MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - The good and the ugly of reading on a smart phone

Froide · 05-22-2016, 08:28 AM

I do most of my reading while commuting or traveling, and typically carry an ereader (NOOK Tablet, followed by a NOOK HD) with me for that purpose. I also take my ereader with me on trips, and it's my preferred way of reading books (except textbooks, heavily illustrated books, technical manuals, or periodicals), whether at home or away from home. However, when the NOOK needs recharging, or when out and about sans the NOOK, I have no qualms about reading on my smartphone.

So...

The good (about reading on a smartphone):

It's small, convenient to carry, and always at hand, so I can read whenever, wherever I want to
It's got onboard reference materials and can access more online, if needed
It can easily access my existing Calibre and audiobooks libraries, as well as sources of new material via the Internet, portable storage media, or sideloading
The Samsung Galaxy smartphone screens are not uncomfortably small (for most reading)
It syncs my reading progress with other devices
It's easy to hold one-handed
Reading on it, in conjunction with another device, nicely substitutes for flipping between pages of a DTB - especially handy for reading text passages or instructions on one device while viewing associated reference notes or illustrations (e.g., maps, images, graphs, diagrams, charts) on the other. (Big contributor to my decision to forego buying a phablet to serve as both ereader/tablet and phone)
It's well-suited to consulting/managing one's shopping list or to following recipes when cooking
It recharges quickly, even with a portable battery pack

The bad (about reading on a smartphone):

The screen's too small for this to be my primary ereader or sole ereader, since I read many textbooks, technical manuals, image-laden books, and periodicals that better lend themselves to larger screens
Unlike NickyWithNook's experience, my Samsung Galaxy S7's battery life is only so-so, when not in airplane mode

The ugly (about reading on any ereading device):

Its vampiric dependence upon electricity (unlike a DTB), and hence the need to always carry an "electronics" kit (comprising at minimum, a cord, wall charger, and portable power pack)

05-22-2016, 08:28 AM	#14
Froide Wizard Posts: 1,898 Karma: 9851695 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Noo Yawk Device: Samsung Galaxy and Windows devices. RIP: Palm & Nook devices.	I do most of my reading while commuting or traveling, and typically carry an ereader (NOOK Tablet, followed by a NOOK HD) with me for that purpose. I also take my ereader with me on trips, and it's my preferred way of reading books (except textbooks, heavily illustrated books, technical manuals, or periodicals), whether at home or away from home. However, when the NOOK needs recharging, or when out and about sans the NOOK, I have no qualms about reading on my smartphone. So... The good (about reading on a smartphone): It's small, convenient to carry, and always at hand, so I can read whenever, wherever I want to It's got onboard reference materials and can access more online, if needed It can easily access my existing Calibre and audiobooks libraries, as well as sources of new material via the Internet, portable storage media, or sideloading The Samsung Galaxy smartphone screens are not uncomfortably small (for most reading) It syncs my reading progress with other devices It's easy to hold one-handed Reading on it, in conjunction with another device, nicely substitutes for flipping between pages of a DTB - especially handy for reading text passages or instructions on one device while viewing associated reference notes or illustrations (e.g., maps, images, graphs, diagrams, charts) on the other. (Big contributor to my decision to forego buying a phablet to serve as both ereader/tablet and phone) It's well-suited to consulting/managing one's shopping list or to following recipes when cooking It recharges quickly, even with a portable battery pack The bad (about reading on a smartphone): The screen's too small for this to be my primary ereader or sole ereader, since I read many textbooks, technical manuals, image-laden books, and periodicals that better lend themselves to larger screens Unlike NickyWithNook's experience, my Samsung Galaxy S7's battery life is only so-so, when not in airplane mode The ugly (about reading on any ereading device): Its vampiric dependence upon electricity (unlike a DTB), and hence the need to always carry an "electronics" kit (comprising at minimum, a cord, wall charger, and portable power pack) Last edited by Froide; 05-22-2016 at 09:21 AM.