iPad mini iPad mini for reading scientific papers (pdfs)

[AzN1337c0d3r]

It is a nightmare trying to read PDFs in portrait mode without using zoom, which is the only mode I can think of for reading legal-sized documents using only 1 hand.

If I needed to zoom, then I would need to use more than 1 hand and Mini's size and weight is irrelevant compared to a full-sized iPad.

 

[WilliamLondon]

From personal experience pdfs on Mini are a nightmare. Prepare for constant zooming and eye strain.

Strange, I've got old eyes, I read academic PDFs (some of which are book scans and journal articles) for my classes and yet the mini for me is wonderful - a real boon to my studies. No zooming required (despite my aged optics), no retinal burns, no migraines, no blindness, nothing at all as espoused by some hyperbolically, exaggeratively and (most annoyingly) ad nauseam.

I'm glad the iPad 4 is great for the OP (and anyone else - hell, my mother just bought one and she can't stop using it, I'm thrilled for her, and proud I convinced her to get one finally!), but the mini is nothing like the "horrid" mess some would contend.

 

[jojoba]

... and it is awesome! Retina display, which mini lacks, is unbelievable! I have already been using Goodreader, and reading/editing pdfs with this app is incredibly easy. Weight and format are not a problem for me (geez, I am used to toting around piles of books and A4-format papers, so having just ONE 600-gram sleek object is nothing).

I am very happy with my choice. For my work, "regular" size is the way to go.

Thanks, everyone!!!

Nice to hear
I prefer the "PDF expert" ui to the "Goodreader" one, but it was a little too slow for my taste on the iPad 2/3. With the iPad 4 it has the same speed as goodreader so it has become my default tool for pdf readering and editing. If you work a lot with PDFs i suggest you to try it.

I've settled on iAnnotate. All three alternatives are high quality apps, though.

OP, glad to hear you are happy with your choice!

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I use Papers from Mekentosj, as it syncs with my Mac Papers2 library.

 

[Awakener]

Strange, I've got old eyes, I read academic PDFs (some of which are book scans and journal articles) for my classes and yet the mini for me is wonderful - a real boon to my studies. No zooming required (despite my aged optics), no retinal burns, no migraines, no blindness, nothing at all as espoused by some hyperbolically, exaggeratively and (most annoyingly) ad nauseam.

Glad you are enjoying it, but just because someone else has a different opinion doesn't make it hyperbole or exaggeration. "No zooming required" sounds very exaggerated to me. You must have some very special pdfs!

 

[WilliamLondon]

Glad you are enjoying it, but just because someone else has a different opinion doesn't make it hyperbole or exaggeration. "No zooming required" sounds very exaggerated to me. You must have some very special pdfs!

Really, you see, "no zooming required" as exaggerated (perhaps even exaggerative?), and yet think "constant zooming and eye strain" is not? Well, how's walking on your head? That's how upside down I see your world.

People on here like to throw this concept of "different opinion" around like it should give credence and validity to every single opinion, because "different" is "variety" and that's (supposedly) always good in life. It's the same as saying freedom is good and freedom should never be curtailed, therefore, I should have the freedom to kill you. It's the same false argument as your "difference of opinion." You can always take every argument to the extreme, but you can never always be credible.

"Constant zooming and eye strain" is not credible. You may argue that it is, but that doesn't make it so.

 

[kodeman53]

People on here like to throw this concept of "different opinion" around like it should give credence and validity to every single opinion, because "different" is "variety" and that's (supposedly) always good in life. It's the same as saying freedom is good and freedom should never be curtailed, therefore, I should have the freedom to kill you. It's the same false argument as your "difference of opinion." You can always take every argument to the extreme, but you can never always be credible.

Leave analogies to the professionals, who know how to both make them relevant to the subject at hand and understandable.

 

[Night Spring]

.
"Constant zooming and eye strain" is not credible. You may argue that it is, but that doesn't make it so.

"No zooming required" is your personal experience. "Constant zooming and eye strain" is another poster's personal experience. I find both experiences equally credible, because there is wide variety in human eye sight.

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but everyone really needs to try the iPad / iPad mini for themselves, because each individual experience is going to be different from anyone else.

 

[WilliamLondon]

Leave analogies to the professionals, who know how to both make them relevant to the subject at hand and understandable.

After you leave criticisms to the learned, I will.

"No zooming required" is your personal experience. "Constant zooming and eye strain" is another poster's personal experience. I find both experiences equally credible, because there is wide variety in human eye sight.

Amazing how often people miscomprehend language and yet even more amazing is when others actually think those "miscomprehenders" make sense and defend them.

 

[Night Spring]

Amazing how often people miscomprehend language and yet even more amazing is when others actually think those "miscomprehenders" make sense and defend them.

Um? I have no idea what you think is being misunderstood here. You don't believe that someone needs to zoom constantly in order to read PDFs on the mini. I get that. But I don't get how you think anyone is misunderstanding anyone else.

 

[WilliamLondon]

Um? I have no idea what you think is being misunderstood here. You don't believe that someone needs to zoom constantly in order to read PDFs on the mini. I get that. But I don't get how you think anyone is misunderstanding anyone else.

I didn't say, "misunderstood." I was quite careful with my words and I was making a point (though admittedly, perhaps not very well).

As to my *original* point, using the phrase, "constant zooming and eye strain," is exaggeration. It's the dictionary definition of the term. In fact, some might consider it hyperbole. In fact, *I* would be one of those people. "Constant zooming and eye strain?" Seriously? That's something requiring a doctor's attention, and that is not what this device causes.

My-my, how these threads so easily degenerate into tit-tat, ad nauseam, argumentative posts regarding nothing at all to do with the original thread subject.

 

[Awakener]

People on here like to throw this concept of "different opinion" around like it should give credence and validity to every single opinion, because "different" is "variety" and that's (supposedly) always good in life.

So YOU get to decide whose opinions are valid? Unless you happen to be God then there is nothing that gives your opinions more credence or validity.

 

[Night Spring]

I didn't say, "misunderstood." I was quite careful with my words and I was making a point (though admittedly, perhaps not very well).

Please, do explain your point, as I didn't understand it at all. And while you are at it, please also explain what distinction you are making between "misunderstood" and "miscomprehend."

As to my *original* point, using the phrase, "constant zooming and eye strain," is exaggeration.

Says you. I happen to disagree in that I don't think it's an exaggeration. As Awakaner points out, who are you to say that your opinion is right, and mine isn't?

That said, I do believe you when you say that YOU personally have no problem reading PDFs on the iPad mini. I just don't understand why you are so adamant about rejecting other prople's experiences. Are you an eye doctor? Have you conducted a study of the average person's eyesight? Can you point us to a scientific study that shows that no one should require constant zooming, nor experience eye strain when reading PDFs on the iPad mini?

 

[DyingBreed]

I use the mini incessantly in med school. I type my notes in Word on 12 pt font and export as PDFs to Dropbox. I annotate my notes using iAnnotatePDF, which I highly recommend, using Bamboo stylus. I use my mini in portrait mode almost exclusively, without zooming. No headaches, no eye strain, no seizures.

 

[ctyrider]

I use the mini incessantly in med school. I type my notes in Word on 12 pt font and export as PDFs to Dropbox. I annotate my notes using iAnnotatePDF, which I highly recommend, using Bamboo stylus. I use my mini in portrait mode almost exclusively, without zooming. No headaches, no eye strain, no seizures.

Incessantly? iPad Mini has only been out for a couple of weeks, it's still a bit early to claim prolonged experience. Just saying.

In my (admittedly) short experience of playing with Mini in an Apple store - I found Mini screen a huge step backwards compared to 9.7" retina iPad. Reading small text on a non-retina display is not something I am ever willing to go back to. That's just me.

 

[bigboar]

Incessantly? iPad Mini has only been out for a couple of weeks, it's still a bit early to claim prolonged experience. Just saying.

In my (admittedly) short experience of playing with Mini in an Apple store - I found Mini screen a huge step backwards compared to 9.7" retina iPad. Reading small text on a non-retina display is not something I am ever willing to go back to. That's just me.

no, you are not the only one.. i had the mini and ended up exchanging it for the 4 because of how bad text looked to me.

disclaimer: the above is my personal opinion and not meant to offend current mini owners...

 

[Nikhil72]

Have been using my mini for reading science papers and annotating medical school documents and absolutely loving it. I've been through the iPads 1, 2, and 3. Yes, the retina screen is gorgeous, but I have never been as glued to any of those devices as I have with the mini. Its portability EASILY trumps the screen factor for me, and I honestly don't think the screen is particularly bad (especially once you get rid of a retina iPad that might be lying around collecting dust after you get the mini). Science papers are actually remarkably easy to read with zoom, and the best part is that many of the PDF readers recognize columns; double tapping on a column perfectly fits the width of the column to the display.

 

[DyingBreed]

Incessantly? iPad Mini has only been out for a couple of weeks, it's still a bit early to claim prolonged experience. Just saying.

I'm not sure I understand your remark... When the device came out does not in any form or fashion relate to my "incessant" use. I am not proclaiming any "prolonged experience" and have merely stated that in MY experiences/opinions using the iPad mini for PDF reading for 10+ hrs/day has not led to any negative symptoms. What was your point again?

 

[Night Spring]

I'm not sure I understand your remark... When the device came out does not in any form or fashion relate to my "incessant" use. I am not proclaiming any "prolonged experience" and have merely stated that in MY experiences/opinions using the iPad mini for PDF reading for 10+ hrs/day has not led to any negative symptoms. What was your point again?

I also felt that your wording was a bit imprecise. You said "I use the mini incessantly in med school" The iPad mini has been out for, I think less than a month? Just about a month? Anyway, it's only been out for a small fraction of the time you'll spend in med school. So it seems too early to say whether you will in fact use it incessantly through your med school career. Now, if you had said "I've been using the mini incessantly since I got it," I'd have no complaints.

But this is just a nitpicky usage point that probably doesn't interest 95% of the general population. I'm glad the mini is working out for you, and good luck with med school.

 

[DyingBreed]

I also felt that your wording was a bit imprecise. You said "I use the mini incessantly in med school" The iPad mini has been out for, I think less than a month? Just about a month? Anyway, it's only been out for a small fraction of the time you'll spend in med school. So it seems too early to say whether you will in fact use it incessantly through your med school career. Now, if you had said "I've been using the mini incessantly since I got it," I'd have no complaints.

But this is just a nitpicky usage point that probably doesn't interest 95% of the general population. I'm glad the mini is working out for you, and good luck with med school.

When the mini came out or whether or not I use it at all in the future does not change the fact that I use (present tense) it all the time, like I said.

 

[Night Spring]

When the mini came out or whether or not I use it at all in the future does not change the fact that I use (present tense) it all the time, like I said.

Well, like I said, it's a nitpicky grammatical point you are obviously not interested in, but your original statement referred to usage over the entire course of your med school career (I use the mini incessantly *in med school*), not just the few weeks you've had your mini.

I know you meant you use it incessantly now (present tense), and I personally wouldn't have bothered bringing it up. But since the other poster did, and you asked what point he was trying to make, I'm just trying to explain why the other poster thought you were claiming "prolonged experience."

 

[Daysight]

I wouldn't want anything smaller than my iPad for reading papers. Works great at conferences and meetings. Completely replaced my laptop now. Everybody else fiddles to deal with a power cord, I just turn on the iPad and go. I use GoodReader for PDFs. Showing PowerPoints is a snap too. Easy to share documents with others in the room by email. Great tool.

 

[rowspaxe]

Ypu'll want to work in landscape mode ont he mini--which i do largely on the ipad anyway. I found with zooming to margins, the ipad was a pretty good technical reader. Its a trade off. The ipad 3/4 seems clumky after using mini. I hate the bezel on the ipad and the mini is first step to a post bezel workd. go to an applestore and try it with a technical website. cheers

 

[Borjan]

I'm a PhD student working in the biological and material sciences....

And the mini is fantastic. I wouldn't trade it for larger sized iPad (and yes I've used the iPad 2 fairly often at my parents house).

I'll write up a full report soon in case people are interested.

 

[darngooddesign]

...but the mini is nothing like the "horrid" mess some would contend.

I only see complaints about the screen, which is far from calling it a horrid mess.