Do any of you read the CFAI material on a tablet? If so, which tablet do you use and do you like using it? I was just thinking of buying the printed version of the material but at $150, I might as well just buy a tablet if it was just as good.
I just downloaded the latest materials for level 3. Firstly, it doesnt really matter which tablet you have or plan to buy as you will need to download the VitalSource application to view the materials. From the first ten minutes using this application, you can see what a pain in the ass it is to resize the reading pane and flip through the material. Although you can highlight and sync your “last viewed” page, there isnt a whole lot of value to the e-book on a tablet, at least for me. Maybe if you are traveling a bunch or want some subway material in between destinations, but for general studying, I’d go with hard copies.
I used it on an iPad, and t’s ok for reading, but VitalSource needs to add more Nav features, e.g. working problems, one has to remember the page number of the answers to check it. Otherwise, I give it a B1.
iPad (no fanboy). Tablet software development still focuses on iOS first and Android second for many AAA products and magazines. The Nexus 10 is a great tablet as well, but it just does not yet have the same level of developer support (though it will soon enough). If you can wait until the Apple and Google tablet refreshes in September.
In terms of resolution and size, I think the iPad and the Google Tablet have the greatest resolution and make it easiest to read. The big e-ink reader from Amazon (no longer for sale, I think) is easiest on the eyes because it’s the closest thing to paper. But honestly, look at your past study habits and see how you learn best. If you like to highlight or write yourself notes in the margins, hard copy is the best way to go. I ordered the e-book when studying for Level 1 and regretted it. Printing PDFs from the VitalSource is a pain. The files are huge and the resolution is very poor.
I used imac and ipad exclusively to read the schweser notes but wouldn’t do it for L3
Good thing is that it’s light and portable but I like highlighting and writing side notes on actual book better. I tried to save some money by going the PDF route but definitely will get the book for L3.
I printed the Vital souce pages to a PDF creator and then cropped them in Adobe. Took a solid day to to make the PDF’s join them together and then crop them all but alot of it was spent watching football while the PDF creator slowly worked.
I read them on a Kindle DX. It was a little small but I think much better than reading on an LCD screen after looking at a computer all day.
I took my notes all on paper because I had to improve my handwriting for level III anyways.
Read the actual text books so you can mark them up and take notes. Plus, more importantly having the actual paper form allows you to more easily review the material
I’ve done all 3 levels with the electronic versions (laptop and ipad) and I honestly think that I may have done some damage to my eyes. I have a hard time focusing sometimes and can’t shake the double vision. I notice it the most when I’m looking down my pistol sights. I’m looking at a monitor all day for work anyway, so it could be totally unrelated. Just thought I’d throw it out there.
I used my iPad in conjunction with the books. I liked to mix it up and frequently change where I studied as a way to keep myself more engaged.
Some things to note about using a tablet is make sure it works for your methods - I don’t really highlight or mark up pages so I was fine reading it on a tablet. Also, make sure the tablet screen has a high resolution. I have the iPad 2 and the resolution is alright but after a while it wears on you, I wish I had gotten the retina iPad.
While talking about the books, is there any advantage of waiting to order the physical books? Does the CFAI ever revise the books with the known errata at the time so that ordering them in December, for example, instead of July would have less errors?