Tablets - not just for PDFs

[Uncle Robin]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum, but it seemed to fit.

I discovered yesterday that my local library has a new app, and installed it on my 10.1 inch tablet. This turned out to be a great idea for helping me with my goal of reading more poetry. Some here have commented that for them, poetry is best read from paper books because physical formats can preserve the visual structure intended by the poet. Paper books are not an option for me, so I was delighted to discover that the anthology of Māori poetry I read on my tablet did show the advantages of a bigger screen. I downloaded it on my tablet and onto my ADE-enabled Kobo, and the tablet was a clear winner. I didn't always understand what the poet was trying to achieve by the formatting and structure they chose, but I could definitely SEE it much more easily on 10.1 inches than on 7. As an aside, I discovered that my Kobo store would charge me $25US for buying that anthology, so HOORAY for libraries!

[PeterT]

What app did you install?

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by PeterT

What app did you install?

The actual reader is just ADE for Android. The app reviews give it a low rating, but it has worked ok for me, and it's the one my library app linked to, so it was the most straightforward choice.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I discovered yesterday that my local library has a new app, and installed it on my 10.1 inch tablet. This turned out to be a great idea for helping me with my goal of reading more poetry. Some here have commented that for them, poetry is best read from paper books because physical formats can preserve the visual structure intended by the poet. Paper books are not an option for me, so I was delighted to discover that the anthology of Māori poetry I read on my tablet did show the advantages of a bigger screen. I downloaded it on my tablet and onto my ADE-enabled Kobo, and the tablet was a clear winner. I didn't always understand what the poet was trying to achieve by the formatting and structure they chose, but I could definitely SEE it much more easily on 10.1 inches than on 7. As an aside, I discovered that my Kobo store would charge me $25US for buying that anthology, so HOORAY for libraries!

This also works on Boox and Likebook 10.3 inch devices without the light shining directly into your eyes.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

This also works on Boox and Likebook 10.3 inch devices without the light shining directly into your eyes.

DIRECTLY INTO YOUR EYES! You know...unlike all the other light your eyes see which come sideways through your ears!

[leebase]

Tablets are wonderful for all manner of reading as, far and away, most people have no problem reading on a tablet. For those that do, it's great that eInk exists.

But, if you are one of the vast majority who have no problems...every kind of reading is vastly improved by having a tablet.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by leebase

Tablets are wonderful for all manner of reading as, far and away, most people have no problem reading on a tablet. For those that do, it's great that eInk exists.

But, if you are one of the vast majority who have no problems...every kind of reading is vastly improved by having a tablet.

With tablets, you look directly into the light source.
Usually you see what is not absorbed and reflected by the medium -this is also the case with EInk.
And that is a huge difference in quality.

I hardly ever use colorful tablets - only in exceptional cases

[leebase]

DIRECTLY INTO YOUR EYES! You know...unlike all the other light your eyes see which come sideways through your ears!

You mean -- we don't have hundreds of millions of actual tablets being used to know whether this "direct light into your eyes is bull droppings"?

Why yes, yes we do. Far and away, people read just fine on tablets. This notion that a light that bounces of a page and goes into your eyes or doesn't bounce first making a difference is ridiculous.

If you are seeing -- light is going into your eyes.

[murraypaul]

We really are hitting all of the old favourites, aren't we.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by leebase

Why yes, yes we do. Far and away, people read just fine on tablets. This notion that a light that bounces of a page and goes into your eyes or doesn't bounce first making a difference is ridiculous.

And some people get eye damage, or headaches, or tire faster, or ...
There is a difference between looking directly into the light source and seeing reflected light.

If you are seeing -- light is going into your eyes.

Yes, but I just take care not to look directly into light sources.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

We really are hitting all of the old favourites, aren't we.

I guess the old favorites have to be warmed up from time to time, for the benefit of new members.

As to the topic at hand, I have no real use for small tablets (they're still too heavy for prolonged reading and their screens are too small for anything else), but I do like my Surface Pro 6, which runs full Windows 10 (I bought it used, but it looked as new). I don't use it for reading, though, except for an occasional PDF. For book reading, there's nothing else but eink for me.

Wait... did I just agree with ottischwenk?

Of course I fully concede that there are many people who read on tablets gladly. I'm just not one of them.

[Apache]

I read my books on a tablet and never have any problems. I also use an optivisor and a microscope all the time at work. I never have headaches or eye strain.
Apache

[crane3]

The e-ink vs tablets thread doesn't consider the eye condition of the person reading.
In my case, before my cataract surgery, my eyeglass prescription was at the -14 correction; the "warm" light made my eyes tired & I became sleepy just like using the "warm"/orange light of an e-ink reader. The -12 to -14 lens correction means that a person could not see the big E standing a 1 foot away; just a black blob.

I use the "daylight" light bulbs in my home as the 'soft white' bulbs made my eyes tired; I need to have the reading lamp light bulb at the 250-300 watt range for me to read a paper book. The reading environment did not change even after cataract surgery; I do believe that the light entering the retina still need to be brighter than the younger person with 20/20 eyesight or close to it.

I have looked at the large print pbooks at the library & feel that the tablet is the best way to read as the large print books just look like a blob of black on paper.

Now, I just need to use reading glasses for reading but not for driving. An e-ink reader is not for everyone. My ereader collection includes 3 ereaders & the the best one is the Oasis 2; the Kobo & Likebook are stored away; the preferred ereader is the Samsung Tab S5e; the ipad is useless for both as an ebook reader or manga viewer/reader.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by crane3

The e-ink vs tablets thread doesn't consider the eye condition of the person reading.
In my case, before my cataract surgery, my eyeglass prescription was at the -14 correction; the "warm" light made my eyes tired & I became sleepy just like using the "warm"/orange light of an e-ink reader. The -12 to -14 lens correction means that a person could not see the big E standing a 1 foot away; just a black blob.

I use the "daylight" light bulbs in my home as the 'soft white' bulbs made my eyes tired; I need to have the reading lamp light bulb at the 250-300 watt range for me to read a paper book. The reading environment did not change even after cataract surgery; I do believe that the light entering the retina still need to be brighter than the younger person with 20/20 eyesight or close to it.

I have looked at the large print pbooks at the library & feel that the tablet is the best way to read as the large print books just look like a blob of black on paper.

Now, I just need to use reading glasses for reading but not for driving. An e-ink reader is not for everyone. My ereader collection includes 3 ereaders & the the best one is the Oasis 2; the Kobo & Likebook are stored away; the preferred ereader is the Samsung Tab S5e; the ipad is useless for both as an ebook reader or manga viewer/reader.

My eyesight is pretty poor as well (very nearsighted, -10 lens), I wear glasses for every activity and I'm not a young person. But, in addition to being nearsighted, my eyes are light-sensitive. That means I cannot stand bright lights (sunlight included). My reading lamp is 40 watts, as brighter lamps make my eyes hurt. And I cannot read text-based books on tablets or computers.

So no, being no longer young and having poor eyesight doesn't necessarily mean a person needs bright light. Sometimes it's vice versa.

[Apache]

Yes the eyes of the people reading is the biggest factor in reading. I have been very lucky. I have excellent vision and was 46 before I needed to wear glasses for reading. My wife on the other hand had to wear glasses all of her life.
Apache