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Nexus 7 size right for reading pdf's or should I wait for 10" alternative?

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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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 ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Can anyone recommend the Nexus 7 for comics?

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

[Q] How is the Nexus 10 for reading PDFs?

I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.

Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.

beerope said:
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're set on a N10, i'd say give it a bit of time, the device is fairly new, so it can take Devs some time to update apps and get the bugs worked out of them. Personally, i'm looking at one for close to the same usage requirements, and still plan on getting one, even knowing that it may take a bit for the apps to catch up with the device.

Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.

No problems with PDFs using moon reader pro. Can't really offer a comparison with ipad though.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Is viewing PDFs in portrait mode an issue? For most of my PDF readings the "page" is actually two pages of a book scanned and made into one PDF page. Would I be able to zoom in on one column w/o issue or display the page entirely in landscape? Do you guys tend to hold your N10 when reading PDFs or use a stand?

404 ERROR said:
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird...Moon Reader and Adobe Reader has finger lags on my N10, even EZpdf lags...

Kalebima said:
Is viewing PDFs in portrait mode an issue? For most of my PDF readings the "page" is actually two pages of a book scanned and made into one PDF page. Would I be able to zoom in on one column w/o issue or display the page entirely in landscape? Do you guys tend to hold your N10 when reading PDFs or use a stand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way to view one pages with 2 pages is to flip it to portrait mode and then flip it to landscape mode without activating auto-rotation. You will swipe left to right in this case.
beerope said:
Weird...Moon Reader and Adobe Reader has finger lags on my N10, even EZpdf lags...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either it's different sensitivity to issues or there might be something wrong. I just flung my finger across the screen and it just zoomed through. Images and stuff will load a bit later, but once the the app makes a cache, it doesn't take time to load them up anymore (so it's already there and ready to view).

404 ERROR said:
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I've never had any lag on adobe reader even with large PDFs.

beerope said:
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know what the hell you're talking about. nexus 10 with adobe reader will read any pdf you throw at it just fine with no lag. lag in a pdf is just all kinds of fail and i'd say you have something very seriously wrong with something. but it's not the nexus 10's fault...

I can attest to the fact that ez pdf reader lags like hell on this device. I dont know if its software or hardware?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

Anyone who suffers from lag with Adobe Reader; force GPU acceleration from Android's Developer Settings (a guide to enable such settings is somewhere on xda-developers); should make things a lot better
While it doesn't seem to cause issues for most, it can cause some apps to act strangely, and/or crash. If you experience any issues, try disabling the setting first.

I don't see lag, but the nexus aspect ratio is not ideal for reading PDF.

I've had the Nexus 10 for about a week now and I got it for the sole purpose of reading books and PDF files. I'm a full-time student so reading my assignments on my tablet is an absolute most. My wife has the iPad 3 and she as well is a full-time student. Now, for comparison sake the iPad 3 in my opinion is way better for downloading and reading PDF files through their built in iBook. It's built to work flawlessly with anything you throw at it. I love the way it saves my PDF files on iBook as if I bought it from the App Store. On the Nexus 10 defense, Google books and Google magazines are not built as smooth as iOS's iBook. I'm not talking about buying books or magazines from the Play Store or App Store and reading through those apps, I'm simply speaking about downloading here. I'm sure one day Google will add whatever feature Apple is using to their apps. Now, I use Dropbox to store my books and PDF files then download them to my Nexus 10. Here is my experience with Paid apps only excluding the Adobe Reader which is free.
Adobe Reader - great app for PDF reading. beautiful performance with zero to no lag. Only problem, it didn't display a few pages at all.
Aldiko Book Reader - Too slow for my liking. Not fully updated to take advantage of the Nexus 10 (the best app if you want the closes resemblance to Apple's iBook)
Moon+ Reader - Again, too slow for me. I prefer Aldiko to be honest.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form (THE BEST PDF APP FOR THE NEXUS 10 PERIOD!!!) This app is definitely utilizing the Nexus 10 power to the max. No hiccups and zero lag. I highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to read their downloaded PDF files. (I have not tested this yet with books downloaded from Dropbox, just PDF files. Before I forget, reading in Landscape mode will make you scroll but if you read in Portrait mode, it will be like reading from an actual magazine. Also, in settings, you have the option to turn pages much quicker as well. I switched mine from 1.5x to 3x.
I hope this helps anyone who are having a hard time finding a good app to display their PDF files with the same performance as iOS iBook. If you have any questions or want me to test anything before you purchase this app or Nexus 10, just let me know.
here is the link to Google Play Store for the best PDF app I found on the market.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...51bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwidWRrLmFuZHJvaWQucmVhZGVyIl0.

RawBott Bigg said:
I've had the Nexus 10 for about a week now and I got it for the sole purpose of reading books and PDF files. I'm a full-time student so reading my assignments on my tablet is an absolute most. My wife has the iPad 3 and she as well is a full-time student. Now, for comparison sake the iPad 3 in my opinion is way better for downloading and reading PDF files through their built in iBook. It's built to work flawlessly with anything you throw at it. I love the way it saves my PDF files on iBook as if I bought it from the App Store. On the Nexus 10 defense, Google books and Google magazines are not built as smooth as iOS's iBook. I'm not talking about buying books or magazines from the Play Store or App Store and reading through those apps, I'm simply speaking about downloading here. I'm sure one day Google will add whatever feature Apple is using to their apps. Now, I use Dropbox to store my books and PDF files then download them to my Nexus 10. Here is my experience with Paid apps only excluding the Adobe Reader which is free.
Adobe Reader - great app for PDF reading. beautiful performance with zero to no lag. Only problem, it didn't display a few pages at all.
Aldiko Book Reader - Too slow for my liking. Not fully updated to take advantage of the Nexus 10 (the best app if you want the closes resemblance to Apple's iBook)
Moon+ Reader - Again, too slow for me. I prefer Aldiko to be honest.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form (THE BEST PDF APP FOR THE NEXUS 10 PERIOD!!!) This app is definitely utilizing the Nexus 10 power to the max. No hiccups and zero lag. I highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to read their downloaded PDF files. (I have not tested this yet with books downloaded from Dropbox, just PDF files. Before I forget, reading in Landscape mode will make you scroll but if you read in Portrait mode, it will be like reading from an actual magazine. Also, in settings, you have the option to turn pages much quicker as well. I switched mine from 1.5x to 3x.
I hope this helps anyone who are having a hard time finding a good app to display their PDF files with the same performance as iOS iBook. If you have any questions or want me to test anything before you purchase this app or Nexus 10, just let me know.
here is the link to Google Play Store for the best PDF app I found on the market.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...51bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwidWRrLmFuZHJvaWQucmVhZGVyIl0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rawbot, thanks for your response! We're in exactly the same situation - I'm buying this almost solely to read PDF files and don't really care how well it performs for gaming or anything else. Could you tell me how you like the aspect ratio of the Nexus 10 versus the iPad 3 for reading pdfs? Especially when it comes to scanned book pages (i.e two book pages in one pdf "page"). Which do you prefer? Landscape or portrait?
Thanks! I already ordered the N10 but I can't test it out till I'm home on next week, I wish I could just load up a pdf on the darn thing myself but alas!

Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out ezPDFReader. It's probably one of the best. It has lots of functions and is very well supported with frequent updates.

Is there a way to enable infinite scrolling in ezpdf like nearly any other PDF reader does? I really hate this 1 page per scroll gesture.. Feels so choppy compared to the fluency of adobe..

Kalebima said:
Hi Rawbot, thanks for your response! We're in exactly the same situation - I'm buying this almost solely to read PDF files and don't really care how well it performs for gaming or anything else. Could you tell me how you like the aspect ratio of the Nexus 10 versus the iPad 3 for reading pdfs? Especially when it comes to scanned book pages (i.e two book pages in one pdf "page"). Which do you prefer? Landscape or portrait?
Thanks! I already ordered the N10 but I can't test it out till I'm home on next week, I wish I could just load up a pdf on the darn thing myself but alas!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In answer to your question, I prefer the Nexus 10 ratio over the iPad. Then again, many may prefer the iPad's ratio for reading. All I can say is when you get your Nexus 10 next week give it a try. Download the App I suggested and see how you like the ratio.
Here are two pictures I took of the iPad 3 and the Nexus 10 side by side with the same PDF file I downloaded from my Dropbox account. This will give you an idea of how your PDF will look like on each device. (PDF files are open in iBook and ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form) Screen brightness: 100% As you can see by the picture, iBook crops the PDF file to fit the 4:3 ratio, while the Nexus fits it perfectly. I actually like that for some strange reason. lol It looks like it was designed for the Nexus 10. Also, the black colors on the Nexus 10 look a bit better. You have to look hard to notice it but it's there.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form also has the option you asked which is reading two pages in one PDF page form. It is not enable by default but you can go to settings and enable the feature there. I prefer portrait for one page viewing only because landscape with one page means scrolling and for two pages means a bit of zooming but not by a lot. If you need pictures of that too let me know.

aritrea said:
Is there a way to enable infinite scrolling in ezpdf like nearly any other PDF reader does? I really hate this 1 page per scroll gesture.. Feels so choppy compared to the fluency of adobe..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've looked through the settings to find your answer but I'm afraid I didn't find infinite scrolling. The most I came close to finding was scrolling speed for turning page which by default is on 1.5x. You can change that to 3.0x and it should be faster. Also, the free version was choppy like you mentioned but not the paid version. You can try it for 15 minutes and if you don't like it you can get a refund.

I've tried like... all the pdf readers out there and all were lagging with any kind of pdf, i really don't know what these people are talking about... Since i got the nexus for reading a lot of pdfs I was really disapointed, then i found mantano reader by accident it's in fact an ebook reader but it also reads pdfs with unmatched fluency ! I'll howerver try to enable h/accel to see how adobe's perform.

[Q] Lag on the Nexus 10?

I've read a thread on PDF readers posted a few weeks back, which brings me to my question, why is it that our tablet, that's capable of taking on any Game and HD game ( I've played NFS, Call Of duty:zombies, Batmanark Night Rises) out there without a problem or lag, but my tablet cant handle a simple PDF file, considering our tablet it takes a few seconds to open and load PDF files. is it App related? or is it really our tablet? I'm always showing off my nexus to my apple friends.. but one thing I never showed them it was how slow this thing open up PDF... I did try a few apps and Montano (funny anough PDF reader was the laggiest) seems to be snappier but not quite there as it should be... any reason behind it??

Its the nature of the PDF I believe.... Even my iPad showed the same lag
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

PDF files contain a LOT of information and have a ton of overhead for what they are. Processing all this junk is probably what takes a second or two to load them.
Bad scrolling in PDF's is probably because Adobe most likely never implemented GPU acceleration of their reader so all updates on the screen for the PDF are probably being done on the CPU side of things.

Also if your opening it with an editing program it is trying to figure out what us editable and what is not, so that takes a lot of processing.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Give repligo reader a try, I think is a better of the pdf apps available.
RoloRacer on RootBox 4.2.2

Moon Reader is also worth a go.
Damn though, PDFs can snag on a computer, much less a tablet. Nature of the beast that is Portable Document Format.

The fact is PDF readers are all unoptimised garbage. Once the image is rendered there is NO ****ING REASON it should stutter and lag. Just look at Apple's built-in PDF viewer on iOS. It's butter smooth like Safari. All they have to do is render the image and pan it like a flat texture using the GPU. It should run at 10000fps not 5fps.
---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:08 PM ----------
libertao said:
Moon Reader is also worth a go.
Damn though, PDFs can snag on a computer, much less a tablet. Nature of the beast that is Portable Document Format.
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Wrong. All that affects is the initial rendering time. You can easily render a fully zoomed 2560x1440 image on a Nexus 10 and keep it in GPU memory to scroll smoothly at 60fps. Does your wallpaper lag while scrolling? NO! There should be no additional CPU load unless you pinch to zoom. Even that can be avoided by rendering the full resolution texture in the beginning and letting the GPU scale it at 60fps. With anisotropic filtering all zoom levels will be sharp and not blurry even if fully done by the GPU.

Why is everybody saying that iOS has better pdf handling than Android?

I find the spen, ezpdf, Dropbox combo to be perfect.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app

I actually just said that in a recent post. It is true. I know that having the pen with ezPDF is amazing and works well. The issue is in the performance. Try an iPad. Load a graphic intensive PDF on it and then start moving around from page to page and zooming. It's smooth as heck. Now do it on the Note 10.1 2014... Choppy, inconsistent and slows down to a crawl sometimes. As much as a hate Apple and I think that their products are mainly consumption kiddy toys, they do have some very optimized well put together hardware and software. There is a reason why they are praised for their gaming capabilities, because the GPU capabilities are amazing. But like I said, outside of that, there is nothing special about it so it's not like that would win me over. The Note 10.1 2014 is what I am sticking with and it will do wonders for most everything, I just hope the video processing and random system performance gets patched along the way soon.

Dissappinted to hear that. I wanted to upgeade to a 2014 for better, faster pdf handling. I guess all the ipad needs is a pen with good palm rejection.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app

dtziheucdavis said:
Dissappinted to hear that. I wanted to upgeade to a 2014 for better, faster pdf handling. I guess all the ipad needs is a pen with good palm rejection.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
If they put a Wacom Digitizer in there they may have something.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 via Tapatalk.

yeah my daughters old ass ipad2 is still pretty smooth. any 2yr old android tablet can't even hang - tegra2 sucked!

Is what you are seeing really attributable to a difference between an iPad and Android from a hardware and OS perspective or is it a difference in the PDF apps that are available? I know that it really doesn't matter in the end because the results of the same but it seems to be more related to deficiencies ezPDF then in the hardware or OS. I really wish Bluebeam would step up and bring their PDF reader to Android.

I think pdf handling on the note 10.1 2014 isn't perfect but its definitely smooth enough unless you're OCD

Compare GoodNotes on iOS to ezPDF on Android and you'll see why.

Check out Mantano reader. I find that it has the smoothest experience out of all android PDF readers. There performance may not be as good as the iOS alternatives, but it comes pretty close. I can read a 1000 page textbook on my galaxy s3 without any noticeable lag or stutter. The performance should be just as good, if not better on the note 2014. It also has annotate/highlight functionality which could put the pen to good use.

C2Q said:
Check out Mantano reader. I find that it has the smoothest experience out of all android PDF readers. There performance may not be as good as the iOS alternatives, but it comes pretty close. I can read a 1000 page textbook on my galaxy s3 without any noticeable lag or stutter. The performance should be just as good, if not better on the note 2014. It also has annotate/highlight functionality which could put the pen to good use.
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Before I shell out for the Premium version, does it have the ability to put sticky notes, and does it have a "turning page" effect like ezPDF?

Han Solo 1 said:
Before I shell out for the Premium version, does it have the ability to put sticky notes, and does it have a "turning page" effect like ezPDF?
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You should try out the lite version first because I think it's essentially the same in terms of performance. The turning page effect is not there for PDF files (doesn't matter to me really), it just a straight horizontal or vertical scroll. I believe you can put some equivalent of sticky notes - you can write a text note and have it linked to a page, but it wont explicitly show a sticky note symbol on the page. Also I must warn you that despite the scrolling and rendering to be really smooth, the text rendering isn't that amazing, but I'm not sure which other PDF reader has that anyway. What I mean is that, when zooming in, there is a delay before the text gets sharper.
Edit: there's also this other reader I heard is quite good performance wise. Radaee PDF reader. I haven't tried it out myself, but maybe you want to give that a look as well.

C2Q said:
Check out Mantano reader. I find that it has the smoothest experience out of all android PDF readers. There performance may not be as good as the iOS alternatives, but it comes pretty close. I can read a 1000 page textbook on my galaxy s3 without any noticeable lag or stutter. The performance should be just as good, if not better on the note 2014. It also has annotate/highlight functionality which could put the pen to good use.
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Click to collapse
Mantano is indeed good and smooth, but it seems it does not have palm rejection when using the spen?

Han Solo 1 said:
Before I shell out for the Premium version, does it have the ability to put sticky notes, and does it have a "turning page" effect like ezPDF?
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Click to collapse
Remember. You have a 15 minute refund window. I refunded it myself cause I couldn't find a way to persistently highlight. It was annoying to keep to the side to highlight. I emailed the Dev to ask but no reply yet.

Its the apps that are present.
Just two app 'notability' and 'good reader" in ipad can already give superior annotating which up to date no developer in android has ever manage to create.
It has everything lecturenote, snote, ezpdf or any annotating app on play store has to offer. On top of that they auto cloud sync(no need for dropsync), it keeps text formatting of your pdf files, import and export in seconds.
Downside is... there is no s pen for ipad. If one day those 2 companies plan to hit the android market I think those apps I mentioned will probably be obsolete. I was quite disappointed with android in this when I traded in my iPad for a note 10.1 2014.
If a digitizer appears on iPad. It will be the end for the productivity appeal of android (apart from note 10.1 with multi window IMO).

earthtk said:
Its the apps that are present.
Just two app 'notability' and 'good reader" in ipad can already give superior annotating which up to date no developer in android has ever manage to create.
It has everything lecturenote, snote, ezpdf or any annotating app on play store has to offer. On top of that they auto cloud sync(no need for dropsync), it keeps text formatting of your pdf files, import and export in seconds.
Downside is... there is no s pen for ipad. If one day those 2 companies plan to hit the android market I think those apps I mentioned will probably be obsolete. I was quite disappointed with android in this when I traded in my iPad for a note 10.1 2014.
If a digitizer appears on iPad. It will be the end for the productivity appeal of android (apart from note 10.1 with multi window IMO).
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Best post in this thread. I agree on every point.

Han Solo 1 said:
Best post in this thread. I agree on every point.
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:good: Hope you are not having a bad time with your note 10.1 haha..
Anyway my opinion is not a biased one. I have always tests device and tell friends if they are good or not. I have tried almost every single annotating there is on android but all were not up to my standard of productivity.
Please don't read peoples' comments on how good this app is or that app is. I was fooled.. Most of them only had the experience on one side of the coin and not the other. Try it yourself (if you can), and tell yourself which is better.
Here is my advise though:
If anyone want get an android device for PDF annotating or dealing with PDF(drawing diagram etc), please reconsider your option as a jotpro + notability/good reader on iPad as it does a better job.
If you don't mind all the hassle(frankly speaking its very troublesome) of rendering every single pages during import and export which takes a whole lot of your time for lecturenotes/s note (not to mention increase in pdf sizes and lack of quality) or lack of functionality of ezpdf (and other pdf annotator). Go ahead and get a note 10.1 for its multi screen so you can view and refer to multiple document at once.
If you are considering of hardware performance-wise, I'm not sure about gaming but other than that there is no difference between a iPad 3 and note 10.1 2014 edition performance.

Is jotpro really comparable to spen though? I use my tablet only for pdf reading and annotating. The downside of all the ipad stuff has always been that the stylus is too thick and imprecise, and there is no palm rejection. Other than that, I do agree ipad is superior for just reading pdfs. Although, I have found that mupdf is extremely fast on Android if all you want to do is read and not annotate.
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app

iPad, Jot Pro and apps are POS. Just look at YouTube videos of mentioned app with Jot Pro like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4oTEQqSiyo
- Writing input is laggy even compared to my old Note 2. Should be even faster on Note 3 after it finishes downloading Call of Duty Strike Team.
Update: Note 3 (Snapdragon 800) is even faster as expected. Only suggestion is to change the freehand writing thickness from default super thick to either 1 or 3 point to make it more responsive.
- No palm rejection will give you carpal tunnel syndrome writing awkwardly with palm in the air. Or, you can waste half of your screen with what this guy is doing using a make shift palm wrest.
- Even on a full size iPad with the input window zoomed in, the writing is inaccurate and looks like chicken scratches. On Note 2 5.5" without zooming I can write tiny text accurately.
- I tested the free Acrobat Reader to annotate a 133 page PDF and it's fast to scroll, zoom in/out, manipulate, etc. and this is on my old Note 2. It has built-in cloud sync with Adobe or you can use a number of other services like Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive, etc.
- On the iPad with only 1GB DRAM you risk losing whatever you're working on when you task switch if, for example, you have to switch to VOIP app to take a call, check Gmail/Maps, run another app, etc. I've lost comments I was in the middle of writing task switching just between browser and Apple Maps and back on an iPad because the browser reloaded. Non-issue with Note series with 2GB and 3GB DRAM on the newer devices.
- It's wishful thinking but no stylus including Jot Pro can compare to the Note's Wacom pen and there's no way to stow inside so it's bound to get lost.
- If you're concerned about performance check out the Note 10.1 2014 LTE with Snapdragon 800 which is what I'm waiting for along with 12.2" to arrive in the US.
Forget about the iPad. I've used both and it's a POS.

That's exactly why I left ipad and ios. There still doesn't seem to be a good stylus option with PM rejection that is even close to spen.
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app

It depends.. I never used notability with my Palm in the air before. There are work around for it. The video quality aren't very good that's why the words are sketchy. I have also never lost work while switching apps. I'm lazy to elaborate more lol.. Anyone would wanna consider go try them and see for yourself. Try notability! Really a good app. See if you can name one in Android that is better than that by experience not by videos or others' POV. I can post the screen shot of lecturenotes/s note and annotation done by notability to see if writing is sketchy.
Other than these I think I like the function of the s pen and the multi window functions. Otherwise I would really chunk this device out of the window*just kidding*
Point is, you should ignore what everyone is saying including and do the comparison yourself.