Hardware tip for e-book fans who DO want to read PDF: Refurbished laptops, such as a Dell on sale at $340

For someone who dislikes PDF, I’ve linked to more than my share of e-book titles in that format, which, alas, the Wowio service prefers. I’ll continue to suggest conversion to Mobipocket, at least if you’re reading your e-books on a PDA, cellphone or other gizmo with a small screen. Use Mobipocket Desktop. Long term, the real solution is the .epub standard, which works on machines of all sizes.

But if you really want to do PDF, a refurbished laptop just might be a cost-effective way to enjoy Wowio’s free, ad-supported titles such as The Pisstown Chaos.

Dell refurb: One possibility

One example of the possibilities—I haven’t used it myself—is the Dell D600 Pentium M, with a 1.7Ghz chip, 512MB of RAM and a 40GB hard drive, as well as a DVD. Weight, based on specs for a somewhat similar machine, appears to be 4.6 pounds. Anyone used the D600 for e-book-reading? How does it work with PDFs? It’s on sale at Geeks.com for $340, as a refurb, and there may be better prices elsewhere.

The ergonomic angle: Many might prefer a smaller-screen laptop for reading E, but the Dell might be helpful for textbooks with detailed illustrations. Also, think about a tablet, maybe refurbed. Might be more comfortable reading than a laptop with a 14-inch screen. Other opinions welcome on the best hardware for reading PDFs!

Related on PDF: Our post on the pros and cons of PDFs, followed by comments galore. Speak up, whether you’re pro or con!

On hardware: Among E Ink machines, iRex Technologies’ iLiad might be the best for PDFs because of its 8.1-inch screen, although this machine isn’t cheap, selling now for around US$700.

Also see Official unveiling of Intel’s 2nd gen Classmate PC—to be sold on Amazon, for perhaps around $400 in the TeleBlog, plus three OLPC News’ articles: Intel Classmate 2Go PC Review—On Sale Today (in Pakistan and maybe elsewhere) and Intel’s Worlds Ahead in Computer Distribution in Bangladesh and OLPC America Needed in Birmingham Pilot and Illinois Debate.