So I'm thinking of purchasing a Kindle 3 and I will be reading a fair amount of TXT and PDF's on it and I was wondering how viewing these work out for those that have it. Looking around on youtube the PDF viewing seems decent but from what I can tell it doesn't remember the zoomed amount so constantly zooming in for each time doesn't seem convenient. Also does converting epub to mobi format destroy formatting? Thanks for the help!
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PDF and TXT reading on Kindle
- Thread starter anthrex
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Joe Average
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From what I've seen of the Kindle 3, the lower resolution (800x600) does mean you'll spend a fair amount of time zooming on most PDF files. I've been interested in getting the NOOKColor for my Wife for Christmas for many reasons (it's basically an Android tablet that really works very well once rooted), and the increased resolution of 1024x600 and it being backlit is a boon for people like me that read technical PDFs entirely too frequently.
She's got an original Kindle which, although it's slow as molasses in Winter, is the same resolution as the current Kindle (again, 800x600) so that's what I use for comparison. I know the Kindle 3 has better contrast, etc, but it's just that the sheer number of pixels on it "slows me down" because I can't read the documents in standard full-screen-per-page mode. On the NOOKColor, it's a non-issue, and the only time I require zooming in is when there's something like the footnotes which are in a much smaller font.
The price difference for most people will be the reason they choose the Kindle 3 over a NOOKColor, I suppose - and some folks are just stuck on e-Ink and won't buy anything else.
I saw a Kindle DX at a local pawn shop the other day for $135, practically brand new in the box, all the original accessories, etc. - that one is 1024x600 resolution and the screen itself is obviously much larger. If you're seriously about reading PDF files natively, that's what I'd suggest looking into, a used Kindle DX instead of the basic smaller Kindle 3.
Can't hurt to have multiple devices I suppose.
Just my advice...
She's got an original Kindle which, although it's slow as molasses in Winter, is the same resolution as the current Kindle (again, 800x600) so that's what I use for comparison. I know the Kindle 3 has better contrast, etc, but it's just that the sheer number of pixels on it "slows me down" because I can't read the documents in standard full-screen-per-page mode. On the NOOKColor, it's a non-issue, and the only time I require zooming in is when there's something like the footnotes which are in a much smaller font.
The price difference for most people will be the reason they choose the Kindle 3 over a NOOKColor, I suppose - and some folks are just stuck on e-Ink and won't buy anything else.
I saw a Kindle DX at a local pawn shop the other day for $135, practically brand new in the box, all the original accessories, etc. - that one is 1024x600 resolution and the screen itself is obviously much larger. If you're seriously about reading PDF files natively, that's what I'd suggest looking into, a used Kindle DX instead of the basic smaller Kindle 3.
Can't hurt to have multiple devices I suppose.
Just my advice...
Thanks Joe. Yea I was thinking about the DX too, but I wish I could see one in person. How are reading TXT files on the Kindle as I am having a hard time seeing anything on that. Also for the Nookcolor how is reading books for an extended period of time on it? Feel any eye fatigue?
Joe Average
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I'm not one that even notices the difference with e-Ink and LCDs, I never have. I know the purpose of e-Ink. I simply don't care about it. I've been spending 10+ hours daily staring at CRTs or LCDs since the 1970s so it's an absolute non-issue for me. My Wife does pretty much the same, and while she loves the Kindle (the original model as mentioned before), the split second she got her hands on the NOOKColor as a local B&N and held it, then turned it on and started reading one of the demo books, that's all there was too it.
It's just a non-issue for us, it never will be an issue. She wants one for actual reading and some other aspects, I want one because of it basically being an Android tablet with a lot more functionality than most people realize at this point. I don't even use our Kindle, honestly, it's effectively useless for a person like me (still use my Dell Axim X51v and now my HTC HD2 far far more often).
Honestly, I'd pay for to own a NOOKColor over taking a Kindle 3 for free, but that's just me - if I won a Kindle 3 in a contest of something I'd sell it the same day and put those proceeds towards the NOOKColor...
There's just no contest between 'em in my opinion, but I am coming at it from a different perspective: why buy a narrow profile device like a Kindle 3 when the NOOKColor is so obviously much more capable?
It's just a non-issue for us, it never will be an issue. She wants one for actual reading and some other aspects, I want one because of it basically being an Android tablet with a lot more functionality than most people realize at this point. I don't even use our Kindle, honestly, it's effectively useless for a person like me (still use my Dell Axim X51v and now my HTC HD2 far far more often).
Honestly, I'd pay for to own a NOOKColor over taking a Kindle 3 for free, but that's just me - if I won a Kindle 3 in a contest of something I'd sell it the same day and put those proceeds towards the NOOKColor...
There's just no contest between 'em in my opinion, but I am coming at it from a different perspective: why buy a narrow profile device like a Kindle 3 when the NOOKColor is so obviously much more capable?
roadlesstraveled
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It really depends on if you going to use the added functionality of the Nook Color. Price is also a huge factor in this decision. The Nook Color is 80% more expensive then the kindle.
I got the opportunity to play around with a relatives kindle for the past two days and loaded some PDF's on it. The font is small, not doubt about it but it was legible. I put the view on landscape and I was able to read it comfortably. I should note that I'm used to small font sizes because my laptop is an HP workstation. The resolution is 1920x1200 on a 15" screen.
If your going to use the kindle for strictly PDF files then I would advise against it. However, if you plan on reading a lot of the kindle books off of amazon then I would say it's worth it. I could see myself reading a lot more due to the free books and the portability factor (having thousands of books on one device) of the kindle.
If you can find a great price on a DX then that'd be a better way to go. If I had the money I would jump right over the Nook Color and get an iPad.
I got the opportunity to play around with a relatives kindle for the past two days and loaded some PDF's on it. The font is small, not doubt about it but it was legible. I put the view on landscape and I was able to read it comfortably. I should note that I'm used to small font sizes because my laptop is an HP workstation. The resolution is 1920x1200 on a 15" screen.
If your going to use the kindle for strictly PDF files then I would advise against it. However, if you plan on reading a lot of the kindle books off of amazon then I would say it's worth it. I could see myself reading a lot more due to the free books and the portability factor (having thousands of books on one device) of the kindle.
If you can find a great price on a DX then that'd be a better way to go. If I had the money I would jump right over the Nook Color and get an iPad.