Archive for the ‘pdf and ebook readers’ tag
PDF on the iPad Using GoodReader no comments
GoodReader is one of the most popular apps for reading PDF files on the iPad, and at only $.99 is a good value (presuming, of course, that you have already spent $500+ for an iPad).
GoodReader not only handles PDF files but also MS Office, iWork documents, images, video and audio. The current version also supports Apple’s Document Sharing.
The iPad’s color screen is great for viewing graphic-rich documents, and its speed and responsive touchscreen make it quite adept at doing things like panning and zooming. The downside is that you cannot scribble or make annotations on your documents with GoodReader. This fits pretty well with my overall impression of the iPad so far – great for viewing content, but less well suited for authoring and editing. You can get the GoodReader app from iTunes.
Below is a video I made with the GoodReader iPad app.
Transferring PDF Files From Your Computer to Your iPad
Before you can read your PDF files using GoodReader, you will need to get them onto your iPad. GoodReader lets you search on your iPad for files, browse the Net for files to download, or connect to a local Wi-Fi network.
You can of course also connect your iPad to your computer using the dock connector to USB cable and download files. This is quite easy using iTunes. The following shows how to transfer files using the USB connection.
First connect your iPad to your computer using the dock connector to USB cable and start iTunes.
- Click on your iPad in iTunes.
- Click on the Apps tab at the top.
- Scroll down and you will find the File Sharing section. Click on the GoodReader app.
- You can either drag and drop your PDF files into the GoodReader Documents section or click on the Add button at the bottom to browse for the desired files. If you elect to browse for your files just click on Open when you have selected the files you want to add to your iPad.
- When you have finished adding the PDF files that you want to transfer click on the Sync button in the bottom right corner of the iTunes window – don’t forget to do this!
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Reading PDF Files on the Sony PRS 600 no comments
I’ve been experimenting with several PDF documents on the Sony Touch Edition ereader, and I have to report mixed results.
The default display mode for PDF pages on Sony’s new ereader is to display the whole page on the screen. This makes the font so small that it is impractical to read on the PRS 600′s 6″ screen. You can zoom, of course, but this worked a little differently on each of the three documents I’ve tried so far.
First of all I tried a text only PDF. As should be expected, reflow worked fine on this: I could use the font size keys to enlarge the text and there were no chopped off words, etc. Reading this file was pretty much like reading an ebook in any other format.
Things were not so easy when I moved on to an aeronautics text with schematics, charts and equations. First of all, if I used the font size keys on this document most diagrams and equations where not shown at all or were Sony PRS600 Touch Edittion PDF Zoom and Panmessed up. Also words were chopped off at the right margin and unceremoniously finished on the next line. The best results were acheived with this file when I used the
zoom-in feature with the screen in landscape mode. You can see this in the short video I made.
In the zoomed-in mode diagrams and equations were shown as intended, and being able to use your finger on the touch screen to pan around is quite cool. Being able use the stylus to annotate PDF’s on the Sony Touch makes for a great study tool; but you cannot annotate or make notes while you are zoomed in. Another annoyance is that when you turn the page your zoomed in setting is reset and you have to zoom in all over again for each new page. This will probably work fine for a limited number of pages, but I cannot imagine having to read a whole book like this without the process becoming exceedingly tedious.
The last PDF I tried was a Google scanned book with drawings. The font zoom keys had no effect whatsoever on this file. The only way to enlarge this one was to use the zoom-in feature, which worked fine, but again you have to redo the zoom for each new page.
I think that the PRS 600 ereader just has a screen that is too small to work with a lot of PDF files that are filled with diagrams, etc. It is, however, fine for text only files where you can use the font zoom keys, or if you just need to view a few pages with schematics, etc. at a time. On the other hand if you need a portable device to view your PDF files while on the go, then this ereader may well be a good choice for you. If the feature set stays the same, the Daily Edition will be somewhat more practical for graphic rich PDF files because of its larger 7″ screen. The Daily Edition will purportedly cost around the same amount as the upcoming iRex DR800SG and a little less than the Kindle DX though, so it will remain to be seen how those three ereaders will compare when it comes to working with PDF documents. The Kindle DX has a 9.7″ screen and also has 16 gray scales, which means that graphics look better than with the Sony’s 8 gray scales. The iRex DR800SG will come with an 8.1″ display.
