ereader for mangas (6" ok?)

[yashi]

Hi,

i wanted to buy a reader for mangas some time ago, but didnt due to the prices.

But prices have fallen alot :-o

My question is, 6" displays seem to work "ok" for mangas. i tried to simulate the size on my pc and it seems to be at the edge of to hard to read. but monitor! = eInk. so im not sure how an eInk display would perform.

thats why i thought: hey just take a 7" reader and everythings fine...but i only could find the prs-950 which is quite expensive.
are there any other readers between 6" and 9" <200€?

are there any manga reader here, who read on a 6" and think its totally fine?


gratz

-yashi

[SmokeAndMirrors]

If you plan to use it mostly for reading manga, I'd suggest looking into a larger screen.

I mostly read books on mine. Reading manga once in a while is ok, but the words can often be just a little too small. On my Kobo Touch I can zoom in, but it's e-ink - moving the page around is jerky and a little slow.

For my use, a 6" reader works fine. I don't read manga very often so it's not a huge deal. But if reading manga is the main thing you want to do, I think you'd get annoyed with it eventually.

[ucfgrad93]

Originally Posted by SmokeAndMirrors

For my use, a 6" reader works fine. I don't read manga very often so it's not a huge deal. But if reading manga is the main thing you want to do, I think you'd get annoyed with it eventually.

Agreed. If you are reading manga, I think a tablet would be better. They have larger screens and can zoom in easier than an e-ink device.

[reprep]

I read a lot of manga on my Kindle DXG (9.7 inch). I don't have a tablet, i used to read my manga on my laptop before but after getting my kindle DXG, i stopped reading on the laptop as it hurts my eyes.

I never felt the urge of zooming as it is quite clear and the text is readable. Also you can just rename the .cbz to .zip and throw it in the documents folder and the kindle will open it. For better results i use "canti" though.

[yashi]

Originally Posted by reprep

I read a lot of manga on my Kindle DXG (9.7 inch). I don't have a tablet, i used to read my manga on my laptop before but after getting my kindle DXG, i stopped reading on the laptop as it hurts my eyes.

I never felt the urge of zooming as it is quite clear and the text is readable. Also you can just rename the .cbz to .zip and throw it in the documents folder and the kindle will open it. For better results i use "canti" though.

well 9.7inch is a whole different story..in size and sadly in price too :/

I think a tablet would be better. They have larger screens and can zoom in easier than an e-ink device.

if a tablet would be better for this..for what would u use a eReader? eInk is THE perfect technology for mangas (imo).


arent there any reader between 6 and 9 inch, with a decent price?

-yashi

[Namekuseijin]

I have no problem reading comics in guided view mode in Comixology in my 3.7" screen.

[reprep]

Originally Posted by yashi

well 9.7inch is a whole different story..in size and sadly in price too :/


if a tablet would be better for this..for what would u use a eReader? eInk is THE perfect technology for mangas (imo).


arent there any reader between 6 and 9 inch, with a decent price?

-yashi

Might want to look at ebay or the flea market here. I am pretty sure you can find a good kindle DXG. If you are really into manga, 6 inch won't satisfy you.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by yashi

are there any manga reader here, who read on a 6" and think its totally fine?

Problem isn't really the size of the screen but the resolution. If you can find one with 1280x800 resolution, even the tiny text would be quite readable. It's quite surprising how readable manga is on the iPhone 4/4S's display simply because of the higher pixel density (326 ppi). The PRS-950 with 1024x600 resolution should be pretty decent but as you may have noticed, it's quite pricey. Kindle DX would be a better fit, though.

[pata]

What about the iRiver Story HD? It's available in some parts of Europe for <200€

[yashi]

that reader looks pretty good

[jocampo]

A question that has been asked several times here . .. and I've replied several times as well.

Eink readers aren't good for Manga, tablets are, and 10 inches. Why? because the dialogues. 7 or below is too small so you must rely on zooming features which in my opinion makes the reading experience a painful one. And because the way eink works, reflowing ot zooming takes longer than LCD technology, due to refresh rate.

Is doable in 7 inches and eink, but if you're going for something small, a tablet gives color and faster experience.

eink is for reading, in my opinion .

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Eink readers aren't good for Manga, tablets are, and 10 inches. Why? because the dialogues. 7 or below is too small so you must rely on zooming features which in my opinion makes the reading experience a painful one.

7" isn't too small. A lot of the Japanese tanks I have are 4" x 6" or around 7.2" diagonal. If complicated Kanji and tiny side notes are readable on those without requiring the use of a magnifying glass, it stands to reason that a 7" screen would also be enough given the appropriate resolution. Printed material is what, 300 dpi?

First time I've heard of the iRiver Story HD. With its 1024x768 resolution, it would probably work quite well enough with manga. I think I might get one of those for myself. They're just $100 at Target.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

7" isn't too small.

In my opinion, it is. I tried before. But you have the right to disagree ;-)

The dialogues are too tiny without using zooming or any other feature. But yes, it's doable.

I believe 10" screen makes a huge difference. Or, any 7" tablet, instead of eink.

Tablets usually have access to Android or Apple market where you can download specialized apps for comics. Those apps usually let you move or read the story, focusing on that frame only, magnifying the dialogue during the process. On a plain eink device, without any app, we're limited to he whole screen or page, one at a glance. And if the reader provides zooming, it won't be as fast as a LCD tablet.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by jocampo

In my opinion, it is. I tried before. But you have the right to disagree ;-)

The dialogues are too tiny without using zooming or any other feature. But yes, it's doable.

The question is what resolution did the 7" screens that you tried have? The problem with most screens is the lack of resolution. Most of the smaller text just becomes an unrecognizable blur due to most screens' low resolution. If the text is readable on 4" x 6" paper, why can't it be readable on a 4" x 6" e-ink screen?

Originally Posted by jocampo

Tablets usually have access to Android or Apple market where you can download specialized apps for comics. Those apps usually let you move or read the story, focusing on that frame only, magnifying the dialogue during the process. On a plain eink device, without any app, we're limited to he whole screen or page, one at a glance. And if the reader provides zooming, it won't be as fast as a LCD tablet.

I hate having to zoom in and out of pages. I've tried a lot of those apps before on my iPhone 3GS but the experience was just plain annoying. After trying various devices (with different screen sizes and resolution) for reading manga, I've come to the conclusion that for manga, a screen size of 7~8" and resolution of 1280x800 (close to the size of most scans) or higher is ideal. Alas, I've yet to find such a device that's lightweight enough not to put a strain on my wrist.

For American comics, the screen size/resolution needed for comfortable reading might be higher since they tend to be bigger.

[frostschutz]

Hard to make a decent picture but here goes