Comments on: Reading a book in four different formats

By: Johan

Johan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:03:18 +0000

I started reading ebooks years ago in the Army, where space for personal stuff was at a premium. Since then I have read north of 500 ebooks, all on screens smaller than that of the iPhone. As long as changing the page is easy enough it is not a problem. It is just a matter of getting used to it, which you do after a dozen books or so.

Eyestrain is, in my experience, a sign that you haven’t managed your brightness, contrast and font settings properly. It is important that you have these settings correct for the lighting environment you are reading in. With comfortable setting I’ve done 10+ hours marathon reading sessions without problems with eyestrain.

By: borax99

borax99 — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:53:47 +0000

I read on my Sony PRS-505, Viliv S5, and Fujitsu P1610. So far, my absolute favourite is the Fuji, simply because it has the larger screen. I find the Sony is nice in broad daylight, but it is finicky when it comes to lighting conditions and the DRM is unpleasant.

The S5′s screen is about the same size as the iPhone’s. I can and do use it, but for longer stretches, a larger screen is a must. I use ereader, which allows me to mute the background to a light yellow – reduces eye fatigue considerably.

By: Devini

Devini — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:11:45 +0000

Audiobooks are great while walking back and forth to work. You’d be surprised how many you can listen to in a year. It requires more concentration than reading. Excellent for the mind especially if you’re in your mid-50′s.

E-ink vs iPhone reading?
Give me the iPhone any day. Being in my mid-50′s and bifocal-wearing I find no problem whatsoever reading for books on it for long periods of time.
The only reason I have a Sony PRS-700 is to purchase a wider range of titles; titles unavailable for reading on my iPhone.
With an iPhone you never have to worry about lighting issues, especially if you’re in your mid-50s and wear bifocals.

Lastly, the battery in my Sony PRS-700 with the lights on runs out of energy a lot faster than my iPhone battery (read with the 3G off).

By: Chris Meadows

Chris Meadows — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:40:59 +0000

@Jim: Until you’ve actually tried it, how do you know? It’s amazing how many people have said exactly the same thing until they actually gave it a shot and found that green eggs and ham were pretty tasty after all.

Some people, like Tassia, have given it a try and found it’s not for them, and that’s fine. But others have discovered that, given that you only read a few words at a time anyway, a screen the size of an iPhone or iPod Touch is more than sufficient. And there are ways to cut the glare, like switching to the white-on-black color scheme and lowering the brightness.

By: JimT

JimT — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:21:21 +0000

You’ve GOT to be kidding. Reading a book on a tiny phone screen? And a backlit screen at that? No way would I like that.

By: Tassia

Tassia — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:48:03 +0000

I read on both my Kindle and my iPhone. With the Kindle app on the iPhone and how it syncs with my regular Kindle, I can read for a while on one, then go to the other, then back again without losing my place.

Love my iPhone but as beautiful and crisp and BRIGHT as the screen is, after a while my eyes start to falter, while the Kindle’s e-ink display lets me read for hours with no more tiring than I would get from reading a regular p-book.

I’ve never been one who could get into a fiction audiobook, though I do enjoy listening to non-fiction, so I can’t compare that format with the others. Reading on my computer is very similar to the iPhone in that the screens are so bright that my eyes can’t take it after a while.

By: Greg M.

Greg M. — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:44:08 +0000

I agree with Al, I think the iPhone screen is too small for long reading times. My Dell Axim screen is roughly the same as the iPhone and I wouldn’t give up the eink for a phone, email, or other apps.

By: Al

Al — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:45:03 +0000

I guess the author of this blog is a lot younger than I am, because I use the Kindle font size 5 or 6 most of the time. I used to read books on my Palm T|X before the Kindle but no more. Type is too small and I cannot see the screen in bright sunlight. The screen is about the same size as the iPhone screen. I don’t carry a cell phone, but I do have my Kindle with me all the time.

By: Devini

Devini — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:27:15 +0000

Audiobooks, if the reader is skilled, can make the book come alive in ways that reading cannot do. Especially, if the reader is a good mimic.
Reading on my iPhone is great. I have a Sony PRS-700 which I read on too. I prefer my iPhone. I would like to see Sony make an app for the iPhone ala Kindle’s so I could use my iPhone to read my Sony ebooks. If they would do this, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they don’t, I would be in a reader’s 7th heaven. Sony are you listening?