Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC333
What would you see as an ideal size?
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That is something I've been wondering about with respect to eink readers; I'm unconvinced that 6" is an optimum size.
I'm starting to feel, though, that 5" is *one* sweet spot; the Pocketbook 360 and Jetbook lite simpy feel *right* in a way none of the 6" readers I've used/tested do. It might be a function of the size of my hands or all the paperbacks I've read in my life but 5" readers are really comfortable to hold.
On tablets, I generally like my HP TC1000 which is roughly 8.5x11, but I think a 7" 16x10 slate would be better for extended use as a reader.
Basically, I think the optimums are going to turn out to be very similar to the formats that have evolved over the years for paper books and notebooks. (Out of familiarity, if nothing else.) If I'm right, we would end up with 5" 3x4 (maybe 6in 9x16) at the paperback level, 8" 3x4 (maybe 9" 9x16) at the stenopad/journal level, and A4 sized (or 11.5" 9x16) at the notepad level. And the latter is about as big as I think any non-architect will want to deal with regularly as we're talking a 20-21in diagonal display for a dual-pane device.
For now display size determines portable device form factors but that won't last forever. Things should get real interesting when we get flexible displays and designers can start getting creative. Like some of these:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36793684...ce-innovation/