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Old 01-26-2011, 12:12 AM   #161
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: Digital eBook reader devices...

Another thing to pay attention to is the OS of the tablet, if you're going to buy a tablet to use as a PDF reader. Recently, Google has said that their Android operating system is intended for cellular phones and not for tablet computers.

Android will be updated eventually, I'm sure, to have all the functionality you need on a tablet, but it should probably be avoided for now. Or maybe it'll function well as long as the tablet is used only as a PDF reader and not as a tablet?
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Old 01-26-2011, 12:17 AM   #162
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Default Re: Digital eBook reader devices...

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Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen View Post
Another thing to pay attention to is the OS of the tablet, if you're going to buy a tablet to use as a PDF reader. Recently, Google has said that their Android operating system is intended for cellular phones and not for tablet computers.

Android will be updated eventually, I'm sure, to have all the functionality you need on a tablet, but it should probably be avoided for now. Or maybe it'll function well as long as the tablet is used only as a PDF reader and not as a tablet?
Android 3.0 honeycomb is purpose built for tablets such as the upcoming motorola xoom. It has some interesting new features for this form factor
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Old 01-26-2011, 12:21 AM   #163
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Default Re: Digital eBook reader devices...

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Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen View Post
Another thing to pay attention to is the OS of the tablet, if you're going to buy a tablet to use as a PDF reader. Recently, Google has said that their Android operating system is intended for cellular phones and not for tablet computers.

Android will be updated eventually, I'm sure, to have all the functionality you need on a tablet, but it should probably be avoided for now. Or maybe it'll function well as long as the tablet is used only as a PDF reader and not as a tablet?
Android isn't a good OS for tablets at present, but wait just a bit.

From this article (and many more like it if you're inclined to Google around a bit), one sees the following (long and awkward) headline:

"Google Says Honeycomb is a Tablet OS [Google Source Says Android 3.0 Honeycomb is Meant for Tablets; Might Not Likely Be Available for Smartphones]"

It happens that, 'mongst my many other sins, I'm an Android developer, and I can report that the Android community very much looks forward to a version of Android customized for tablets. All the Android developers I know have applications just a-waitin' for a decent tablet (10-inch form factor and decent resolution and battery life).
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Old 01-26-2011, 12:43 AM   #164
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It happens that, 'mongst my many other sins, I'm an Android developer, and I can report that the Android community very much looks forward to a version of Android customized for tablets. All the Android developers I know have applications just a-waitin' for a decent tablet (10-inch form factor and decent resolution and battery life).
Yeah, I'm not surprised by this. It makes sense to expand the Android OS functionality to also cover tablets. And probably full-scale computers too, in the long run.

Also from a market share perspective. Linux is scary. Most people probably aren't even sure if it has got some kind of windows in it. But if people gradually learn to use Android on their cellular phones (and tablets), they'll get used to it, so maybe in 2015 or so, lots of people will use Android as the OS on their desktop computers?
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Old 01-26-2011, 12:46 AM   #165
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Default Re: Digital eBook reader devices...

The Kindle DX is 1280 x 825 pixels. That's an aspect ratio of close to 1.45, rather far from the ideal 1.3, but still better than my 800x1280 laptop turned 90 degrees (1.6!!) which was ungood to use. English Wikipedia also says that Amazon claims that the DX is intended for reading textbooks (and newspapers).

How good is the Kindle DX at displaying PDFs?
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Old 01-30-2011, 01:23 AM   #166
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Default Re: Digital eBook reader devices...

The NoteSlate coming in June looks interesting.

http://www.noteslate.com/

The resolution is not high (750x1080pixels with no sub-pixel rendering), and the PDF compatibility might also be low (I'm not too sure what "*.PDF text viewer (just bitmap mode)" is suppose to mean), but the price (99$) and size (A4) is great!

Even if NoteSlate doesn't cut it, the age of A4 eInk slates suitable for GURPS readings might not be too far.
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Old 01-30-2011, 02:59 AM   #167
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NoteSlate
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750x1080
I calculate an aspect ratio of 1.44. That's not ideal, but given the price, this might end up being very, very interesting in spite of that.
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Old 01-30-2011, 06:59 AM   #168
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The NoteSlate coming in June looks interesting. (. . .)
Yes, I agree. We'll see.
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Old 01-30-2011, 04:43 PM   #169
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Default Re: Digital eBook reader devices...

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I calculate an aspect ratio of 1.44. That's not ideal, but given the price, this might end up being very, very interesting in spite of that.
An A4 page (210*297mm) has an aspect ratio of 1.41.

North American Letter size (216*279mm) has a ratio of 1.29.

Of those two I prefer A4.
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Old 02-01-2011, 05:35 AM   #170
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An A4 page (210*297mm) has an aspect ratio of 1.41.

North American Letter size (216*279mm) has a ratio of 1.29.

Of those two I prefer A4.
Thanks for doing that work for me.

So Letter is more square than A4? Or what? In that case, I'm with you. I prefer a more elongated page. Even with A4 in portrait mode, I'm kinda tempted to divide into 2 columns layout-wise, for maximum readability, or 3 columns if in landscape. With the width being largely the same, though, it boils down to the page height; with a longer page (A4) you have to turn pages less frequently.

Either way, in terms of purchasing RPG products, we must adapt to whatever the major publishers use. And what do they use? Do SJ Games use Letter format? What does Atlas Games use for their paper-to-PDF conversions?
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