Saturday, October 22, 2011

Um, Your Bush is on Fire...

I recently read an article about some of the challenges that are preventing ebooks from becoming more widespread. In the article there was a side caption that mentioned cell phones being increasingly used as e-readers, a little nugget of information I find slightly harder to swallow than a Volkswagen beetle. One of the things that ultimately contributed to my purchasing an Evo (droid), over an iPhone was the substantially larger screen. 

Not only do I like the idea of being able to see more of pictures, movies, and text, but I also have large hands, which make navigating through screens of compressed text and icons increasingly difficult. However, even with considerable more putting green, I’m not inclined to nestle into bed or lounge on a couch to read fiction on tiny digital text.

Another attribute of smart phones that make it difficult for me to believe that droves of people are using them as e-readers, is their inappropriately short battery life. Even with animation disabled, screen brightness on its lowest possible setting, and all unnecessary applications closed, I find that battery life alone make using a smart phone as an e-reader pretty unrealistic. 

Don’t get me wrong, if I need to pull up directions on how to do something on the fly, read an article, prove someone wrong, or read reviews to a business or product I’m interested in, then using my smart phone to do so is not only prudent, but obviously better than the alternative. However, the last thing I want to do is replace a magazine, newspaper, or book with my phone. I’m generally not one to jump on a bandwagon on mere principle, but this is a trend I don’t see myself following even if a burning bush told me to do it.  

4 comments:

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I agree. My son offered to buy me a Kindle a few years ago and I declined because I enjoy the tactile experience of reading books. Nor do I text very often because it requires donning my reading glasses, which I don't wear otherwise. I think technology can be taken to absurd extremes in the name of cool.

MistyMichelle0163 said...

I got several snickers out of this one. I heartily agree with you. I hate trying to scroll through ant-print websites on my phone; why would I choose to read a novel on it?

Brown said...

heart - Kindles are pretty cool, but I'm on your side on this one. Books are so much more versatile, cost effective, and sturdy.

Mist - Exactly.

mischief said...

My husband recently bought a Kindle and he really loves it. I am becoming more impressed with it as I peek over at him reading in bed. It's lighter than a lot of my books, and it has an attached light. My only concern with it is that I like to read in the bathtub and have a habit of dropping my books in the water from time to time. Don't think the Kindle could survive my clumsiness...
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