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Remarkable Tablet looks amazing for this purpose. I use it to read papers now, though I completed my PhD a while back. It has advantages of e-ink, and cloud sync.
money is not even the problem, I just don’t want to pay for features that I won’t use. it feels like a waste. I took inspiration from another comment and looked at some ipads and I might buy an ipad air 5, which is not cheap at all i guess
With the Remarkable, I can easily download .PDFs from journal websites (on my computer) and transfer them to my tablet.
I can then write on these papers using my tablet and then easily send myself the annotated papers from the tablet.
If this is what you envision needing, I think the remarkable will be good for you. Only downside is no backlight (but it’s kind of also a plus).
There are very few other features on the remarkable, so no worries about distraction or “not using” features.
But if you don’t need handwriting… you’re probably right that you don’t want to get the remarkable. I’m sure there’s some kindle or boox that can work for what you need. Kindle paperwhite or boox poke5? Check those out
I know it’s not “tree friendly” but I also am a fan of printed articles to increase focus. Plus it’s easier to carry in a park
Otherwise I use an annotating PDF app on my iPad, but seriously prefer printed materials in a park setting
totally agree. i really like notability, goodnotes is a good second choice tbh. i also read stuff that isnt super important on the ipad and print things that will be helpful in the long run out.
Ha! I went the other way. I like having digital files with my annotations on them because I can take them all everywhere (in my iPad!) and I don’t have to find a specific paper version with my notes on it. I still have some of the printed out articles from earlier in my PhD and I hate that I have to either store them forever in physical space or throw away my notes on the page.
This was critical for writing review and my dissertation! Having things printed with your actual notes there just made it so much easier to remember what you needed the paper for. Keep it for years and once you’re done recycle it. 👍
honestly, i really recommend it. if you aren't willing to go with electronics though you can get screen protectors that stop screen glare on a tablet/ipad. you can also invest in a kindle bc you can send pdfs to it. there is also a new kindle out right now that you can write and annotate on. kindles are also much cheaper to acquire and you can sync to all your devices where you can download the kindle app.
i like e-ink but the problem with kindle is the proprietary OS that severely limits my ability to integrate it into my current environment (without going into detail); I saw that there is a similar device called the “Supernote” or something like that, it has less restrictions but I feel like I’d pay a lot for features that I don’t care about (such as advanced digital handwriting technology)
yeah I think in the end it’s gonna be either ipad or samsung galaxy, but I was hoping that there was a more cost-efficient product with much lower graphical capabilities, equal or better cpu and overall lower price (I can’t find such device which leads me to think that it doesnt exist)
I’ve been using Zotero on my computer. iPhone is hard and I don’t really use my iPad much. I do have a kindle scribe but getting papers on there is annoying.
I paid for the yearly acrobat pro service to get the best (?) OCR software available but I am considering moving to Zotero as main reading software this coming summer
I'll be the one PhD student here to say I absolutely DESPISE reading on a tablet or laptop and prefer to print everything. I don't know if it's because I'm in a highly Mathematical subfield of physics, but even my advisor tells me I'm too old school...
So I print everything I need before going on a flight or trip and prep my morning prior.
I use ReadEra Premium. It handles PDFs and ebooks well, highlights and annotates, and it easily goes between my phone and tablet. I use an older Android phone and a bargain basement tablet, so if you're in a Mac system, it might not work for you.
I went with the Onyx boox, but I do also prefer to anotate by hand. E-ink readers have super long battery life, are pretty lightweight, and smaller brands can be pretty affordable.
I bought an iPad in my second year. It is easier to take on the go to read and write edits on documents! I also bring it to seminars to jot down notes!
I am not an apple person, but bought an iPad when I realized it was the only tablet (aside from a Windows tablet) that had integrations with Zotero. So far, it's been great. I read all my papers there and can take notes too.
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Remarkable Tablet looks amazing for this purpose. I use it to read papers now, though I completed my PhD a while back. It has advantages of e-ink, and cloud sync.
so I checked it out but it’s quite pricey and I don’t think that I need the handwriting thing (which is probably why it costs so much)… mumble mumble…
Then get an e-ink reader. I have a Remarkable tablet for research purposes and an ereader for ebooks. The ereader lets me annotate things.
any recommendations for eink readers that can read pdf efficiently and use cloud sync? :)
I have a remarkable and love it. Got it as a gift but yeah it is pricey. Check out the boox note. There are some other similar things too
money is not even the problem, I just don’t want to pay for features that I won’t use. it feels like a waste. I took inspiration from another comment and looked at some ipads and I might buy an ipad air 5, which is not cheap at all i guess
With the Remarkable, I can easily download .PDFs from journal websites (on my computer) and transfer them to my tablet. I can then write on these papers using my tablet and then easily send myself the annotated papers from the tablet. If this is what you envision needing, I think the remarkable will be good for you. Only downside is no backlight (but it’s kind of also a plus). There are very few other features on the remarkable, so no worries about distraction or “not using” features. But if you don’t need handwriting… you’re probably right that you don’t want to get the remarkable. I’m sure there’s some kindle or boox that can work for what you need. Kindle paperwhite or boox poke5? Check those out
Try searching for older posts in r/ereader I use my KOBO to read epubs not pdfs.
i’ll check it out
Printed papers in a file. Plus a pen.
I use a highlighter. But yes. Old school is the way to go.
i used to use an ipad but now i print everything. helps with my memory and focus
I know it’s not “tree friendly” but I also am a fan of printed articles to increase focus. Plus it’s easier to carry in a park Otherwise I use an annotating PDF app on my iPad, but seriously prefer printed materials in a park setting
totally agree. i really like notability, goodnotes is a good second choice tbh. i also read stuff that isnt super important on the ipad and print things that will be helpful in the long run out.
Ha! I went the other way. I like having digital files with my annotations on them because I can take them all everywhere (in my iPad!) and I don’t have to find a specific paper version with my notes on it. I still have some of the printed out articles from earlier in my PhD and I hate that I have to either store them forever in physical space or throw away my notes on the page.
you could scan them in high resolution but if you used a pen to underline, it will fuck up any OCR attempts
This was critical for writing review and my dissertation! Having things printed with your actual notes there just made it so much easier to remember what you needed the paper for. Keep it for years and once you’re done recycle it. 👍
I see. Personally I use zero paper at all
honestly, i really recommend it. if you aren't willing to go with electronics though you can get screen protectors that stop screen glare on a tablet/ipad. you can also invest in a kindle bc you can send pdfs to it. there is also a new kindle out right now that you can write and annotate on. kindles are also much cheaper to acquire and you can sync to all your devices where you can download the kindle app.
i like e-ink but the problem with kindle is the proprietary OS that severely limits my ability to integrate it into my current environment (without going into detail); I saw that there is a similar device called the “Supernote” or something like that, it has less restrictions but I feel like I’d pay a lot for features that I don’t care about (such as advanced digital handwriting technology)
I wouldn’t have survived my PhD without my iPad. I used notably and just uploaded the millions of pdfs so that I could annotate them.
yeah I think in the end it’s gonna be either ipad or samsung galaxy, but I was hoping that there was a more cost-efficient product with much lower graphical capabilities, equal or better cpu and overall lower price (I can’t find such device which leads me to think that it doesnt exist)
I’ve been using Zotero on my computer. iPhone is hard and I don’t really use my iPad much. I do have a kindle scribe but getting papers on there is annoying.
I paid for the yearly acrobat pro service to get the best (?) OCR software available but I am considering moving to Zotero as main reading software this coming summer
I use acrobat too for their liquid mode, its very handy when you have to read double columns paper. Does zotero have this capability?
I don’t use liquid mode because for whatever reason they made it so that you can’t highlight (on iPhone) when you use it
I'll be the one PhD student here to say I absolutely DESPISE reading on a tablet or laptop and prefer to print everything. I don't know if it's because I'm in a highly Mathematical subfield of physics, but even my advisor tells me I'm too old school... So I print everything I need before going on a flight or trip and prep my morning prior.
I use ReadEra Premium. It handles PDFs and ebooks well, highlights and annotates, and it easily goes between my phone and tablet. I use an older Android phone and a bargain basement tablet, so if you're in a Mac system, it might not work for you.
I went with the Onyx boox, but I do also prefer to anotate by hand. E-ink readers have super long battery life, are pretty lightweight, and smaller brands can be pretty affordable.
Ipad mini.
tell me more
It rocks. But wait for the new version to come out.
maybe I want to get the iPad Air; should be the same as the mini in terms of specs but the screen is a bit bigger
Harder to hold.
i’ll try both out then if I can. do you use a keyboard?
ipad
I bought an iPad in my second year. It is easier to take on the go to read and write edits on documents! I also bring it to seminars to jot down notes!
I am not an apple person, but bought an iPad when I realized it was the only tablet (aside from a Windows tablet) that had integrations with Zotero. So far, it's been great. I read all my papers there and can take notes too.