Looking for cheap device with large screen for ebooks and sketching

[markh1]

I have a HTC Hermes and I'm pretty happy with it. I like the compact and phone-like dimensions compared to it's predecessors like the Blue Angel. But I would like to read PDFs without reflowing the text - you lose the indentation for code examples and have to keep toggling between reflow and non-reflow mode. I would also like to have a larger surface for sketching design ideas. I tried out a VGA PDA (Pocket Loox) and it doesn't cut it. I suppose I'm left with a UMPC, the HTC Shift looks interesting - the screen covers most of the surface which would be good for sketching. The only problem is I can't justify the £800 price tag especially when you can get a sketch book for £5. The Sony reader is also interesting but I would be concerned with going with a proprietary OS and hence less ebook options, though it can view PDFs. Anybody else with similar requirements?

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Well, you don't have to get the Shift, based on your requirements. There are other UMPCs which fall into a much cheaper price range - the Shift costs as much as it does because of its connectivity options and the dual processor setup. You might especially look at some of the 1st-gen devices, which should be fairly cheap now. Have a look at this site (http://www.umpcportal.com/products/) for some of the possibilities.