Question for those that are reading on a smart phone

jbcohen · 02-10-2011, 09:50 AM

I am interested in possibly migrating to using my blackberry as an electronic reader but I have one concern. Is the battery on your blackberry up to powering the berry for long enough for you to read part of a book each day? I would estimate that I would use approximatly three hours of book reading per day. I have a blackberry tour 9630.

BoiseShan · 02-10-2011, 11:10 AM

I use the Kindle app (usually) on my Droid to read. I've found that I can easily read through a cross-country flight of several hours. I'll also use Overdrive when I have to, but the power drain with that is significantly more.

jbcohen · 02-10-2011, 11:11 AM

Any blackberry users read a book on your berrys? Is the battery up to the task?

elsussman · 02-10-2011, 11:25 AM

I read on my blackberry torch using the kindle app. I do not own a kindle. Before the torch I read using mobipocket on a palm treo 750. The torch battery is certainly sufficient for reading at least 2 or 3 hour stretch. The only time I read on paper is when the book is not available electronically. I find the convenience ease and portability of reading on the torch ideal

Namekuseijin · 02-10-2011, 11:29 AM

I don't have a Blackberry, but an Android. Androids are notorious power suckers. It so turns out that I quickly found out the one activity besides phoning that made the batteries last longer was precisely e-reading -- specially if you go white letters on black background.

I get about 3 hours worth of web browsing, taking photos, watching videos and all else -- then I gotta plug it into the USB PC port while at work. But if I just read ebooks, I believe it can endure all day long. Never tried it, because I mix e-reading with web browsing, but I'll try it when I get home today, after it's charged 100%...

leebase · 02-10-2011, 11:37 AM

Don't know about blackberry, sorry, but reading on my iPhone doesn't appear to drain the battery anymore than running any other non-net connected app. If I'm listening to podcasts (via the web), that can suck battery life rather quickly.

I can't imagine the Blackberry is any different.

Lee

=X= · 02-10-2011, 04:21 PM

I had a storm and it was up to the task, I've read several books that way. I now have an android phone and a nook and both devices hold up well. The tour has even more battery life so you should be fine.

Probably the biggest drawback you will have is the small screen size, you will be paging a lot.

Namekuseijin · 02-10-2011, 09:02 PM

hi, unfortunately, I wasn't able to hold to my promise of only ereading: after some good 2 hours of reading alone (finished "Murders of Rue Morgue"), I took a break on some web browsing elsewhere and my daughter played Angry Birds for awhile. It's currently at about 20% right now, 4 hours straight of varied usage, mostly reading.

I'll turn now just to ereading again to find out how much more it can endure with such low charge...

*edit*
I was able to get one more hour out of those 20%. If I can get pretty decent 5 hours worth of usage on various activities, sure I can get at least 7 hours out of plain ereading...

mostlynovels · 02-11-2011, 11:17 AM

Can Maximize Battery Life by
- Reduce screen's brightness (but do need high brightness in or near outside light).
- Don't use auto scrolling.

Can Minimize Screen's Brightness AND Eye Strain by
- Use white text on black background and then experiment further reducing brightness.
_

Namekuseijin · 02-11-2011, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mostlynovels

Can Maximize Battery Life by
- Reduce screen's brightness (but do need high brightness in or near outside light).
- Don't use auto scrolling.

Can Minimize Screen's Brightness AND Eye Strain by
- Use white text on black background and then experiment further reducing brightness.
_

yes, I realized those.

still, in a bus in movement, best bet is black letters on white paper: bright white letters on black background shaking all along is a mess to read.

jlmwrite · 02-11-2011, 12:22 PM

I have an AT&T Tilt 2 (Windows 6.5) smartphone. I used it as my only e-reader (first with MobiPocket and later with Freda) until I got a Kindle 3 late last year, then my NC after Christmas this year.

It wasn't at all uncommon for me to read an hour or two at a stretch with my phone, in addition to texting with my kiddos, a bit of light web surfing, and of course a couple of phone calls. There were days with kid sports practices when I'd have read for up to 4 hours total in a day. Even with extremely heavy use, my Tilt 2 only needs to be charged every 36 hours or so.

The one advantage my phone has over my e-readers is that my phone is always with me.

Don't know if the BB is up to it or not. I have a co-worker with a Storm and his battery is sucked down in 12 hours from talking, texting and music.

Crowl · 02-12-2011, 08:33 AM

I don't tend to use it a lot as my kindle is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket anyway, but the blackberry works just fine as an ebook reader and there are no problems with battery life since it is not a use that drains the battery a lot such as making a lot of calls because you aren't using the wireless radio.

dmacmart · 02-12-2011, 09:31 AM

I have a Richard Solo 1800 portable battery charger for my iPhone (actually I now have 2) which each extend the battery life by 100%. Useful for travelling. The first one I bought has lost some oomph but I use my iPhone A LOT!

I got them from richardsolo.com. They also make a Blackberry model. There are other models, smaller and less power or heavier and more powerful.

Also zagg.com sells at least one model (ZAGGsparq) which powers USB devices. Until tomorrow, you get free earbuds with a ZAGGsparq
http://www.zagg.com/j/promo/buysparq-freebuds.php
They normally sell for $49.99 I believe.

There are probably other options out there, but those are the two I know of.

SlowRain · 02-13-2011, 12:36 AM

I don't use a Blackberry, but a Samsung Galaxy S (Android). Like many have suggested, I turn my reading software's background to black and the text to grey. Android also has an app called Screen Filter, which will allow you to set the screen brightness to below the manufacturer's default minimum. That's especially handy for reading at night, but I use it during the day too. See if Blackberry has a similar app.

RolandD · 02-13-2011, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

I am interested in possibly migrating to using my blackberry as an electronic reader but I have one concern. Is the battery on your blackberry up to powering the berry for long enough for you to read part of a book each day? I would estimate that I would use approximatly three hours of book reading per day. I have a blackberry tour 9630.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Any blackberry users read a book on your berrys? Is the battery up to the task?

Quote:

Originally Posted by =X=

I had a storm and it was up to the task, I've read several books that way. I now have an android phone and a nook and both devices hold up well. The tour has even more battery life so you should be fine.

Probably the biggest drawback you will have is the small screen size, you will be paging a lot.

My Storm 2 is my sole reading device. I really don't notice any significant battery drain due to reading. Most days I read at least two or three hours every day. As for screen size, I started reading on my Pearl. It wasn't the best way to read, but it was serviceable. A Tour should be better.

02-10-2011, 09:50 AM	#1
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Question for those that are reading on a smart phone I am interested in possibly migrating to using my blackberry as an electronic reader but I have one concern. Is the battery on your blackberry up to powering the berry for long enough for you to read part of a book each day? I would estimate that I would use approximatly three hours of book reading per day. I have a blackberry tour 9630.

02-10-2011, 09:02 PM	#8
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	hi, unfortunately, I wasn't able to hold to my promise of only ereading: after some good 2 hours of reading alone (finished "Murders of Rue Morgue"), I took a break on some web browsing elsewhere and my daughter played Angry Birds for awhile. It's currently at about 20% right now, 4 hours straight of varied usage, mostly reading. I'll turn now just to ereading again to find out how much more it can endure with such low charge... edit I was able to get one more hour out of those 20%. If I can get pretty decent 5 hours worth of usage on various activities, sure I can get at least 7 hours out of plain ereading... Last edited by Namekuseijin; 02-11-2011 at 09:04 AM.

02-11-2011, 11:17 AM	#9
mostlynovels Member Posts: 10 Karma: 228 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: USA Device: past: Bookeen (2yrs); present: laptop(WinXP), 3.5"phone(WinMob6.5)	Maximize Battery Life Can Maximize Battery Life by - Reduce screen's brightness (but do need high brightness in or near outside light). - Don't use auto scrolling. Can Minimize Screen's Brightness AND Eye Strain by - Use white text on black background and then experiment further reducing brightness. _

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02-10-2011, 11:10 AM	#2
BoiseShan Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 14598 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kindle	I use the Kindle app (usually) on my Droid to read. I've found that I can easily read through a cross-country flight of several hours. I'll also use Overdrive when I have to, but the power drain with that is significantly more.

02-10-2011, 11:11 AM	#3
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Any blackberry users read a book on your berrys? Is the battery up to the task?

02-10-2011, 11:25 AM	#4
elsussman Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 1223962 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: kindle paperwhite, kindle voyage and android kindle app	I read on my blackberry torch using the kindle app. I do not own a kindle. Before the torch I read using mobipocket on a palm treo 750. The torch battery is certainly sufficient for reading at least 2 or 3 hour stretch. The only time I read on paper is when the book is not available electronically. I find the convenience ease and portability of reading on the torch ideal

02-10-2011, 11:29 AM	#5
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	I don't have a Blackberry, but an Android. Androids are notorious power suckers. It so turns out that I quickly found out the one activity besides phoning that made the batteries last longer was precisely e-reading -- specially if you go white letters on black background. I get about 3 hours worth of web browsing, taking photos, watching videos and all else -- then I gotta plug it into the USB PC port while at work. But if I just read ebooks, I believe it can endure all day long. Never tried it, because I mix e-reading with web browsing, but I'll try it when I get home today, after it's charged 100%...

02-10-2011, 11:37 AM	#6
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,932 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	Don't know about blackberry, sorry, but reading on my iPhone doesn't appear to drain the battery anymore than running any other non-net connected app. If I'm listening to podcasts (via the web), that can suck battery life rather quickly. I can't imagine the Blackberry is any different. Lee

02-10-2011, 04:21 PM	#7
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	I had a storm and it was up to the task, I've read several books that way. I now have an android phone and a nook and both devices hold up well. The tour has even more battery life so you should be fine. Probably the biggest drawback you will have is the small screen size, you will be paging a lot.

02-11-2011, 12:22 PM	#11
jlmwrite Zealot Posts: 143 Karma: 13398 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Golden, Colorado Device: Samsung Tab S8.4, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	I have an AT&T Tilt 2 (Windows 6.5) smartphone. I used it as my only e-reader (first with MobiPocket and later with Freda) until I got a Kindle 3 late last year, then my NC after Christmas this year. It wasn't at all uncommon for me to read an hour or two at a stretch with my phone, in addition to texting with my kiddos, a bit of light web surfing, and of course a couple of phone calls. There were days with kid sports practices when I'd have read for up to 4 hours total in a day. Even with extremely heavy use, my Tilt 2 only needs to be charged every 36 hours or so. The one advantage my phone has over my e-readers is that my phone is always with me. Don't know if the BB is up to it or not. I have a co-worker with a Storm and his battery is sucked down in 12 hours from talking, texting and music.

02-12-2011, 08:33 AM	#12
Crowl Wizard Posts: 1,340 Karma: 1160346 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Southport, GB Device: Kindle Voyage, PW Signature edition	I don't tend to use it a lot as my kindle is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket anyway, but the blackberry works just fine as an ebook reader and there are no problems with battery life since it is not a use that drains the battery a lot such as making a lot of calls because you aren't using the wireless radio.

02-12-2011, 09:31 AM	#13
dmacmart Fanatic Posts: 531 Karma: 696908 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Ottawa Canada Device: Kobo Mini, Glo, Arc, H2O, iPhone, iPad 2, (husband)Touch	I have a Richard Solo 1800 portable battery charger for my iPhone (actually I now have 2) which each extend the battery life by 100%. Useful for travelling. The first one I bought has lost some oomph but I use my iPhone A LOT! I got them from richardsolo.com. They also make a Blackberry model. There are other models, smaller and less power or heavier and more powerful. Also zagg.com sells at least one model (ZAGGsparq) which powers USB devices. Until tomorrow, you get free earbuds with a ZAGGsparq http://www.zagg.com/j/promo/buysparq-freebuds.php They normally sell for $49.99 I believe. There are probably other options out there, but those are the two I know of.

02-13-2011, 12:36 AM	#14
SlowRain Addict Posts: 311 Karma: 9553 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: a Canadian expat in Taiwan Device: HTC 10, Asus Phonepad	I don't use a Blackberry, but a Samsung Galaxy S (Android). Like many have suggested, I turn my reading software's background to black and the text to grey. Android also has an app called Screen Filter, which will allow you to set the screen brightness to below the manufacturer's default minimum. That's especially handy for reading at night, but I use it during the day too. See if Blackberry has a similar app.