eInk v. Smart Phone

[covingtoncat73]

I apologize if this is not in the right place.

So, I got a Smart Phone in the summer that runs on Android and put both the Kindle and Kobo apps on it as well as the overdrive app for library books. I had been reading pretty exclusively on the phone for months and had read on the Kobo for several months before that. I have gone back to reading on my Kobo and would like to offer my thoughts on how they compare.

1. Battery Life: Kobo wins here. Smart Phones eat batteries when you're reading. I only get hours of life while unplugged with the phone. With the Kobo, I get days.

2. Distraction: I am way more likely to browse the Internet on my phone (I have Sprint so unlimited data) instead of read. I am a bit less ADHD when reading on the Kobo.

3. Night Light: Now, I liked reading in bed at night with the phone. Reminded me of reading with a flashlight under the covers as a kid. I got a little light for the Kobo now, though.

4. I hate reading on a touch screen! I was always skipping ahead and otherwise losing my place due to the phone's touch screen. My basic little Kobo WiFi doesn't have that problem. Also, if I fell asleep reading in bed with the phone, I would definitely lose my place and also maybe "butt dial" someone in my sleep.

5. Apps are nice: The Kobo app is fun and the Amazon app is pretty killer. It is fun to instantly read like that. I could buy directly from Kobo on the Kobo WiFi but the lack of a keyboard makes that hard. I always sideload from the computer to my Kobo. The Overdrive app is awesome, too.

6. Screen Size Matters: The screen on the cell phone is pretty small. I don't have a problem seeing small and it is a nice, clear screen but the Kobo's screen has that eInk book-like look and is closer to the size of a mass market paperback page (though still a bit smaller). I don't have to scroll as much.

Anyway, I am just fortunate to have those 2 devices. The phone makes a nice back-up reading device as well as kind of being a mini-tablet. I don't think I'll ever like reading on a touch-screen, though, and I need the greater battery life and like the larger screen size of the Kobo. How do touch screen peeps keep from losing their place?

[CWatkinsNash]

I, too, got a smartphone this summer, and my experience was nearly identical to yours, except with a Kindle instead of a Kobo. I use the Kindle app on the phone, and use it sometimes when I go to the park. In fact, part of the reason I got the phone was because I found myself carting my phone, my iPod, and my compact camera to the park. The smartphone does all of the above plus tracks my walking mileage. The idea to read on it came later.

I could never switch to reading on the phone exclusively or even often, but it's great when I find myself without my Kindle.

[The Terminator]

I read on my phone only when I don't have my Kobo Touch. It bugs my eyes a bit if I read to long on my phone.

[Phogg]

I read on my phone a lot, that is why I bought a phone with a five inch screen.



I use reading apps that allow page turns using the volume buttons, that way I can avoid touchscreen hassles and read one handed.

[sabredog]

An e-ink reader moment in time...

OPen cover, slide power button and start reading....

bliss....

A smartphone moment in time....

Drag out my iphone for a bit of reading.

Fire up Stanza and get stuck into an Edgar Rice Burroughs omnibus gained free from Mobileread.

Five minutes of reading....enjoyable....

Minute 6 - SMS
Minute 7 - appointment reminder
Minute 11 - email notification pop-up
Minute 13 - Angry Birds!!!
Minute 14 - incoming phone call from lady wife...

Now in contrast with me e-ink ereader, I would STILL enjoying uninterrupted reading and not dismissing distracting pop-ups and pushing the answer call button

(well I would have got the phone out for that call!)

The e-ink vs backlit LCD is another debate entirely, but my eyes love e-ink!

[amward]

Dumb questions here, does the Overdrive app work for an Ipod touch? And how does it work without ADE or do you need that too? And where do I get it? I was checking out the Overdrive site yesterday and while it said it was there I couldn't make anything happen. Still not sure if I want to read on the Ipod ( I got it for audio books) but it would be good to have the option.

[shanghaichica]

eink. Sometimes I read on my iphone for conveniance, i.e im on a really crowded train and have no space to get out my kindle, or I often read on my iphone when i'm reading on the sly! e.g. I should be doing something else but I'm having a sneaky read. However 9 times out of 10 I read on my kindle.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by sabredog

Minute 6 - SMS
Minute 7 - appointment reminder
Minute 11 - email notification pop-up
Minute 13 - Angry Birds!!!
Minute 14 - incoming phone call from lady wife...

No such distractions here except for the occasional call and SMS. I have email set to manual so no annoying pop-ups/notifications. I'm very good at tuning out distractions when I want to.

Originally Posted by amward

Dumb questions here, does the Overdrive app work for an Ipod touch? And how does it work without ADE or do you need that too? And where do I get it? I was checking out the Overdrive site yesterday and while it said it was there I couldn't make anything happen. Still not sure if I want to read on the Ipod ( I got it for audio books) but it would be good to have the option.

Yes, it does. You don't need ADE, you just download the Overdrive app from the App store. The Overdrive app handles all the authorization and stuff. You just visit the library directly from your iPod Touch and when you tap Download (for Adobe EPUB ebooks), it will automatically launch and download the ebook to Overdrive. Overdrive provides an easy to navigate mobile site so you could even do your browsing/search/check-out directly from your iPod Touch.

[Namekuseijin]

I don't exchange my real personal computer for nothing.

Thanks to so much propaganda in these forums favoring eInk devices, I've been tempted on and off to get at least a Kindle. But I don't really see any major benefit. Seems like a superficial gadget to invest, featuring as the only real benefit the battery life.

Originally Posted by sabredog

Drag out my iphone for a bit of reading.

Fire up Stanza and get stuck into an Edgar Rice Burroughs omnibus gained free from Mobileread.

Five minutes of reading....enjoyable....

Minute 6 - SMS
Minute 7 - appointment reminder
Minute 11 - email notification pop-up
Minute 13 - Angry Birds!!!
Minute 14 - incoming phone call from lady wife...

We've done that jig already, right? Distractions are a part of everyday life, either SMS, videogames, TV, kids running amok while you're under your stereotypical kindle tree, birds singing etc.

It's up to you to ignore all of that if you wanna read. At least with a smartphone, it's as easy as uninstalling the damned Angry Birds and putting the network down with the touch of the Plane Mode button.

[RainingLemur]

When I'm reading stuff on my phone or the Nook Color (pretty much in the same category to me, anyhow), I'm pretty good about ignoring the other things that pop up on them like messages, emails, etc. If I sit down to read, that's what I'm going to do. I'll ignore MOST calls that come through since I don't want to be roped into doing free tech-support, listen to this TOTALLY AWESOME STORY that goes on for hours, or basically play On-Star for my "directionally challenged" pal.

At the least, with an eInk thing...I don't have to worry about too many other things.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

I'll ignore MOST calls that come through since I don't want to be roped into doing free tech-support, listen to this TOTALLY AWESOME STORY that goes on for hours, or basically play On-Star for my "directionally challenged" pal.

Unfortunately, the tech support for family, I have to do regardless of whether I'm reading on my PRS-350 or on my smartphone. Any phone calls (could be home or mobile) from family are answered right away, unless I'm in the bathroom. Thankfully, I'm anti-social enough that I don't need to deal with the rest.

[toddos]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Unfortunately, the tech support for family, I have to do regardless of whether I'm reading on my PRS-350 or on my smartphone. Any phone calls (could be home or mobile) from family are answered right away, unless I'm in the bathroom. Thankfully, I'm anti-social enough that I don't need to deal with the rest.

Time to wean family off of using you as tech support? I did that over a decade ago.

90% or more of my reading is phone-based because it's always with me. But even when I'm reading at home I'll go for the phone over the Nook, mostly because I read in bed while the wife is asleep and I've not yet found a book light that she can stand. The backlight from the phone does not keep her up, though.

[Namekuseijin]

why do you even have a Nook then?

[toddos]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

why do you even have a Nook then?

Because I can?

It works great when on vacation, sitting poolside or on the beach in bright sunlight, where I wouldn't want to risk damaging my phone. It's also good for long plane flights where I may not have the ability to charge my phone mid-flight.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

I don't exchange my real personal computer for nothing.

Thanks to so much propaganda in these forums favoring eInk devices, I've been tempted on and off to get at least a Kindle. But I don't really see any major benefit. Seems like a superficial gadget to invest, featuring as the only real benefit the battery life.

Yep, because they are the preferred method of reading ebooks. Got to love the emotive choice of words there.

Propaganda? Good grief.

We've done that jig already, right? Distractions are a part of everyday life, either SMS, videogames, TV, kids running amok while you're under your stereotypical kindle tree, birds singing etc.

Yep because it is true. Oh, you forgot that your phone might be ringing as well.

It's up to you to ignore all of that if you wanna read. At least with a smartphone, it's as easy as uninstalling the damned Angry Birds and putting the network down with the touch of the Plane Mode button.

Why would I disable a mobile's phone primary function to read a book? Very strange.