Praneel’s Blog

1) What is the largest pdf file it can handle (in GoodReader)? So far 1.3GB scanned pdf file with more than 1000 pages full of 300 dpi resolution images and OCRed text in the background (for searching) along with 4 more files of 500 to 800 MB (similar format) were opened simultaneously. All the talk about the -“amount of RAM is the file size limit” is not true. The APP handles only one page or a part of the page at once. So there is no problem handling such a large PDF. iPad 2 is even able to multitask by playing an xvid video and download from app store while the GoodReader is minimized with all the files open.
2) The page refresh rate and text search are quiet fast but not at par with a desktop. You can switch between PDFs very quickly.
3) PowerPoint files were much faster and smoother to view. Multiple images on a PowerPoint slide might cause some problems. It depends on how you made them.
4) chm files of size up to 230 MB are quick to open and read using CHMate-lite. Since it is a free app only one file is allowed in the library.
5) If a scanned PDF is opened in iPad looks all blank or with white pages, the solution is to extract all pages as jpg files and make a PDF again. Use what ever software you are familiar with. OCR software like ABBYY FineReader or OmniPage can do this and make the PDF searchable. This works almost every time you get the same problem (these PDFs are usually produced by an old ADF duplex scanner driver).

Must have app for PDF reading and annotating – GoodReader
I think GoodReader is the one to have, if you have a lot of PDFs and want them all at your disposal. It has some useful features – highlight, underline, draw a box or shape, text input etc.

Resolution of iPad 2
If you think the resolution on an iPad 2 might not be suitable for medical images, you can wait for iPad 3 and find out if it has the retina display as suspected. The fact is, the resolution of iPad 2 is more than enough for almost all the images in medical text books, even if they are scanned ones (obviously, raster and vector images appear differently while zooming). Landscape mode is the most efficient way of reading a scanned book. One up-flick to read the bottom half and one left-flick to go to the next page.

Why an iPad 2 ?
The one fundamental difference between an iPad 2 and any other ebook reader out there is the ergonomics. The more you read on an iPad 2 the more you want to read.

Eye Strain!
There is no eye strain even after 12 hours of reading for 14 days straight. You might want to adjust the brightness if it is too much for your eyes, but usually the internal sensor takes care of that. Just observe the same precautions you take while reading paper books.

iPad 2 for Medical Students
Model : 3G + WiFi 64 GB White
Reason: 64 GB fills up in a day if you have a huge eBook and Educational Video collection.
3G is not just for Internet access. Only 3G version has a GPS receiver built in. It is better to have a GPS version for a little more. Once you get the newer version of iPad you can use this one in your car for navigation and entertainment. White iPad 2 is superior to black, if you are an avid reader.

iPad 2 Apps for Medical Students
PDF reading – GoodReader
CHM files – CHMate-lite or the Full version
Video playback – VLC, FlexPlayer, PlayerX