Programming ebook reading medium

I have bought a few of the books on my reading list as ebooks, instead of hard copy. I decided this because the digital format is cheaper, and this seems a good way of saving money. Plus I won't be limited to just one book that I have to haul around everywhere, or only be able to read at home. This way I have access to my material on my phone, tablet, and laptop which means I can ready any book I have bought at any time, wherever I am. Plus I can easily search, copy terms to look up on Google, etc.

This isn't a complete win though because it's not quite as easy to flip between pages back and forth, or make a note in the margin like a paper book. I've found I can make typed notes, but for me it's not quite the same. I think I connect more to hand-written notes than typed. Also typing on a mobile device is a pain.

So I've got a notepad I'm making notes, and now I need to take that around with me (home/work) if I want to jot things down.

My ebooks are in PDF format, and I've heard there's a decent program to use on iPad called Good Reader so I might check that out soon. I don't think the app is too expensive.
http://www.macworld.com/article/2460172/goodreader-4-review-an-excellent-universal-app-for-pdf-management.html

I've found that reading on my laptop screen isn't that great. For some reason, I can't get through the text well on a computer display. The iPad seems to be a good size, and my phone is too small as well. So even though I can read an ebook on "any" of my devices, really it's only useful on my iPad.

I tried reading what other people think and they seem to come to the same conclusions:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-device-for-reading-programming-books-and-computer-science-textbooks-eBook-readers-tablets

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-ways-to-read-technical-eBooks

Apparently a 10"+ tablet is perhaps best for reading and consulting programming textbooks, and if you have a stylus-capable device then you can make notes there and then which is handy. So that means one of:

• Surface Pro 4 + Pen (Win 10)
• iPad Pro + Pencil (iOS)
• Samsung S2 + SPen (Android)

The first two look really good, but are ridiculously expensive that I can't afford. The Samsung S2 is a little less expensive, but still out of my price range. My iPad 3 still has legs left in it, so I'd rather not buy a new tablet just yet. I've not put an order through for a Stylus, the Adonit Jot Pro, which isn't unreasonable at £20 from Amazon, and it has some decent reviews recommending it. It surely won't be as nice as a Pen, Pencil, or SPen, but I hope it'll do the job still.

http://www.adonit.net/jot/pro/

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-ipad-stylus/
http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/ipad/best-stylus-for-ipad-3586503/