Mac Air or Something completely different

You choose the tool for the job.

Read up on the Air. If it does what you need, it may be for you.

If you're just interested in reading PDF files...have you considered a Kindle? (Of course for double the $ you could have a MacAir.)

 

I was going to suggest the Amazon Kindle, but I just looked and it seems as if it can't look at PDFs. The Sony Reader is another well-publicized Ebook reader (even if it's a couple years old), but it seems that PDFs are the one format that looks quite bad on it. Actually, if you take a look at the following wiki, it provides some useful info on a number of the Ebook readers out there: MobileRead Wiki - E-book Reader Matrix . . . actually, that whole wiki may be of some interest to you.

I think a Mac Air is *complete* overkill if you just want to use this to read pdf books and, in fact, is probably a *worse* solution for reading ebooks than one of the ebook readers (which have screens that are amazingly good at displaying text and have phenomenal battery lives, compared to standard laptops).

 

If you can point me to an $800 Mac Air, I'll buy one *today*.

Plus, the Mac Air (with its shiny screen) is actually worse for reading text than a lot of these e-Ink-based eBook readers.

 

I recommend you to look at Asus Eee PC.
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
7" screen. Light weight (2lb). Fair battery life (~3 hr)
$300-$400.
Same footprint as a book. Asus (a Taiwanese company) is not famous in US, but it is one of the best motherboard makers in the world.

Mac Air may be thin, but it is
- expensive
- big footprint (tho thin)

 

Nokia N800

 

$800? No.

But you could probably buy a used iBook for that.

I had a chance to try out a Kindle (with the case). Very nice. Our head Librarian lent one out after a meeting and I had a chance to play with it for a bit. We're considering pushing it in lieu of future textbook purchases. A full set of textbooks is running almost $300 now so not much cheaper than a Kindle. Kindle is much lighter and more portable, you can take notes on it, and we won't have to wait ten years for a new print edition. And it uses cell phone connections, not WiFi.

"Kindle supports wireless delivery of unprotected Microsoft Word, HTML, TXT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files.
PDF conversion is experimental. The experimental category represents the features we are working on to enhance the Kindle experience even further. You can email your PDFs wirelessly to your Kindle. Due to PDF’s fixed layout format, some complex PDF files might not format correctly on your Kindle."

It looks like it will do *some* PDFs but who knows how well?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/ref=amb_link_6339982_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0JDVKWJMDXEYNHYDWQ20&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=363652601&pf_rd_i=507846

You can also transfer audiobooks you download to your computer to the Kindle and listen to them.

I think it's a fabulous start, but I'm waiting for the Kolor Kindle. Presently the screen is B&W. I'm sure for good contrast for reading and extended battery life. But there are some illustrations (especially for textbooks) that really need to be in color. So for now, the B&W Kindle isn't optimum for replacing textbooks. On the positive side, you can adjust the size of the print for easy access for the visually impaired.

 

Perhaps you may want to look at the rapidly growing market of UMPC's. They are small footprint devices that are positioned somewhere between a PDA and a laptop. They are typically operated like a PDA, using a touch screen, but have a larger (7inch or so), high resolution screen. Some of them also have a keyboard.

The weight typically is between 400g and 1kg. Some of them run Linux, some of them XP or Vista.

A few examples of such devices (some are announced):

Above-Net TopExec
Gigabyte U60
Raon Digital Everun Lite
WiBrain B1H
Pepper Pad 3
HTC SHIFT

 

Nokia N800

~$200

Built-in PDF support out-of-the-box. Free FBReader program to read ebooks.

Great screen resolution.

Holding it in one hand.

Long battery life.

I'm typing this post on one.

 

My point was that you said a Mac Air was only twice as much as a Kindle. It's actually more than 4x as much.

As of now, the PDF functionality on the Kindle is pretty bad. Of the reviews I've seen, they have mostly suggested that every single PDF they've looked at on the Kindle is unreadable (the Sony Reader also seems to have the same problem). Some talk about re-formatting your PDFs so they are exactly the right size, although it seems like this is what the software must do already.

If all you want to do is read eBooks, I would definitely recommend against a standard laptop or even one of the small form-factor PCs. There are several reasons that most people don't read ebooks on computers; one is obviously the convenience of a book vs. a computer. However, something that is often overlooked is the types of screens that are on "standard" computers (be them laptops, desktops, tablet PCs or small form-factor PCs). For some reason, reading something on a computer is just not the same as reading something in a book; perhaps it's the text contrast or the flickering of the computer screen, but most people just prefer "treeware."

Another HUGE bonus of the eBook readers over mobile PCs is battery life. Because of the way the screen technology works, it only uses power when it's changing what is displayed on the screen. This means that these things have advertised battery lives of something like "75,000 page turns" between charges.

Additionally, eBook readers are very readable in bright sunlight, something that a lot of laptops have trouble with.

Of course, there are several disadvantages to eBook readers over laptops or super-portable PCs. You can't watch movies, you can't get online (although the Kindle apparently has an experimental web browser), you can't look at color pictures. However, if all you want to do is read text, they completely beat the pants off typical computers.

 

That's true, what beetljuice says... if you are only wanting it for ebooks a dedicated ebook reader is probably your best bet.

However, if you are looking for a more versatile device, here's why I recommend the Nokia: pdf reader built in, wireless/bluetooth built in, (mostly) fully functional web browser w/ flash 9 support, built in video... a couple of games.

Right now, I'm writing this post, viewing Priuschat in all it's glory, while listening to a streaming internet radio broadcast (built in external stereo speakers) on my N800 Built in RSS reader for news updates, my next stop is Slate magazine to check the latest news. And it has a great IM chat program , if you're into that.

 

Before buying anything wait for the iPhone SDK to see if a decent PDF reader is released. Currently there is no official PDF reader for the iPhone except for the built-in one and it lacks bookmarking and "go to page". If it included those basic functions the iPhone would be the most versatile eBook and PDF reader.

It costs more than the nokia, but it costs less that an eBook reader or nokia + phone + iPod.

 

I guess waiting for Apple to develop a solution for you is an option as well...

OT: Not to start an argument, but I don't understand peoples' fascination with Apple products. Proprietary, overpriced, often frustrating interfaces... seems to me to be a lot of sizzle, and a decent amount of steak I guess, but still...

 

Because we've actually used them...

BTW, the SDK comes out at the end of this month so its not an unreasonable wait.

 

Oh like I've never used Apple products.... as if... I'm not listening to my Nano now as I wash my car...

You win! Apple rules, get an iPhone....

 

It may have to do with the font. Most computers are default set to a sans serif font like Verdana.

If they used a serif font, like Georgia, it would be easier to read long pages of text.

In print it's Helvetica or Times. On the computer it's Verdana or Georgia. I always use serif fonts when I make web pages with a lot of text. I also use it for Powerpoints (however I keep the text very short).

There's also the portrait and landscape issue. No one likes to scroll. A computer screen is set up landscape (unless you have one of those fancy monitors.) The Kindle is set up for portrait. The iPhone goes both ways. But I don't recommend reading a book on an iPhone.

 

The O.P. mentioned reading PDF's with technical documentation as one of the major purposes. The battery advantage of ebook readers based on digital in is true, but there is another huge disadvantage: digital ink screens are not in color. Many PDF's do contain color images and schemes, and I'm afraid it would be very frustrating if you were only able to see them in shades of gray.

Now that's a good one: wait for an unspecified amount of time until the appropriate software is written, based on a not yet released SDK, so that you can read your documentation in all comfort on a tiny 3.5" screen with 320x480 pixels!

The OP poster mentioned that it was for reading PDF's. Those files specify the font used. So, any device you display them on should display them with the same font.

 

FYI. The iPhone SDK comes out this month. There are already some under the radar 3rd party PDF readers so I would think a full featured reader would come out right away.

In my experience PDFs read just fine on the iPhone. I read most of Deathly Hallows while traveling using the iPhone.

 

OK. I didn't get that the OP wanted to look at color images/drawings. If that is the case, then I completely agree with you that the eBook readers could be frustrating. eBook readers are not as flexible as many other portable devices, but what they do (display of text and B&W drawings), they do better than any other devices out there.