Good tablets for reading journal articles (B&W PDFs)?

[PsychTech]

I was considering getting a refurbished ipad mini, but I heard that it isn't good for reading PDFs because it's too small and neither are Kindles, because they treat PDFs like books.

I read a lot of scientific journal articles which usually have two columns per page and have black-and-white graphs. I'd get a larger ipad, but I really don't have the money for it (my max budget is around $250). I'd like to be able to highlight the files and make notes (not necessarily with a stylus).

Any suggestions?

[Philbo]

looks like it displays as you like with 2 columns and you can annotate.
I was interested in a nice large-format eReader some time ago and urged the power-that-be at work to consider eReaders
as a field replacement for our field manuals. Our manuals have the (many) pages made of plastic which is costly and with
the constant changes and additions it must cost a small fortune. A good quality eReader would slot in very nicely I thought.
Of course we need to think smarter . . . . but not that smart apparently ;-))
That eReader also did the same as this one I have linked to, and I think it was the Boox; not sure though.
I do think that 2 column eReaders which won't cause blindness will maybe cost more than your $250 budget; hope I'm wrong there.
Here's a link to a guy who has similar needs to yours:
Good luck!
Phil

[tristen]

A year or so ago, I also was in the market for a tablet for much the same purposes which you have outlined.

Initially, I looked at Kindle and other similar devices, but ultimately decided that I wanted a unit which would allow me to do other things also.
Additional research led me to decide that an Android-based tablet would suit my needs better instead.

After reading many different user-reviews etc. on a number of android-based forums, I decide to buy an Onda vi40 Ultimate 9.7" IPS Android 4.0 tablet from China for just under $210.00 from one of the stores advertising on Aliexpress.

I posted more details (including links to Android-based tablet forums) in a previous thread - see post #11 at .

I installed a number of apps to enable reading circuit diagrams, PDF files, journals, etc., and also for occasional internet browsing and reading e-mail. There is no shortage of apps as many are available from internet-based sources, both paid and free.

My original concern that using the tablet for reading outdoors might be a problem due to glare and reflections, were quickly dispelled as it has not been a problem in practice.

[wander_n_wonder]

I was considering getting a refurbished ipad mini, but I heard that it isn't good for reading PDFs because it's too small and neither are Kindles, because they treat PDFs like books.

I read a lot of scientific journal articles which usually have two columns per page and have black-and-white graphs. I'd get a larger ipad, but I really don't have the money for it (my max budget is around $250). I'd like to be able to highlight the files and make notes (not necessarily with a stylus).

Any suggestions?

I read lots of journals too and my iPad mini is working fine for that so far. I think it depends on how you set the view or if you select the tablet version of the journal. The iPad Mini screen is not that small for me.