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View Poll Results: How do you hold your reader?
Landscape 3 5.88%
Portrait 48 94.12%
Voters: 51. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-15-2009, 03:41 AM   #1
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PRS-505 users: Landscape or Portrait?

I've been trying to set up some Chinese novel PDFs, but have found that the screen is too small and too low-quality to display my Ming/Song fonts at a reasonable size (9-10pt). Beefing up the font results in marginally superior visual effect, but makes the portrait view I'd prefer much much less feasible. As a result, I decided to try out landscape mode (well actually, portrait mode with rotated characters), and found it to be a bit better for viewing, but significantly better for handling, as long as I use my left hand for page turns. I still can't get Chinese to display well, but that seems like it's a problem that won't go away until the screens get better.

When holding the reader in portrait mode, I find the design is pretty terrible. The right-side buttons are too low if you want to avoid setting the corner of the device into your palm, and the corners are not rounded. I wanted to move my hand up and hold the reader by the side, but then the page flip buttons are too low. Perhaps I should contemplate one of those hacks that configures some of the number buttons for that purpose?

With English books, I can't stand landscape orientation, but I have to admit my left hand finds it the most comfortable way to hold the reader sans case/cover.

This is mostly without the cover. With the cover, I find it can pad the corners a little to make it rest in the hand a little less uncomfortably, but I often prefer to read without the cover.

How do you hold your device, especially without the cover?
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Old 09-15-2009, 04:27 AM   #2
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It seems counter-intuitive, but I just tried reading for a while in landscape and I think I like it. I find reading with the cover a little awkward (the device is so much heavier than the cover that holding it like a p-book makes the corner dig into my hand) and there's no great place to put your hands without it.

Is it just me, or is the font bigger in landscape? I had to make it smaller when I switched and I never read with it on the smallest font. It does work out great - when I hold it in my left hand my thumb naturally rests on the page advance button.
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Old 09-15-2009, 06:11 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Superlucky View Post
It seems counter-intuitive, but I just tried reading for a while in landscape and I think I like it. I find reading with the cover a little awkward (the device is so much heavier than the cover that holding it like a p-book makes the corner dig into my hand) and there's no great place to put your hands without it.

Is it just me, or is the font bigger in landscape? I had to make it smaller when I switched and I never read with it on the smallest font. It does work out great - when I hold it in my left hand my thumb naturally rests on the page advance button.
I don't know if the font is bigger when tilted...I just prepare the file for viewing in landscape mode so the typography isn't too bad, so I never have to do a screen rotate with the magnify button. It displays the page in portrait, but with the text rotated and vertically aligned.

I agree about the thumb resting on the button pretty naturally in landscape, and also about the corner biting into the palm when holding in portrait mode. It's a bit unfortunate that they designed it so poorly for the hands that it needs a cover or case or some kind of accessory to be tolerable.
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Old 09-15-2009, 07:42 AM   #4
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I hold the reader in portrait mode (unless reading certain pdf files) whether using the cover or not. I do, however mount the reader upside down in the cover. In that way, the cover is out of the way to the right when reading and the page-turn buttons are easily available.
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Old 09-15-2009, 10:17 AM   #5
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Portrait here.

Landscape just when reading PDF files who are too big to be read in the 6” screen and are bad after reflowing.
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Old 09-15-2009, 10:34 AM   #6
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Always landscape. Bigger fonts, page button in more comfortable position.
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Old 09-15-2009, 01:08 PM   #7
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Ha, ha, I'm a klutz. Take one vote (mine) from Landscape and add to Portrait.
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Old 09-15-2009, 01:32 PM   #8
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I didn't vote because I use both. It depends on what I'm reading, the 505 gives 5 or 6 font sizes because small on portrait is bigger font on landscape mode. Large on portrait is SUPER LARGE on landscape.
It is good to try both ways on some stuff to see which is better.
PDF's I use landscape.
Mostly I'm in portrait though.
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Old 09-15-2009, 01:42 PM   #9
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Landscape for PDFs not especially formatted for my Sony.

Portrait for PDFs that are especially formatted for my Sony.

With jellby's script for converting ePub to Properly formatted and typographically decent PDFs allowing any page size/font/font size I doubt I'll ever use my reader for anything but PDFs anymore.

So I didn't vote. I guess if I can reasonably choose between the two, I go portrait.
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Old 09-15-2009, 03:01 PM   #10
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I read almost all ePub and LRF files on my reader. I've tried switching it over to landscape a few times, but for me I find holding the reader in landscape mode to be awkward.

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Old 09-15-2009, 06:27 PM   #11
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Talking Reader or Hand problem?

Hi, folks

Ok, lets talks some ergonomics here: I never considered myself a big guy with tennis-racket hands, but I can easily rest the 505 like God and Sony intended it to be - Portrait - in my right hand, with or without the cover.

Most of the time, I spread my fingers under it, with my pinky(?) (the smallest finger) in the bottom to prevent it from slipping. My thumb goes right in the page-turn buttons and the corner fits in the meaty area under the thumb (boy, do I need an anatomy dictionary!). It's so secure I read lying in bed.

Other times, I do a "tweezer" grip, resting the botton of the 505 between thumb and index finger. The tip of my thumb can easily press the forward page in the round button at botton-left.

I tried landscape a few times, but didn't really see its use. At least not with b&w 505. In my REB1200 I use it all the time to read color comics.

Best regards,

void Indigo
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