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Good PDF Reader Device With Internet Browsing?

Posted by timothy on from the all-things-to-one-guy dept.

ranjix writes "I need a handheld device which would allow me to read ebooks and/or browse the internet while actively and intensely laying in the hammock (and Yes, I do have a hammock in my mom's basement). I'll try to sum up the basic requirements: (good) PDF reader (and ebooks of whatever sort), WiFi connectivity and Internet browser, screen minimum 4.5", readable in sunlight, etc, fairly responsive, at least 4-5 hours battery. Obviously I looked at the usual suspects: Kindle/Amazon tries to grab one into the proprietary formats and their own network (while other ebook readers don't really browse the internet), laptops/netbooks are pretty hard to hold, and the UMPC arena seems a hodge-podge of 'to be released' (Viliv S5? Aigo whatever?) with 'seriously expensive' (Sony, OQO) or plain 'we recommend you don't buy' (Samsung Q1Ex). Is there anything else I could use in the given circumstances?"

23 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. iRex iLiad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    It does everything you want. Nothing with an e-ink screen is going to browse the internet "properly", but nothing without really fits the bill either.

    Get an iLiad, and keep updating the browser as new versions become available. It runs Linux, and isn't locked-down DRM-addled crap like the Kindle or those shoddy Sony efforts.

    1. Re:iRex iLiad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      OK, DRM sucks, but seriously, the Kindle DX doesn't force you to use it. It is "DRM-addled crap" in the same way the iPod is. It displays normal PDFs *and* the DRM-shit that Amazon peddles. You decide what you want with your credit card and USB cable.

    2. Re:iRex iLiad by gazita123 · · Score: 3, Informative

      I second this. I've got one and use it all the time. It is really excellent for taking your library with you, and it doubles as a notebook (a book to take notes in, not a notebook computer). The wifi works OK, but can be finicky. This is one of the only e-ink devices with a Wacom digitizer for taking notes and annotating documents. The software has been opened up and there is some community development Open Iliad, but you will find most of the active discussions and news on the forums.

      It is hackable to extend the battery life to several days, and it supports CF flash, SD, and USB memory. The USB port can also be used for running a USB light or hooking up an external keyboard. For updating, it is possible to use SSH to connect to it, and then just rsync or whatever you want.

      Since I've gotten this, I've started being able to read many books that are available for free as a CC licensed digital download. Cory Doctorow is a good example.

      The cost is higher than similar readers due to the digitizer and wifi and *most importantly* the fact that it is a full A5 sized screen (8" diagonal). I've compared this to the smaller Sony reader, and the additional screen space is particularly valuable for reading PDFs since they do not re-flow the text to fit the screen.

    3. Re:iRex iLiad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I too have an iLiad and would recommend AGAINST getting one. The hardware for the iLiad is great, the software from iRex is horrible. Just for example, the hardware has (stereo) sound capabilities. That's good. The software doesn't. That's stupid.

    4. Re:iRex iLiad by rm999 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "It runs Linux, and isn't locked-down DRM-addled crap like the Kindle or those shoddy Sony efforts."

      You don't understand the Kindle at all. First, it runs Linux. You are probably repeating complaints that the software isn't open source, but Linux is not a synonym for open source. Second, its DRM does not prevent you from viewing non-DRM material. The Kindle has a very capable PDF converter, and the resulting files have no DRM in them. The Kindle is a superset of a theoretically identical device without any DRM. I have a Kindle and have never used its DRM.

      The Kindle is an impressive piece of hardware, but I agree its software licensing leaves something to be desired.

    5. Re:iRex iLiad by SpinyNorman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Nothing with an e-ink screen is going to browse the internet "properly", but nothing without really fits the bill either.

      Maybe not yet, but check out this dual-mode reflective/transmissive LCD screen from Pixel Qi.

      It has the best of both worlds - in reflective mode it's like an e-ink display, readable in full sunlight, and in transmisssive mode it's a fast color display suitable for watching movies.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm8WoItVRn0
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oawX3wenxNc

  2. iPhone. by icebike · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ok, someone has to say it. iPhone/iPod Touch.

    Choice of several readers. Choice of formats,
    and at least 3 different on line stores if you want to buy something to read.

    May not be cost effective for the single purpose of PDF reader, but throw in everything else it does and it makes sense.

    --
    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
    1. Re:iPhone. by Degro · · Score: 4, Informative

      The iPhone is not very good if you're talking larger book pdfs (jailbroken may be a different story). The best I've found so far is Air Sharing from the app store, which lets you map your phone via WebDAV. Once the files are on your phone it seems to use the built in display for that file type, the same pdf viewer you get from the mail app in this case. The viewing is good enough for me. I've read several smaller books with it already. The problem lies with trying to open large files. Anything over 10-15mb will likely lock up your phone. Anything over 25mb, forget about it. Sometimes I can't even kill the app when this happens and have to reboot the phone...

    2. Re:iPhone. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Try PDF+ which is in the App Store. I carry several large IEEE standards in it (largest is 19mb) that work fine. It also adds search and index support which makes it reasonable to use with large documents.

      Even with all of that it is a pain compared to reading the same document on a laptop. The screen is small and the controls are limited. But it fits in my pocket which was the goal.

    3. Re:iPhone. by wizzat · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sounds to me like you're using the wrong app to read with. I've read many many (many) books on my iphone and really it comes down to the interface on the app you're reading with. I rather highly recommend reading with Bookshelf - and as a double bonus win, it is setup by default to access the Webscription (Baen/Tor) free library.

  3. HP TC1100 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    You'll have to get it used but you won't find anything better.

  4. Re:Solution: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fascinating. I want to mod the first part of your post informative, the second offtopic, and the third flamebait.

  5. A 9 inch netbook by grege1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    An 8.9" netbook is very close in external dimensions to a 7" inch model. All have WiFi. Get a solid state device like the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 running Ubuntu or get an ASUS EeePC 701 for the absolute cheapest. Use any PDF reader and screen rotation, hold netbook sideways. With a big USB Thumb drive (or SD card) and headphones it can also be used as a movie player, or a music player and you can surf the net. This is the sort of use netbooks are good for, better than trying to make them mini notebooks.

  6. Re:Your are not the only one looking... by Antidamage · · Score: 3, Informative

    The cheapest option could be a Nokia N770. They're not quite as daylight readable as e-ink surfaces, but still not bad. The bonus is you're getting a mini-linux environment in your hand. I run RDP on mine and connect to a Windows 7 box when I'm around home.

  7. Kindle is only mostly proprietary by magarity · · Score: 3, Informative

    The new version Kindle in the large size does PDF - they don't force all the content in their proprietary format (although of course they make that the easiest to get). I think that would be your best bet. Note the smaller size Kindle does not do PDF.

    1. Re:Kindle is only mostly proprietary by Abcd1234 · · Score: 4, Informative

      The hardware is great but I don't want to be tied to Amazon.

      Uhh... you aren't. The DX will read PDFs, and every other Kindle can read TXT, PRC, and MOBI, all of which you can produce on your desktop for free.

  8. N810 by mzechner · · Score: 3, Informative

    a linux based internet tablet with tons of 3rd party apps, everything open source, superb pdf reader, very big screen 800x480, wifi, bluetooth, keyboard, camera, microfon etc. really it's the perfect device for the purposes you mentioned. i couldn't live without mine. forget about the iphone/ipod touch, they are nothing compared to this little beast.

    1. Re:N810 by cbhacking · · Score: 3, Informative

      Agreed, although I used a N800 (same as the n810 but no hardware keyboard - more expandable storage capacity though). The screen is big enough to read books on, the latest version of the OS (Maemo, a modified Debian) has a very nice PDF reader built in, the browser is Gecko-based and even has things like AdBlock Plus available (since it supports Flash, this is a real benefit). Everything is open source, no jailbreaking required (there's a built-in way to get full control over the device, including a root terminal) and you can install whatever you want on it - other PDF, web, or email software, Skype, the freaking GNU build toolchain even. WiFi and Bluetooth are its primary communication methods.

      The fit VERY comfortably in one hand, and if you're just reading books the battery will last 7 hours or so. Fantastic little device.

      --
      There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
    2. Re:N810 by delorean · · Score: 3, Informative
      Yes, the 810 is an excellent unit. Does lots of things well, lots of things so-so.

      PDF and eBook is so-so. Don't get me wrong it is very usable-- that is what I mainly use one for now, that and email.

      But I am coveting the Kindle I bought my wife for her birthday. It much much much easier to read a book on the Kindle than the n810. There is more screen and the screen so much easier on the eyes. I love that eInk stuff. Just keep it out of the direct sunlight or you have little evil kindles running all over the place. But the little evil kindles are much better than the Vashta Nerada that come in with our hard copy books.

      --
      "You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas"
       Sen. Davy Crocket to US Congress, Nov. 1, 1835
  9. Re:Your are not the only one looking... by Holmwood · · Score: 4, Informative

    The parent is correct in pointing out the fascinating Nokia device. However, the Nokia 770 hasn't been manufactured for at least a year; it was replaced by the Nokia N800. The N810 is an N800 with slideout keyboard, GPS, etc. The N800 is probably the best choice for a very small reading device that also browses the web superbly.

    That said, the screen is a slight bit smaller than the OP's requirements; it's ~4.1". But at 800x480, it yields 275 dpi which is very, very nice for an LCD-based device to read text from.

    The N800/N810, despite coming from Nokia are not phones. They are essentially powerful desktop computers from the late 1990's reduced to palm size (~8 ounces). 400 MHz ARM processor, 256 MB RAM, up to 64 GB of storage (2 SDHC slots), 4.1" 800x480x16bit screen, runs a loosely Debian-based Linux distribution called Maemo.

    It plays Youtube videos, and can play back DVD-quality DivX/Xvid (MPEG 4 pt 2 ASP) video without transcoding. It has a built-in PDF reader, and FBReader is an excellent free reader available for a wide variety of other formats.

    Battery life is on the order of 4-5 hours, and unlike Apple devices the batteries are user swappable. I have a spare that gives my N800 close to 10 hours of powered-on life. (In sleep mode, the device sips power; I've had mine sleeping for days without running out of power.)

    I find it generally excellent for daytime use, though I agree with the parent that e-ink devices are a little better for text in daylight, but all I've tried (Kindle, Sony) are inferior for PDF's and web browsing.

  10. Touch Book from Always Innovating by RicRoc · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have pre-ordered a Touch Book from Always Innovating for just this kind of thing.

    http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/

    Runs Linux on:
    Texas Instruments OMAP3530 with Micron 256MB (RAM) + 256MB (NAND) Memory
    8.9 inches 1024x600 A+ ressure sensitive touch screen
    Main storage: 8GB SD card (replaceable!)
    USB: internal and external

    Should be shipping this month!

    --
    Who?
    1. Re:Touch Book from Always Innovating by carlzum · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Great features and a competitive price, $300 for touch-screen and $400 with keyboard. My only question is, what is an A+ screen? I can't find much information about the display, other than the resolution. The images appear to have a glossy display, that would be a disadvantage in sunlight and for black and white text.

  11. As a hammock owner Id like to say... by xSauronx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    that the only thing you should have in your hand is a beer or a mixed drink.

    --
    By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. -- George Carlin