Finding Your Book Interrupted ... By the Tablet You Read It On

[Mrs. Marple]

Now I have been guilty of sitting with my Kobo Vox on one chair arm and my net book on the other. I liked the idea of having internet with the Vox when away from home, so hubby could surf while I'm in a store shopping, but as it works out, I need the Vox too, because it has my shopping list on it. Poor hubby, it was his Christmas present. I bet he misses it! Oh, back to the original question, I think you can be equally distracted while holding a paper book, and noticing the clouds drifting by. Some people are just easily distracted. Some have tunnel vision.

[LuvReadin]

Originally Posted by JDK1962

I bought my Samsung Galaxy Pad 10.1 explicitly to read PDFs, after a year of trying and failing to get a worthwhile PDF reading experience on my Kindle 3.

Ah well, that's why I said 'almost certainly' But if you'd been able to get that experience with an e-reader, would you have bothered buying a tablet?

[heySkippy]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Ease of dictionary look-up is an advantage.

No kidding! I've been reading lots of 100+ year old books lately (what can I say, I'm cheap!) and the iPad dictionary has helped tremendously with the archaic language.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by vxf

I just don't get it. If you can't focus, the problem is not your tablet.

Exactly. The problem is you can't shut out your environment. And if you can't shut out or ignore the popups and messages and such from your reading device, you need a different device. (With most of them, simply shutting off the wireless connection--putting it in airplane mode--will do the trick.)

The article acts as if we are too immature to ignore a tweet or email when it comes in. “These apps beg you to review them all the time.” Weenies.

[jonrkc]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

I only read newspapers on my tablet, not books. And usually I turn the WiFi off when I do.

Though I read both news and books on my tablets, I sometimes turn wi-fi off when reading a book. Even if I don't, if I want to read the book, I just read it. I'm not even tempted to do the other things a tablet offers. But then I don't do any social networking or play games. :-)

I also use dedicated ereaders.

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by vxf

I just don't get it. If you can't focus, the problem is not your tablet.

There are people who have such poor focus issues they couldn't finish typing a

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by vxf

I just don't get it. If you can't focus, the problem is not your tablet.

This is sort of where I am too, you know?

I mean, if you have a concentration disability -- and I have a bit of one, but it's manageable for me -- you maybe shouldn't buy or read on a tablet. But... these articles make it out like the problem is the tablet, and that the problem would be evident to anyone using it. And for me at least, it's not.

I am equally distractable no matter what I'm reading on. I put down paper books to check my email. I put down my eReader to check my email. I zip out of my eReader app to check my email.

If anything, the tablet is reducing the "check email" time and letting me get back to "reading" faster.

ETA: Mind you, if the device is popping up notifications, that can be legitimately distracting. But I don't really have that happen on my tablet/phone except email, which I do care very strongly about.

[spindlegirl]

Prior to me getting an e-reader I used to read all my e-books via calibre on my netbook. Having a tablet with all those same apps installed would be really no different.

[JDK1962]

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Ah well, that's why I said 'almost certainly' But if you'd been able to get that experience with an e-reader, would you have bothered buying a tablet?

Definitely not.

I had been thinking of a Kindle DX, but have a lot of science eBooks where color is useful. I went with the tablet, but it was definitely purchased as an e-reader, not as a multipurpose gadget.

[hrosvit]

Every evening when I leave work, I intend to go straight home and get some things done around the house. But all of the bars I pass on the way home are too distracting, and I end up sitting in one and drinking til midnight. Can't something be done about my car, which has those darn see-through windows which don't block my view of the bars? How am I expected to resist?

More seriously, I agree with several earlier posts on two points. First, I bought my Nook Color for the very reason that it is a multi-purpose device, and it eliminates the need for me to carry several devices when I travel. When I intend to read on it, I read on it. I don't get pop ups about emails, texts, viagra offers or messages from my alien overlords. If you're getting all kinds of "pop-ups", change your settings. Second, if you are that easily distracted from reading, maybe you don't really want to be reading. That's your issue, not your device's.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I've got a tablet. And I don't get popups for new emails, sms, facebook, twitter, etc. Those can be turned off...

They certainly can, if I so wished it. But I use my tablet for reasons OTHER than reading ebooks.

My iPAD is my comic reader, reference gatherer for my hobby and a social device. It is not an ereader for me.

When I settle down to read a novel, I use the specifically designed device allocated to that task.

As an addition; portable backlit LCD devices give me whopping eyestrain headaches after about 20 minutes constant reading use. I would certainly consider that a distraction.

[BeccaPrice]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

How different is this than reading in a living room where the TV and computer are both on? .

I can't do that, either. I don't need complete silence - I often read while listening to music, but the tv is way too distracting for me... something about the noise level, I think, or the flashing pictures.

[JSWolf]

One way to keep reading and stop being distracted is to block MR.

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

One way to keep reading and stop being distracted is to block MR.

How very true. On the other hand, this is also reading -- sort of.

[Sydney's Mom]

It is difficult. That is why I didn't set up email on my Fire. Unfortunately, I did download Solitare and Angry Birds. But I still like the Fire better for reading at night - the white on black in really unabtrusive.