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Kindle for reading manuals?

 
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Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 3:46:44 AM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline 		Anyone use the Kindle to read PDF manuals?

I sure wish they made one in color? $380 is a lot for an electronic book, but I just spent $64 on 4 books and shipping from Amazon. Kindle could be cheaper in the long run, but dang if I don't like to hold the physical book in my hand. Maybe I would get use to the Kindle after awhile.

Of course being able to get a new book on a whim, could get expensive real quick. Probably worse than buying new games.
Post #: 1
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 3:57:14 AM   
junk2drive


Posts: 12672
Joined: 6/27/2002
From: Arizona West Coast
Status: online 		The only reason that I would want something hand held would be to play games or read manuals out of the house. I would think that a netbook or cheapo laptop would be a better option for me.

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 4:31:50 AM   
darken92

 

Posts: 91
Joined: 5/11/2007
Status: offline 		Ok, dumb question.

How do you use a Kindle to read the manuals?  I have just been given a Kindle and would love to upload the AE manual,

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Post #: 3
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 4:42:37 AM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline 		Darken92, according to Amazon you should be able to hook it up to the USB port and dragndrop the PDF file. I did read somewhere that you cannot change fonts when the PDF file is on the Kindle, but don't quote me, since I don't personally own one yet.

Yes, Junk2drive, I agree, a netbook would probably suffice, and be more useful.

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Post #: 4
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 4:52:01 AM   
jomni


Posts: 2518
Joined: 11/19/2007
Status: offline 		I use iPad and iPhone.

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 4:58:22 AM   
RyanCrierie


Posts: 1067
Joined: 10/14/2005
Status: offline 		I have a Kindle 3 on order; it should be shipping any moment now.

When I get it at the end of the week, I'll let you know how it works with Matrix Manuals...

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 5:52:16 AM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline 		Thanks Ryan!


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Post #: 7
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 6:10:35 AM   
rhondabrwn


Posts: 1778
Joined: 9/29/2004
From: Snowflake, Arizona
Status: offline 		I have quite a few manuals on my Kindle. You just hook up to your computer and as someone already mentioned, just drag and drop them to copy onto the Kindle. As also mentioned, you cannot change the font size as you can for Kindle books.

The big limitation is that you don't have an active index so you have to go page by page to find what you want. That's fine for just reading a manual at your convenience, but not so good if you are using it as a reference and need to find a specific rule in a hurry.

That said, it would be really cool if Matrix (or volunteers) could convert the manuals into an e-book format that would work with the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader etc. Amazon "sells" lots of Kindle books for $0.00 that were developed in this way.

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 9:01:54 AM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4593
Joined: 3/30/2004
From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sabre1
Anyone use the Kindle to read PDF manuals?


I've tested the same pdf manual on both a Kindle and an iPad the same evening.

Kindle : b/w, flicking from one page to the next is sloooow, no zoom

iPad : color, flicking from one page to the next is blazingly fast, zoom, turn sideways .. the experience is 200% better.

Executive summary : after you've experienced reading a pdf manual on a tablet device like the iPad, you won't look twice at an eReader.

Now, I don't particularly like the no-Flash and closed shop approach of Apple so I will get me one of the inevitable iPad clones which will surface in the next couple of months.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

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Post #: 9
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 1:01:22 PM   
Hertston


Posts: 3292
Joined: 8/17/2002
From: Cornwall, UK
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

Executive summary : after you've experienced reading a pdf manual on a tablet device like the iPad, you won't look twice at an eReader.


I'd go with that. I've been loading .pdf manuals onto my Sony for some time, and it must be said some definitely 'work' a lot better than others, and the inability to 'flip through' is a pain. I love e-book readers in general (having a while library of your favourite books you can carry in your pocket is great) , but they do have their limitations as they are very much geared towards reading literature, not academic texts, .pdf manuals etc.

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Post #: 10
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 4:41:03 PM   
Lützow


Posts: 1413
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From: Germany
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

That said, it would be really cool if Matrix (or volunteers) could convert the manuals into an e-book format that would work with the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader etc. Amazon "sells" lots of Kindle books for $0.00 that were developed in this way.


That's something one can do by himself. It just needs a pdf-to-epub converter.

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Post #: 11
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 8:03:20 PM   
Fallschirmjager


Posts: 6302
Joined: 3/18/2002
From: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Status: offline 		.pdf reading on a Kindle is not that good but it is kind of a secondary function of the device. It was built from the ground up to read books and that is what it does.

And the Kindle vs iPad argument is kind of ridiculous considering they are not even in the same class. One is $130 and one is $600+

< Message edited by Fallschirmjager -- 9/15/2010 8:04:00 PM >

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Post #: 12
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/15/2010 8:22:06 PM   
Capt. Harlock


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From: Los Angeles
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quote:

I use iPad and iPhone.


Since one of the principles of my life is to defy the herd instinct, I use a Palm smart-phone. The screen is small, but it works.

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Post #: 13
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/16/2010 4:38:04 AM   
kvob

 

Posts: 55
Joined: 5/19/2002
Status: online 		You people using a kindle may want to try this.
http://calibre-ebook.com/

It's an application which will convert to kindle format and is eminently more readable (with scaleable fonts).

Cheers
kvob

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Post #: 14
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/16/2010 8:02:32 AM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4593
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From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager
And the Kindle vs iPad argument is kind of ridiculous considering they are not even in the same class. One is $130 and one is $600+


Yup - I agree - one is a single-function cheap toy where it's simply impractical and cumbersome to read pdf files - especially picture heavy ones - the other is an expensive multi-purpose toy where it's a joy to read pdf files. No contest whatsoever.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

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Post #: 15
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/16/2010 9:20:09 AM   
Marc von Martial

 

Posts: 10890
Joined: 1/4/2001
From: Bonn, Germany
Status: offline 		For the iPad guys. A great app for reading PDFs (and much more) is GoodReader.
http://www.goodiware.com/goodreader.html

Even more now as it now hooks up with dropbox. At 0.99 a nobrainer.

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Post #: 16
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/16/2010 9:20:57 AM   
Marc von Martial

 

Posts: 10890
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From: Bonn, Germany
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quote:

ORIGINAL: sterckxe

quote:

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager
And the Kindle vs iPad argument is kind of ridiculous considering they are not even in the same class. One is $130 and one is $600+


Yup - I agree - one is a single-function cheap toy where it's simply impractical and cumbersome to read pdf files - especially picture heavy ones - the other is an expensive multi-purpose toy where it's a joy to read pdf files. No contest whatsoever.


word :)

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Post #: 17
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/16/2010 11:09:54 AM   
sterckxe


Posts: 4593
Joined: 3/30/2004
From: Flanders
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Marc von Martial
For the iPad guys. A great app for reading PDFs (and much more) is GoodReader.
http://www.goodiware.com/goodreader.html

Even more now as it now hooks up with dropbox. At 0.99 a nobrainer.


Zeus knows I'm not an Apple freak, I make my living on Wintel systems, only got Windows systems at home etc. but after an hour with an iPad was sold on it. The only thing holding me back from buying it is that the iPad 2 is rumoured to be out this year or early 2011 and there's bound to be competing products coming out from HP, the Toshiba Folio, Archos, MSI, Hanvon and others which may not have the 2 main drawbacks of the iPad : no Flash and no file system.

Let me put it like this : before I played around with the iPad I was in the market for an eReader, today I'm not.

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

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Post #: 18
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/17/2010 5:27:19 PM   
RyanCrierie


Posts: 1067
Joined: 10/14/2005
Status: offline 		Ok, I loaded my WITP AE Manual [LIGHT] on my K3; and here's my take:

Loading the PDF WITP-AE manual takes longer than a conventional kindle text only book; but not that much. Page flips are a mite slower, but not that slow.

Didn't try the "search for stuff" part yet.

The picture's better than what this shows -- kindles don't photograph well.

The biggest problem so far is that the K3 is just not optimal for reading PDFs like this manual, due to it's screen size.

It can be done....but honestly you're better off getting a Kindle DX.

The problem is the DX costs $379, and is significantly larger than the K3.

So if you want a portable PDF reader, wait one more generation for both the Tablets (iPad Clones) and Kindle DXes to come down in price and increase in value. Right now, we are still in the "Early adopter" phase for those.




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Post #: 19
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/17/2010 11:11:48 PM   
cmurphy625


Posts: 581
Joined: 1/19/2009
From: Boston, MA
Status: offline 		Think I"m getting a Kindle for my Bday (late gift), but definitely wanted to use it for manuals... I agree GoodReader is great (I have it for my Itouch), I'm just not a fan of the tiny screen (even though I do thoroughly enjoy my Itouch for games and music.. but in a pinch GoodReader is great for looking up stuff on a PDF.. NO I'm not gonna go out and spend 500 for an IPad!

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Post #: 20
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 1:40:27 AM   
Joe 98


Posts: 3964
Joined: 1/5/2001
From: Wollondilly, Sydney
Status: offline 		If any device is not in colour there is no point using it to read game manuals.

Many manuals have colour pictures because a picture is worth 1,000 words!

And how do highlight a sentance on an electronic device?
-

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Post #: 21
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 3:24:02 AM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline 		Yeah you guys/gals are probably right. I should just wait a bit for the ultimate portable manual reader.

Interesting thread, and thanks for all the responses.


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Post #: 22
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 8:00:56 AM   
Adam Parker


Posts: 1850
Joined: 4/2/2002
From: Melbourne Australia
Status: offline 		Funnily enough I was about to post something on this as I just got a Kindle - the Latest Gen DX Graphite 9.7 inch screen.

Here's my observations so far:

1. If you don't own an iPad or don't want one then buy a Kindle.

2. I've loaded nearly 50 game manuals, all PDF's and they transferred as simply as plugging the Kindle into my PC's USB and dragging to the Kindle's Documents folder. It took 2 minutes total. You can then arrange them into Collections if you wish when unplugged later.

3. The manuals look great on the 9.7 inch screen. If you want a bigger zoom, rotate the screen sideways - boom bigger view. They look very natural as is.

4. I wouldn't suggest the new 6 inch screen Kindle for PDF's or text book reading. Yes, it will work but you'll need very good eyes.

5. Being a 9.7 inch screen model, the new Graphite DX is as heavy as a ~450-page paperback. Some will be ok with this some will not. The metalic rear isn't really the best for gripping either but there's no smearing of the viewing screen with fingers.

6. I will never need to print a game manual again. Great for games with Living Rules.

It took me a long time to buy a Kindle - and I'm thrilled I finally did.

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Post #: 23
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 8:19:06 AM   
Adam Parker


Posts: 1850
Joined: 4/2/2002
From: Melbourne Australia
Status: offline 		This pic of the new 9.7 inch DX didn't really help me until I saw it up front and from a perspective view it is accurate. That's some good real estate there for reading. Those buttons below are tiny.

To give folks some help with the overall unit: Length - Width - Depth

It's roughly 1.5cm longer than an 64 page Osprey book, 0.5 cm narrower and 0.5cm deeper. You can do a mental adjustment for the viewing area accordingly!

(BIG EDIT: That's a 64 page Osprey book - the thinner one )





Attachment (1)

< Message edited by Adam Parker -- 9/18/2010 8:27:45 AM >

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Post #: 24
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 1:56:44 PM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline 		I hate it when someone starts making me waffle after I had made up my mind. Thanks Adam.

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Post #: 25
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 3:02:52 PM   
Adam Parker


Posts: 1850
Joined: 4/2/2002
From: Melbourne Australia
Status: offline 		LOL. You're welcome! I succumbed this week and what great service to Australia, took "days".

Your thinking re impulse buying is right too!

Whilst the thing was still charging I was buying (took less that 3 hours for a full charge using the adapter ie: not USB. I'll probably get a week of reading with the Whispernet on, longer without before re-charging. The 6" model has the better power economy 3-4 weeks they say).

You're spoilt living in the States too - you've got a huge selection of books available. Due to crazy e-copyright laws, Australia has about 60% of what you can access (but still hugely better than iTunes <shrug>). It is expanding daily too.

I've tried some more PDF's since posting last. If you're short-sighted, then a good light source is essential as there's no backlighting Some text can be small-ish in portrait mode but definitely readable. Depnds on the manual. Z-man Games' Aladin for example is more artsy in look. GMT Games is pure wargaming no nonesense. The Panther Battles for Bulge manual is a treat.

There is a zoom facility that works via the DX's little joystick that can move around a page at any zoom level you like. But I'm prefering the native "fit-to-one-page" look and going landscape whenever I want a larger view. For books though, it's a huge winner.

One good laugh. When I opened the box the screen looked like it had a piece of paper stuck on it showing how to plug the charger in. I was so surprised to see that it was the Kindle's initial screen saver. The "paper" looked so real (And I hear I'm not the only one to have made this mistake in the kindle users world).

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 5:08:24 PM   
nelmsm


Posts: 870
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Texas
Status: offline 		I ran the Panzer Command manual through Calibre and turned it sideways and what I looked at was pretty good but I'll hold final judgement until I get a chance to read further. A way to get around the non-US thing is to create a second account with a US address, use something from a museum or something, and then buy the books on that account and download to your computer. It worked for me to buy the first Flashman book that was only available in the UK. I've got an account set up with the address of the Imperial War Museum.

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 5:09:57 PM   
junk2drive


Posts: 12672
Joined: 6/27/2002
From: Arizona West Coast
Status: online 		nelmsm did you use the PC printer friendly version or the regular?

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Post #: 28
RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 5:18:29 PM   
RyanCrierie


Posts: 1067
Joined: 10/14/2005
Status: offline
quote:

2. I've loaded nearly 50 game manuals, all PDF's and they transferred as simply as plugging the Kindle into my PC's USB and dragging to the Kindle's Documents folder. It took 2 minutes total. You can then arrange them into Collections if you wish when unplugged later.


How is the PDF load time?

I've heard from a friend in the US Army (lots of Army manuals are in PDF) that Kindle PDF loading speed and pageturn speed varies by the type of PDF loaded. Some PDFs are lightning fast, others slog slowly.

You can guess which types (largely text like Matrix' [LITE] manuals) go fast, and which go slow (complex ones full of pictures, or ones that use images of scanned pages).

quote:

5. Being a 9.7 inch screen model, the new Graphite DX is as heavy as a ~450-page paperback. Some will be ok with this some will not. The metalic rear isn't really the best for gripping either but there's no smearing of the viewing screen with fingers.


How is it with a cover? the cover doubles the weight of my K3; but it makes it feel much more STURDY.

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RE: Kindle for reading manuals? - 9/18/2010 10:24:58 PM   
nelmsm


Posts: 870
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Texas
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: junk2drive

nelmsm did you use the PC printer friendly version or the regular?


I'm pretty sure I used the one that said Ebook in my directory.

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