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Stringer · 03-03-2009, 11:22 AM

Few things to consider:

1) Where do you read? Keeping the laptop at a table and sitting at the front of it doesn't work for long. I find my bed the best place to read, but body wants dynamics to the subject and it is a bad idea to stay on one place all the time.

2) What do you use to scroll/change pages? Having a keyboard is good thing to have because it gives you option to use arrows instead mouse, but the mouse is the best tool for main scrolling because it allows you to move your hand freely. I would suggest you obscure the mouse's optical sensor with a tape or something and use the notebook's mouse pad when you need cursor. Otherwise the mouse's cursor might wander on its own. The scrolling should be done with the mouse's wheel. It wouldn't hurt to buy one of those notebook mouses that are smaller than normal ones.

3) What kind is your notebook? Less weight and noise is better. For reading, you should sacrifice every bit of speed you can for lower power consumption. That is because less power means less heat and might (depending on the device) also mean less fan noise. As a bonus, you can take the cord off which makes it easier to change your side (if on bed).

It wouldn't hurt to replace the harddrive with flashdrive, which can handle shocks and are absolutely noiseless. If you buy the flash, remember 4gb is more than enough for reading. However, I would stay away from MLC based flashes because they are really really slow (I tried Transcend's and even clicking the Start menu took something like 10 secs).

Also, you don't need 17" display for reading. I wouldn't go to the smallest displays (<9") either, but then what I have only experience from 15-17" screens so I might be wrong with that. Max. brightness might do sometimes, but most of the time I would suggest you lower it a bit.

4) What software are you using for reading? I would require free scrolling (line by line) with the mouse's wheel and ability to change the font size. If you can also change colors, then that is a nice bonus. Automatic bookmarking is also a good thing to have. Most of the time I find my self adjusting the font size a lot larger than by default and then scrolling the lines as I read. My focus stays pretty much on same spot all the time. That wouldn't work if you have to change whole pages like on paper books.

5) What else? Keep breaks from time to time. Take a walk at park or something and then come back to your e-books.

That's all I could think of per now.

03-03-2009, 11:22 AM	#27
Stringer Connoisseur Posts: 81 Karma: 22 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 1 and 2	Few things to consider: 1) Where do you read? Keeping the laptop at a table and sitting at the front of it doesn't work for long. I find my bed the best place to read, but body wants dynamics to the subject and it is a bad idea to stay on one place all the time. 2) What do you use to scroll/change pages? Having a keyboard is good thing to have because it gives you option to use arrows instead mouse, but the mouse is the best tool for main scrolling because it allows you to move your hand freely. I would suggest you obscure the mouse's optical sensor with a tape or something and use the notebook's mouse pad when you need cursor. Otherwise the mouse's cursor might wander on its own. The scrolling should be done with the mouse's wheel. It wouldn't hurt to buy one of those notebook mouses that are smaller than normal ones. 3) What kind is your notebook? Less weight and noise is better. For reading, you should sacrifice every bit of speed you can for lower power consumption. That is because less power means less heat and might (depending on the device) also mean less fan noise. As a bonus, you can take the cord off which makes it easier to change your side (if on bed). It wouldn't hurt to replace the harddrive with flashdrive, which can handle shocks and are absolutely noiseless. If you buy the flash, remember 4gb is more than enough for reading. However, I would stay away from MLC based flashes because they are really really slow (I tried Transcend's and even clicking the Start menu took something like 10 secs). Also, you don't need 17" display for reading. I wouldn't go to the smallest displays (<9") either, but then what I have only experience from 15-17" screens so I might be wrong with that. Max. brightness might do sometimes, but most of the time I would suggest you lower it a bit. 4) What software are you using for reading? I would require free scrolling (line by line) with the mouse's wheel and ability to change the font size. If you can also change colors, then that is a nice bonus. Automatic bookmarking is also a good thing to have. Most of the time I find my self adjusting the font size a lot larger than by default and then scrolling the lines as I read. My focus stays pretty much on same spot all the time. That wouldn't work if you have to change whole pages like on paper books. 5) What else? Keep breaks from time to time. Take a walk at park or something and then come back to your e-books. That's all I could think of per now. Last edited by Stringer; 03-03-2009 at 11:27 AM.