The good and the ugly of reading on a smart phone

[Quelch]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I ignored everything when I was in the middle of a good book.

I ignore my wife when in the middle of reading a good book
It doesn't end well !

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Quelch

I ignore my wife when in the middle of reading a good book
It doesn't end well !

Tel me about it.
Apache

[WT Sharpe]

My LG Volt has a 4.7" screen, and while I have no desire to use it as my primary reader, it has pretty much replaced my Kindles on trips to the doctor, dentist, and etc. If I know I'll be waiting in the car for a while, I'll bring a Kindle, but the phone is perfect for an office visit. I'll read all I want on my Kindle app, then slip it in my pocket when the receptionist calls my name. Then when I get home, through the magic of synced devices I'll start reading on my Kindle where I left off on my phone's Kindle app.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

My 22 inch pc monitor. I have spent years reading from my computer/monitor when I realized I could easily adjust the size of the font while reading my fan fiction Word docs.

Naturally that carried through for ebooks. I had the software on my pc before I bought my first ereader.

Ah...ok. I very rarely read a book on a PC screen. If I'm at home, I usually read either on the couch or in bed. A PC monitor wouldn't be practical for either of these things.

Shari

[JesseC]

I have issues with my eyes that makes reading a paper book really hard, and my old yellowed ones impossible. Reading on screen is the only way I read now.

But my issue with my devices is writing. I serve online editors from my home PC so I can write while I am out and about and always have the most up to date file. It also makes having an annotating web page easy for my beta readers. The problem is, not so much that my IPhone's 5 inch screen is too small to edit on, but more that the %^%$##$%%(swear word of choice) portable browsers all cover up the toolbar with the address bar as soon as the keyboard displays.

Reading I can handle. Writing on an IPhone is impossible.

[johnjacobs]

I only know the ugly part. Because its good part never attracted me.

[Lemurion]

I swap between devices. The good thing about my cell phone (Note 3) is that I can read up close with my glasses off when lying in bed. I can't use the Kindle because I have to wear my glasses, which means I need to sit upright in order to get the right zone on the screen. With the phone, I can hold it right in front of my eye.

[Sweetpea]

Good: it has a backlight and can thus be seen in the dark
Bad: the screen dimenions are off, I prefer 16:10 or 4:3

Good: it's small, light and fits in my pocket
Bad: the screen dimenions are off, I prefer 16:10 or 4:3

Good: it has audio, so I can listen to audiobooks
Bad: the screen dimenions are off, I prefer 16:10 or 4:3



In short, I'll use my phone (Lumia 950XL) in a pinch (but mostly for audiobooks due to the screen dimensions), but I always have my BeBook Mini in my bag as well. But that one isn't backlit so impossible to read on when it's dark. It's ancient, small, not a good resolution (compared to all my other devices), but it's still the best reader I have for the road.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Good: it has a backlight and can thus be seen in the dark
Bad: the screen dimenions are off, I prefer 16:10 or 4:3

Good: it's small, light and fits in my pocket
Bad: the screen dimenions are off, I prefer 16:10 or 4:3

Good: it has audio, so I can listen to audiobooks
Bad: the screen dimenions are off, I prefer 16:10 or 4:3



In short, I'll use my phone (Lumia 950XL) in a pinch (but mostly for audiobooks due to the screen dimensions), but I always have my BeBook Mini in my bag as well. But that one isn't backlit so impossible to read on when it's dark. It's ancient, small, not a good resolution (compared to all my other devices), but it's still the best reader I have for the road.

I found a Lumia 640 on sale at a very low price about 6 weeks ago and bought it, mostly because I'm curious. That thing really surprised me. It's fast and smooth and graceful with an excellent screen and if there were apps for it it just might be my favorite phone. But there are so many apps I like on Android that just aren't there. I've tried quite a few ereader apps, several paid for, a few free, and they'll all do if i didn't have anything better, but none are really very good.

As for size, I find I like the size of a phone for reading. I have 4.5", 5" and 5.5" phones and if I only consider reading I like the 4.5" screens best. I find myself reading fastest on my Moto E 2nd gen phone. The 5" and 5.5" phones are much nicer for other uses but the smaller screen seems better for reading.

I also read on my Voyage and I wish it was smaller. The hight of the screen doesn't matter to me at all but I like a narrower screen.

Barry

[rcentros]

I just bought a used Blackberry Q10 with a real keyboard to use on Sprint/RingPlus (I wanted something NOT Android, Windows or Apple that was small and had a real keyboard). Surprisingly, I've read big chunks of two books on it while away from the house. And it only has a 3.1" screen (but it's sharp and I can read small fonts on it). I like that the Space Bar changes pages, makes it easier than having to swipe the screen. When I get home I just pick up one of the Kindles and keep reading from where I left off. In Texas in the summer (and most of the time in the winter) you're not going to be wearing anything with a pocket big enough to carry an eReader in so, unless I want to do everything one-handed, carrying an eReader is out of the question. If the book is good enough I don't notice the screen.

[snape]

I used to occasionally read on my phone but I just can't stand the backlighting and small screen anymore (and I'm not upsizing the phone to fit that particular purpose). It's e-reader or nothing now. If I'll be somewhere that might afford me a chunk of time to read then I just bring my reader in my bag.