Ask HN: What device do you use for reading scientific or technical papers?
I (or some small child in my household) broke the screen on my iPad, which is what I normally use for reading scientific papers. I print a few but don't like doing that for the vast majority of papers; most just aren't worth the waste of paper and ink. The iPad was satisfactory.
I cannot stand reading them on my 1440p desktop monitor. I cannot stand reading them on my 2017 Macbook Pro. So now I am looking to replace my iPad for the majority of my paper reading.
What do you use for reading sci/tech papers?
43 comments
[ 0.21 ms ] story [ 148 ms ] threadI can write fine. I can sit upright and ergonomically type. But my reading on a computer/laptop is a mess.
Maybe my chair is insufficient, or whatever I don't know. I just can't do it.
The only thing i hate is that it lacks search feature through the pdfs otherwise its has been great and it allows me to stay focused
Incidentally Epiphany Workflow works with web sites as well as files.
Some notes on using Dead Tree™. Depending on the font size, I print 2-4 pages per side. Be choosy on what to print, for lots of publications you can skip irrelevant chapters.
Finally, the A series of Dead Tree™ is much superior to the standard US letter size.
Also, because an A0 sheet is defined as having an area of 1 square metre, and paper weight is in grams per square meter, you can easily calculate the weight of any number of any A-size sheet.
But the best is when you hold it in portrait mode like a book to display the paper on the color screen on one side, and take notes on the eink on the other side with a pen.
Even better: with the 2020 update, set the eink display to "clone" and select the option to turn the screen off, and you have a eink laptop to read technical paper in the browser, BUT in eink so it goes easy on your eyes.
It only serves one purpose, but it serves it perfectly.
It's replacing my Sony 13' DPT RP1 eink reader, thanks to its better integration with OneNote, and also the "side uses" (you can use it as a eink laptop or screen by hooking a USB keyboard. vi on eink display is a pleasure to code with)
I would suggest the 256G version to have lots of room for content as it's the ideal device to consume media on (mostly book) ; a few resellers still have it new-in-box. If you can afford it, get the Korean model on ebay, with LTE enabled - it's a Fibocom L850-GL CAT9 WWAN Module II which is has an Intel xmm 7360 insde, so it's multiband and will work everywhere.
Don't get it used or open-box returned due to a bug on the charging side: if you try to use the yogabook at 0% battery but with the AC plugged, REGARDLESS of which AC adapter you use, it won't draw enough power.
This means it will turn itself off in a few seconds, but right after damaging the battery - 10% loss of capacity is easy to do in just one day when trying to do the "first boot" if you are not patient ...
It does the job. Probably have more than 300 ebooks on the think and 100+ technical papers.
I have the new Logitech keyboard with touchpad. It’s a bit annoying on MarginNote, but still like it.
Also, I know the OP said they don't like printing papers out, but if you do, get a Brother laser printer. Text and graphics are much clearer on a laser printer vs. an inkjet.
I bought a higher-end (Epson EcoTank ET-2750) inkjet to replace a 10 year old Brother laser printer (OfficeDepot display model to boot) I got on sale. The laser printer was better in every way – I should have just replaced some parts and kept it going.
Since I am the OP, I'll note that while I don't like to print a lot of papers, I do inevitably print important ones. I fully agree on the Brother laser printer (only kind I have used, so not knocking other brands). Even printing in draft mode (saving on ink) is generally more readable than inkjet printing, in my experience.
I'll probably end up getting another iPad, but it has been interesting to see what other people use.
My son has a 6th gen (9.7"), and it seems like it might be a little smaller than I'd like. But, a full-size iPad looks giant after being around his device. I'd love to know what the adults are using for reading.
My wife has an old iPad mini (no idea what year/gen), which I have read some technical documents on. That was sufficient as well, though not quite as good as the larger iPad.
I've never used the larger sized iPad models, so I can't really compare.
You can still send PDFs to a Kindle and display them on the screen. The formatting isn't always perfect, but it's an option.
This became my primary tablet after my Nexus 7 died. It's $300 1080p 10.1" tablet/convertible ChromeOS device. For reading books & comics, detaching the cover & keyboard gives me a lightweight e-reader. A 1440p screen would be nicer, but the 222 dpi screen is good enough for me. Depending on the density of text in your docs & your eyesight, you may need zoom in at this resolution.
Since it's a Chromebook with a keyboard & Linux, I can use it as my only travel device instead of bringing a laptop with me. It also has Android app & stylus (+$40) support so it's my primary video & sketching device.
Honestly, if somebody made an e-ink cover for an iPad that would turn off the main LCD screen, I'd have probably gone for that. I was considering making one myself, but I've got too many projects on the go already.
If I could take notes on a kindle (which I'm sure is coming soon), I'd do that in a second!
They recently had a software update so you can do split screens which seems very useful.