Ideal/maximum weight for 7-8"-ish tablets for extended single-handed use (reading)?

[avid01]

Very interesting comparison (from February, 2014) of the Kindle Paperwhite 2 (0.45 lbs/206 g) and the iPad Mini Retina - now called the iPad Mini 2, at (0.73 lbs/331 g): http://www.janet.tokerud.com/ereadin...d-mini-retina/

Quote:

Bottom Line
Advantages of the Paperwhite 2 for ereading:

• Size and weight is great for extended reading (over 30 minutes)

On another blog Eolake Stobblehouse writes:

What I would like that we still don't have, is a 5 to 6-inch ereader under 200 grams, about the weight of the lightest Kindle, but a full-fledged tablet with a good LED screen.

So what these two bloggers concluded is, that the 0.73 lbs/331 g iPad Mini 2 deemed to be too heavy for comfortable, extended (30 minutes or more) single handed use, while the 206 g Kindle Paperwhite 2 is just perfect for that.

Newsflash: according to rumors, the upcoming iPad Mini release will be thinner, lighter (think iPad Air 2 design), but there is also another new contender, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0:

• Status: Coming soon. Exp. release 2015, September
• Weight: 0.58 lbs/265 g (Wi-Fi)
• Resolution: 1536 x 2048 pixels (~320 ppi pixel density)

Its weight at 0.58 lbs/265 g lbs is just between the above reviewed iPad Mini 2 and Kindle Paperwhite 2. (My wild guess is, the iPad Mini Air or how it will be named, will be slightly heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0.)

The question is, what might be the maximum ideal weight for a tablet for continuous single-handed use, that is, reading for you, or for most people?

Please don't make it a discussion about e-reader vs. tablet, Android vs. iOS vs. Kindle, even not a discussion about the ideal single-handed reader size. Only about weight; thank you.

[DiapDealer]

I read one-handed with my Nexus 7 (2013) for hours at a time. I have no idea what it weighs, but I know it's never been a factor for me.

[avid01]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I read one-handed with my Nexus 7 (2013) for hours at a time. I have no idea what it weighs, but I know it's never been a factor for me.

It's 0.64lbs/290g.

[haydnfan]

I don't think it's the weight, it's the lack of bezel for good grip. Fine in landscape mode. Continual pressure from grasping that thin edge is not ideal for long stretches. No current model ipad was meant for using in portrait mode one handed for extended periods of time. Making it thinner will actually just make it worse.

Tablets are sleek covered with plastic, aluminum and metal. They are pretty. Ereaders are a little bulkier with a rubberized cover. They are meant to be easy to hold for long periods of time.

If I were you I would not buy the most awesome highly marketed svelt tablet to use as an ereader. I would look for the following things:

(a) no more than 8 inches to keep the weight down,
(b) has a fat ugly side bezel,
(c) thick enough that it is easy to hold, thin enough that it doesn't look ugly,
(d) has custom skins so you can add something rubberized to improve grip,
(e) has high enough resolution that you don't see the screen door effect which hurts readability.

For example the Fire HDX models fit the bill more readily than a Galaxy.

[haydnfan]

FYI I could hold the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet back when they are well above 300 g.

[JSWolf]

I have a Kobo Aura H2O at 233g/.51lbs and I can easily hold it with one hand. It's not heavy at all.

[Apache]

I read on a Nook HD+ and one handed reading does not bother me. Everyone will have their own preference and different factors can affect our choices. Body size, hand and arm strength, health among others.
Apache

[meeera]

I have disabilities affecting my wrists and hands. I read happily on my H2O for long periods, but supported by pillows. For me it is definitely noticeably heavier than my six inch Aura. My iPad mini Retina is far too heavy for me to read holding in my hands for more than a handful of minutes - I only read comics on that in bed with a carefully constructed pillow nest system.

But if the quoted blogger is happy to look at five inch screens but wants a fully fledged tablet style OS and non eink screen, why are they not simply looking at phones and phablets? There's plenty to choose from in that class of device, isn't there?

[DiapDealer]

Every device I've ever read with (Palm Vx, Kindle 2, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle Fire, Nexus 7) has been the ideal weight.

Instead of worrying about grams/ounces, I'd recommend simply putting a lot of different devices in your hand and seeing how they feel. It's quite possible that you're not all that weight-sensitive (like me). Plenty of time to look up the grams/ounces once you know if it's a factor or not.

[issybird]

I'm struggling with my H2O in its Fintie cover. It's too heavy and I have a hard time managing the page turn tap when I try to one-hand it. This is in comparison to my beloved Sony 950, which doesn't seem as heavy and which has a much easier to manage page-turn button for one-handed reading.

[theducks]

There is no 'Perfect' size, shape or weight, because, as shown by the replies, we all are different in size, shape and physical abilities.

(I mostly read while lying down)

My PEz is light... But I use it in a case (more weight, but still fairly light), which allows me to hold it one-hand and still use the page turn jog wheel.

My K4NT is also in a case. For similar reasons. Hold it one-handed. The difference (and reason I still prefer the PEz), Location of 'forward'. I have Big Hands (XL glove), the button is not in the 'optimum' location for me.

My TAB2 is (already) heavy and awkward to hold in such a way to not get false operations.

My 2cents, there will always be a market for a variety of configurations/models

[Tarana]

None of the current ereaders weigh as much as a paperback. That's a huge plus, especially if you have a fondness for doorstop books.

My sister has a lot of pain in her wrists, so I gave her my Nook (missed it and later bought a Nook Glo for myself). Even with the mini-light's additional slight weight, she can read with it way better than she could paperbacks because the weight isn't giving her wrists problems.

Tablets are a different story. For prolonged reading, I usually use some kind of support pillow and read in a recliner. I don't really have a problem with the Kindle Fire HD, but it is heavier than the ereaders. Also, covers on ereaders can add a lot of weight. I bought a kindle keyboard from someone who didn't use theirs and the leather cover she had on it weighed more than the ereader. My other ereaders just have a protective sleeve that comes off when reading.

[disconnected]

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm struggling with my H2O in its Fintie cover. It's too heavy and I have a hard time managing the page turn tap when I try to one-hand it. This is in comparison to my beloved Sony 950, which doesn't seem as heavy and which has a much easier to manage page-turn button for one-handed reading.

I don't seem to be able to comfortably manage any of my ereaders totally one-handed-- even my adorable little six-inch Aura.

I use all of these for my H2O —

On a table –
http://www.amazon.com/Gibson-Holders...keywords=3AC-B

In a chair on my lap --
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o01_s00

In bed, on my stomach or a pillow --
https://www.etsy.com/listing/2387316..._home_active_7

I've bought a lot of stands over the years..... also skins.... and cases... and ereaders of course.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

Tablets are sleek covered with plastic, aluminum and metal. They are pretty. Ereaders are a little bulkier with a rubberized cover. They are meant to be easy to hold for long periods of time.

The solution to that is to put them in a case which makes them comfortable to hold. I have my iPad Mini in a leather case.

It's definitely noticeably heavier than the Kindle Paperwhite, but I can't say that that makes it uncomfortable to read with, personally speaking. And I do read on my iPad Mini for extended periods of time.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The solution to that is to put them in a case which makes them comfortable to hold. I have my iPad Mini in a leather case.

It's definitely noticeably heavier than the Kindle Paperwhite, but I can't say that that makes it uncomfortable to read with, personally speaking. And I do read on my iPad Mini for extended periods of time.

Same here ... but with the Nexus 7. The leather cover folded back on itself gives me the perfect, one-handed (right handed) grip. A finger or two between the covers and the rest of them behind (the bottom-right corner of the device snuggled squarely into the meat of my palm) gives me a solid (but not clenching) grip that leaves my thumb entirely free to turn pages (by tapping of course; swiping is wasted motion). Works equally well for me sitting or supine.

I've used the hand strap on the inside of the cover (folded back), but unless I find a way to clamp the front of the cover to the back, the device itself flops around and swings and dangles free from the rest of the cover whenever reading supine.