The future of digital reading is on the phone - Page 2

Sydney's Mom · 08-21-2015, 10:18 AM

Oh, so all those people lurching down the street not acknowledging those they pass (or almost hit) are reading a good book? Maybe I need to think differently. After all, I used to ride my bike while reading (ended up in the hospital, too!).

HarryT · 08-21-2015, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickyWithNook

I am among those who can't use audiobooks without my mind wandering. I like the idea of it though. I'm going to try it at the gym this year when my kids are back in school and see if it's easier there than at home.

I can't listen to audiobooks at home - they put me out like a light. In the car, though, on long journeys I find them excellent. They really help to maintain my concentration on driving.

issybird · 08-21-2015, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickyWithNook

I have read on a phone but I prefer something larger than that. OTOH I have friends who read exclusively on their phones and who think it's ridiculous to buy something specific for reading.

I am among those who can't use audiobooks without my mind wandering. I like the idea of it though. I'm going to try it at the gym this year when my kids are back in school and see if it's easier there than at home.

It took me a little practice to get my ear in, so to speak; with my first couple of audiobooks I had to focus my mind consciously. Now it's not much of an effort, although sometimes if traffic is terrible, I'll turn the book off. Why not start with an easy listen, maybe even an old favorite, where if your mind wanders you won't lose the plot?

One more suggestion: the narrator is critical. Stick with one of the stars for your first foray. Nothing kills as audiobook faster than indifferent or poor narration, at least IMO.

HarryT · 08-21-2015, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

It took me a little practice to get my ear in, so to speak; with my first couple of audiobooks I had to focus my mind consciously. Now it's not much of an effort, although sometimes if traffic is terrible, I'll turn the book off. Why not start with an easy listen, maybe even an old favorite, where if your mind wanders you won't lose the plot?

Radio drama is good for this. BBC Radio does lots of 30- and 40-minute dramas, which are ideal for filling in short periods of time.

ucfgrad93 · 08-21-2015, 11:22 AM

I do read on my iPhone 6 Plus from time to time, but I much prefer my Kindle.

Cinisajoy · 08-21-2015, 11:28 AM

It seems like most of the data is coming from Nielsen. Note Nielsen targets specific people for their surveys. Also 2,000 carefully chosen participants is not that great for real life data.
I would bet the smartphone question was phrased like this:
"Have you ever read on a smartphone? "
The answers could be misleading if the people doing the survey say 500 out of 2000 read on their smartphones.
Note 500 answered yes to this question.
Surveys are usually designed to get the results the people doing the survey want.

issybird · 08-21-2015, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Radio drama is good for this. BBC Radio does lots of 30- and 40-minute dramas, which are ideal for filling in short periods of time.

LA Theatre Works does play readings which would be similar; I particularly like them when I'm swimming. They're mostly light and amusing (although they do serious* plays also); there's a lot of Shaw, Coward, Wilde, etc. One of my OverDrive libraries has a big selection.

*Fortunately, I caught that autocorrect changed this to stupid, even though serious** was highlighted among the options.

**It did it again.

tdonline · 08-21-2015, 12:26 PM

If I'm in a day dreaming mood then I don't bother with the audiobooks. I know my mind will wander. But if I start off in the right frame of mind and focus--then it's all good. My standard practice is to listen to fiction and read nonfiction on the Nook. Narrator is all-important too. I listened to The Secret History and Donna Tartt did a disservice to her own book by reading it for the audio version. I noticed The Goldfinch wasn't read by her...

jmontano · 08-21-2015, 12:48 PM

What the article says applies to me, and I guess it also applies to a lot of people from the third world.

Because smartphones are everywhere and the distribution of e-readers is close to none outside Northamerica or Europe, is easier/cheaper to us to read on a smartphone or even better on a tablet.

Apache · 08-21-2015, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I can't listen to audiobooks at home - they put me out like a light. In the car, though, on long journeys I find them excellent. They really help to maintain my concentration on driving.

This is what happens to me also. I used to have a job that required me to fly and or drive all over the US and Canada. I found that audio books were the best thing to keep me awake on long drives. But, at home or work, an audio book will put me to sleep.
Apache

sakura-panda · 08-21-2015, 02:18 PM

I don't think those articles about the future of ereading applies to us (regulars at MobileRead). We're a specialized group and do not fall in with the Everyone Else when it comes to ebook technology.

I usually don't read on my phone -- I don't like the way the words flow on the screen. Also, I use my phone more for playing Jelly Splash and scrapbooking, rather than reading. I can see why other people would read on it, especially if they are not as picky about how their pages look as I am. That said, I do have all of my current books loaded on it, because "don't usually" is not "never."

My current favorite ebook reader is my NOOK HD+; I just love the size and shape of it. The weight and battery life is a little disappointing -- if I could get an e-ink reader in that size, with the ability to run multiple ebook apps (Kobo, Nook, Kindle, and whatever Google calls their ebook app), I'd pay (nearly) any price to own it. My first Sony Reader was $350 -- on sale! -- and I still think it was worth it (then.)

I listen to audiobooks only in the car. I get *most* of what is going on, but since I'm a skimmer, I still get more out of the book when I listen to it than I would if I was reading it myself, especially the squeamish parts that I prefer to skip over entirely as text but am forced to listen to in the audio. I don't think I would have been able to get through The Millennium trilogy otherwise, and it's one of my favorite series.

I can't listen to them in the house because there are too many other distractions and I will walk away without even realizing that I'm doing it. I can't walk away in the middle of my commute. LOL

Turtle91 · 08-21-2015, 03:04 PM

The right narrator is absolutely essential. I absolutely LOVE Jim Dale - got hooked listening him do Harry Potter but he has a great/diverse talent. The family would sit around each with our own copy of the book and read along with him just so we could hear the characters as he portrayed them!

Jessica Lares · 08-21-2015, 05:49 PM

Don't find that surprising as phones have pretty big screens now.

I just use my iPad Mini.

Atunah · 08-21-2015, 05:56 PM

I tried and tried and keep trying with audio books. I could not and would not listen to them while driving. I cannot pay attention to anything other than traffic. I can't often even remember what song was on when I get to where I go. No way could I space out and listen to a story while behind the wheel. I don't drive long enough anyway to make that worth it.

At home, unless I sit down firmly and stare at a spot on the wall, or close my eyes, my mind goes off wandering. I tried to listen while doing chores around the house, would be perfect. But by the time I load the dishwasher I don't remember a thing that was said. Nothing.

Main issue though is that I read much much faster than a voice reading to me and speeding up is not an option, sounds like a chipmunk and takes away the story.

I just read for so long my brain processes reading in a certain way, I go into the story with my mind. Listening stays on the surface for me and like backround and I just can't get into the story. I stay to the side of it. If that makes sense. Just not enjoyable to me. I wish I could make them work and I guess I keep trying and trying and trying.

As to the phone reading, I just can't do it. Heck, I don't even enjoy reading from a tablet and my tablets have great screens. My eyes just don't do well on it. My phone is also smallish for reading, 4.5 screen I think. Even if I could afford a 6 inch monster, I am trying to imagine talking on something the size of my Fire6. I can't even.

I only read on my phone a few times while short waits in doctors office. But I can barely get into a few pages and very very slow. Anytime I know I'll sit somewhere longer, hospital, doctor, car place, I'll take my kindle (e-ink).

Of course it might be different if I was a youngster, with better eyes and having been born when portable devices to read on where common. I was a teenager in the 80's alas.
And every person and everyones eyes are different. Hey, as long as they are reading I guess it doesn't matter on what. For me though, I need e-ink, or whatever the technological equivalent might be one day.

E-ink was a savior for me. It let me read again. That is pretty priceless for a reader. I am afraid what happens when my eyes go down hill even more if I can never make audiobooks work for me. I'am popping Lutein like candy to keep them going.

cvkemp · 08-21-2015, 06:21 PM

I started out reading on the Windows CE devices, back when my eyes were better. Then I went to reading on the computer screens. I later found the early e-ink readers and to me they were great if not slow and having to have a light was a pain. For a long time my favorite was me Kindle keyboard, and I have the amazon case with the light built in. I then made the mistake of getting the first kindle fire, never did really like it, it was slow and would crash or lock up. I then found myself getting the Nexus it is good but I can no longer read on it for more than a few minutes without it killing my eyes. I got the PW2 and while I really liked it as being much better to read on than the nexus or a computer screen. I made the mistake of getting the PW2 when I should have gotten the voyage in the first place. I do now have the voyage and I really cannot go back and use my PW2 the text just is not as easy to read.
Also I had a Samsung Note and I tried reading on it and the screen just is too small.

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08-21-2015, 10:18 AM	#16
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,899 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	Oh, so all those people lurching down the street not acknowledging those they pass (or almost hit) are reading a good book? Maybe I need to think differently. After all, I used to ride my bike while reading (ended up in the hospital, too!).

08-21-2015, 11:22 AM	#20
ucfgrad93 Wizard Posts: 2,372 Karma: 9026681 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Colorado Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Gen	I do read on my iPhone 6 Plus from time to time, but I much prefer my Kindle.

08-21-2015, 11:28 AM	#21
Cinisajoy Just a Yellow Smiley. Posts: 19,161 Karma: 83862859 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Texas Device: K4, K5, fire, kobo, galaxy	It seems like most of the data is coming from Nielsen. Note Nielsen targets specific people for their surveys. Also 2,000 carefully chosen participants is not that great for real life data. I would bet the smartphone question was phrased like this: "Have you ever read on a smartphone? " The answers could be misleading if the people doing the survey say 500 out of 2000 read on their smartphones. Note 500 answered yes to this question. Surveys are usually designed to get the results the people doing the survey want.

08-21-2015, 12:26 PM	#23
tdonline Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 2644486 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: PW3, Nook Simple Touch	If I'm in a day dreaming mood then I don't bother with the audiobooks. I know my mind will wander. But if I start off in the right frame of mind and focus--then it's all good. My standard practice is to listen to fiction and read nonfiction on the Nook. Narrator is all-important too. I listened to The Secret History and Donna Tartt did a disservice to her own book by reading it for the audio version. I noticed The Goldfinch wasn't read by her...

08-21-2015, 12:48 PM	#24
jmontano Enthusiast Posts: 34 Karma: 429416 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Colombia Device: Kindle	What the article says applies to me, and I guess it also applies to a lot of people from the third world. Because smartphones are everywhere and the distribution of e-readers is close to none outside Northamerica or Europe, is easier/cheaper to us to read on a smartphone or even better on a tablet.

08-21-2015, 02:18 PM	#26
sakura-panda Guru Posts: 939 Karma: 9558874 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southeast Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Oasis; 11" iPad Pro (Books, Kindle, Kobo, MapleRead SE)	I don't think those articles about the future of ereading applies to us (regulars at MobileRead). We're a specialized group and do not fall in with the Everyone Else when it comes to ebook technology. I usually don't read on my phone -- I don't like the way the words flow on the screen. Also, I use my phone more for playing Jelly Splash and scrapbooking, rather than reading. I can see why other people would read on it, especially if they are not as picky about how their pages look as I am. That said, I do have all of my current books loaded on it, because "don't usually" is not "never." My current favorite ebook reader is my NOOK HD+; I just love the size and shape of it. The weight and battery life is a little disappointing -- if I could get an e-ink reader in that size, with the ability to run multiple ebook apps (Kobo, Nook, Kindle, and whatever Google calls their ebook app), I'd pay (nearly) any price to own it. My first Sony Reader was $350 -- on sale! -- and I still think it was worth it (then.) I listen to audiobooks only in the car. I get most of what is going on, but since I'm a skimmer, I still get more out of the book when I listen to it than I would if I was reading it myself, especially the squeamish parts that I prefer to skip over entirely as text but am forced to listen to in the audio. I don't think I would have been able to get through The Millennium trilogy otherwise, and it's one of my favorite series. I can't listen to them in the house because there are too many other distractions and I will walk away without even realizing that I'm doing it. I can't walk away in the middle of my commute. LOL

08-21-2015, 03:04 PM	#27
Turtle91 A Hairy Wizard Posts: 3,395 Karma: 20212733 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Charleston, SC today Device: iPhone 15/11/X/6/iPad 1,2,Air & Air Pro/Surface Pro/Kindle PW & Fire	The right narrator is absolutely essential. I absolutely LOVE Jim Dale - got hooked listening him do Harry Potter but he has a great/diverse talent. The family would sit around each with our own copy of the book and read along with him just so we could hear the characters as he portrayed them!

08-21-2015, 05:49 PM	#28
Jessica Lares Wizard Posts: 2,240 Karma: 5759170 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA Device: iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th gen)	Don't find that surprising as phones have pretty big screens now. I just use my iPad Mini.

08-21-2015, 05:56 PM	#29
Atunah Wizard Posts: 1,817 Karma: 23400001 Join Date: May 2012 Location: USA Device: K1/K3/BasicK Voyage/Oasis1/Oasis3	I tried and tried and keep trying with audio books. I could not and would not listen to them while driving. I cannot pay attention to anything other than traffic. I can't often even remember what song was on when I get to where I go. No way could I space out and listen to a story while behind the wheel. I don't drive long enough anyway to make that worth it. At home, unless I sit down firmly and stare at a spot on the wall, or close my eyes, my mind goes off wandering. I tried to listen while doing chores around the house, would be perfect. But by the time I load the dishwasher I don't remember a thing that was said. Nothing. Main issue though is that I read much much faster than a voice reading to me and speeding up is not an option, sounds like a chipmunk and takes away the story. I just read for so long my brain processes reading in a certain way, I go into the story with my mind. Listening stays on the surface for me and like backround and I just can't get into the story. I stay to the side of it. If that makes sense. Just not enjoyable to me. I wish I could make them work and I guess I keep trying and trying and trying. As to the phone reading, I just can't do it. Heck, I don't even enjoy reading from a tablet and my tablets have great screens. My eyes just don't do well on it. My phone is also smallish for reading, 4.5 screen I think. Even if I could afford a 6 inch monster, I am trying to imagine talking on something the size of my Fire6. I can't even. I only read on my phone a few times while short waits in doctors office. But I can barely get into a few pages and very very slow. Anytime I know I'll sit somewhere longer, hospital, doctor, car place, I'll take my kindle (e-ink). Of course it might be different if I was a youngster, with better eyes and having been born when portable devices to read on where common. I was a teenager in the 80's alas. And every person and everyones eyes are different. Hey, as long as they are reading I guess it doesn't matter on what. For me though, I need e-ink, or whatever the technological equivalent might be one day. E-ink was a savior for me. It let me read again. That is pretty priceless for a reader. I am afraid what happens when my eyes go down hill even more if I can never make audiobooks work for me. I'am popping Lutein like candy to keep them going.

08-21-2015, 06:21 PM	#30
cvkemp Loving life Posts: 1,431 Karma: 7991496 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Hot Springs Village, Arkansas Device: PaperWhite 6 SE, Fire HD8	I started out reading on the Windows CE devices, back when my eyes were better. Then I went to reading on the computer screens. I later found the early e-ink readers and to me they were great if not slow and having to have a light was a pain. For a long time my favorite was me Kindle keyboard, and I have the amazon case with the light built in. I then made the mistake of getting the first kindle fire, never did really like it, it was slow and would crash or lock up. I then found myself getting the Nexus it is good but I can no longer read on it for more than a few minutes without it killing my eyes. I got the PW2 and while I really liked it as being much better to read on than the nexus or a computer screen. I made the mistake of getting the PW2 when I should have gotten the voyage in the first place. I do now have the voyage and I really cannot go back and use my PW2 the text just is not as easy to read. Also I had a Samsung Note and I tried reading on it and the screen just is too small.