this am! Glenn

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                                        dazfuller
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #52

                                        It's Friday, possibly a lack of coffee? I'm sat here with my mocha and a breakfast cob so feeling good :-D

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                                        • D dazfuller

                                          It's Friday, possibly a lack of coffee? I'm sat here with my mocha and a breakfast cob so feeling good :-D

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                                          glennPattonWork3
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #53

                                          Been here for over two hours, fighting with driver, have consume enough caffeine to keep to Bolivia up most the weekend, the dang keyboard keeps moving! Glenn

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