Doubts about Kobo - jpg converted to pdf, and some smaller issues...

mig_akira · 06-10-2010, 10:40 AM

Hello everyone!

I've been looking forward to buy a Kobo ever since it was announced. I always wanted a cheap but functional e-reader. The Kobo is also very good looking.

But a few issues might end up being a deal breaker for me. I would like to know if they happen in the Kobo:

1 - Not able to go directly to a page - is that a real problem, or any PDF can be marked by chapter? For example, I have a free PDF that I downloaded. Can I arrange it to separate it in chapters? Or that happens only in PDF that are already created with chapter separation?

2 - PDF created with a series of JPG files - say, an photo album, or a comic book - can be read by the Kobo? I would like to use this method, for example: http://www.freewaregenius.com/2006/1...-files-to-pdf/

3 - Does it read any PDF file? If I convert a .doc to .pdf using virtual printer, it will be read ok in the Kobo? Any manual pdf, or whatever, can be read? Or are there restrictions? If so, what are they?

4 - Other smaller issues - I saw here in the forum that there are some Kobos with battery malfunction, freezing problems, etc. Are they software problems, or hardware? Should I wait for a "rev2" Kobo e-reader? Since I live in Brazil, and am going to import the Kobo, it's a big deal for me - probably I wont be able to replace it if it comes defective.

Thanks a lot everyone!

pholy · 06-10-2010, 11:00 AM

No 6" reader will do a good job rendering PDf files, for reasons that have been discussed in many older threads. Also, there seem to be many ways to create PDF files, so it's hard to make a blanket statement.

I would not recommend any small reader for reading PDF files unless the files have been created explicitly for that size reader, not a common situation.

I don't think that any revision of software will give you a 6" reader able to do a good job with PDF viewing. I'm sorry, I could be wrong, but that's my opinion of the state of the technology right now.

mig_akira · 06-10-2010, 11:29 AM

Hello Pholy, thanks for answering!

Oh I wasnt aware of any that! I always thought that PDF were the default format and the other ones (ePub included) were proprietary formats that no one really used, lol.

Thats too bad. I thougt that it was the ebook reader that would limit the size of the page, not the pdf itself. Unfortunatly this is a deal breaker for me =(. I was really interested in buying a Kobo, since I have a lot of PDF in my PC, about 60% are technical books, 10% are comic books and the rest are novels.

Guess I should wait until there are easier ways to convert PDF to ePub then! Or wait until bigger screens are cheaper!

Thanks!

mig_akira · 06-10-2010, 11:44 AM

Sorry for double posting, but I`m writing in a PS3 and it limits the size of posts for some reason!

EDIT ----

Well I just saw that there are a few sites with free epub downloads, with public domain books...thats nice. Maybe I could start reading all those classics I never read.

I saw a blog showing a Sony 6" with the problem with PDF, but the author changed the font size to MEDIUM and the margins were then in the correct aspect, but the formatting went nuts (chapters started at the middle of the page). But that I can deal with! Is it that easy to do in the Kobo as well? Just changing the font size to make the margins disapear? What about inserting chapters in a pdf, is that possible? For every 10 pages or so?

Thanks!!! Maybe I can buy a ebook reader after all =)

luqmaninbmore · 06-10-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pholy

No 6" reader will do a good job rendering PDf files, for reasons that have been discussed in many older threads. Also, there seem to be many ways to create PDF files, so it's hard to make a blanket statement.

I would not recommend any small reader for reading PDF files unless the files have been created explicitly for that size reader, not a common situation.

I don't think that any revision of software will give you a 6" reader able to do a good job with PDF viewing. I'm sorry, I could be wrong, but that's my opinion of the state of the technology right now.

I think that depends on what your requirements are. I frequently read PDFs on my PB360 which is a 5-inch reader. I read the comics in land-scape mode and for text-based PDFs I either use reflow or the landscape mode (with the zoom set to fit-to-width). I find it very usable, but I am either reading text-based non-fiction (i.e. not so many diagrams) or novels and short stories. And comics, of course.

Luqman

mlstein · 06-10-2010, 12:56 PM

You can also use software like briss to remove the margins from your pdfs. A lot of books then come down to widths around five inches or even less, which should display reasonably well in landscape mode on a six-inch screen. (The height of a 6-inch screen is about 4.8 inch inches.)

corona · 06-10-2010, 04:27 PM

Some PDFs are fine for me. If they're just text, and the formatting is not too complex, and if the type size fits nicely -- just by chance -- with the zoom, then it's okay, in landscape mode. Pages load slowly, though.

So far I have not had good results with Briss.

techie42 · 06-10-2010, 04:40 PM

What size and model eReader would you recommend for reading things like O'Reily tech manuals? (Or comic books?)

I had some success with pocket book sized manga on my Kobo. I converted jpeg to cbr and then pdf. News paper style comic-strip type comics did not work out as well. I had issues with page breaks and proportions. But, maybe I just need more practice with Calibre.

Full sized comics were impossible. (I you are interested I used the PD comic site at http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/ for getting test material.)

artificial · 06-10-2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by techie42

What size and model eReader would you recommend for reading things like O'Reily tech manuals? (Or comic books?)

I can't speak from experience, but I understand that a 10" reader would suit that purpose such as the Kindle DX (technically I think it's actually 9.7").

For comics I would be seriously considering an iPad, because of the colour screen, though obviously that comes with its own drawbacks.

EDIT: Bear in mind that O'Reilly now release books in many formats including ePub

They finally figured out that PDF is not the ideal format for reading on a mobile device. I imagine other publishers of technical books will follow suit (fingers crossed).

Stinger · 06-10-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by techie42

What size and model eReader would you recommend for reading things like O'Reily tech manuals? (Or comic books?)

I had some success with pocket book sized manga on my Kobo. I converted jpeg to cbr and then pdf. News paper style comic-strip type comics did not work out as well. I had issues with page breaks and proportions. But, maybe I just need more practice with Calibre.

Full sized comics were impossible. (I you are interested I used the PD comic site at http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/ for getting test material.)

I think a tablet like the iPad is probably going to be your best bet for tech manuals and periodicals at this point. But I have seen lots of news about larger format devices that are being developed with a major focus on periodicals and content that isn't very friendly with novel sized screens.

Check this out:
http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100603VL203.html

06-10-2010, 10:40 AM	#1
mig_akira Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 2866 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: kobo	Doubts about Kobo - jpg converted to pdf, and some smaller issues... Hello everyone! I've been looking forward to buy a Kobo ever since it was announced. I always wanted a cheap but functional e-reader. The Kobo is also very good looking. But a few issues might end up being a deal breaker for me. I would like to know if they happen in the Kobo: 1 - Not able to go directly to a page - is that a real problem, or any PDF can be marked by chapter? For example, I have a free PDF that I downloaded. Can I arrange it to separate it in chapters? Or that happens only in PDF that are already created with chapter separation? 2 - PDF created with a series of JPG files - say, an photo album, or a comic book - can be read by the Kobo? I would like to use this method, for example: http://www.freewaregenius.com/2006/1...-files-to-pdf/ 3 - Does it read any PDF file? If I convert a .doc to .pdf using virtual printer, it will be read ok in the Kobo? Any manual pdf, or whatever, can be read? Or are there restrictions? If so, what are they? 4 - Other smaller issues - I saw here in the forum that there are some Kobos with battery malfunction, freezing problems, etc. Are they software problems, or hardware? Should I wait for a "rev2" Kobo e-reader? Since I live in Brazil, and am going to import the Kobo, it's a big deal for me - probably I wont be able to replace it if it comes defective. Thanks a lot everyone!

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06-10-2010, 11:00 AM	#2
pholy Booklegger Posts: 1,801 Karma: 7999816 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Device: BeBook(1 & 2010), PEZ, PRS-505, Kobo BT, PRS-T1, Playbook, Kobo Touch	No 6" reader will do a good job rendering PDf files, for reasons that have been discussed in many older threads. Also, there seem to be many ways to create PDF files, so it's hard to make a blanket statement. I would not recommend any small reader for reading PDF files unless the files have been created explicitly for that size reader, not a common situation. I don't think that any revision of software will give you a 6" reader able to do a good job with PDF viewing. I'm sorry, I could be wrong, but that's my opinion of the state of the technology right now.

06-10-2010, 11:29 AM	#3
mig_akira Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 2866 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: kobo	Hello Pholy, thanks for answering! Oh I wasnt aware of any that! I always thought that PDF were the default format and the other ones (ePub included) were proprietary formats that no one really used, lol. Thats too bad. I thougt that it was the ebook reader that would limit the size of the page, not the pdf itself. Unfortunatly this is a deal breaker for me =(. I was really interested in buying a Kobo, since I have a lot of PDF in my PC, about 60% are technical books, 10% are comic books and the rest are novels. Guess I should wait until there are easier ways to convert PDF to ePub then! Or wait until bigger screens are cheaper! Thanks!

06-10-2010, 11:44 AM	#4
mig_akira Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 2866 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: kobo	Sorry for double posting, but I`m writing in a PS3 and it limits the size of posts for some reason! EDIT ---- Well I just saw that there are a few sites with free epub downloads, with public domain books...thats nice. Maybe I could start reading all those classics I never read. I saw a blog showing a Sony 6" with the problem with PDF, but the author changed the font size to MEDIUM and the margins were then in the correct aspect, but the formatting went nuts (chapters started at the middle of the page). But that I can deal with! Is it that easy to do in the Kobo as well? Just changing the font size to make the margins disapear? What about inserting chapters in a pdf, is that possible? For every 10 pages or so? Thanks!!! Maybe I can buy a ebook reader after all =)

06-10-2010, 12:56 PM	#6
mlstein Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 2062 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPad (one)	You can also use software like briss to remove the margins from your pdfs. A lot of books then come down to widths around five inches or even less, which should display reasonably well in landscape mode on a six-inch screen. (The height of a 6-inch screen is about 4.8 inch inches.)

06-10-2010, 04:27 PM	#7
corona Addict Posts: 324 Karma: 25168 Join Date: May 2010 Device: kobo	Some PDFs are fine for me. If they're just text, and the formatting is not too complex, and if the type size fits nicely -- just by chance -- with the zoom, then it's okay, in landscape mode. Pages load slowly, though. So far I have not had good results with Briss.

06-10-2010, 04:40 PM	#8
techie42 Zealot Posts: 138 Karma: 76 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Toronto Device: KOBO and iPad	What size and model eReader would you recommend for reading things like O'Reily tech manuals? (Or comic books?) I had some success with pocket book sized manga on my Kobo. I converted jpeg to cbr and then pdf. News paper style comic-strip type comics did not work out as well. I had issues with page breaks and proportions. But, maybe I just need more practice with Calibre. Full sized comics were impossible. (I you are interested I used the PD comic site at http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/ for getting test material.)

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