e-readers

[Catlovers141]

Are they a good idea?  Up until this point I've really been against them because I prefer to read on paper, but I'm wondering if it might be useful for grad school.

 

I'm doing an online program and I like the idea of being able to have access to my books during downtime at work without needing to bring them with me.  However, in undergrad I used to just bring either a PDF printout or a book to read and it never used to be a problem.  So I can't tell whether or not an e-reader would be helpful for me or if I just want to buy myself something. 

 

Thoughts?

[RBWilliams]

I got some great feedback on here, when I asked about Textbooks:  buy, rent or digital.....which was a 2-3 months ago.  Several folks stated that they used an e-reader/IPAD/tablet for exactly that purpose.  I have all of those.  However, I did just get a Kindle Paperwhite, for backlighting, ease of reading on eyes, etc. to use for Grad School.  I start this fall too and plan on printing some things off, but using the e-reader as much as possible..

[Sigaba]

FWIW, a couple of  older discussions of e readers are here  there  While the technology has improved and, in some cases, the prices have gone down, these earlier threads have some good "chalk talk" that may still inform the decision-making process.

 

HTH.

[TakeruK]

For me, an e-reader's screen is too small for me to read academic works if I'm just displaying a PDF onto something like a Kindle. Specifically, the double column format means a lot of annoying scrolling and in my field, I often have to refer to figures and plots along side text, which is just really hard to do on a small screen. I prefer academic reading on a full size monitor where I can have multiple windows open and can flip between PDF pages a lot faster etc. But that might just be me!

 

But e-readers are great for recreational reading for me. I really enjoy reading novels and I suppose I can read academic works too if it's in a format specifically designed as an e-book. But I have never tried this because very few academic works appear in book form in my field.

 

My e-reader is a Kindle Paperwhite and I really like it! Would highly recommend!

[Catlovers141]

I have heard good things about the Kindle Paperwhite so thanks for the recommendation!

 

I'm doing a social work program.  With books, I would like to have the paper copies.  But as I said I like the idea of a kindle, and I'm not sure if it is really worth it for me to have paper copies if I also want to download them onto a kindle.

[toasterazzi]

I got a Kindle Fire in December, and I've found that it really comes in handy (especially for reducing some of the weight in my backpack). Plus, I fall on the side of preferring not to print out things if I don't have to. Now I will go ahead and mention though that I study English, so most of my books have been novels. I don't really have experience with regular textbooks on the ereader, but the novels and such are just fine in my opinion as are the PDFs.

[maelia8]

I have a kindle paperwhite and I love it. If I can find my research books in kindle editions, then I buy them that way, but I agree with TakeruK that it can be a pain to reformat PDF articles so that they are readable on the kindle at a comfortable size, so I usually read those on my laptop screen. If a research book that I'm using is too old and hasn't been reformatted, it's usually available through interlibrary loan and I just get it that way. I just can't afford to buy books anymore space wise - I have seven bookcases crammed full, and more books piled up in the closet. It just isn't a sustainable model for me.

[kyjin]

I have a Nook that I use for fun reading. Text books and PDFs don't format well on it, but it's wonderful for novels and such, and I love reading with e-ink. That said, I still read normal books. I just choose ebooks if they're easier to get a hold of instead of physical copies, and when I'm traveling. For PDFs, however, in the last year I switched to using my iPad to read them. I have a wonderful PDF software that allows me to annotate, and I love not having to drag a ton of papers around.  

[juilletmercredi]

I have an iPad Air for this reason - I have the Kindle app on it but also apps to read and annotate PDFs.  I like reading PDFs on my iPad because I'm far more motivated to read them carefully and annotate them (if I'm on my laptop, I tend to skim, and I definitely don't annotate).  You can also find apps to read ePubs and you can read electronic books using the browser or a proprietary app.  My husband said yesterday that the tablet solved a problem nobody had until the tablet came out, and I agree with that.  You don't <i>need</i> one, of course, but they are certainly nice to have.  I also use mine to take notes and it's a lot lighter than carrying my laptop around.

I agree, though, that an e-reader is too small to read academic works on.  I had a Kindle and although the processing for PDFs has improved (I had one of the earlier ones and they looked awful), the screen is still smaller.  I think the iPad Air (or other 10" tablet) is the perfect size for them - sometimes I have to zoom in on the ones arranged in columns, but that's easy to do on an iPad, whereas it's a little more time-intensive on a Kindle.

[Coconut Water]

If not for my eyestrain concern, I would stick with a tablet or even laptop for their versatility and ease of academic reading of PDF's and textbooks, at least in the beginning. Any mobile device recommendations, that accounts for eye strain? 

 

Unti I encountered these threads, the Kindle Paperwhite was my first choice because of its eye strain prevention features (a serious aspect for someone who has given up contact lenses due to eyestrain issues). A close relative loooves her's, but of course, she only reads novels. I want a mobile device because I figure the paper text will break my already compromised back!

Edited June 15, 2014 by Coconut Water

[themmases]

I was getting eyestrain and headaches constantly about a year ago, and was able to keep using my iPad for most of my reading. (I also have a job that mostly involves looking a computer in a windowless office.) I had gotten new glasses about three months before and adjusted to them, so I was pretty sure it was the screens.

 

I turned down the brightness and contrast on my monitor and my iPad based on advice I read a few places to make sure the display doesn't look like a light source compared to the surrounding area. I just hold up the iPad and use the brightness slider to try to make the page I'm reading look like the wall behind it. Nearly all reading apps also have a sepia setting, which I leave on all the time. I also make a point to use windows when I'm by them now, and take a mini break where I just look out at the landscape and get some natural light. My headaches went away within a couple of days.

 

One drawback of the iPad is that you can't (at least as far as I know) adjust global color temperature on it, only brightness. So if you're leaving a sepia-toned book to return to the home screen, that can be really jarring. Choosing a soothing background and adjusting global brightness first (not just app brightness) can help a lot though.

[C&C]

Before getting my iPad, I tried using my Kindle paperwhite to read pdfs and a had a hard time getting them on the device and to format nicely. However, when I downloaded books for class on the Kindle, it worked like a dream. If you don't want to put the money down on an iPad, I'd recommend the Kindle for your books and just taking pdf print-outs to class.

(Maybe you'll have better luck than me at getting them onto the Kindle.)

 

When it comes to reading, I personally prefer the Kindle to the iPad as the iPad is always too bright for me.

[Applemiu]

I think that in the long term paper is better. I had a Kindle and then an IPad, and I don't use them anymore. For a novel a Kindle would be OK, but for real work I need paper (and a pencil). 

[Coconut Water]

 

 

I turned down the brightness and contrast on my monitor and my iPad based on advice I read a few places to make sure the display doesn't look like a light source compared to the surrounding area. I just hold up the iPad and use the brightness slider to try to make the page I'm reading look like the wall behind it. Nearly all reading apps also have a sepia setting, which I leave on all the time. I also make a point to use windows when I'm by them now, and take a mini break where I just look out at the landscape and get some natural light. My headaches went away within a couple of days.

 

 

I sampled this out and adjusted my computer screen at my current day job and it has been a great help to the eyes! This gives me hope in the digital realm.

Thank you!

[Coconut Water]

Before getting my iPad, I tried using my Kindle paperwhite to read pdfs and a had a hard time getting them on the device and to format nicely. However, when I downloaded books for class on the Kindle, it worked like a dream. If you don't want to put the money down on an iPad, I'd recommend the Kindle for your books and just taking pdf print-outs to class.

(Maybe you'll have better luck than me at getting them onto the Kindle.)

 

When it comes to reading, I personally prefer the Kindle to the iPad as the iPad is always too bright for me.

I think I could accept printing out PDF's and downloading just textbooks on an e-reader like the Kindle. My decision is still pending.  

 

I think that in the long term paper is better. I had a Kindle and then an IPad, and I don't use them anymore. For a novel a Kindle would be OK, but for real work I need paper (and a pencil). 

I generally would prefer working on paper, as well - but I am just so concerned with the burden of bulk! That's interesting you don't use Kindle/iPad anymore, is it solely because you prefer the paper format? Or any other reasons in combination with that aspect?

[RunnerGrad]

I started really turning down the brightness on my iPad and computer after suffering a concussion, and I've continued to keep the brightness setting low. I also use the sepia setting in reading apps, as someone else mentioned, whenever it is available in an app.

I do like using the iPad to annotate PDFs and such. I still prefer hard copy textbooks, though. They are easier for me to deal with, unless the e-textbook is formatted in such a way as to make flipping between sections easy.

[Applemiu]

I think I could accept printing out PDF's and downloading just textbooks on an e-reader like the Kindle. My decision is still pending.

 

I generally would prefer working on paper, as well - but I am just so concerned with the burden of bulk! That's interesting you don't use Kindle/iPad anymore, is it solely because you prefer the paper format? Or any other reasons in combination with that aspect?

 

Actually there are other reasons. I realized that using the Kindle and the IPad I was experiencing a loss of focus when reading newspapers and books - I was feeling kind of restless and could not focus on an article or a chapter, I felt I had to 'jump' to the next one! So I felt I had lost that sense of calm that reading used to give me. That's why I have stopped using them, and I tend to stay away from touch-screen devices for the same reason. Just a personal preference, I am sure that many people do not experience that.

[TakeruK]

The brightness issue is exactly why I love my Kindle Paperwhite. The e-ink screen is not like a LCD/monitor screen because it doesn't emit any light of its own. It really does work like paper, except the "ink" can change The light comes from a small bulb at the base of the device and lights up the e-ink area, so the light is not much different that having a reading lamp. You can adjust the brightness of this lamp or have the Kindle automatically adjust based on your ambient light. This was one of the features of the Kindle Paperwhite that made me want to buy it compared to just reading things on my laptop (and it's much smaller too!)