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actually using a smartphone as a tablet

lifeblood

lifeblood

Senior member
I am looking at getting a new phone and I want it to do everything. I am considering the Samsung Galaxy S3, Note, and Note 2. My big question is, how easy is it to read on it? I am nearing 50 years old and the eyes are not what they use to be. Anyone use the kindle or nook app to read books on one of these phones? How easy is it to read Anandtech or other website?
 
I read books easily on my 4.65" Gnex, though I'm not 50 yet. All the reader apps (inclding Tapatalk, which most people use for AT) let you adjust font size. I use white-on-black to take advantage of the infinite contrast of AMOLED screens -- easy on the eye.

In your case you probably want to go straight for the Note 2, though.
 
Note 2 is definitely the one you want if you really want to do it that way. Just went from a SGS3 to Note2, much bigger display.

Although if I read books, Id probably still want a 7"+ tablet even with better than 20/20 vision anyway. Id just go to a store and download the app and some free or sampled books to see if it suits you.

Phone is also quite large and turns some people off. First 2-3 days I was feeling like it was just too big and might not work for me, but now it feels perfect.
 
I have a Note 1 and if you use White (or rather, light Grey) on Black, it's pretty easy on the eyes. Still not as good as a eReader but passable.

I tried to read with my 3.7" phones in the past and it really didn't work too great.
 
The problem with using any of those phones as a dedicated e-reader is that they all have screens that are too narrow. 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratios do not lend themselves well to e-reading. Something with a 4:3 screen like the iPad mini would be much more suitable.

YMMV of course, but I could never read books on a Note 2. And I've tried.
 
That's untrue. The only thing that actually matters is the absolute width of the screen (within reason) so that the text can be large enough to be comfortably read without the lines being too short.

People don't suddenly have trouble reading legal sheets of paper and a lot of large books actually divide the text into two columns because it's easier to read shorter lines as long as they're not too short.
 
I bought the Note 2 yesterday, and you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Since it serves to a large degree as my laptop (which I broke more than a year ago) bigger is better. You might check out my thread on the deal, at $98 and change at Sam's Club for my upgrade for Verizon, if you are fortunate enough to take advantage of the deal.
 
If you must have everything on one device, definitely go for the Note 2.

Otherwise, you may find that a slightly smaller phone (Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S III) plus a Nexus 7 tablet on the side, provide the most flexible and productive setup.
 
You could probably get a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7 for the price of a Note 2. Much more desirable imo. Unless you really must have a single device, the Note really is a compromise. Too big for a phone and too small for a tablet.
 
We are age peers, the Note 2 is wonderful! I'm reading the forums & replying on mine right now 🙂
 
thecapsaicinkid said:
Too big for a phone and too small for a tablet.
Click to expand...

The Note II is just right. Any other phone feels small and phones of 4" ane smaller just feel like toys. Of course a 7" tablet is too small for any real reading or browsing.

This is, naturally, my opinion as what I quoted from you, is your opinion.
 
Thanks for the info. I know the Note 2's size is awkward but I'm trying to find a compromise. Reading & browsing on an iPhone or similar size screen is painful, but I'm not into carrying around a 7" tablet everywhere I go.

Now I just need to find the international version of the Note 2 that includes US warranty support.
 
lifeblood said:
Now I just need to find the international version of the Note 2 that includes US warranty support.
Click to expand...

Good luck with that. Best you'll probably do is a seller who is willing to ship it to samsung uk on your behalf, or a 3rd party warranty provider (which scares me more)
 
bunchesofoats said:
The problem with using any of those phones as a dedicated e-reader is that they all have screens that are too narrow. 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratios do not lend themselves well to e-reading. Something with a 4:3 screen like the iPad mini would be much more suitable.
Click to expand...

This is completely false considering paperbacks are much closer to 16:9/10 than 4:3. Obviously a 16:9/10 10" tablet is unwieldly to hold but that's a whole different thing than being too narrow.

OBLAMA2009 said:
it sounds like you need a granpa phone, that would be the iphone 5
Click to expand...

Not sure if serious. The iPhone 5 is a terrible choice for someone with relatively poor vision who's interested in reading books on his device as a primary activity.

Sounds like the Note 2 is the best option for OP given these requirements.
 
s44 said:
Why? The US versions are better.
Click to expand...

Unless I'm mistaken the only US versions are tied to the phone companies (AT&T, Verizon, etc). I want one that's not tied to any company. I don't need anybody's bloatware...

If I'm wrong please point me to where I can get one!
 
So root and freeze the bloat apps, or flash one of the many, many debloated ROMs (the versions are so close that universal ROM packaging is common and you can actually flash lots of stuff directly between at least the GSM models). This is Android, not iOS. It's not worth losing LTE and proper warranty service over.
 
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