Do you spend more time with your tablet or your laptop?

[radius]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

How does CDisplayEx or Comixology reader respond to touch only interface? I've tried looking, but haven't found much

Comixology is ok. Cover is the best independent touch app, but isn't free if you want it to maintain your library for you. If you double click on files in the Explorer then it works great for display.

I would stay away from the desktop based ones. Except maybe ComicRack if you are the kind of person that can handle many options and deep software.

I prefer Android to Apple, but from what I can remember, a 4:3 screen is closer to traditional comic page dimensions than 16:10. So comics on an iPad fit the screen better. Don't ask me to back that up with actual facts. There's many nerd arguments about it on the interwebs.

This is mostly personal preference. Standard comics are mostly pretty close to 3:2 (so a Surface is perfect). On a 4:3 machine you either get small black bars on the side, or a small vertical scroll. Vice versa on the 16:10. For the same diagonal measurement, I think 4:3 works better because you typically care about fitting width more than fitting height (ie: a little vertical scrolling isn't a big deal, but horizontal scrolling is annoying). And the 4:3 will be a little wider for the same diagonal. And if you do fit width and height, then the page won't be any smaller on the 4:3 screen anyways.

That said, there are plenty of 4:3 Android tablets now aren't there? And the Pixel C is 1:root(2) which is good too.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by radius

Comixology is ok. Cover is the best independent touch app, but isn't free if you want it to maintain your library for you. If you double click on files in the Explorer then it works great for display.

I would stay away from the desktop based ones. Except maybe ComicRack if you are the kind of person that can handle many options and deep software.

I have Cover installed on my (non-touchscreen) Netbook. From what I've seen the Windows comic apps just seem so primitive options-wise compared to Android. Most don't even seem to be able to auto-crop the borders. Much less something like Perfect Viewer (or ComicRack) for Android that feature a grid interface when reading so that touching the top middle will take you back to your library, touching the bottom middle will bring up thumbnails of all the pages, etc. I've not seen any Windows app that comes close to that.

When my netbook finaly gives up the ghost, I'll likely replace it with a 2-in-1 so I can experience a Windows 10 tablet first hand.

Originally Posted by radius

Standard comics are mostly pretty close to 3:2 (so a Surface is perfect). On a 4:3 machine you either get small black bars on the side, or a small vertical scroll. Vice versa on the 16:10. For the same diagonal measurement, I think 4:3 works better because you typically care about fitting width more than fitting height (ie: a little vertical scrolling isn't a big deal, but horizontal scrolling is annoying). And the 4:3 will be a little wider for the same diagonal. And if you do fit width and height, then the page won't be any smaller on the 4:3 screen anyways.

I just know on my 16:10 tablet when fitting for width I usually wind up with letterbox bars across the top and bottom. Since 4:3 screens are wider, I figure the image will fit without those bars, or pretty close anyway. So a similar sized screen would give you a 'larger' image, if only slightly.

Originally Posted by radius

That said, there are plenty of 4:3 Android tablets now aren't there? And the Pixel C is 1:root(2) which is good too.

I have a Nook HD+ which is 4:3 and would work great as a comic viewer if the battery weren't shot (a full charge runs out in about twenty minutes).

I also like the Nexus 9 except a) no SD card and b) I can't justify buying another tablet when my current one works just fine.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I just know on my 16:10 tablet when fitting for width I usually wind up with letterbox bars across the top and bottom. Since 4:3 screens are wider, I figure the image will fit without those bars, or pretty close anyway. So a similar sized screen would give you a 'larger' image, if only slightly.

I have a Nook HD+ which is 4:3 and would work great as a comic viewer if the battery weren't shot (a full charge runs out in about twenty minutes).

The HD+ is actually 3:2, so optimal if Radius is correct, and single pages from most comics do fit nicely. I also have a HD+, and more often opt for my desktop monitor for comics. I can't complain overall about the HD+, considering it's still kicking and currently running Nougat, 5+ years later. But, it tends to either be having performance issues or dead battery, or both. It also has issues changing orientation, better or worse depending on which ROM and how fresh, which makes two page spreads even more anticlimactic. It already takes something away when instead of twice as big, a two page spread is half scale on any tablet, and additional glitchiness doesn't help.

If I do pull the trigger on the projector tablet, I'll have the option of throwing up two page spreads on the wall on a 70" diagonal, if not at the sharpest resolution

If I were just looking for a good value in a large tablet, and not the extra utility of the projector, I would probably go with the Tab 3 Pro's little brother, the Tab 3 Plus, just keeping in mind you might have to run a few scripts from XDA to resolve a couple issues (but also, unlike the Pro, root is available). It has the same QHD+ screen, same probably-the-best-on-any-tablet speakers, and same massive charge-your-phone-off-it battery, but slightly lower specs and no projector, for 40% less monies.

Oh, and if I didn't mention, I'm leaning very much toward the Tab 3 Pro. I've seen more reviews of the projector (mostly on the previous model, but same projector), and people are finding it very viable and even preferable to a HD TV for bedroom viewing. I've also had some feedback from two guys who have the new Pro, one on XDA and one on YouTube, and both say performance is solid.

[radius]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I have Cover installed on my (non-touchscreen) Netbook. From what I've seen the Windows comic apps just seem so primitive options-wise compared to Android. Most don't even seem to be able to auto-crop the borders. Much less something like Perfect Viewer (or ComicRack) for Android that feature a grid interface when reading so that touching the top middle will take you back to your library, touching the bottom middle will bring up thumbnails of all the pages, etc. I've not seen any Windows app that comes close to that.

Ah, I like Cover because it includes just the things most needed for reading IMO and nothing else

If you want all the bells and whistles and you have a full laptop, what's wrong with ComicRack?

I personally mostly read with Perfect Viewer on Android, but the developer seems to prioritize new features and just futzing around instead of stability and that occasionally annoys me.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by radius

If you want all the bells and whistles and you have a full laptop, what's wrong with ComicRack?

To me, border cropping and the ability to assign functions to areas of the screen aren't bells and whistles. They are what make reading on a touch interface device practical.

I don't read on my laptop. I've just experimented with the Windows apps to see what it might be like to read on a Windows tablet.

Originally Posted by radius

I personally mostly read with Perfect Viewer on Android, but the developer seems to prioritize new features and just futzing around instead of stability and that occasionally annoys me.

I feel like Perfect Viewer could use a visual refresh. The cover thumbnails are too small and the folders are ugly. I love the library setup of Challenger (once I've tweaked it), but I like the reading experience on Perfect Viewer. Each app has pluses and minuses.


I found a Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 for $200 on Craigslist. Wish me luck. That tablet has a screen size almost identical to a typical comic book.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I found a Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 for $200 on Craigslist. Wish me luck. That tablet has a screen size almost identical to a typical comic book.

I crossed that one off my list for one reason or another... maybe just because it's older, or overpriced for what it is, or small storage and no card. At $200, hell yeah - good luck. Is it the 64GB? I don't know what I would do with a 32GB device with no expandable storage.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by taosaur

I crossed that one off my list for one reason or another... maybe just because it's older, or overpriced for what it is, or small storage and no card. At $200, hell yeah - good luck. Is it the 64GB? I don't know what I would do with a 32GB device with no expandable storage.

The Samsung 12.2 models do have an SD card slot. But in general, it is overpriced or too much for me anyway.

The model listed has 64 GB. It's a Note, so it has a stylus too, though honestly, I'd only ever read comics and do some light browsing.

[taosaur]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

The Samsung 12.2 models do have an SD card slot. But in general, it is overpriced or too much for me anyway.

The model listed has 64 GB. It's a Note, so it has a stylus too, though honestly, I'd only ever read comics and do some light browsing.

I would snatch that up as long as they don't want to meet in a back alley and the thing powers on. Libraries are a good spot for CL electronics transactions.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by taosaur

I would snatch that up as long as they don't want to meet in a back alley and the thing powers on. Libraries are a good spot for CL electronics transactions.

Alas, the guy had sold it already

[taosaur]

I did pull the trigger on the projector tablet. Should get it tomorrow. I'm still hoping someone over at XDA gets root at least, but I've grilled a couple of people who own it and they're saying the skinning is minimal and the performance is solid out of the box.