PDFS on the Nook Touch and the Kindle 3

FROM E-READER CONFUSION THREAD AT MOBILEREAD FORUMS

I couldn't be here for most of the weekend, but am back and just saw a thread at Mobileread Forums about PDFs and how these are handled by the new NookTouch and the Kindle 3. Their message threads tend to be extremely informative and are often more technically focused than you'll see on most e-reader forums, but this one was just about which e-reader will handle PDFs better.  I've added my reply there and thought I'd include it here as well, while I catch up on other Kindle matters.

' From thuya1991

"Hi, everyone
I am just new to the e-reading community. I am thinking about buying below $200 e-reader with eink. Considering kindle but by reading all the threads here, I am so confused which one should I buy.

Reason to buy e-reader
- I have all of my books that I want to read in .pdf files (no need to access their stores or whatever)

  My other concern is that I could be able to copy my .pdf files to the e-reader and read it without buying them again."

[My reply]
1. ROTATION option
  The Kindle has a rotation option so you can read in Landscape mode, which makes most PDFs somewhat readable if they have special layouts, as the Landscape mode has more space and there is room to make the fonts larger and the margins are decreased as a Kindle feature for PDFs.

  For layouts in word, academic documents and for PDFs that are manuals or guides, the Landscape rotation mode is the difference between whether you can even read the document on a 6" screen or not.

2. PDF SCREEN CONTRAST ADJUSTMENT
  The Kindle 3 allows you to make the text darker, important because many PDFs are originally using color fonts for effect and these, and colors that are translated to B&W, can be almost too light to read -- in any case it can be very hard on the eyes.
  The Nook doesn't have this feature

3. OVERALL GRAYER B&W TEXT FONT
  In my viewing of a Nook Touch the other night, the fonts are too gray for my eyes, w/o the kind of screen contrast I'm used to with the Kindle 3 and DX. The crispness is missing. (I was surprised as I had not read any reaction like mine in press reviews yet, but today I was told of two (Len Edgerly and Instapaper's Marco Arment) who had noted it.

    The Kindle Chronicles: nooktouch-pell
    Marco.Org: Nook Touch review

  However, anyone who's not used other Pearl screens probably won't notice any problem at all, and basically, the fonts are clear. Just not dark enough for me.

4. ZOOM IN - Yes, with Kindle, No, with Nook Touch
  The Nook Touch can't Zoom in on an image. Illustrations cannot be zoomed.

  With the Kindle, you can move the cursor to the center of the photograph, which gives you an option to click on it and zoom to full screen. On -higher- resolution images, this can be invaluable, especially for maps or diagrams.

  [ I should have added that Kindle PDFs have zoom-in boxes
    although I often find them awkward. ]


5. RE PDFS THAT ARE JUST BOOKS IN ONE COLUMN
  Portrait mode will do fine with those, with either the Nook or the Kindle.


You can also see my Features comparison: Nook Touch and Kindle 3 '

---

For ongoing free ebooks daily, check the following links often:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics - USA: by: NEW:  Apr  May  June 2011    Publication Date   Late-listed    Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular What is 3G? and "WiFi"? Highly-rated e-books under $1

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad,   99c Calculator,   99c CalendarPro,   99c Converter

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($164)   DX Graphite

---

Plastic Logic and newspaper/magazine e-revenue

Plastic Logic's plans
This product isn't positioning itself to compete with the small Amazon Kindle for the home book market.  Where it might certainly challenge Amazon is in the student and technical areas, but with no wireless access.  From the article:

Plastic Logic is planning to release its, as yet un-named, reader in January 2010 ... the Plastic Logic product will have a considerably larger display [than the Kindle] and will be marketed towards the 'mobile business professional,' rather than the leisure reader, clarified Benzi. The screen will measure 10.7 inches diagonally (about 27cm) compared to Kindle's 6 inch/15cm display.
... Despite its larger size, the device will weigh about the same as the Kindle, as it will be made from plastic rather than glass and silicon. This also gives it the advantage of being more robust and durable, explained Benzi . . .The device is extremely easy to use, Benzi added, with an "intuitive touch screen" and just one button to power the display.

... Some modifications will still have to be made to put a newspaper on such a product, but Benzi explained that there are companies which can do that for them. It will also be much easier to transfer documents such as word or pdf files from a computer to the e-reader, via a USB port. Although the product is focused on the needs of a business person, that does not mean that books will not be available also: "I don't want to discount the fact that the business professional enjoys leisure reading," Benzi added.

... Content will be available through a shop, similar to Kindle's. The first product will be in grey scale but Benzi described the company's commitment to producing a colour device in the near future as a reason why papers with strong colour branding, such as the Financial Times and USA Today, are so keen to collaborate. Plastic Logic recently signed deals with these two publications

... Benzi explained that although the first device will not access the internet, consumers might well be able to click on an advertisement for additional information on products or offers:

Just what we want: one-sided information.
More invasively ... See the next paragraph

... Plastic Logic will be able to "track the information about what the customer is doing with the device," a system which would seem to offer benefits to both newspapers and advertisers.

... Pricing for the device or for subscriptions have not yet been finalised, but Benzi confirmed that prices would be competitive. He accepts that there are some savings when producing a digital product which should be passed on to the customer, and that will be taken into account when comparing the pricing with a print subscription.

... one of the advantages of the device is that readers can focus entirely on consuming content, they will not be disturbed by emails

I think people will be demanding email capability for prices PL will charge for the large-screen unit.

... It must expect some competition from Hearst, which just announced that it is to release a large-format wireless e-reader this year, "suited to the reading and advertising requirements of newspapers and magazines," according to Fortune. It seems that the newspapers are indeed enthusiastic, but are the customers?