Question

Hi

I am thinking of getting this ereader: http://www.aluratek.com/product%5Finfo.php?products%5Fid=102&display=All

Now one of my main reasons for having a e-reader would be to put computer books on it. Seeing how big computer books are to log around, I don't like reading them on computers, they go obsolete pretty fast.

However most of them are pdf format what I hear is not too good for small screen like an e-reader. So anyone ever read computer books on e-readers? Is it good? Is there better formats then pdf(that pdf can convert to)

Thanks

Answer 1

most eReaders have problems with PDFs (e.g. SONY readers don't do them very well) so i suppose it's best to convert them into RTF or TXT, then you may benefit from the adjustable fontsize of that reader (which is also sold as JetBook by a different company).

Answer 2

I have had a Safari account for several years for the same reason that you are looking for an e-book ready - to replace carrying around a ton of books. The problem with using a e-book reader for computer books (at least for programming books) - no cut and paste! I find a bit of code in Safari and I can c&p into my editor and make it work. Can't do that with an e-book!

I also have an Amazon Kindle. I have converted some PDFs to AMZN format via their site. It doesn't convert very well.

I haven't purchased any computer books for the Kindle, but I would be interested to know if you can copy and paste code from their Kindle for PC software. Then you could have the best of both worlds - c&p and portability.

HTH

Steve

Answer 3

Personally, to me, paper is still paper (although even paper is not anymore what is used to be).

All e-books related to work, I read on the monitor ... and I don't usually print since I don't even read whole of them, just the parts that interest me.

If something is really interesting that I'll think I'll read away from keyboard, then to the printer it goes, and to the table next to the couch.

But I can't imagine myself carrying an additional reader around, ... gotta look at some other things than just LCD displays.

Answer 4

I use my blackberry to read books (smaller than eReaders, yes), and Mobiocket Reader can import and render PDF files very well, even resizing images so they fit on my screen. No copy and paste on the blackberry, but I can set bookmarks, review them on the desktop, and copy/paste out of there if I need to.

Answer 5

I'd almost go so far as to say "try a netbook" but frankly most of them are small computers and not suited for reading.

My OLPC XO-1, however, is light and small, and it has an awesome screen (Pixel Qi technology; readable in direct sunlight) which makes it quite well-suited for full-screen book reading on the go.

Answer 6

The problem I have is that most of the books I want aren't available. Try and find certification books for Kindle or any other ebook reader. I REALLY want to dump the weight, but unless they have more than newspapers, magazines and current bestsellers, they aren't suitable. That and some of the better books have color.

Answer 7

I do pretty much exactly the same thing. I'm traveling extensively, and wanted a way to carry several bookshelves worth of computer manuals and resources along in a very small car.

After looking around, I wound up with an Irex Iliad. The model is a couple of years old. They might have newer versions. I also understand somebody has out an 8 1/2 x 11 model...

That being said, I love the device. I read mostly PDFs on it (I have a Safari account through work). I tend to sort the books on my laptop, and stick the card I want into the device (the Iliad will simultaneously accept an SD, MMC and a USB stick). I can look at the pdfs on the PC, too, if I needed to cut/paste, etc. Most tech books are formatted a bit bigger than the Iliad, so reading them as PDFs on it means they are at around 80% their normal size or so. I'd have to do the math, but I have no problems reading them. I have 20/20 vision, fwiw.

E-paper is much easier to read outdoors, and easier on your eyes. Personally, I like to wander out to the pool, and sit in the sun while I'm reading. That's practically impossible with a laptop.

Things I picked the Iliad for:

1. It's Linux-based, and open source. That tends to mean that there will be community support for any open format. There's either native support or plugins for epub, pdf, html and every other format I've needed.
2. It has a stylus, and lets you write persistent notes directly on the document (they're stored as an overlay file, along with the source doc in an XML wrapper.)
3. It can connect/load via WiFi, from any normal WiFi hot spot (contrasted with the cellular access in the Kindle, which won't work out-of-country. (edit: the kindle now has international cellular access))
4. At the time I got it, it was a huge screen. It's no the biggest, anymore, but it's big enough for me to read comfortably (it also has options to switch into portrait mode, zoom in pages, etc, etc.)
5. No Amazon-owned DRM. I wanted no part of that, two years ago, and my concerns have been substantiated over time.

Answer 8

I find that e-readers aren't very good for reading computer books. I have to flip back and forth between pages a lot while reading programming-related books, and e-readers don't handle that very well.

I used to like Safari's online books, but their current Flash-based presentation is pretty awful. Believe it or not, it's actually easier to read and navigate Safari books on the iPhone than on my desktop machine.

Answer 9

I've had 2 problems with reading technical books (well, 1 is specific to tech books, the other is not). These problems only happen when you zoom in:

1. Pagination: I usually zoom in 1 level because the type is pretty small. This causes 1 'page' to take up 2-3 e-reader pages. The last page doesn't flow into the next, it's just the last couple of lines of the pdf page. The new update for the sony reader is supposed to fix it, but I haven't tried it yet.

2. Lots of tech books have 'notes' or 'hints' in sidebars; those usually get appended to the end of the page if you zoom in.

Now, when you're not zooming in, there are zero problems reading them on the sony reader.