5" or 6" screen?

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by ahi

It is my personal conviction that if 10 years from now, the perceived optimal size for eBook readers still depends on "personal preferences", it will be because the technology has failed to gain wide adoption.

That's why we have so many sizes of laptops and televisions.
they were never widely adopted....

Seriously, books don't have a standardized size. I am looking at one of my bookcases now.

[rgeorg]

I use different laptops and netbooks for different purposes. A 17" laptop for general work, a desktop at work, a 7" netbook for traveling , a 9" netbook(tablet) for taking to classes and local meetings.

Similarly, I use my 5" jetBook for reading novels, simple paragraphs of text - and I port it around with me in my purse. Perfect for that use. I'd like a larger-screen, say 9-12" at some point in time for PDFs and more formatted docs and textbooks. Now I use my 9" tablet for reading PDFs, but I would prefer a better screen, battery life, cooler temp., etc

I think that a 6" would also be portable enough, but the 5-6" screens must have a fast page turn in order to be usable for me. That was my final deciding factor in going LCD over eink. Perhaps the new Epson controller (coming in a couple of months?) will address this issue with eink?

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Phogg

That's why we have so many sizes of laptops and televisions.
they were never widely adopted....

Seriously, books don't have a standardized size. I am looking at one of my bookcases now.

Whoosh.

[Sweetpea]

I'm perfectly very happy with my 3.4" screen right now, so, 5" sounds good to me too.

If you'd take two exactly the same readers (software + hardware), but one has a 5" and the other a 6", I think I might actually go for the 5". Smaller, handier to take with you. As I only read novels and stay away from PDF as ebook format (unless I open it on my 19"), the form factor is the most important part about size.

[Sonist]

Funny, I find 6" too small, and I'll probably get rid of my K2 for a larger screen soon.

(As for TV, I've stopped watching it at all, lately. Now I watch only movies, most in Hi-Def, so I find a 60" plasma a bit small. I guess I like immersion :-)

But seriously, I think the optimum screen size for an ereader would be between 8.5 to 11 inches (between a paperback and a hard cover.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Exactly how many lines of text to you lose between a 5- and 6-inch device?

None necessarily. The 5" and 6" screens are the same resolution (800x600), so they will display a page identically - it will simply be 5/6th the size on the 5" device compared to the 6". Provided that that relatively small size decrease doesn't make it unreadable for you, there's no reason to "lose" any text.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Sonist

But seriously, I think the optimum screen size for an ereader would be between 8.5 to 11 inches (between a paperback and a hard cover.)

Optimum for who? Not for me, at least.. Too large, can't tote it around with me easily. Whenever you see me walking in the house, chances are I'm having my PDA in my hand (I never know when I have the chance to read a few lines!)

[brecklundin]

Kris:

You know I might have noticed something about why do not like reading on my Kindle beyond the display. In your post above:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=18

Looking at the two devices, the Kindle looks way too spacious in terms of kerning. The spacing between characters seems awkward to my eye.

Does anyone else see that?

As to the thread topic. I completely agree with you, it is a matter of what a person prefers not what others try to tell them they need. If not why bother making more than one reading device...and call it a book.

I see myself getting a 5" reader as I ONLY want it for fiction novels nothing else. I will also be getting a 2nd device with at least a 10" display that is more multipurpose 3Qi based device. I expect the two devices combined will be had for under $500 before the end of the summer. The key will be the config of the larger 3Qi based device.

About laptops, I need all the screen real-estate I can get, so we use nothing but 17" laptops. The added benefit is a full size keyboard with number pad. So, we all have our reasons. I can stream video in the corner, work in multiple apps at the same time and do it anywhere i happen to be. I can only hope some of the 3Qi tech finds it's way into the general laptop world adding hours of battery life. Not for ebook reading of course, well for me anyway, because a 17" display would be horrid for me...

As for a TV, because of the ridiculuous HDTV/16:9 format change crap, in order to replace my old Sony 43" display rear projection, I needed at least a 52" TV but opted for a 56" Samsung LED DLP style TV which has better color and consumes far less power and will last pretty much forever for a much lower price than LED TV's . The bedroom got a 32" Samsung LCD that is just fine, we have a big place or are mostly blind, I dunno which because I can't see that far. hehehe....How TV's became part of this read, well, it is scary weird.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

Kris:

You know I might have noticed something about why do not like reading on my Kindle beyond the display. In your post above:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=18

Looking at the two devices, the Kindle looks way too spacious in terms of kerning. The spacing between characters seems awkward to my eye.

Does anyone else see that?

So, I wasn't the only one that noticed it! I personally would find it harder to read than with a normal kerning (it does seem too spacious).

Originally Posted by brecklundin

As to the thread topic. I completely agree with you, it is a matter of what a person prefers not what others try to tell them they need. If not why bother making more than one reading device...and call it a book.

I see myself getting a 5" reader as I ONLY want it for fiction novels nothing else. I will also be getting a 2nd device with at least a 10" display that is more multipurpose 3Qi based device. I expect the two devices combined will be had for under $500 before the end of the summer. The key will be the config of the larger 3Qi based device.

About laptops, I need all the screen real-estate I can get, so we use nothing but 17" laptops. The added benefit is a full size keyboard with number pad. So, we all have our reasons. I can stream video in the corner, work in multiple apps at the same time and do it anywhere i happen to be. I can only hope some of the 3Qi tech finds it's way into the general laptop world adding hours of battery life. Not for ebook reading of course, well for me anyway, because a 17" display would be horrid for me...

As for a TV, because of the ridiculuous HDTV/16:9 format change crap, in order to replace my old Sony 43" display rear projection, I needed at least a 52" TV but opted for a 56" Samsung LED DLP style TV which has better color and consumes far less power and will last pretty much forever for a much lower price than LED TV's . The bedroom got a 32" Samsung LCD that is just fine, we have a big place or are mostly blind, I dunno which because I can't see that far. hehehe....How TV's became part of this read, well, it is scary weird.

A larger device sounds good, and I've been looking at the iliad for some time. It's the price and the size that's holding me back. If I had a smaller device, and if the price was about 200€ lower, I'd buy one. Not for normal book reading, but rather for A4 or PDF reading.

And a 56" TV?!?!? We've still our 32" CRT... Which will, at some point, be replaced by a 42" (not sure about LCD or Plama yet), and we've a huge livingroom....

(couldn't agree with you more about the real-estate required on a monitor screen though!)

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

...
A larger device sounds good, and I've been looking at the iliad for some time. It's the price and the size that's holding me back. If I had a smaller device, and if the price was about 200€ lower, I'd buy one. Not for normal book reading, but rather for A4 or PDF reading....

I suppose it depends on your reading habits and preferences.

I like the K2 for its reasonably good UI (for a non-touch device) and the dictionary option.

But reading on the larger-screen iLiad BE is a much more book-like reading experience, and I find it much more pleasant and satisfying.

On the other hand, I read mostly in bed, and wouldn't carry an ereader (or a book) with me when about town. When i travel, I carry a MacBook in the backpack, so the thin ereader, even if a 10"-er, is not an issue, as it slips next to the laptop.

When I look at small screens for ereading, I am reminded of the micro-editions they sell in novelty stores. Yes, they fit in my pocket, but if am not going to read them, because I don't enjoy the experience, they are just dead weight, no matter how small.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Not only wouldn't I, but I actually recently made a decision not to do that very thing. The 32" is the optimal size for my fairly small living room; all a 40" would do is to "dominate" the room unnecessarily, and increase my electricity bills pointlessly.

"More" is not always "better".

I agree with ereaders--as portability is a big factor.

But not TVs. I have a fairly small living room, and returned a 42" TV and got a 50".

But I also watch a ton of movies, tv, sports and play some video games so having a big screen was important for me since it fills a lot of my free time.

[arit]

I'd like a 6" screen in one of those compact 5" device cases. At the moment I am thinking about buying a 5" device at the end of the year even though I'm mainly reading at home, just because it is smaller

Idealy I'd have a A4 size display device and a smaller 5" or 6" device one with high resolution capable of displaying manga in a readable way

[phenomshel]

The six inch is small enough for me to put it in my purse and carry with me, and just the right size for even my small hands to hold securely. I don't think I'd like anything smaller, actually.
I would love something a bit larger for pdf's though...

[cheese bogart]

Originally Posted by arit

I'd like a 6" screen in one of those compact 5" device cases. At the moment I am thinking about buying a 5" device at the end of the year even though I'm mainly reading at home, just because it is smaller

Idealy I'd have a A4 size display device and a smaller 5" or 6" device one with high resolution capable of displaying manga in a readable way

I'm guessing as you're from Germany you have heard about the Wizpac Txtr. It seems that this device would suit the needs of the smaller device. Its got a 6" screen fitted into a device about the same size as a 5" device. They say it will be released in Germany in the 3Q 2009.

Wizpac Txtr: H:146mm x W:128mm x D:8mm Weight:260 grams

A couple of 5" devices below for you to compare the size with (The Astak isn't out yet but should be released in two months).

Astak EZ Reader Pocket Pro: H:151mm x W:105mm x D:10mm Weight:160 gr

Ectaco Jetbook: H:153mm x W:109mm x D:13mm Weight:210 grams


And if you haven't seen it before I've provided a link below.

http://www.golem.de/showhigh2.php?fi...5637.html&wort[]=wizpac&wort[]=txtr

[brecklundin]

txtr is still my favorite small reader format device design.