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July 03, 2012
Reading in bed (and its discontents)
I am done reading in bed on my new iPad.
Just too much trouble, for the following reasons (not necessarily in order of importance):
1. It's too heavy and clumsy to hold and position comfortably, even resting one corner or side on the mattress.
2. I often fall asleep as I'm reading; with a dead tree book that's no big deal — the book falls to the floor, no harm no foul. With the iPad, a drowsy drop can be fatal to future function. A dealbreaker, that.
3. I have trouble bringing up the various tools buried in the Kindle Cloud for iPad interface. Stuff like the font size menu, bookmarks, brightness. I can't seem to remember how or where you're supposed to touch the screen.
4. The ease of leaving the book app for the greater Internet, writ stunningly on the fantastic screen, is sometimes too much to resist.
I await the arrival, within the next 2-3 weeks, of my Google Nexus 7 tablet with much anticipation, and am going to give it every chance to become my regular bedtime companion.
The smaller form factor (7"-diagonal screen) and significantly lighter weight (0.75 lbs. vs 1.44 lbs. for the new iPad) should make it far more comfortable in the between-the-sheets space.
Stay tuned for a review.
July 3, 2012 at 12:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Re: nexus tablet (husband is an android & iOS developer so we have one courtesy of google io) - we also have every version of ipad, iphone, and 2 larger android tabs around the house. I was trying the nexus out tonight as an ereader, both google play and kindle app and so far it is a major fail because it does not fully justify the text, which is bad enough and looks even worse on a smaller screen. I also found it oddly slippery and incomfortable to hold - the back is textured yet slick. I love my iPad 3 for reading and just about everything else and use it with this stand http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050A1O64/
Posted by: Sarah | Jul 10, 2012 10:16:53 PM
"Perhaps I wasn't clear about my problem with the iPad when reading in bed while on the verge of sleep: I don't seem to have much time between consciousness and Stage 1 sleep...."
OK, just put the iPad down as you start counting backwards from 100....
Posted by: 6.02*10^23 | Jul 4, 2012 12:14:33 PM
Just goes to show how different people's experiences can be. I do a lot of reading in bed with my 1st-generation iPad, with no problems.
It's much easier to hold than some of the larger dead-tree books I've read, and holding it comfortably has never been a problem for me.
I put it face-down on the bed when I'm nodding off - I can tell when that's happening. And if I lying with my back to the edge of the bed, it wouldn't fall on the floor, anyway - just onto the bed.
But if my iPad did drop the distance from my bed to the carpeted floor, it probably wouldn't be a problem, since I have a Speck case (http://www.speckproducts.com/tablet-ipad-cases/ipad-cases/pixelskin-for-ipad.html) that protects it.
Since I buy almost all my electronic books in iBook format and use the iBook reader, I don't need to worry about the Kindle interface.
And, for me, the fact that I can switch between reading a book and going onto the Internet is a plus, not a negative.
Posted by: Jeri Dansky | Jul 4, 2012 3:37:53 AM
I have a Droid with Kindle on it. It's perfect.
Posted by: Becs | Jul 3, 2012 6:28:52 PM
"Dead tree books take time finding your spot again!" I'm filing that as Numero Uno of "First World Problems."
Posted by: vanderleun | Jul 3, 2012 1:24:42 PM
I've been tempted to snag a Kindle, but really, I'm still kinda nostalgic about my from-trees books and the versatility they offer.
Posted by: Rob O. | Jul 3, 2012 1:24:06 PM
Perhaps I wasn't clear about my problem with the iPad when reading in bed while on the verge of sleep: I don't seem to have much time between consciousness and Stage 1 sleep.
Thus, placing the iPad face down on the bed, while ideal, simply doesn't happen. Besides which, I move around while sleeping, resulting in a potential fall of the device to the floor.
Reader Peter commented, "When you fall asleep, and it falls to the bed, your place is saved. Dead tree books take time finding your spot again!"
True enough. But when it falls to the floor, as is likely in my case, your place — along with everything else — may be irretrievably lost forever, along with the functionality of the broken iPad.
Posted by: bookofjoe | Jul 3, 2012 12:45:00 PM
Pro of ebook reader at bed: When you fall asleep, and it falls to the bed, your place is saved. Dead tree books take time finding your spot again!
Posted by: Peter | Jul 3, 2012 12:31:01 PM
I don't have your problems and I do most of my "bed reading" on a 1st gen. iPad.
I have a 1st Gen Kindle, but without a backlight it is worthless for bed.
I just put the iPad face-down on the bed as I finish reading.
Google's tablet is the target of the Apple thermonuclear war and may well join the Kodak instant camera as a doorstop.
Oh well, your fanboi status is in question.
Posted by: 6.02*10^23 | Jul 3, 2012 12:23:18 PM
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