I’m reading a lot papers after I switched positions in my job. I felt reading on my display annoying. I can’t draw on the PDF easily nor able to read while I code (not without switching windows). And printing papers is annoying too. I can’t search and the physical paper pile up quickly.
Is an e-reader a good choice for me? Or should I get a tablet instead?
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I’m a big fan of eink screens. They don’t cause the eyestrain that LED displays do. I have the Onyx Boox Nova which I really enjoy. It has the Play Store on it, so I can install any Android app. It also has pen support for annotating.
How it’s this device for comics?
I absolutely and utterly swear by my reMarkable 2.
Large enough to display pdf’s without having to scale down (which always messes up the page readability), can take notes right on the pages, even in multiple layers if I want, can draw on top, include overlays, export my notes as text or even save them within the pdf itself, etc. etc. etc.
Can confirm, am using the remarkable tablet to read a lot of academic papers. The only thing to keep in mind though is that the best experience is that apparently you need good enough vision to be able to read the article without zooming, some people I know struggled with this. However with normal sight, I basically only zoom to note something in the article if there is not enough space to note it down otherwise.
Yep exactly. I hardly ever need to zoom, unless maybe to read some very small tables or annotations.
When I was in grad school we got a lot of potato quality third generation photocopy PDFs. I used an iPad but this was also back when the iPad was basically the only viable tablet option.
I didn’t even know about that thing.
It looks pretty great on paper.
I’ve had it for about a year now and it’s just plain awesome. I use it every day.
I currently live the remarkable 2 and also had the first one. Wouldn’t want to live without it, but the software is still not really there…
There are some patched versions on GitHub with more functionality, but never tried it.Company itself argues, they want to be as near to paper as possible. so not many features, which is a fair design choice, but the software still feels sluggish and unoptimized imho
How do you get your documents on the device? Is there a syncing mechanism?
There’s a companion app (Android and iOS) and a client software (Windows and Mac). They sync the reading progress as well as notes, so you can always take the version from your PC and print it with all your notes in place if needed.
The software only works as a reader though, so you can’t edit anything there. If you do use it to read on, it syncs the current page you’re on back to the device though, so at least you can read continuously.
Look into ReMarkable and Supernote. ReMarkable has a pencil to paper feel and Supernote is like writing with a gel pen. Both are pretty great, but ReMarkable has a longer battery life.
Fully agree, I’ve got the reMarkable 2 and it lasts for a week, easily. And the functionality is unparalleled.
iPad with the apple pencil. I use PDF Expert which is free and has no ads to write and highlight PDF files. Has a wireless transfer feature on local networks too so you can move files back and forth between the iPad and non Apple devices.
I second this, personally I use Zotero for highlighting so I can sync it with Obsidian.
Onyx boox uses e-ink and Android. Its a winning combination.
Most papers will be in PDF format and may contain colors as well. E-Ink is slowly getting there, especially with the rise of digital comics, but for the time being I wouldn’t trade my iPad and Pencil combo.
I’d say tablet with GoodNotes installed, since you can easily write on the pages. With e-readers you can’t immediately read your notes
I’m currently in grad school and am reading a ton of PDFs. My iPad and Apple Pencil paired with the app LiquidText has been AMAZING! I actually subscribed to their pro plan so that my papers and annotations would sync between my devices.
I can’t stress enough how much use I get out of the combo and how productive it allows me to me reading, highlighting, and taking notes.
LiquidText is cool af but I hated the UI. Maybe it’s become better in the last few months.
I actually have some complaints too but I overlook them! And the customer service was super responsive when I needed them.
iPad and Apple Pencil will probably be the most versatile. It’s what I’m using now though I wish there’s a “simple” mode on iPad where I can just use it as a notepad/e-reader and nothing else.
I can vouch for the iPad + Apple Pencil + GoodNotes combo. I‘m using this multiple hours a day for university. The iPad also would be the most versatile device for watching a movie, playing a game etc.
You can also get other tablets but in my experience the writing experience isn’t as good as the iPad.
If you want to do mostly reading, an e-ink display will be nicer on the eyes, but you loose general functionality.
I got a Supernote A5X to read papers - I’m very happy with it and wouldn’t want a tablet. I specifically wanted a dumb device dedicated to notes/reading that I wouldn’t connect to the internet, which really helps me focus. The eink display is easy to read and is a great break from screens, it feels natural to write on.
However it’s not perfect - eink has a small lag in turning pages, so if you intend on flipping through a ton of pages while coding that may be a pain. The searching experience also isn’t great, typing takes longer because of the lag. I use it as an advanced notebook rather than a smart device, and I love it from that lens.
Building on this, does anyone use tablets to keep a digital laboratory notebook? I’m picturing keeping one in a capacitive, clear envelope that you could sterilize by spraying with 70% ethanol if necessary, yet still permit you to write with a stylus while wearing dirty gloves
Many people here are talking about buying an iPad and the pencil, but if all you’re doing is reading papers I think this is a massive overspend. There are many inexpensive android tablets that come with pencils plenty good enough for handwriting or non-artistic drawing.
Of course, you say you have a job so you’re likely not to need to buy the cheapest thing possible (even if you don’t, you’re not forced to buy an iPad, Samsung’s tablet software is quite good), but I don’t want someone with the same use case, who might just be a student, to get the impression they need to spend a grand to read pdfs.
Others already gave some good suggestions, but if you want to keep using your computer, another option could be a second display and a drawing tablet (e.g. Wacom)
I ended up using a vertical monitor + Zotero for note taking (allows you to highlight text and write comments). My ereader is small enough to be convenient but too small to read papers well. My tablet, I hate writing on screens and it’s also too small
