Kindle or other e-book reader?

Thxlbx

I am starting at WGU on Nov. 1st, and I have noticed that some of the posters in the WGU threads have mentioned getting study materials, books, etc. for their kindle/e-readers.

My question is this...is this a worthwhile investment? Has anyone with an e-reader used it for schooling? Was it a useful tool?

I am considering getting one since I could load multiple books on it and take it to work with me, since my job has some quiet slow time everyday, and it would make it easier to study some while at work.

Is the kindle the best option? Or is their another brand that is better or is a better value.

Thanks for the input and suggestions!

demonfurbie

netbook and kindle pc is what ive used at wgu

Devilsbane

Check out this thread.

http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/57420-e-book-reader-recommendations.html

L0gicB0mb508

I use my Kindle for school. It's pretty handy. You can also take your existing pdf book collection and convert them into a format Kindle can handle a little better. That way you can still use the small Kindle and not worry about buying a DX just to read your tech books in pdf format.

Thxlbx

Thanks for the suggestions and the thread link, will check it out!

subl1m1nal

My wife has an iPad she uses for school. We did a cost comparison and the amount of extra money she would spend on physical books came pretty close to the cost of the iPad. That and the convenience of having all her books on a half pound device made it a no brainer.

We chose the iPad for the different kinds of books stores you can load on it. You can get Kindle, Nook, iBooks, or a few different textbook specific book stores. You are not limited to one book store. That and you can load PDFs on it as well, play games, watch movies (CBTs included), use it for internet, email, etc.

powerfool

My recommendation for technical ebooks would be to get the Kindle DX. A lot of books come in PDF format which is supported, but does not paginate the same as Kindle native documents. They work a lot better on the DX, plus any diagrams in normal Kindle documents would work better as well. I regret not getting the DX.

L0gicB0mb508

powerfool wrote: »

My recommendation for technical ebooks would be to get the Kindle DX. A lot of books come in PDF format which is supported, but does not paginate the same as Kindle native documents. They work a lot better on the DX, plus any diagrams in normal Kindle documents would work better as well. I regret not getting the DX.

Get a converter and convert your PDFs over to something the Kindle can handle. I have the new gen Kindle, and converted the PDFs and can read them just fine on the new gen. I will admit sometimes the formatting is a little wonky, it generally works pretty good. I converted over the Juniper fast track material and it looks pretty good. You really may want to check into it.

Mobipocket eBook Creator is the tool I used to convert stuff over to a .prc file which the Kindle will accept.

powerfool

L0gicB0mb508 wrote: »

Get a converter and convert your PDFs over to something the Kindle can handle. I have the new gen Kindle, and converted the PDFs and can read them just fine on the new gen. I will admit sometimes the formatting is a little wonky, it generally works pretty good. I converted over the Juniper fast track material and it looks pretty good. You really may want to check into it.

Mobipocket eBook Creator is the tool I used to convert stuff over to a .prc file which the Kindle will accept.

I use Mobi creator, and and I quite skilled at HTML (which it uses as an intermediate format), and it is just too much of a pain to do it. I spend up a couple of hours sometimes working at fixing formatting. Tables simply don't work at all in that format, and the page headers and footers get sprinkled throughout the document. Sometimes it works well enough, but it is just generally a pain.

Forsaken_GA

I tried both a Kindle and Nook and ended returning both. PDF's with diagrams that get skewered are not helpful to me.

I resisted getting an iPad for awhile just because I couldn't see paying the cost for one, but when I sat down and did the research, it was what I needed. With all the different formats that the iPad can support, it gives me options, and I like options. I felt that was kind of ironic for a platform that's constantly criticized for being closed for development

snokerpoker

I just got the new Kindle wifi. And I freaking love the thing! I would pick one up if you are interested.

tbgree00

I've said it a few times before but the iPad is the way you want to go if you're set on an ereader for technical stuff. I read the MSPress books on there using GoodReader and it's pretty nice. You have to be able to resist Words With Friends though. It's too easy to get distracted if you're not careful. It has really changed the way I study, use a computer, and play games.

I think the small Kindle/Nook is great for novels and reading before bed/outside. I have over 100 books on my Nook and use it a lot. It's great for travel since it packs away quite easily. I had problems reading PDFs of MSPress books on there but it sounds like you can convert them for the Kindle.

[Deleted User]

tbgree00 wrote: »

I've said it a few times before but the iPad is the way you want to go if you're set on an ereader for technical stuff. I read the MSPress books on there using GoodReader and it's pretty nice. You have to be able to resist Words With Friends though. It's too easy to get distracted if you're not careful. It has really changed the way I study, use a computer, and play games.

I think the small Kindle/Nook is great for novels and reading before bed/outside. I have over 100 books on my Nook and use it a lot. It's great for travel since it packs away quite easily. I had problems reading PDFs of MSPress books on there but it sounds like you can convert them for the Kindle.

This may be a weird request but could you post a couple of pictures of the MSPress books open on your iPad? I really would like to see how they are formatted/look. Especially the formatting or pictures and tables. Also, have any of you iPad owners used SafariBooks or Books 24x7 on your iPad? I would love to get an iPad for study purposes but I want to know how feasible it is for studying. I'm really between a Kindle DX and an iPad.

powerfool

As far as the iPad thing goes, I really cannot stand reading a lot of information on a standard screen. For me, it is really all about the eInk display. I read a ton of books (both technical and otherwise) and I just cannot do that on LCD screens, or CRT monitors.

Beyond the skewing of PDF documents on the smaller Kindle, the other thing holding me back is easily flipping through technical documents (and I truly think that it is something limited to technical books and textbooks). Yes, you can use the Table of Contents and you can go to page numbers, but that usually just gets you to the general vicinity in the text. I really dislike going page by page at the refresh rate of the eInk display... I would also like the ability to jump 5 or 10 pages at a time (some amount that is user configurable)... perhaps by holding down the next page button for a couple of seconds.

EDIT: The other thing would be a hierarchical Table of Contents... which this has a lot to do with how they are prepared. Usually, a very detailed ToC will be long, I would love to get just chapters, and then be able to click the chapter and get sub-sections.

tbgree00

xmalachi wrote: »

This may be a weird request but could you post a couple of pictures of the MSPress books open on your iPad? I really would like to see how they are formatted/look. Especially the formatting or pictures and tables. Also, have any of you iPad owners used SafariBooks or Books 24x7 on your iPad? I would love to get an iPad for study purposes but I want to know how feasible it is for studying. I'm really between a Kindle DX and an iPad.

Sure. I'll try to do this over the weekend.

msteinhilber

I've preached about it in several other threads, but I love my Kindle DX. It's the perfect size to view just about every file I have at it. The e-ink screen is so far superior in my opinion to a regular LCD screen and even more so superior to the high gloss screen of something like the iPad. Some people might be able to live with a regular LCD or a glossy LCD display, but I just can't read off something like that for very long. I'm fine to use it to reference things of I'm going over something I can't quite remember, but I can't sit and read a chapter or two without getting terrible eye strain and eventually a headache.

Another reason that I like the Kindle is being able to install the Kindle Reader on any computing device I own practically. It's in my Droid, iPod Touch, Netbook, and all of my notebooks and workstations so I can easily view any of my Kindle purchases just about anywhere if I don't have my Kindle along or if I desire to reference something and want some faster navigation of the book as I do have to admit the page turn rate on the Kindle DX is somewhat sluggish.

I still don't feel there is any one single perfect or near perfect device yet for reading e-books for tech people like us. They each have their advantages and disadvantages and sometimes you just have to be a little obsessive and be the guy who buy's and tries a bunch of options and returns them if you dislike it until you find the perfect compromise to fit your preferences. My boss is one of these people, he's had to have gone through over a dozen various devices and still hasn't find the one best suited to him yet.

arwes

Barnes & Noble are supposedly unveiling the Nook Color tomorrow, but their website people decided to go ahead and throw a screen protector for it on their site. It got taken down, but not quickly enough.

Nook Color revealed by overzealous screen protector? -- Engadget

I sure hope it's a color e-ink screen. Qualcomm did say that Mirasol color e-ink readers would be hitting the market in time for Christmas. The speculation in the comments about that thing at the bottom left is interesting. Some think it may be a pull out light similar to what this Kindle cover employs:

Amazon.com: Kindle Lighted Leather Cover, Black (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle): Electronics

bimboles

Just replaced my Kindle DX with an iPad. I always thought I would prefer the eink to the backlit display but it would appear I was wrong. I find it much easier to read on the iPad because you don't have to worry about lighting conditions. I have also found it much easier if you reverse the colours so that you read white text on a black background. It seems to handle PDFs a lot better than the kindle ever did. Go for the 16gb Wifi, you won't be disappointed.

tpatt100

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I tried both a Kindle and Nook and ended returning both. PDF's with diagrams that get skewered are not helpful to me.

I resisted getting an iPad for awhile just because I couldn't see paying the cost for one, but when I sat down and did the research, it was what I needed. With all the different formats that the iPad can support, it gives me options, and I like options. I felt that was kind of ironic for a platform that's constantly criticized for being closed for development

I have used GoodReader for the iPad and I love the app. The latest update allows you to highlight, add notes, draw arrows, what ever on PDF files. I use it to read all my technical PDF files and it is really fast rendering PDF files, Word, Powerpoint.

snokerpoker

Ipad is alright but it just costs way too much. Oh and Apple makes it :P

Forsaken_GA

tpatt100 wrote: »

I have used GoodReader for the iPad and I love the app. The latest update allows you to highlight, add notes, draw arrows, what ever on PDF files. I use it to read all my technical PDF files and it is really fast rendering PDF files, Word, Powerpoint.

Oh yeah, GoodReader for 99cents was a no brainer app. It gives me absolutely no fuss with PDF's.

The nook, otoh, was horrible for me. I could make it crash reliably on a single 4 meg pdf file. Every single time I turned to the same page, the entire machine just froze and I had to do a full reset, and I could reproduce it on demand.

So it went back to the store. Other than that little snafu, I did like the nook. I was disappointed it didn't work out, but when I need a portable e-reader, I need it to actually be able to handle the files I load onto it.

arwes

NOOKcolor - The Ultimate Reading Experience - Barnes & Noble

I think I'm going to get one of these, though I've read they're a bit sluggish at the moment. Hopefully they'll have that resolved prior to shipping.

cablegod

subl1m1nal wrote: »

My wife has an iPad she uses for school. We did a cost comparison and the amount of extra money she would spend on physical books came pretty close to the cost of the iPad. That and the convenience of having all her books on a half pound device made it a no brainer.

We chose the iPad for the different kinds of books stores you can load on it. You can get Kindle, Nook, iBooks, or a few different textbook specific book stores. You are not limited to one book store. That and you can load PDFs on it as well, play games, watch movies (CBTs included), use it for internet, email, etc.

Seconded. I use an iPad every day for reading technical documentation. It would have been VERY useful while I was at WGU.

mikej412

If I want to read in the dark and don't want to use my netbook or any of my laptops or PCs, I'll use my $225 10.1 inch Android Tablet or my $150 7" Android Tablet.

If I'm going to be reading for hours I'll settle into my comfy chair by the reading light and use the Kindle DX or 3rd Gen 6" Kindle.

I've had no problems with any of the PDFs I've read on the Kindle DX -- but I haven't tried a 400+ meg PDF created from scanned images of books.

msteinhilber

mikej412 wrote: »

If I want to read in the dark and don't want to use my netbook or any of my laptops or PCs, I'll use my $225 10.1 inch Android Tablet or my $150 7" Android Tablet.

If I'm going to be reading for hours I'll settle into my comfy chair by the reading light and use the Kindle DX or 3rd Gen 6" Kindle.

I've had no problems with any of the PDFs I've read on the Kindle DX -- but I haven't tried a 400+ meg PDF created from scanned images of books.

No issues with any of dozens and dozens of PDFs I have read on the Kindle DX either. And completely agree with both of Mikes points. I often wonder how long people actually read at a time when I talk those who are huge iPad fan's or a select few I know who have a tablet PC that they use to read PDF's on. I sometimes get lengthy reading sessions in, with breaks of course - but even with breaks, including more frequent breaks, I just can't get anywhere close to the same amount of reading time in using a conventional display.

Oh well, everybody has their preferences. Maybe I just have screwy eyes and can't tolerate a regular screen much

cablegod

msteinhilber wrote: »

No issues with any of dozens and dozens of PDFs I have read on the Kindle DX either. And completely agree with both of Mikes points. I often wonder how long people actually read at a time when I talk those who are huge iPad fan's or a select few I know who have a tablet PC that they use to read PDF's on. I sometimes get lengthy reading sessions in, with breaks of course - but even with breaks, including more frequent breaks, I just can't get anywhere close to the same amount of reading time in using a conventional display.

Oh well, everybody has their preferences. Maybe I just have screwy eyes and can't tolerate a regular screen much

At times I read for about 3-4 hours before taking a short break, just like I did on my DX. I know someone who has the same issue as you whom uses his DX to read books and his iPad is just a fashion statement to him. Different strokes for different folks

I've read ~500 pages in a morning thru late evening marathon on my 27' iMac LED screen. It is a bit difficult to focus for long periods, but it doesn't really bother me that much.

Forsaken_GA

msteinhilber wrote: »

No issues with any of dozens and dozens of PDFs I have read on the Kindle DX either. And completely agree with both of Mikes points. I often wonder how long people actually read at a time when I talk those who are huge iPad fan's or a select few I know who have a tablet PC that they use to read PDF's on. I sometimes get lengthy reading sessions in, with breaks of course - but even with breaks, including more frequent breaks, I just can't get anywhere close to the same amount of reading time in using a conventional display.

Oh well, everybody has their preferences. Maybe I just have screwy eyes and can't tolerate a regular screen much

I actually get a pretty good amount of reading time in with my iPad. It accompanies me to the bathroom, out on smoke breaks, or while sitting waiting for an appointment.

But even if I wasn't using it to study from, it'd be useful just as a reference tool, and it's been *damned* useful as that. There have already been a few times when I've been camped out in front of some equipment and needed to look something up. It's also been useful in a few cases where I've needed information in a trouble ticket to come with me, and I just pulled it up in the web browser instead of printing it up to take with me.

And I ain't gonna lie, I like being able to catch up on this weeks TV shows via Netflix or VLC.

cablegod

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I actually get a pretty good amount of reading time in with my iPad. It accompanies me to the bathroom, out on smoke breaks, or while sitting waiting for an appointment.

But even if I wasn't using it to study from, it'd be useful just as a reference tool, and it's been *damned* useful as that. There have already been a few times when I've been camped out in front of some equipment and needed to look something up. It's also been useful in a few cases where I've needed information in a trouble ticket to come with me, and I just pulled it up in the web browser instead of printing it up to take with me.

And I ain't gonna lie, I like being able to catch up on this weeks TV shows via Netflix or VLC.

Sounds a lot like the way I use mine too. VLC FTW!

DevilWAH

mikej412 wrote: »

If I want to read in the dark and don't want to use my netbook or any of my laptops or PCs, I'll use my $225 10.1 inch Android Tablet or my $150 7" Android Tablet.

I am looking at these at the moment. I can't see why i would chose an IPOD over one? More open, we know Android is an up and comming OS so has tones of support.

And cheaper... yer the IPOD may look a little sexier (but I have a wife to look at when i want to look at something sexy). I think I will look in to getting my self one of these for christmass.

Mike How long does battery last on a charge? I am thinking for reading or virewing pics.

mikej412

DevilWAH wrote: »

Mike How long does battery last on a charge? I am thinking for reading or virewing pics.

I'm not sure of the total run time or quality/life of the battery.

The longest I've gone is 2 hours reading on Safari (with the 10.1" tablet) -- and then I plug it back in. I've also watched movies for over 2 hour, but again I plug it back in when I'm done. Never saw a low battery pop up.

msteinhilber

I wish the physiology of my body would allow my eyes to read for long periods on other devices like some of you guy's

I have to admit it would be really nice to transition to a platform where I could have a lot more features at my fingertips AND be able to read for several hours at a time on a single device. I'm jealous