Can an ebook reader be too big?

[daffy4u]

I would like a larger screen ebook reader and have been lusting after the Que.
I want a larger reader for reading novels not for pdfs or newspapers (should we still call it a "newspaper" if it's digital?).

I'm starting to think the Que (and the DX and the Skiff etc...) might be too big (though I haven't seen one in person). Would I lose the intimacy I feel when reading on my current 6 inch screens. Will I feel like I'm sitting in the front row at an IMAX movie, with my eyes having to shift too far left and right to get it all in?

Maybe the new iRex DR800 would be a better fit. I think the width of the PRS-900 is too narrow in portrait mode and I don't need to read novels in landscape mode, so that one is out.

Those of you who have larger readers (of the currently available crop), how is the experience of reading novels on the larger screen. Is it too big for you? Would a slightly smaller screen be better or worse?

Thanks!

[HansTWN]

Interesting question. I also am thinking about the Que. I guess you should be asking Irex DR1000 and Kindle DX users, since they are using similar sized devices right now.

[Ervserver]

I want the largest screen possible to read my Playboys

[Javed]

The weight of the device would be an important aspect, especially for extended reading.

[happy_terd]

heck you the price of a larger reader you can get a notebook PC and make that your dedicated reader.

10.1" Widescreen Display on the Del minis (300 bucks). I've seen some notebooks at Best Buy that looked tiny enough to work as a nice reader.

[HarryT]

I have the iRex DR1000S, which is the largest eInk device currently on the market. The reading experience is excellent - you see pretty much the same reading area as you would in a hardback book.

It's too big to carry around, though - for me, at least. Definitely an "at home" reader.

Netbooks don't make good readers. Too heavy, and if you turn it sideways to get the proper aspect ratio, the keyboard gets in the way.

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Netbooks don't make good readers. Too heavy, and if you turn it sideways to get the proper aspect ratio, the keyboard gets in the way.

Notebooks also have the wrong type of screen for book reading (IMHO).

I've had an Irex Iliad V2 for a few years and although it's slightly smaller that the model Harry is using, it is sometimes cumbersome to carry around.
Large devices are definitely more comfortable reading-wise (more screen realestate), but you'll have a problem if you want to read on the train or be able to carry it around easily.

[LDBoblo]

You could always do a test drive by printing a gray rectangle the size of the display and cutting out the device size either on the paper or a piece of cardboard.

I think 10 inches is a fine size personally for a screen...it's the rest of the device that needs to be done well to make it portable. I'm not sure what constraints are being forced on the designers, but given the kind of products we've seen in the last few years, I'm guessing either most of the designers are suffocated by constraints and demands, or they're pretty incompetent.

[Sweetpea]

I don't think I'd want a larger screen than my 7" JE-100 for general book reading. I think a larger screen would be more cumbersome to hold in one hand. (note: my 7" is a "wide-screen", I think with the same dimensions as the Sony-900.

That doesn't mean I don't want a larger screen which I can also use for general reading. But I wouldn't want to take it with me at all times and I don't think it'll be comfortable reading in bed...

[kennyc]

See. Size DOES matter. Daffy I think this same sort of reasoning is why Sony came out with the 7" PRS-900. I think if a reader is much bigger than that it becomes more difficult to carry around full time.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by kennyc

See. Size DOES matter. Daffy I think this same sort of reasoning is why Sony came out with the 7" PRS-900. I think if a reader is much bigger than that it becomes more difficult to carry around full time.

Contrary to what some people wish to believe, Sony in general does not give a damn about usability or ergonomics in their products unless they're pulling the design from a company they purchase, or if they get lucky with a design and decide to milk it until it's inconvenient.

Their actual attention to usability (and consumer feedback about it) is so low that it's a little surprising that any hardware/software patchwork to improve it even exists.

[kennyc]

Do you have any facts to back that up or are you spouting off and contradicting whatever I type?

[Latinandgreek]

I think 8 inches is about the largest a reader can be before it becomes not very portable. Or rather, 8 inches is the largest reader I can imagine carrying about with me in my purse. I do want a larger screened reader, 10 inches or so, but for academic reading. I don't imagine I'd read much fiction on a screen that large. I would love to try out an 8 inch screen for fiction, however.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Do you have any facts to back that up or are you spouting off and contradicting whatever I type?

I'm spouting off opinions from my own professional experience that happen to contradict much of what you type. Many designers have had a good laugh at Sony's many many "unique" designs over the years, me included. Some sympathy needs to be extended sometimes to the individual creatives, as they don't always get the freedom they expected when they took the job...but it's hard not to chuckle at Sony's choices from time to time.

My most recent such chuckle was when waiting to see how many generations of Sony Alpha DSLRs would pass before throwing away the good design features from Minolta while keeping the bad ones.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Ervserver

I want the largest screen possible to read my Playboys

And you want color and tactile feedback too.