What's the use case for an 8" screen?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

You've a good point. And that's why I bought a Kobo. I find that you can't shrink the margins on a Kindle enough. What you see on a picture, is made specifically for that picture. I think that if you had that device in your hand with those settings, you'd probably also think that the font size is rather large...

I fine tune the CSS to my taste, for all my books
You can use the standalone Editor that comes with Calibre for AZW3 or EPUB if you do not want to use the Library portion (Full Calibre does need to be installed to get all the needed code libraries)
This does require that any Infestation be cured

[shalym]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Imagine the Voyage with a 6.8" screen and a larger battery. That I think would sell pretty well. Amazon could then charged the same as the Oasis and given people something for their money.

Would it also be able to access Amazon's ecosystem? Or, at the very least, would I be able to access non-Kobo books wirelessly without having to use the browser (or having to install third party software)

Shari

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by shalym

Would it also be able to access Amazon's ecosystem? Or, at the very least, would I be able to access non-Kobo books wirelessly without having to use the browser (or having to install third party software)

Shari

As it would be a Kindle, it would be running some version Kindle firmware.

[Atunah]

I know folks on here always want the larger devices. Choices are good in that way. But for me, 6 inch is about perfect. That Kobo one I saw the pics is too heavy for me. I can finally read with one had with my Oasis, its a dream come true how its designed. I also would not have any place to hold such a device that larger size with the tiny bezels, hand cramp central for me.

I can't even hold my Voyage comfortable with one hand and change pages, it drops out of my hand often. Cover doesn't change that, makes it even harder as it makes it even heavier.

Of course I must have buttons anyway, so its a moot point as most e-readers don't have them.

One other thing though for me is that I prefer not reading long lines across. My eyes work better when reading text in paperbook size, which is about what my kindles have with the 6 inch. I compared them and its pretty spot on. When my eyes have to go too far across the page, I can lose my concentration. In addition, since I wear bifocals, I have to turn my head more as the vision tunnel in stronger bifocals ins pretty narrow. Those that wear them know what I am talking about. I can read my 6 inch kindles without turning my head if I want to.

I can see larger devices though be very very good for those that have very bad vision. In the future I might be one of those, my eyes have always needed correction and my near vision is getting worse and worse. Because if you have to make your font say in the size 6 and above, you need some more real estate to get enough words on it.

For me though, 6 inch is perfect, just as paperbacks have always been perfect to me. I was never a huge fan of the larger hard covers for weight and again the length of the reading page for my eyes and brain.

Choices are good though. But can we please stop with all the Oasis dissing yet again by those that don't even have it or any other kindles?

[HarryT]

A gentle reminder to all participants in this thread that my question was what you'd use an 8" reader for. I was not asking for a discussion of the pros and cons of different types of reader.

Thanks .

[Blossom]

I prefer my 7" tablet's screen size over my Glo HD 6" I think 8" would be perfect for me. Easy to hold. I would use it to read on like I use my Nexus 7.

Sent from my XT1528

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I can see larger devices though be very very good for those that have very bad vision. In the future I might be one of those, my eyes have always needed correction and my near vision is getting worse and worse. Because if you have to make your font say in the size 6 and above, you need some more real estate to get enough words on it.

You bring up a valid point here. I was talking to my grandmother (she's lost 60% of her vision). A 6" device simply doesn't show enough letters per line anymore if she actually wants to see the letters. On an 8" device, the line length would probably approach "normal" (whatever normal is, in this case, considering the enormous variety of book sizes/fonts/font sizes/margins you have in paper books...).

[meeera]

Originally Posted by theducks

I never understood why all you folk want to PAY Display prices for onscreen Margins
A 6" kindle has the WIDER display than a (1990's USA) paperback uses for PRINT.
The screen is SHORTER than that same standard page.

Note: I use the tweak/hack (also available from Calibre via the Kindle Collections PI) to reduce the side margins value from 40 to 10 (= 5 per side)
The text matches pretty much line for line (+/-font face variations)

a Plastic bezel is a lot cheaper than paying for a e-ink display of a larger size, JUST to display... Nothing

So, why must there be full sized e-Ink (side) margins??

I'm not sure what you're talking about - "must"? No-one's forcing anyone to use larger margins. And on the Kobo, which is the device we're talking about here, you can make your margins as wide or narrow as you like, with quite fine control (even finer again with a simple patch).

[underscore]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A gentle reminder to all participants in this thread that my question was what you'd use an 8" reader for. I was not asking for a discussion of the pros and cons of different types of reader.

Thanks .

Well, nobody will convince anyone.
I never had a 6 inches, I just went from a 9.7 m92 to the i86.
I found 8 inches to be the right compromise between portability and the possibility to read the occasional pdf.
I carry my device on public transportations and at work.

Use cases are

- show more epub content (less page turns) when reading novels
- increase font dimension when being tired

- most of pdf documents (work sw release documents, lonely planet guides, o reilly computer science books), can be read without going trough the hassle of adapting them, maybe page by page with tailoring method, which you do if you have to read a whole book, not 20 pages of instructions about how to deploy a software.
It's not about the pleasure of seeing empty margins

- i even, sporadically, read tabloid newspapers sized pdf, watching in portrait 1/4 of the page and moving the area with the finger, i86 is quick enough to afford such a not conventional use.

[HarryT]

Thank you, underscore, that's interesting, and just goes to show that we all have different requirements. I just can't read a typical PDF book on an 8" screen - the text is too small for me. I probably could have done so 30 years ago, but not now.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thank you, underscore, that's interesting, and just goes to show that we all have different requirements. I just can't read a typical PDF book on an 8" screen - the text is too small for me. I probably could have done so 30 years ago, but not now.

I think it's time to make an appointment with the eye doctor.

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Expectations change, Jon. People didn't used to complain about the "brick"-sized mobile phones of the 1980s - they were only too pleased to have a mobile phone at all - but nobody would want to carry one around now, after having grown accustomed to having one that much small and lighter.

Ahem
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Binatone-Br.../dp/B00GN88E42

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I found that, when I had a Kobo H2O, it was a little too big to be able to slip it into my pocket, as I can with modern 6" readers. Hence my preference for such devices rather than larger devices such as the K2 you mention, and more modern devices with 6.8" screens. When it comes to fiction, for me at least, the reader you always have with you is the one that gets most use.

Of course everyone's tastes and requirements differ, and not everyone has a need (or a desire) to carry a reader in their pocket.

The reader at home get's most use for me (Kobo Aura HD), followed by work (Sony 650) then carry around (Trekstor Pyrus Mini).

Yes, I haven't got the hang of this new fangled syncing idea.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But if you did it before, you can do it again.

Of course you can do it again, but many people don't want to. Given the choice of a smaller device with the same screen size, or a device of the same size with a bigger screen, there are many who will choose the former.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think it's time to make an appointment with the eye doctor.

Alas, Jon, as we get older our ability to focus on things at a short distance deteriorates, which impacts reading very small text. If it hasn't happened to you yet, all I can say is "it will..." .