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Old 08-04-2011, 11:39 PM   #16
starrigger
Jeffrey A. Carver
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Posts: 1,355
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, Droid phone, Nook HD+
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jellby View Post
How do ensure it's in landscape mode? Do you assume that the reader will be used in portrait, and so you rotate the picture? Note that:

(a) Some users might prefer reading in landscape mode. If they encounter an image that would naturally fit the landscape screen but doesn't because it's rotated... well, it looks silly.

(b) Some readers can automatically change the display orientation when the device is physically rotated. So, if you force the user to rotate the device in order to see an image, the display could rotate again, starting an eternal loop and annoying the user.

I suggest you just include the map in its natural orientation, with a resolution that's not too large but still allows reading the labels, and let the device handle rotation, zooming, etc. Not all devices have those features, of course, but there's no reason why they shouldn't.
You can't prepare for every scenario; someone is bound to be disappointed. I made my choice after asking advice from folk here on MR, and asking several people with Nooks, Kindles, iPads, and my own Sony to test drive different trial books. As for auto-orientation in readers, that (I'm told) can be easily controlled. My own readers don't do it, so I took people's word for that.

If I followed the suggestion of just including the map in its natural orientation, people reading in portrait mode (I suspect the majority) would see such a tiny full map as to make it useless.

I'm sure all this will improve with newer developments.
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