Kindle Paperwhite - PDF e-books and manga?

[Tokiopop]

Hey!

I've been thinking about getting a Kindle, specifically the new Paperwhite. Mainly because I want to start reading again and I hate reading off of computer monitors.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with them? For example, how well do PDF e-books work on them? My university has a HUGE e-book library, but it's pretty much all in PDF format I believe. I also want to start reading some manga, and I found out about some software called Mangle. Is manga on a Kindle any good?

Finally, are they actually nice to read off? I'm short-sighted, and whilst I can read from monitors I don't particularly enjoy it. I don't think I could manage an entire novel on a computer screen, and I've never seen how a Kindle screen looks in person.

Thanks

 

[SifJar]

I have a Kindle 4 (the newest non touch Kindle), not a Paperwhite, but hopefully I can answer some questions:

PDFs: Depends a little on the PDF. I find most are fine on my Kindle, although the text can be a tad on the small side in some, which could be more of an issue for you. That said, it is possible to zoom and with the touch screen of the Paperwhite, zooming and panning around should be easier than with the arrow keys on my Kindle (I tend not to zoom at all, because it's annoying to pan around with the buttons). There are also various tools available to convert PDFs to Kindle ebooks, which has some nice advantages (e.g. changing text size and font on the fly on the Kindle, and then have the text automatically re-flow so you never have to zoom/pan), although I have had some fairly mixed results doing this. Generally if the PDF only has one column of text though, it should work OK (I have tried with some PDFs with multiple columns and the results have been less than ideal).

Manga: My Kindle can read .cbz format comic books, but I find it less than ideal for the task. I find that if I try to go back a page to check something or other, it gives graphical errors. It also fails to remember that I set full screen mode and I have to set it again every time I open a comic. I don't use this functionality, other than trying it out when I first read about it.

Readability: Much better than a monitor. It is literally just like reading off a page in a book. I have only tried a Paperwhite briefly in a shop, but it is even better than a regular Kindle. The backlight doesn't make it more like a monitor, and can be easily adjusted to a comfortable level.

 

[Tokiopop]

I have a Kindle 4 (the newest non touch Kindle), not a Paperwhite, but hopefully I can answer some questions:

PDFs: Depends a little on the PDF. I find most are fine on my Kindle, although the text can be a tad on the small side in some, which could be more of an issue for you. That said, it is possible to zoom and with the touch screen of the Paperwhite, zooming and panning around should be easier than with the arrow keys on my Kindle (I tend not to zoom at all, because it's annoying to pan around with the buttons). There are also various tools available to convert PDFs to Kindle ebooks, which has some nice advantages (e.g. changing text size and font on the fly on the Kindle, and then have the text automatically re-flow so you never have to zoom/pan), although I have had some fairly mixed results doing this. Generally if the PDF only has one column of text though, it should work OK (I have tried with some PDFs with multiple columns and the results have been less than ideal).

Manga: My Kindle can read .cbz format comic books, but I find it less than ideal for the task. I find that if I try to go back a page to check something or other, it gives graphical errors. It also fails to remember that I set full screen mode and I have to set it again every time I open a comic. I don't use this functionality, other than trying it out when I first read about it.

Readability: Much better than a monitor. It is literally just like reading off a page in a book. I have only tried a Paperwhite briefly in a shop, but it is even better than a regular Kindle. The backlight doesn't make it more like a monitor, and can be easily adjusted to a comfortable level.

Thanks a lot for the reply! I'm pretty sure most PDFs I'd be using are single-column. They just look like normal books, really.

I actually went around on youtube to look at how mangas and comics worked on the Paperwhite. It seemed fine, but for some people when they tapped the screen it would pan left to right, rather than right to left. It varied between videos, so I was wondering if this is an option that can be changed, or if it was a region thing (I think the one going right to left was a japanese kindle)

 

[xist]

You may also want to consider a Nook ereader (and if you wanted the paperwhite it'd be the Glow version). They can be rooted to run Android and then run various APK's that will enable you to read more formats (like Coolreader for instance). I have a Nook Simple Touch and am currently working up the courage to try to root it (i'm a total newb to Android as i've never encountered it before so i'm reading up on everything before i try!)

 

[Pong20302000]

You may also want to consider a Nook ereader (and if you wanted the paperwhite it'd be the Glow version). They can be rooted to run Android and then run various APK's that will enable you to read more formats (like Coolreader for instance). I have a Nook Simple Touch and am currently working up the courage to try to root it (i'm a total newb to Android as i've never encountered it before so i'm reading up on everything before i try!)

indeed, rooting is easy

with Kindle a team did release a Kindle DRM remover
and alot of Ebook manga files where released
(all One Piece Chapters in English is one of the most downloaded)

guess its all depends on if the content is available

 

[xist]

indeed, rooting is easy

I'll be sure to send the Bear Cavalry round to your house when things go pear-shaped! (or should that be bear-shaped?)

 

[nunavat2010]

OP, which one are you going to get 3G one or just wifi? I am debating whether I should pay the extra $60 for the 3G, if I want to just read the books from the library.

I could put lots of work related pdf documents (single column). I don't need to hack it (root it), if I want to read borrowed books?

 

[SifJar]

OP, which one are you going to get 3G one or just wifi? I am debating whether I should pay the extra $60 for the 3G, if I want to just read the books from the library.

I could put lots of work related pdf documents (single column). I don't need to hack it (root it), if I want to read borrowed books?

Not if they're just PDFs (or any other supported/convertible format). If your files aren't in the right format, or you just want some decent software for organising books and transferring them to your Kindle etc., you should look into Calibre.

 

[Tokiopop]

Hmm...

Can anyone confirm if the Kindle Paperwhite (EU/US versions) have an option to go right-to-left in the comic viewer?

 

[nunavat2010]

I ordered my Kindle paper white yesterday. I ordered a case too, everything is $250.94 including taxes and case. This gadget, only I would use in my family, wouldn't have to share with the kids. The plus points are no internet no web browsing, no videos, just reading.

 

[SifJar]

I ordered my Kindle paper white yesterday. I ordered a case too, everything is $250.94 including taxes and case. This gadget, only I would use in my family, wouldn't have to share with the kids. The plus points are no internet no web browsing, no videos, just reading.

They do have web browsing but it's not a very good browsing experience so you're unlikely to get too distracted by it.

 

[IBNobody]

You may also want to consider a Nook ereader (and if you wanted the paperwhite it'd be the Glow version). They can be rooted to run Android and then run various APK's that will enable you to read more formats (like Coolreader for instance). I have a Nook Simple Touch and am currently working up the courage to try to root it (i'm a total newb to Android as i've never encountered it before so i'm reading up on everything before i try!)

It was so easy and so worth it. I have a Nook Glowlight, rooted, and I replaced the stock reader with Coolreader. With the addition of Dropbox, I can pull down e-books from my library via wifi. It was very seamless and it works great.

The only thing that the Kindle had going for it was Whispernet. You can "root" the kindle and gain web surfing access via 3g, but that's all you can do. I've got a phone that can do that.

 

[SifJar]

The only thing that the Kindle had going for it was Whispernet. You can "root" the kindle and gain web surfing access via 3g, but that's all you can do. I've got a phone that can do that.

There are more things you can do than that with a jailbroken Kindle e.g. using a replacement eBook reader (including Cool Reader), replacing fonts and screen savers, a terminal and various Linux packages (via optware), a couple of different games, Google Translate for use in books, note taking app, even an entirely custom OS (Duokan).

This page lists a lot of the stuff available: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Hacks_Information

EDIT: I know it's not as much as you can do with a Nook, seeing as they're Android based, but there's still quite a lot of stuff you can do with a rooted Kindle beyond browsing over 3G.

As for Whispernet, could you not just install the Kindle app on your Nook if you really wanted that feature? Or would it only work for books purchased from Amazon then? (I never really read ebooks on anything other than my Kindle, so I don't make heavy use of Whispernet)

 

[IBNobody]

There are more things you can do than that with a jailbroken Kindle e.g. using a replacement eBook reader (including Cool Reader), replacing fonts and screen savers, a terminal and various Linux packages (via optware), a couple of different games, Google Translate for use in books, note taking app, even an entirely custom OS (Duokan).

This page lists a lot of the stuff available: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kindle_Hacks_Information

EDIT: I know it's not as much as you can do with a Nook, seeing as they're Android based, but there's still quite a lot of stuff you can do with a rooted Kindle beyond browsing over 3G.

As for Whispernet, could you not just install the Kindle app on your Nook if you really wanted that feature? Or would it only work for books purchased from Amazon then? (I never really read ebooks on anything other than my Kindle, so I don't make heavy use of Whispernet)

You had to use a downgraded version of the Kindle android app in order to get it to work on the Nook. It wasn't the greatest, and you couldn't use the Nook to check out Amazon e-books at a library.

(By Whispernet, though, I was referring to the 3G access.)

 

[SifJar]

You had to use a downgraded version of the Kindle android app in order to get it to work on the Nook. It wasn't the greatest, and you couldn't use the Nook to check out Amazon e-books at a library.

(By Whispernet, though, I was referring to the 3G access.)

Ah, I was thinking of whispersync, sorry.

 

[nunavat2010]

I got my kindle paper white a few days ago. I uploaded pdf text and it doesn't look that nice. Anybody knows a good pdf to kindle conversion utility, Os-x or linux would be nice.

Yes it does have a browser, but it doesn't have flash or videos? I hope my son wouldn't figure that out.

 

[SifJar]

I got my kindle paper white a few days ago. I uploaded pdf text and it doesn't look that nice. Anybody knows a good pdf to kindle conversion utility, Os-x or linux would be nice.

Yes it does have a browser, but it doesn't have flash or videos? I hope my son wouldn't figure that out.

http://calibre-ebook.com/download - available for OS X, Linux and Windows, but doesn't always get the best results.
http://www.willus.com/k2pdfopt/ - seems to get better results, but larger file sizes (although the resultant files can be run through Calibre I think and improved further if you're willing to spend a little extra time to do that too), again available for OS X, Linux and Windows. There's a GUI available for Windows I believe, not sure about other platforms.

EDIT: k2pdfopt will still give a PDF (which can be put on the Kindle; Kindles support reading PDF files natively), if you really want it in ebook format you'll have to use Calibre on it.

EDIT: As a disclaimer, I will say that I have never found a method for converting PDFs that I am truly happy with, and instead I tend to leave them as they are, provided the text is readable on the Kindle screen. If not, I will read them on another device.

Also, there is another way to convert PDFs; your Kindle is (or can be, can't remember if it's automatic) assigned an email address. You can send documents to this email address, and they will be pushed to your device automatically over WiFi or 3G. If you include the word "convert" in the subject line, they'll be converted by Amazon into MOBI format (i.e. ebook).

 

[Tokiopop]

Okay, I went out on an impulse today and bought the Paperwhite.

Manga is looking great on it so far. I'm using Calibre for managing stuff to and from the Kindle. As for Manga, I'm using some software called Otamangle, which was inspired by Mangle. It supports more devices, lets you drag and drop a .zip/.rar of images into it to convert to a CBZ or PDF. It's got features to automatically remove black or white borders, convert to grayscale, reduce number of tones, split 2-page landscape images into 2 separate pages (with options for right to left and left to right). Really cool!

Sorry for the poor quality images. I only have my old phone camera! They look nicer in person.

 

[xdifferentx]

Might of been better off grabbing a Kindle Fire or Nexus 7, they do pretty much everything you wanted and are probably way more flexible. I use my Nexus 7 and the app Perfect Viewer for manga, it can read left to right or right to left, it can read pretty much all type files, cbr, cbz, zip, rar, jpeg, png, gif, bmg, pdf etc. The Kindle Fire also has the Perfect Viewer app available but I don't think it's free on their store and I don't know if the Paperwhite model can use apps or not but if it can, the Perfect Viewer app is probably the best one for reading manga.

 

[Ericthegreat]

nvm

Btw, Elfin Lied, you have good taste.