Page 1 of 1

Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:12 pm
by jackson
Hi everyone,
This morning and I was thinking of how many good buddhist texts are available online for free, and how much I don't like to read them on a computer. Anyway, the thought crossed my mind of getting a kindle or some other device for reading e-books, so I'm wondering if anyone has a handheld electronic reading device, and if it's tolerable to read on. It's probably another one of those unnecessary things to fantasize about but perhaps I'll actually end up getting one. Looking forward to your replies!
Metta, :smile:
Jackson

Re: Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:29 pm
by RayfieldNeel
This amazes many people, but I read a lot on my iPhone. The free Kindle app means that I can select, buy, and be reading a new book from Amazon in under a minute. Ultra-portable, so I have it with me at all times. I turn down the brightness a bit to prevent straining my eyes. I turn up the font to nearly max size, being over 40 and all. The Stanza reader app allows me to read any PDF, or basically any text format that you can think of on it.

The Kindle and other E-ink devices are supposed to be excellent for this..but the price is prohibitive, given what it is. My personal economics are such that a $260 device needs to be able to do more than display text in black and white. Having said that, owners of the Kindle seem to love them.

Re: Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:59 pm
by jackson
Judging from the number of replies I assume most people don't read books on a kindle or any other device like it. RayfieldNeel, do they have a good selection of Buddhist texts with the kindle app? I might try some reading on my sister's iPhone the next time she visits, I looked at the price of Kindle's and they do seem pretty high. Thanks for replying!
Metta, :smile:
Jackson

Re: Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:25 pm
by RayfieldNeel
Honestly, I read mostly fiction on my iPhone, though I do keep a Kindle copy of The Miracle of Mindfulness on there to save me when I need a Buddha blast. Though I am very open to new tech, I still buy my dharma books as physical copies. I think it's because I know that I may want to refer back to them some time in the near or distant future, and I'm a little afraid that my Kindle books could get lost in the shuffle over a 10 or 20 year period.

Re: Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:35 pm
by meindzai
My girlfriend has read several novels on her Iphone. She just finished the Count of Monte Cristo. I've been doing a bit of blackberry reading. Lots of great, free apps for both devices, and tons of free (legal) things to read. There's something that just came out for Accesstoinsight for the iphone.

-M

Re: Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:39 pm
by RayfieldNeel
meindzai wrote: There's something that just came out for Accesstoinsight for the iphone.
I'll have to check that out! Thanks!

Re: Anyone read books on a handheld device?

Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:06 pm
by meindzai
Alternative ways to read ATI

just noticed:
On your Blackberry / Windows mobile / Android / etc.
Is there anyone interested in creating an offline version for these devices?
If you know of any other ways to view ATI, please let me know.
Would like to second this plea. :)

Or at least find a way of formatting ATI for better reading on handheld devices. I don't really think I need to read it offline.

-M