Oh no! The phone's winning...

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Nope. For some time, the phone was indeed winning.

One of the reasons was that last year, my GF didn't live in with me. It was much easier to read a book on the phone and swap back and forth between that book and Whatsapp in the evening, compared to having to swap the e-reader and the phone.

Now, my GF lives with me, so obviously we don't have hours-long Whatsapp conversations anymore.

Also, the phone turned out to be too small, and screen reflections too bothersome.

For long reads, I prefer an e-ink screen and a larger e-reader, but it's true I'm reading less as compared to using the phone because sometimes, I just can't be bothered to bring the e-reader if I'm going to go out without my bag.

You read a book while talking to your GF on the phone? Does she know this? Obviously not, she's living with you and you are still alive to post on mobileread! I mean there were a lot of times when I wanted to do that with my girlfriend, but I never had the nerve.

[barryem]

I read an article in some magazine, I don't recall which, maybe 30 years ago that said the reason newspaper columns were narrow was that research done long ago showed it let people read faster and more easily. I mentioned this in another thread in this forum a few years ago and someone said that had been disproven but i don't recall who said it or why or how it was proven wrong.

I thought in this thread it might be worth mentioning again. I know I read a bit faster with narrow text and even on my Kindle I've experimented with wide margins and they help me read faster.

I won't argue that this works for everyone. Reading is a very individual thing.

Barry

[underscore]

Originally Posted by barryem

I read an article in some magazine, I don't recall which, maybe 30 years ago that said the reason newspaper columns were narrow was that research done long ago showed it let people read faster and more easily. I mentioned this in another thread in this forum a few years ago and someone said that had been disproven but i don't recall who said it or why or how it was proven wrong.

I thought in this thread it might be worth mentioning again. I know I read a bit faster with narrow text and even on my Kindle I've experimented with wide margins and they help me read faster.

I won't argue that this works for everyone. Reading is a very individual thing.

Barry

That was an interesting thread and it worked for me also.
Wondering why paper bibles get it and most software don't implement a two columns content rearrange

[Apache]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

You read a book while talking to your GF on the phone? Does she know this? Obviously not, she's living with you and you are still alive to post on mobileread! I mean there were a lot of times when I wanted to do that with my girlfriend, but I never had the nerve.

Years ago the person I was cohabitating with was watching a TV show that did not interest me at all. I started reading my book. When she noticed that I was reading the book, and not paying attention to her watching television, she got furious because I was ignoring her. Needless to say the relationship did not last long.
Apache

[4691mls]

I think Katsunami was referring to conversations via a messaging app, not phone conversations, so the book reading was probably done while waiting for the next message to come in.

I think the width of the page/screen needs to be proportional to the font size of the text. Smaller text works better on a narrow page or in columns, while larger print needs a wider page.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I think the width of the page/screen needs to be proportional to the font size of the text. Smaller text works better on a narrow page or in columns, while larger print needs a wider page.

I find this too, although in reverse.
On my phone I like reading with a really small font, but when using my KA1 I use a considerably larger one. I probably end up with about the same words per line either way, although I've never specifically checked that.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

There is one other advantage in reading from a phone, at least for me.

Since one of the newer Android versions, the operating system can control application popups. It can limit a popup to only making a sound/vibrate, only show a message, disable it completely, even if the app itself has no popup control.

I set up Whatsapp (and e-mail) to only emit sound when a message comes in. My girlfriend an I don't live together yet, and in the evening, we both often read, _and_ have a whatsapp conversation at the same time, typing our messages at the end of a section break or a chapter. I set up a specific sound for her.

So, when a message from her comes in, I read up to the next scene break or the end of the chapter, switch to whatsapp, reply, and then jump right back into the book. It prevents me from having to juggle both the e-reader and the phone.

The same is basically true when I'm in a train station. "When was that train coming again?" -> switch to public transport app, find the time -> switch back to my book again. Easier than having to close and put away my e-reader, get out the phone, and then reverse the process again.

It's even better when I'm reading on my Kindle. There are no popups. I think you're really stretching to justify doing what you want to do when no such justification is necessary.

I use my phone to read perhaps twice a year when I have an emergency and no ereader. Normally, my ereader is in my little daypack or in one of the lower pockets of my Guayabera shirt. I read standing in line at the bank or waiting for a friend at the coffee shop.

If my phone notifies me of an appointment I always know what it is and ignore the phone. Email can wait till I'm home. I rarely even take my phone out when I'm away from home except to check my shopping list or check the map.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I think Katsunami was referring to conversations via a messaging app, not phone conversations, so the book reading was probably done while waiting for the next message to come in.

I think the width of the page/screen needs to be proportional to the font size of the text. Smaller text works better on a narrow page or in columns, while larger print needs a wider page.

It was a joke, son, I say a joke!

[barryem]

I just compared the width of the text on my 5.1" phone to the width on my Paperwhite 4 with the margins set to wide, which is where I usually leave them. The text on my phone is just a little bit wider than on my Paperwhite. Not by much but it's enough to be obvious when they're compared.

The text on my phone is slightly smaller. Again, not by much, but it is a bit smaller. And since the book I'm reading has to be a doc file on my Paperwhite and is an epub on my phone, I'm stuck with full justification on the Kindle, again giving the phone the edge, at least for me.

The truth is I don't really care which one I read on. It's just that the phone is always in my pocket and the Paperwhite is sometimes at hand but usually across the room or in the other room.

Barry

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

You read a book while talking to your GF on the phone? Does she know this? Obviously not, she's living with you and you are still alive to post on mobileread! I mean there were a lot of times when I wanted to do that with my girlfriend, but I never had the nerve.

We didn't live with one another back then, so we'd be chatting on Whats-App... and reading our very own book at each end. (Sometimes even the same book.)

She reads paper/refuses to read on an e-reader. I started reading on my phone the year before because I got tired of swapping the e-reader and phone back and forth all the time.

And yes, sometimes, messages back and forth could take 10 minutes or so. A scene break or a chapter end is a good time to type something

Originally Posted by Apache

Years ago the person I was cohabitating with was watching a TV show that did not interest me at all. I started reading my book. When she noticed that I was reading the book, and not paying attention to her watching television, she got furious because I was ignoring her. Needless to say the relationship did not last long.
Apache

LOL. So she can watch TV and you have to watch along, and can't do your own thing if watching TV doesn't interest you? Precious. That's going to go wrong fast.

Fortunately my girlfriend and I don't have that problem. We can be reading our own book when in the same room. We could even be on the same couch. And reading the same book... (but different copies: one paper, one digital).

The only time she gets "furious" with me is when she tells me:

"I've discovered such and such fantasy series, it seems great!"
- "It is, I have it alr.."
"...eady in your library, and NO, I'm NOT GOING TO READ IT. I'll get it from the library someday. "

On the one hand, she's jealous of my extensive "I have everything you ever wanted"-library that contains over a thousand books (of which 2/3rds are fantasy) and thousands of PD-books (Delphi and Feedbooks mostly), and on the other hand, she refuses to read from it because it's digital.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by patrickt

It's even better when I'm reading on my Kindle. There are no popups. I think you're really stretching to justify doing what you want to do when no such justification is necessary.

I need no justification beyond what I find best to be using. I have no loyalties to any app or any device. Or company. (Except companies from which I refuse to use any devices except if there's no other way.)

At some time, it was my phone, because I got tired of swapping between my phone and the e-reader all the time. Now that I'm settled in a different town and my GF lives with me, I rarely need my phone for chatting or looking up some random public transport time while reading.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

On the one hand, she's jealous of my extensive "I have everything you ever wanted"-library that contains over a thousand books (of which 2/3rds are fantasy) and thousands of PD-books (Delphi and Feedbooks mostly), and on the other hand, she refuses to read from it because it's digital.

Gosh. Has she ever tried an ereader or won't on principle? Perhaps she'd like page turn buttons and doesn't like the pure touchscreen experience?

I was that way too once. For me the deciding factor was lack of space. I just had no more room for paper books in my home and as I read my fiction mostly in English, local libraries were of no use. Once I'd tried an ereader (it was the cheapest basic Kindle), I never looked back.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

On the one hand, she's jealous of my extensive "I have everything you ever wanted"-library that contains over a thousand books (of which 2/3rds are fantasy) and thousands of PD-books (Delphi and Feedbooks mostly), and on the other hand, she refuses to read from it because it's digital.

Have you considered buying a printer and just print the books out for her as she reads them?

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Have you considered buying a printer and just print the books out for her as she reads them?

With the cost of paper and toner/ink, probably cheaper to just buy the book.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

With the cost of paper and toner/ink, probably cheaper to just buy the book.

Depends on the book prices where Katsunami lives. And on availability. Used books and the library cannot be beat cost wise, but then you have to invest time to hunt the book down.

For the US I did a quick search, and it is usually possible to print 40000 pages for well under US$1000 (for printer & toner).