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Kaun
2011-02-08, 10:07 PM
Ok playgrounders like a lot of people here no doubt i have a bunch of source books on PDF.

I am wondering do any of you use any of the eBook readers on the market to view rp book PDF's on?

Have you got a reader thats good for it?

One that is no good for it?

Did it need a special app for reading the PDFs well?

Any help you can give me would be appreciated.


Give me the good give me the bad because my google-fu hs let me down.

true_shinken
2011-02-08, 10:09 PM
I like Foxit.

Lateral
2011-02-08, 10:12 PM
i have a bunch of source books on PDF.

No doubt that by that you actually mean, "sourcebooks legally bought and paid for at your local game shop and most definitely NOT illegally downloaded off the internet for free." :smalltongue:

Though it's not like WotC actually cares, what with them not supporting 3.5 anymore...

Kaun
2011-02-08, 10:17 PM
No doubt that by that you actually mean, "sourcebooks legally bought and paid for at your local game shop and most definitely NOT illegally downloaded off the internet for free." :smalltongue:

Though it's not like WotC actually cares, what with them not supporting 3.5 anymore...

Hehe, yeah!

Honestly they are mostly more obscure games were purchasing an ebook from a companies website is a hell of a lot easier then trying to get my hands on a physical copy.

i dont think i have a single d20 PDF :smallamused:

EDIT: I dont think that smiley face helps my credability at all.

Lateral
2011-02-08, 10:21 PM
No. No it does not. :smallamused:

...I get your point, though.

gorfnab
2011-02-09, 01:10 AM
The Nook Color from Barnes & Noble might be worth looking into since it can read PDFs. For PDFs it can zoom in, go to page, change to landscape mode, and fit-to-page and fit-to-width. Just load your PDFs onto a MicroSD card and put it in the Nook. Otherwise just hack it into an Android tablet and load it with Adobe Reader X app, granted this will void the warranty but if you look around a little (http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting) it can be a twenty minute root.

slaydemons
2011-02-09, 01:12 AM
I simply use probably the basic pdf reading tool i can think of thats free adober flash reader X though if foxit is free i might try that

LansXero
2011-02-09, 01:14 AM
Paizo does sell and give away plenty of pdf-ish stuff for free though, so it can be all legal :smallamused:

Whats wrong with using Adobe Reader?

BobVosh
2011-02-09, 01:20 AM
http://www.lightinthebox.com/Android-2-1-C-MID-Tablet-with-7-Inch-HD-Touchscreen---WiFi_p158354.html?pos=ultimately_buy_1

I've been eyeing this. The only downside is a small harddrive, but with a decent usb thumb drive you can get a ton more. Planning on using it for character sheets, pdfs (yes bought, from paizo mainly), and youtube.

Edit: Foxit is the best PDF viewer ever. Not sure if there is a droid app. Checking my phone. Will edit another update in a bit.

Unfortunately not, although there is a ton of both pay and free pdf readers.


Whats wrong with using Adobe Reader?
Nothing. However download foxit (for free here (http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/)) and see how quickly it loads a pdf in comparison. Then use the search function, and cry at how much faster it is. Obviously requires a searchable pdf.

Kaun
2011-02-09, 02:00 AM
Whats wrong with using Adobe Reader?

Its not the software the concerns me so much as the hardware.

Im looking for a good eBook reader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook_reader) pc or what ever you want to call it for the job.

valadil
2011-02-09, 09:21 AM
Its not the software the concerns me so much as the hardware.

Im looking for a good eBook reader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook_reader) pc or what ever you want to call it for the job.

I use my iPhone. The 3g wasn't fast enough for D&D pdfs, but the 4 seems to manage. The GoodReader app definitely helps. I've seen other people use iPads, and they look really nice for D&D books, but IMO are too expensive if that's all you'll use them for.

I have friends who own Kindles, Nooks, and even a Sony Reader. None of them use their eReaders for gaming, although I never thought to ask why. Not sure if it's because the devices are inadequate or if it's because they all bring laptops to game anyway.

gbprime
2011-02-09, 10:02 AM
I'm currently using a Motion Computing tablet, an older M1400. Got it reconditioned on eBay for 300 bucks. Full size touch screen, 120gb hard drive, windows XP tablet with stylus, office, and adobe reader. It holds my PDFs and all my character sheets and things as well.

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3226892701378778.JPG

But it's heating up and slowing down as it ages. I'll likely replace it with an Android Tablet later this year. Budget permitting.

Swooper
2011-02-09, 02:05 PM
I'm using an iPad for gaming and it works great (if a bit pricey for the purpose). The good part is that it does a good bit more than just read PDFs. I can go online to look at the d20SRD (heck, I even have their search plugin in my iPad browser), online charactersheet hosting or whatever else I might need (assuming I'm gaming where there's a wifi connection present, which is all the time). I have a diceroller app (Dicenomicon) with customizable dice scripts (so, I can input how much I'm Power Attacking for and whether I get Sneak Attack or not for instance) and of course it doubles as an entertainment platform to watch movies on, and I use it at university to take notes in lectures.

So, if you want something a bit more than just an e-reader, you might at least want to take a look at the iPad and its possibilities.

Kaldrin
2011-02-09, 03:18 PM
I've been doing a lot of research based on gamer reviews of readers. Essentially, you can go with either an ebook reader which has a ridiculous amount of battery life and cruddy resolution support or go for a tablet which has better resolution and much shorter life (compared to the reader).

The top leaders seem to be the new Kindle (9" screen, I think) or the Sony reader... can't find the product numbers for them. The largest Sony is smaller than the Kindle.

A comparison review I saw told me the 9" Kindle doesn't need to zoom to read for most pdfs while the smaller screens often did need to zoom, especially on image-based pdfs where the readers get a bit grainy on font rendering.

For myself, I'm planning on getting the Motorola Xoom when it comes out.

dextercorvia
2011-02-09, 03:32 PM
No, No, No. Getting all of your sourcebooks on an eReader can only lead to heartache when you throw the thing at someone when you hear the "Paz..."

It is a visceral response, and simply knowing how much that device cost can not stop your hand in time.