I've been fairly obsessed lately with finding the best way to read and annotate PDF journal articles. I didn't want to waste paper by printing them out, but I wanted to hand write notes on PDFs on screen.
I decided that the most economical solution was to buy a touch screen ereader. That way I could read and write on any PDF. My research (and I did a lot of it, trust me) lead me to the Sony PRS T1. I would have opted for a larger screen, but it was extremely difficult finding a device under $200 AUD that met my requirements (touch screen, PDF compatible, wi-fi, long battery life, lightweight) that was also available in Australia. And a tablet/iPad would have definitely been too heavy and too short battery life. Not to say that I'm disappointed with the purchase: but I would have preferred more options.
I decided that the most economical solution was to buy a touch screen ereader. That way I could read and write on any PDF. My research (and I did a lot of it, trust me) lead me to the Sony PRS T1. I would have opted for a larger screen, but it was extremely difficult finding a device under $200 AUD that met my requirements (touch screen, PDF compatible, wi-fi, long battery life, lightweight) that was also available in Australia. And a tablet/iPad would have definitely been too heavy and too short battery life. Not to say that I'm disappointed with the purchase: but I would have preferred more options.
After buying my ereader, I discovered that it could not connect to eduroam wifi (used across a lot of university campuses, including UQ) and that annotations in PDFs were stored separately as image files! Fortunately, the solution to these problems was to jailbreak (hack) the reader to access the underlying Android operating system. Now I can use it like any other Android device, including installing Dropbox and reference manager apps!
I'm quite surprised that there isn't more call for academic-use ereaders: I came across innumerable questions and comments online about the lack of a specific device tailored for academia. But at least I have my, if somewhat roundabout, solution.
I'm quite surprised that there isn't more call for academic-use ereaders: I came across innumerable questions and comments online about the lack of a specific device tailored for academia. But at least I have my, if somewhat roundabout, solution.
