Simple To Use Eink Reader For The Visually Impaired

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

The advantage of the H2O is the larger screen, and really the 265 vs 300 DPI difference between the H2O and the Glo HD is negligible. The increased screen size allows for more text on the page even at larger text sizes.

I just tested on my H2O and setting the text size to the highest setting the letters are still very sharp, I did not see any notable distortions.

Check the OP's post. Do you hold the H2O and Glo HD just 4 inches from your eyes? (Without glasses my focus is around 6 inches. I'm assuming the OP's is worse.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Check the OP's post. Do you hold the H2O and Glo HD just 4 inches from your eyes? (Without glasses my focus is around 6 inches. I'm assuming the OP's is worse.)

I'm extremely short-sighted (my glasses have a correction of +11 diopters), and often read at night in bed without my glasses on, with my reader or phone held only 3 or 4 inches from my eyes. I couldn't personally see any difference in text smoothness between the 260ppi Kobo H2O and the 300ppi Kindle Voyage. Both just look completely "smooth", with no pixels visible on either. On the other hand, I can see pixels on my 212ppi Kindle PW2, so for me the pixels "disappear" at a pixel density of somewhere between 212 and 260ppi.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm extremely short-sighted (my glasses have a correction of +11 diopters), and often read at night in bed without my glasses on, with my reader or phone held only 3 or 4 inches from my eyes. I couldn't personally see any difference in text smoothness between the 260ppi Kobo H2O and the 300ppi Kindle Voyage. Both just look completely "smooth", with no pixels visible on either. On the other hand, I can see pixels on my 212ppi Kindle PW2, so for me the pixels "disappear" at a pixel density of somewhere between 212 and 260ppi.

Ah - interesting. I suppose it might be the same for the OP. But I still don't see that the extra size is helpful when the reader is held so close.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

But I still don't see that the extra size is helpful when the reader is held so close.

I agree. When the device is that close to your eyes, a 6" screen completely fills your field of vision. A larger screen might actually be worse, in fact, in that you'd have to move it around more to see the whole page.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I agree. When the device is that close to your eyes, a 6" screen completely fills your field of vision. A larger screen might actually be worse, in fact, in that you'd have to move it around more to see the whole page.

The OP hasn't specified a distance, and simple myopia is different from being legally blind. They've mentioned they need to put the font size up as well as keep the reader close, so things that apply to us myopics may not apply to them. (Personally, when I read without my visual aids, it's maybe a handspan or so from my face, and in a tiny font.)

[s1mp13m4n]

Howdy again folks. Well both are true for me actually. As I type this, I can streth my pointer finger and thumb and touch the screen and my nose. That is how close I am sitting to a 22 inch computer monitor. I have no real depth perception and my eye condition that I was born with is called Optic Atrophy. What means in english is that my eyes are good and the brain is good (I sometimes disagree because I have to live with me), but the patch cable between them is not. Therefor the detail is just not there. What that means to me is that if print is too small, I can not see it. If it is too large it starts to jump/move around on me. There is a sweet spot that I have to find and I usually do. I have limited field of vision so on a computer for example a larger 27 inch screen would be a waste. A smaller screen and you have to scroll too much with larger text to make reading enjoyable. Thus I read far more on my iPad than say a smartphone. For me simple, clean, and basic work best most of the time. For me the frills and "wow" features that appeal to many ereader buyers normally make things worse for me. I like feel and tactile things....which stinks in the eink ereader world because many now do not have page turn buttons like the older models did.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by meeera

The OP hasn't specified a distance, and simple myopia is different from being legally blind.

I wasn't intending for a moment to suggest that the two conditions were remotely similar. My apologies if my post was ambiguous enough to suggest otherwise.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

Howdy again folks. Well both are true for me actually. As I type this, I can streth my pointer finger and thumb and touch the screen and my nose. That is how close I am sitting to a 22 inch computer monitor. I have no real depth perception and my eye condition that I was born with is called Optic Atrophy. What means in english is that my eyes are good and the brain is good (I sometimes disagree because I have to live with me), but the patch cable between them is not. Therefor the detail is just not there. What that means to me is that if print is too small, I can not see it. If it is too large it starts to jump/move around on me. There is a sweet spot that I have to find and I usually do. I have limited field of vision so on a computer for example a larger 27 inch screen would be a waste. A smaller screen and you have to scroll too much with larger text to make reading enjoyable. Thus I read far more on my iPad than say a smartphone. For me simple, clean, and basic work best most of the time. For me the frills and "wow" features that appeal to many ereader buyers normally make things worse for me. I like feel and tactile things....which stinks in the eink ereader world because many now do not have page turn buttons like the older models did.

Perhaps the Kindle Voyage then, with the haptic page turn buttons. It's the only current mainstream ereader I can think of that still has buttons.

Although it does seem that the higher resolution wouldn't be important for you after all.

[s1mp13m4n]

I am starting to wonder if an older used device would work just a well for me. In other words the higher resolution of the latest eink screen may go to waste on me. I remember that the first generation Nook had the buttons but had that useless (to me) small screen at the bottom. The Kindle keyboard model (I think it was dark grey in color) had the buttons but does not have ePub support.....yet had TTS if I ever need it. What about an older generation Kobo device? The one with the small D pad in the lower right corner.....what about a Sony? I am just trying to explore options here. Remember my goal is to read free material from my public library using OverDrive, free legal materials from sites such as Project Gutenberg, and side load my stuff I already own from my older Mac computer. All this help is great.

[cocopuff]

If you want a device that has physical buttons, I absolutely loved my nook simpletouch with glowlight (not the newer glowlight). I also love my kobo h2o, the bigger screen is nice. One advantage that might be good for you is fewer page turns with the larger screen, this is the one main advantage for the h2o over the nook for me. When I am laying in bed the fewer movements I have to make the more immersed I become in the reading experience. The h2o ends up being 150ish if you order it from chapters.ca and the nook can be found for around 100 but it is much older (screen not as sharp). I'd be very interested to see how an ereader works for you, it seems like they would be the perfect way and make books more accessible than ever before.

The better resolution makes the text crisper, you might not "need" it, but for the extra few $ you'll spend on a newer device it is definitely worth it. I agonized spending extra money on my h2o, but I have been so happy with it. It was the best present I've gotten myself.