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Hi
I am confused...
I just spent a day with the iPad2 and a Galaxy Tab (the first edition) have to say I was very impressed with reading PDF books from the iPad but not so much from the Galaxy which is running 2.2
I am Android through and through and want to stick with an Android but want the experience I had with the iPad2 when it comes to reading ebooks from it.
I have been looking around and the Asus Transformer looks impressive with a decent price.... I also know it has Honeycomb as I understand its more tailored for tablets than the previous versions and the experience is far better. Much better than what I have used with 2.2. One thing from my research that lets Android down is there are not many apps which are tablet ready but slowly this will come.... That's not too much of an issue for me as my primary use will be ebook reading and internet use.
I dont see the point in buying just an ebook reader, for a few extra hundred I can get something which will offer a lot more and features that I would make use off.
If anyone uses the transformer as a book reader. What are you thoughts?? Is the experience good. I held one the other day in a shop and it felt initially quite bulky but I suppose I could get used to that....
Thanks
I bought the transformer to use it as an ebook reader, and i can tell you its really good.
there are some very nice ebook reading programs like the stock mylibrary which is basically like iBooks, and there is aldiko which i highly reccomand, because you can set text size, color and marging and page color etc. to make the reading comfortable.
i read a few books from it and with the right brightness/color setting it wont hurt your eyes too much or something like this. the text is crisp and nice and reading is in general a pleasant experience from the transformer screen.
I've been using the kindle reader. Great for reading 4 books so far. And quick to get new books. Have it on my desire HD too so I can put the eee pad down go out and read a few pages while out and about.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I agree im currently writing an ebook and tested out various formats on various apps on the TF overall quite a good experience when reading
I settled on Moon+ reader, so far I have had no issues.
If you want to read e-books, then do not buy this product. IPS panel is not intended for reading but the comic is a nice read. If you want to read, then buy an electronic book reader.
Try for example, to read for several hours on a computer screen. It is not easy (eyes will to hurt).
It's definitely nice as a book reader. I finished the entire Storm of Swords book on this one,so I can vouch for its useability
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Truthfully it is not a great ereader. The form factor is good for magazine and PDF but not for books. Also very reflective in bright light and not dim enough in darkness.
What was wrong with original galaxy tab?
My nook color is my default reader over my transformer as its screen while same tech has higher contrast less glare and can get it darker for night reading.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Count me in the group confirming that it's great for eBooks. I use Google's own Books app, and am currently reading my fourth entire novel on the Transformer. The screen dims enough to be comfortable for me even with white pages in a completely dark room, but is bright enough to read basically anywhere I'd be comfortable trying to read in the first place. No, it's not *quite* as easy on the eye as a dedicated reader, but it also does a whole hell of a lot more, and frankly the page-turning motion in Google's app makes it feel more like a book than the dedicated readers do to me.
Just so you know I've got enough experience to know what I'm talking about, here's what I've read on the Transformer, in order. They're all paperback versions, based on the ISBN numbers. All of these were read for the first time, so I didn't skim them, I read them properly:
* Terry Jones: Douglas Adams' Starship Titanic (257 pages, I'm an old-school Douglas Adams fan who finally decided I should give the novelization of his game a try.)
* Tom Clancy: The Hunt for Red October (499 pages, been meaning to read Clancy for years and never got around to it. Was happy with my first eBook experience, so gave it a try.)
* Tom Clancy: Red Storm Rising (637 pages, liked my first Clancy experience, so stuck with it.)
* Tom Clancy: Patriot Games (518 pages, I'm currently about 200 pages in, accounting for the differences in page numbering because the books reflow to fit the screen orientation / selected font size and spacing.)
So in total, I've read almost 1,600 paperback pages on the Transformer since May 4th -- and all of the Clancy was within the last month (I was on an overseas vacation for the Jones book, so read it much more slowly.) That means I average about 50 paperback pages per day on the Transformer since returning from my trip, which I couldn't do if it wasn't comfortable.
I thought it may help what my usage will be for reading books on a Transformer.
I am an IT professional and do a lot of self training reading IT reference books (majority in PDF form) and I use a my PC to actually do the tasks mentioned in the book.
if you can imagine I will have the transformer on stand of some sort and will referring back and forth to the transformer for reading the book or notes....
Does that make sense??
I don't intend to be reading novels but mainly for research and training guides..and this won't be on a daily basis either..
Thanks
PatrikSelin said:
If you want to read e-books, then do not buy this product. IPS panel is not intended for reading but the comic is a nice read. If you want to read, then buy an electronic book reader.
Try for example, to read for several hours on a computer screen. It is not easy (eyes will to hurt).
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I think this is a bit misleading. ANY device with any kind of LCD panel won't be as comfortable for longer reading sessions as an e-Ink reader. It also won't be as good in direct sunlight. That's not an indictment of the TF itself, which is excellent as an ebook reader compared with other tablets of similar size (and the few ounces difference of, say, the iPad 2 or GT 10.1 won't stop one from wanting to prop it on something after awhile).
I have a Nook 3G reader, and I do prefer to read on it for longer sessions and when I have sufficient light (because of course it has no backlighting). I also use the Nook for reading late at night, because theory says it's best to avoid emissive screens like tablets, notebooks, TVs, etc. right before going to sleep.
Another good use for the TF is if you're reading books that you need to annotate. Works great in the Nook app (and Kindle, for that matter), and notes and highlights sync to other devices.
So, in short, the TF's as good as any other 10.1" or so tablet, and better than a few because the IPS screen allows for more flexible viewing angles.
ranjb said:
if you can imagine I will have the transformer on stand of some sort and will referring back and forth to the transformer for reading the book or notes....
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Ah! Pretty much the perfect way to use the TF as an ereader. I wanted to point out what size of books you would be holding with different devices, but if the plan isn't to actually hold the TF.... well, awesome
Still, I took a picture:
http://i54.tinypic.com/210f4hu.jpg
Those are a 2nd generation Kindle, a 7" Galaxy Tab, and obviously a Transformer. The books behind have (roughly) the same weight as the device in front of them. There is an audio cd to compare size. The Kindle is 294 grams, the Galaxy Tab 382 and the Asus 695.
That said, the Kindle sucks for anything that isn't an ebook, especially PDFs
For novels eink readers are your best bet. For graphic novels or textbook you can't go wrong with a tablet. It should be worth noting eink readers of 5in and bigger can be used to read black and white comic by using epubbuilder and importing each image as a standalone chapter in epub format.
Sent from my Transformer TF101
frosty5689 said:
It should be worth noting eink readers of 5in and bigger can be used to read black and white comic by using epubbuilder and importing each image as a standalone chapter in epub format.
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Didn't know that. However, this is what i know http://foosoft.net/mangle/ the Kindle can read images and that software is made for the exact purpose of optimizing them so to read manga/comics very easily.
Still, the Kindle is a trainwreck with PDFs that aren't just an image or just text, so it dosen't really help the OP.
I spent about six hours yesterday reading a book using the kindle app and I was pretty pleased with it.
Canadoc said:
not dim enough in darkness.
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I use Screen Filter to make my screen dimmer when reading in darkness.
ranjb said:
I am an IT professional and do a lot of self training reading IT reference books (majority in PDF form) and I use a my PC to actually do the tasks mentioned in the book.
if you can imagine I will have the transformer on stand of some sort and will referring back and forth to the transformer for reading the book or notes...
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Click to collapse
I'd say it'd be great for that. Adobe's PDF viewer is free and fast / stable for me, if you're working on a PC LCD then having a similar tech on the tablet would be a positive advantage (set similar brightness and your eyes don't need to adjust looking back and forth, unlike an eReader screen). Only potential issue is reflections from bright office lights, depending on the environment where you're planning to use it, although if you have a good adjustable stand you can affix the tab to, that's easily solved (and if I can use the tab outdoors in bright ambient light, which I can, I'm sure anything indoors is workable.)
It's great for reading books, Kindle app is the same as on iPad. Brightness can be dim enough to not affect wife sleeping next to me, especially on Sepia background.
All ebook readers on the iPad are available for Andriod, just pick one you like. Due to competing formats, you may end up with three ore more, depending where you buy books or download epubs/pdfs.
The only thing I would ever replace this with is a Kindle DX, but who wants to pay that much for a tech toy that does only one thing? For the same price, I have a full blown tablet running Andriod OS.
It of course will not be as easy on the eyes as e-ink technology, nor look good in bright sunlight. Then again, who reads in bright sun? That's why we have trees!
Hello,
Is there anyone that got a tab 7.7 and can do a review on how good the tab work as a cbr/comic book reader? Preferably a video one... Considering buying one as a comic book reader but want to know how it handles it, for example how small will the text be in full screen without zoom.
With kind regards
Micke
HI, I also would like to know this, I'd like to use it a reader, but i'm concerned with an eventual burn in given a lot time displaying black lines of text on white background. Will that result in a burn in over time or is burn in actualy not a problem with ne new generation super amoled?
I've used Komik/Perfect Viewer/ACV/ComicRack/jcomic on a number of owned devices including SGN/Asus Transformer.
I've also go an ipad that I used to use cloudreader on.
When in bed, if holding the screen really close to my face, whilst lying on side - the SGN and 7.7 are about equivalent for me. In general use though, the 7.7 is the best size for comics. May need to dim brightness in dark environment (eg. long flight) because it can feel a bit like retina burn. The true black makes the comic "float" in the middle of the screen.
Response is very smooth on Perfect Viewer on both cbr and cbz. This is my preferred viewer with preconfigured brightness down/up on the bottom left/right. I set 200ms transitions and 10% swipe tolerance and the thing flies.
I am 6 foot with normal size hands for my height. It's doable, but not super comfortable to hold and swipe with the one hand. I don't use a case/cover. The fact that it's feather-light is a big plus.
Feels almost like the ideal device atm. On flight mode, battery only dropped about 10 percent from 75% on a 20 hr flight. This was on low brightness. Almost constant use.
The Asus Memo might be a better size when it comes out. Will wait and see.
Thank you for a great reply! I will most likely buy one. Any chance you can make a video review about this subject?
With kind regards
Mike
I find the 7.7 to be excellent as a comic reader, and a book reader in general. It can be held in one hand easily without fatigue. I prefer using Perfect Viewer and the rendering of comic pages is really fast even on the highest quality setting. Text and images are super sharp and the colours are amazing as would be expected on this type of screen. I have no problems with text size and its not much different to reading a paper version.
I also have an Asus Transformer and it just can't compare. The TF is big, heavy, and slower than the 7.7. Rendering pages is so slow on the TF I have to use a low quality render setting or there will be too much lag when flipping pages. Holding it with two hands is tiring after a short while.
The 7.7 is about as good a reader there is right now, ignoring all the dedicated eBook readers out there. But of course the 7.7 is so much more.
I use the GT7dot7 for a large amount of manga reading and some comic reading. I used the nook color before this and a 4 inch phone before that. I used to use perfect viewer as most people who try it end up using it since it is the most powerful comic reader and functions very snappy on most any device. I have since switched to komik reader for the gtab and i personally use it now as my only reader. I am a sucker for smooth page turns and komik allows for very smooth sliding of each page to the next. Where as perfect viewer allows for very quick and responsive page turns but there is no smooth scroll option.
Reader aside i have absolutely no problem reading on this device, it is a great size and it has a very crisp screen. I read though all of engadget distro with no zooming needed. Also, Google currents works great for reading stuff around the web, again the screen for me is the perfect size for it.
Any chance anyone of you can do a video review on how it is to use as a cbr reader?
With kind regards
Mikael
I have the original tab 7 (gt-p1000) and use comicrack to read comics on it all the time. IMO, it's the perfect device for that task; either standing, in bed, or sitting (airplane, f.e.).
I'm actually planning to upgrade to the 7.7 pretty soon, and expect to have the same or better results on that regard.
Hello guys, I am very excited about this tablet and didn't believed it was possible to actually offer such great specs at this price point, I take my hat off to google. I am currently looking to buy an android tablet basically for college book reading since most of the books (Science) are sent to us through pdf and reading them with the laptop is very impractical... These books are the typical 7.4" x 9.1" physical book size and my main concern is that the pages will not fit properly on the 7" screen or maybe wont be legible having to use zoom the pages in which is basically what I want to avoid.
So basically do you guys think this tablet could suit me for reading pdf books naturally without having to zoom the pages? or should I wait for the rumored nexus 10 to suit my needs?
Oscar
PDFs are a print format; they look great at 8.5x11.
Every smaller device I have seen has been a compromise; the smaller they get the worse it is.
Pick a commonly available textbook and see how it looks in the Apple store on a 10" IPad. Then drop by Barnes and Nobel and see how it looks on the Nook Tablet at 7". It will look very much the same on the Nexus 7 as on the Nook Tablet.
I won't do PDFs on my readers for that reason; my entire library is EPubs, with changeable font sizes and good text reflow.
It obviously depends on the font size used in the PDFs you intend to view. In general, if you're looking for a reading device, the consensus is that the 7" format is perfect.
I have a number of mags that I use in PDF format. It completely depends on how much text the book/mag printer is trying to squeeze on the page. Some look great, others require a little pinch.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Send us the pdfs (once we get the tablet, of course) and we can try it out for you.
>do you guys think this tablet could suit me for reading pdf books naturally without having to zoom the pages?
This is my main concern as well. Reading PDFs on a Nook is doable, but not optimal. The problem isn't the 7" size so much as the insufficient width of the Nook's 1.7 aspect. I find that if I manually crop the margins (done once per book), then I can read most texts OK in portrait. But it's not comfortable for extended reading. BTW, when reading long-form, the last thing you want to do is zooming in/out per page.
I can of course read in landscape, but again the "widescreen" aspect is suboptimal, necessitating excessive scrolling.
N7 is slightly better with its 1.6 aspect + higher res. Its actual screen is physically about 5mm wider than the Nook's. The higher-res display should improve readability, although I'm not sure how much.
An optimal device for reading PDFs for me would be in 4:3 format. For one-handed use, a 7'ish size is best. The rumored 7.85" mini iPad would be perfect.
If reading PDF textbooks is your main use, the best device is the iPad. It has the optimal 4:3 aspect, and its display is the best hands down. When you're reading books for long periods, the extra space of a 10" is much more important than the portability from a 7". For extended reading, 10" is best used in a stand, though.
>should I wait for the rumored nexus 10
It's futile to chase after gadget rumors. Although I will say that the iPad mini is on my list, if it becomes true.
Edit: I'm looking at the Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 which just hit the retail shelves. Basically a value tab, but it has a 4:3 IPS and good sized battery, important for a reader. SoC is last-gen OMAP4430, same as KF, so not the fastest. But that's good, because it means it'll hit the discount bins sooner than later. Hopefully it'll come up in a BF sale.
http://androidcommunity.com/lenovo-ideatab-s2109-budget-ics-tablet-hands-on-20120702/
There's no doubt that a 10" device is better for viewing most PDFs, but you can get by with a 7", especially if you're able to crop the PDF down before sending it to your device. For a free utility to crop PDFs just search for Briss.
But frankly if you're looking for something to use with textbook PDFs you'll spare yourself a lot of grief if you wait and save up for an iPad2.
Well, after having both 7" (Nexus 7 16GB) and 10" (Ainol Hero 1) - I ended up using almost exclusively the larger one. Its not that neat/cute nor easy to carry every day, but I finally started reading PDF books and PC manuals Ive intended to read for ages ... Debian Handbook for example - great at 10 inches, sucks at 7 inches. Also other stuff like Flipboard is great when using the tablet in vertical position.
I don't know about everyone else but I get a pretty much perfect conversion when I use Adobe Reader, especially in Landscape Mode. The stock reader and a couple of other ones I tried didn't really do it for me
IntelligentAj said:
I don't know about everyone else but I get a pretty much perfect conversion when I use Adobe Reader, especially in Landscape Mode. The stock reader and a couple of other ones I tried didn't really do it for me
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Well, myself, I hate scrolling page when reading. Thats why I love to read it on 10inch tablet in vertical way. I read one page, click right side of the screen, read another page ... etc. ... Using Mantano reader btw.
Nexus 7 is very cool phablet for reading docs...
But you need to zoom a bit on any 7` tablet...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
michalurban said:
Well, myself, I hate scrolling page when reading. Thats why I love to read it on 10inch tablet in vertical way. I read one page, click right side of the screen, read another page ... etc. ... Using Mantano reader btw.
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I actually don't mind the scrolling too much which is funny since I came over from a Kindle Touch. I'll try that app though. Do you have to zoom or does it do a good job of re-sizing the PDF?
IntelligentAj said:
I actually don't mind the scrolling too much which is funny since I came over from a Kindle Touch. I'll try that app though. Do you have to zoom or does it do a good job of re-sizing the PDF?
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Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesnt. Dont know what it depends on. But on the 10-inch I dont zoom at all ...
michalurban said:
Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesnt. Dont know what it depends on. But on the 10-inch I dont zoom at all ...
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Alright I'll give it a try on my Nexus 7. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of converting my PDF files. My ebooks I use the kindle app and it works great
IntelligentAj said:
Alright I'll give it a try on my Nexus 7. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of converting my PDF files. My ebooks I use the kindle app and it works great
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Yes, me too. I managed to buy some books for Google Books even in my unsupported country, but now they really shut the access down for us so I moved to Amazon Kindle and its great.
Planning on either getting the N7 or the ipad3 real soon but I'm really hesitant because of the better screen of the ipad. I'm getting a tablet mainly for light sufring, music, media and comic book reading.
Does anyone use their N7 for comics? What app do you use for CBR files? How's the screen and hows the usability and feel of reading from a much smaller screen? I'm guessing it can get annoying to read from such a small device because you'd constantly have to flick around just to read.
I'm all for the N7 but the only thing that's holding me back is that beautiful screen and itunes mp3 integration which is the best! Although I hate having to convert videos just to view them on my device.
I use ComicRack on my Nexus 7.
I am able to read comics in portrait mode without having to zoom in. The 1280x800 resolution is high enough for text to be displayed clearly. I don't need to zoom in and out.
The new iPad is still better for comics though. Reading comics on the Nexus 7 isn't bad, but sometimes you want a bigger screen (since comic text can be pretty small).
I'm pretty much using the N7 for email, texting and reading books and comics. I find that it works fine as a comic reader. After trying different comic apps, I've settled on two.
Comics by Comixology
This is great for buying and viewing comics. The guided view is superb. Try it out. They offer free comics so you'll be able to see how it works. I do still buy comics to offset all the ones that I download for free.
Perfect Viewer
This is the one I use for my cbr/cbz files. It works great and has a nice bookshelf feature to easily keep track of your comics and what's been read. There's plenty of customization available but not so much that it's overkill. I prefer reading in landscape with comic scaled to width. Tap the right side to scroll down a configurable amount. If you're at the bottom of the page it goes to the next page.
i love my nexus 7 for reading manga. it's great. i've always used jj comic viewer. 7 inch screen is way more convenient than 10. i can fit it in every single pair of pants pockets. i usually read them in landscape mode so you have to navigate your finger up and down to see the whole page, but it really isn't that bad. you just start from the top of the page and work your way down. it's what you would do anyways. potrait mode works too, but it gets kinda small. i think its perfect.
It's actually very good for comics.
http://www.techhive.com/article/2000315/what-s-the-best-way-to-read-comics-on-your-nexus-7.html
I found the screen way too small for comic reading, but that is just personal preference. I couldn't condone the price of the Ipad3 for what I use tablets for so I got the Asus TF300. It is great, a lot of great development going on, and great screen for comics.
I personally use manga watcher app for my manga needs. I think the n7 is a perfect size for manga. The reason being, the n7's screen size is pretty close to your average takobon volume, whereas American comics tend to be printed on bigger paper size.
I don't really read American comics that much, so I can't really comment much about it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Makaijin said:
I personally use manga watcher app for my manga needs. I think the n7 is a perfect size for manga. The reason being, the n7's screen size is pretty close to your average takobon volume, whereas American comics tend to be printed on bigger paper size.
I don't really read American comics that much, so I can't really comment much about it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
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Thanks guys! You have a new convert! I'm getting my unit tonight and hopefully it doesnt come with issues!
My mate is on the stand-up circuit and he loves his.
I don't read comics on mine but I do subscribe to Wired! Magazine and read that. It's a little small when showing the full page on screen so you have to zoom in to read, then zoom out to turn the page. I'm used to reading it on an iPad so it took a little getting used to but it's not a huge problem.
I tried Perfect Viewer, but the user interface is too ... ugly. And it's quite annoying to have to click every time to go to next page.
Did you try "Challenger comics viewer" ?
It's a FREE comics viewer available on Android Market (no ads).
You don't have to click to go to next page, all pages are automatically loaded.
Try it in landscape mode, it's really awesome !
It support local files (cbr/cbz/pdf/jpg/png) and network files (Samba/CIFS/Webdav/Ftp/SFtp).
I also tried Comicrack, it's quite OK but you still have to click to go to next page.
Use "Challenger comics viewer" and you will be addict ! Really !
Here is a short video of "Challenger comics viewer" :
I bought my one just for reading comics and web/gaming,
Comicrack is a must have,
Comic reader mobi is also alright and work well
Hello
My academic friends use Ipads with retina screens for reading PDF journal articles and ebooks. They rave on about how great the screen is and the annotating apps the ipad has. Though I'm no apple-fanboy and don't want be made a prisoner!
When the Note 10.1 with a wacom stylus appeared I thought at last! Though will the screen res be good enough for reading pdf articles for many hours? I would want to avoid zooming in/out. When in a shop while the screen looks fine, it's difficult to know what it will feel like after long term use. When I look at an ipad I can see a difference in how smaller fonts are displayed more sharply, though I don't know if it will really matter (less tired eyes/much easier to read?).
I know this can be subjective and personal (my eyesight is fine for reading), but if anyone has used the 10.1 for long periods of reading, I'd be really interested in hearing about your experience how it feels, (and esp if you've used an Ipad 3/4 too!).
[EDIT:] I will be using it for annotating PDFs too
Thanks
I use the note 10.1 for reading a lot, and have no problems reading for longer periods.
My brother has an ipad 3 retina, and while that screen is sharper, the difference is not that big.
If you want to annotate pdfs, the s-pen is waaaaay more accurate then any capacitative pen.
Verstuurd van mijn GT-N8010 met Tapatalk
Note is better becoz of the pen.. it helps not only in annotating but clipping parts of the notes too..
I consistently get around 10hrs of screen on time when reading pdf 's ..
YOu should check out the premium features that are possible with s-pen..
Screen is fine. You should get the note because of the pen. I have replaced pen and paper as a physics/ math student.
No problems with the note. I hate capacitive stylii that you have to use with most tablets, including the Ipads. I suspect the features of your note, if you buy one, will make your Ipad toting friens jealous.
In terms of eye comfort, nothing beats e-ink.
The paper like display technology requires no blacklight, and thus is far less straining for your eyes.
But a 10" e-ink device is expensive.
sublimerocks13 said:
Screen is fine. You should get the note because of the pen.
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At 147 PPI the Note's display isn't going to win any awards. In its favor, it's bright, has good contrast, and vibrant colors. On text you'll notice the lack of resolution. The smaller the text the more you'll notice. You won't notice it on pics and video but that's not what you're asking. To me, the additional features of the Note make living with 147 PPI acceptable. But it doesn't make me like it when compared to 1080P+ tablets. I'd strongly suggest you go play with one and get a PDF loaded on it that's similar to what you'll likely be using. You can either download it from somewhere or sneak in your own microSD. Make sure the brightness is set to what you'll mostly use as the higher the brightness the more pixelated text looks. I wouldn't trade my Note for anything other than a Note with a FHD display so I'm by no means bashing it. But the display is what it is.
I'm a physics grad student so I use the Note for reading and taking notes daily. It doesn't strain my eyes or anything, and I think it has better contrast and brightness than my previous tablet (it certainly feels that way). Of course, I don't read with my tablet 5 inches from my face (okay, I do, but only when I reddit; I read from a reasonable distance when I'm reading actual documents) so I don't know if the resolution might bother you.
As for annotating PDFs, the Apple store supposedly has better apps for that, but then you'll be forced to used either your finger or the capacitative stylus. Having tried to taking notes with a cap. stylus on my previous tablet (the asus transformer), I can definitively say that using the wacom stylus on the Note is a complete game-changer in that sense. The best cap. stylus I used was the Adonit Jot Pro, and even that one was complete and utter crap compared to using the Note stylus.
So basically, I'd say that if your only use of a tablet was to read PDFs, you might be better off with the newest iPad or one of the e-ink readers because it will either have better resolution or e-ink is supposed to be easier to read on. Otherwise, if you think you might want to mark up some PDFs or maybe do some note-taking, your best choice at this moment would be this Galaxy Note tablet.
I do not yet have a Note. I will be getting one and am not particularly worried.
For 10 years I used a CRT monitor was at a resolution close to the Note. I read more from paper books but that was before e-books existed as such. Still I did read a lot.
Since then I have been reading from a 1440x900 27" monitor. The lions share of my reading has been from that monitor. Fiction, technical stuff, web pages( news). There is no reason to believe that the Note will be too low a resolution for me, and I am in my low 50s, a time when eyesight starts going.
Let me also note that technical devices always involve tradeoffs. A car might have a lot fo horsepower, but at the expense of gas mileage. A larger TV draws more power. The SPen being "a real pen" needs more CPU power, it needs more RAM, so does a retina display. To have both, you are going to need a tablet that cost $1500. Your choice, but to me the better control of a pen over what is a "prosthetic finger" is worth it.
As a final note, I would observe that the resolution of a Note is sufficient to read for long hours, but you can be distracted by it. However if you are distracted, it's because you want to be distracted and if the Note doesn't do it, something else will.
nomadic11 said:
Hello
My academic friends use Ipads with retina screens for reading PDF journal articles and ebooks. They rave on about how great the screen is and the annotating apps the ipad has. Though I'm no apple-fanboy and don't want be made a prisoner!
When the Note 10.1 with a wacom stylus appeared I thought at last! Though will the screen res be good enough for reading pdf articles for many hours? I would want to avoid zooming in/out. When in a shop while the screen looks fine, it's difficult to know what it will feel like after long term use. When I look at an ipad I can see a difference in how smaller fonts are displayed more sharply, though I don't know if it will really matter (less tired eyes/much easier to read?).
I know this can be subjective and personal (my eyesight is fine for reading), but if anyone has used the 10.1 for long periods of reading, I'd be really interested in hearing about your experience how it feels, (and esp if you've used an Ipad 3/4 too!).
Thanks
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get a real ereader (e-ink) if you dont need colors. You are going to kill your eyes if you read on the Note 10.1 for hours.
This one has a 9.7" screen: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wirele...UTF8&qid=1358916393&sr=8-4&keywords=kindle+dx
Im not an apple fan at all. Having said that i gave serious consideration to the pad before getting my note 10.1. The reason I went for the note was simply this. Productivity! I read a lot and want to be able to mark up effortlessly and clip things etc. Last night i clipped a part from a video & posted it on FB (it converts into a still but gives you some idea of the power). Multiscreen, an excellent pen - Snote (which i love) an excellent tool. The versatility and productivity capabilities of the note helped make my mind up. I did notice the difference between displays. productivity won the day for me.
On the pleasure side you cant beat playing a video while surfing/playing a game like angry birds at the same time.
Battery life is also very good - im not a heavy user as yet - im still learning all about this note :good:!
If you are just going to read - get the ipad. If you just want to surf the net & read PDF's and respond to an email - juts get the ipda. If you want more productivity then get the note.
I haven't been disappointed.
The note has a choice of 3 default screen settings, Dynamic, Normal, and Cinema. Most people forget this fact, but it makes a BIG difference when using it for various different things.
I've said this before, but most stores which sell BOTH usually have the Note screen set to the worst possible setting for its environment. Bear this in mind when testing in store.
Hi
Just to say a big thanks to those of you who replied in this thread. All your feedback has been really useful! I plan to go to a shop to check things out further.
cheers
Just played around with a friends ipad 4. Although the screed was very slightly clearer it was only noticeable on specific web pages when zoomed in all the way. Way closer than you would have it for reading. He was more impressed with my notes color reproduction than I was with his retina screen.
So yes I noticed a difference but only in situations that were not consistent with real world use.
Then we were both taking notes me with spen and he with capacitive stylus and there was no comparisson. Spen was so much better. It was like I had a ballpoint and he had a dull crayon
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The note is definitely the best device if you want to read and annotate PDFs. The spen is way better than any capacitive stylus. If you just want to read ebooks though, go with an eink device.
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Riki1kenobi said:
The note has a choice of 3 default screen settings, Dynamic, Normal, and Cinema. Most people forget this fact, but it makes a BIG difference when using it for various different things.
I've said this before, but most stores which sell BOTH usually have the Note screen set to the worst possible setting for its environment. Bear this in mind when testing in store.
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What mode is best for reading PDFs and Web surfing?
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BarryH_GEG said:
At 147 PPI the Note's display isn't going to win any awards. In its favor, it's bright, has good contrast, and vibrant colors. On text you'll notice the lack of resolution. The smaller the text the more you'll notice. You won't notice it on pics and video but that's not what you're asking. To me, the additional features of the Note make living with 147 PPI acceptable. But it doesn't make me like it when compared to 1080P+ tablets. I'd strongly suggest you go play with one and get a PDF loaded on it that's similar to what you'll likely be using. You can either download it from somewhere or sneak in your own microSD. Make sure the brightness is set to what you'll mostly use as the higher the brightness the more pixelated text looks. I wouldn't trade my Note for anything other than a Note with a FHD display so I'm by no means bashing it. But the display is what it is.
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I got a chance to compare the Note 10.1 with an Ipad 4 for reading a pdf file. I used a typical academic journal article (Times font, so bit more difficult to display). In portrait, the Note struggled to display the file clearly, because of the relatively small font size - it wasn't comfortably readable; in landscape it was better, though not perfect. In comparison, the Ipad retina screen displayed the pdf almost like it was in print. In portrait while font was still smallish, it was quite readable, and in landscape it was perfect. The Ipad won hands down (and I really did not want it to!)
Though for annotating, the Note blew me away with its handwriting recognition. My writing is so bad, sometimes I have trouble reading it, yet the Note was really impressive. There's no question that it can be productive. I've used a few windows tablets and felt it was on par with them in terms of handwriting recognition (and without any training too!)
Yet, I'm in a dilemma, wanting the razor sharpness of an Ipad (esp. with its 4:3 ratio) and the annotating capabilities of the Note
nomadic11 said:
Yet, I'm in a dilemma, wanting the razor sharpness of an Ipad (esp. with its 4:3 ratio) and the annotating capabilities of the Note
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People dont realise that using something like spen will limit increasing the resolution of screens..
I have both an Ipad 3 and the Note 10.1. The only thing the Ipad does better is small text that I need eyeglasses to see. If you might be looking VERY closely at fine text, then yes, the ipad is sharper. Annotating the Note wins hands down, not even close. Reading Ebooks, the Note wins hands down. Perhaps some people need e-ink readers, i am not one of them. I find the Note far more pleasant and less tiring to read than an e-ink reader. I do a lot of reading or hours on end...
You do have to adjust the backlight to get the best light for your environment. I use Cool Reader because it is so easy to adjust the backlight. Just swipe your finger up or down the left edge of the screen. The Nook and Kindle apps require you to go into the menu to change brightness. I end up using the wrong brightness with those apps. That does tire my eyes quickly. With Cool Reader I end up adjusting the backlight automatically without even thinking about it. That's probably one big reason I don't get tired eyes like others have reported.
Nakel said:
I have both an Ipad 3 and the Note 10.1. The only thing the Ipad does better is small text that I need eyeglasses to see. If you might be looking VERY closely at fine text, then yes, the ipad is sharper. Annotating the Note wins hands down, not even close. Reading Ebooks, the Note wins hands down. Perhaps some people need e-ink readers, i am not one of them. I find the Note far more pleasant and less tiring to read than an e-ink reader. I do a lot of reading or hours on end...
You do have to adjust the backlight to get the best light for your environment. I use Cool Reader because it is so easy to adjust the backlight. Just swipe your finger up or down the left edge of the screen. The Nook and Kindle apps require you to go into the menu to change brightness. I end up using the wrong brightness with those apps. That does tire my eyes quickly. With Cool Reader I end up adjusting the backlight automatically without even thinking about it. That's probably one big reason I don't get tired eyes like others have reported.
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Well, to be fair, the Note doesn't do a good job showing the small numbers like exponents or side notes in scholarly articles, but zoom or landscape nullifies that for me. I'd rather waste a little more time zooming in on small spots than lose the s-pen though.
dtziheucdavis said:
The note is definitely the best device if you want to read and annotate PDFs. The spen is way better than any capacitive stylus. If you just want to read ebooks though, go with an eink device.
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---------- Post added at 09:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:52 PM ----------
What mode is best for reading PDFs and Web surfing?
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
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It really depends on the situation. For low light scenarios I use movie as it yellows the screen a bit and increase the brightness level a touch. But most of the time I use normal. On the odd occasion where I have been outdoors, Dynamic and full brightness allows the screen to be clearly readable.
All this hooha over the iPad screen is overplayed. I will leave this artice I read a while back which explains exactly why you are being conned into believing something that simply isn't true. http:// http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/10/3226295/news-flash-surface-pro-has-a-better-retina-display-than-the-ipad
The screen on the Note 10.1 is a 1280 x 800 HD screen and IF it was made by Apple would be classed as a Retina display!