Why do people browse the web in portrait mode??

[lothar]

I'm guessing it's logical to assume people would want to view a 'page' in a portrait view but having to pinch and zoom seems much less desirable than viewing the whole width and scrolling to read.

Even on a smaller 4.3" HD smartphone where text is generally pretty small unzoomed landscape, I still think it's preferable. On a 7" plus tablet, why use portrait? This is pretty damn odd to me.

The only time you have to pinch and zoom in portrait mode is when you're using a phone or tablet with a crappy resolution.
You don't ever have to do such a thing on the Nexus 4 or Nexus 7. I've never had to such a thing.

 

[kache]

That portrait image on a 4.3" smartphone would be unreadable, the fact I can see 3 posts at once over a single post with larger text isn't good imo.

Forum posts are just basic paragraphs of text, go to the Anandtech home page. In portrait, nothing is readable without zooming, in landscape, it's small but readable without doing anything.

God bless Tapatalk.

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

Note Anubis' photo - Opera Mobile. Also has the blue bars without the text size change. I have an iPod Touch that also does not change text size at all and still have the same overhang. In fact, I'm on Chrome on my desktop as I type this reply, and it has it as well. Appears to be an issue with the forum software, not any formatting my phone does.



Do you have a Windows Phone? I do. And no, formatting is not screwed up on many sites - that text size change you're seeing is somewhat of an anomaly of how IE Mobile renders vBulletin, it doesn't happen everywhere. And even in this case it didn't screw up formatting beyond maybe half a post less visibility on the top line, which is a non-issue after you scroll down past the title anyway.

Anyway, this thread is not about how my phone chooses to render sites. I also have an iPod Touch and Kindle Fire within arms reach, and I use them in portrait mode as well.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. Anubis' first picture in portrait, at 4.3" is completely unreadable to me.

In any case, I browse in portrait because in portrait: it's more comfortable to hold; the UI chrome doesn't eclipse the page; the keyboard doesn't cover all but a mailslot's worth of page; I have to do much less scrolling; and it's closer to a paper reading experience. And probably for other reasons which are ingrained enough that I no longer think about them.

More comfortable to hold, yeah probably. Doesn't really matter on a phone though. Good point about keyboard, that is horrific.

If developers aren't designing for mobile devices then they're designing for desktops, which are always wider than they are tall. Your computer monitor isn't tall and thin yet when everyone picks up a tablet/phone, they instinctively want to hold it like a piece of paper.

 

[amdhunter]

Diagonal

 

[Zink]

Reading the Anandtech homepage on my Nexus 4 I would read portrait with a double tap on the main paragraphs. Chrome is readable, if a bit on the small side, fully zoomed out in portrait while Dolphin still has clearly formed letters but at close to half the text size of Chrome. If I wanted to browse a desktop site full width I would use landscape. For mobile sites and reading paragraphs portrait is more comfortable to hold and is a nicer column column size.

 

[s44]

Does anyone actually use full-width browser windows on a desktop? That makes for just way too much text per line.

Portable devices are similar.

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

I think we've exhausted this topic. So then, widescreen GPS devices.. what the??

 

[Chiropteran]

Portrait Forum List:

Landscape Forum List:

Portrait Thread View:

Landscape Thread View:

IMO, landscape is readable while portrait text is way too small and completely useless. If you change the text size for one but not the other it isn't an apples to apples comparison.

 

[XenIneX]

If developers aren't designing for mobile devices then they're designing for desktops, which are always wider than they are tall. Your computer monitor isn't tall and thin yet when everyone picks up a tablet/phone, they instinctively want to hold it like a piece of paper.

Go into a computer monitor forum and what do you see? Endless complaining that they no longer make laptops with squarer-aspect screens; that they could fit more lines of text on their `90's era CRT; that they lost 120 whole lines of resolution to the transition to 16:9. Go into an office supply store and see how much of the lined paper is lined in landscape, when the costs to do so would be negligible if there were demand for it.

The question isn't why people would opt to use portrait orientations. The question is why, freed from the limitations of traditional computing hardware, people would choose anything else. (Spreadsheets, multimedia, and gaming are the obvious exceptions. Aside from that, I'm drawing a blank.)

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

Go into a computer monitor forum and what do you see? Endless complaining that they no longer make laptops with squarer-aspect screens; that they could fit more lines of text on their `90's era CRT; that they lost 120 whole lines of resolution to the transition to 16:9. Go into an office supply store and see how much of the lined paper is lined in landscape, when the costs to do so would be negligible if there were demand for it.

The question isn't why people would opt to use portrait orientations. The question is why, freed from the limitations of traditional computing hardware, people would choose anything else. (Spreadsheets, multimedia, and gaming are the obvious exceptions. Aside from that, I'm drawing a blank.)

I am the only developer in my office with 4:3 screens so I totally agree, but most websites aren't designed for smaller devices in portrait mode.

 

[Red Storm]

IMO, landscape is readable while portrait text is way too small and completely useless. If you change the text size for one but not the other it isn't an apples to apples comparison.

I didn't do any resizing in my photo and I have no issue reading things in portrait. Back in the days of the OG Droid and such it was a concern because resolutions were too low, but it's not a problem anymore.

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

A higher resolution isn't going to make text larger.

 

[Red Storm]

A higher resolution isn't going to make text larger.

Sharper text says hi.

There's a clear difference between how text looked on the OG Droid compared to the Nexus 4. Higher resolution most definitely has an impact and is the difference between readable and not.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Sharper text says hi.

There's a clear difference between how text looked on the OG Droid compared to the Nexus 4. Higher resolution most definitely has an impact and is the difference between readable and not.

The higher DPI allows you to magnify the text and use different dpi text without affecting the sharpness too much. So yeah, while going to ultra high resolution gives you smallass text at the same dpi, you can magnify it.

On tablets I like reading in landscape, especially 10" tablets. On my iPad I was ok with portrait or landscape due to the 4:3, but on the 16:10 tablets, I find portrait a bit awkard to hold simply because the device is too long. How many of you use your 16:10 widescreen monitors vertically anyway?

 

[MrX8503]

People browse in portrait because:

-Less scrolling
-Books are portrait
-It's difficult to find your place on the next line when reading wide lines of text
-Easy to hold

Landscape is only good for videos and pics. That's it.

 

[Anubis]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. Anubis' first picture in portrait, at 4.3" is completely unreadable to me.

unreadable why?

 

[Anubis]

Does anyone actually use full-width browser windows on a desktop? That makes for just way too much text per line.

Portable devices are similar.

i do on a small monitor
running 2560x1440 no i don't do full screen. however anything below 1600x1200 i do. mu work laptop runs a craptastic 1280*960 or something similar and you have to full screen to see anything

 

[lothar]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. Anubis' first picture in portrait, at 4.3" is completely unreadable to me.

I can read it perfectly fine.
No offense...but if you can't read anything in portrait mode on a Nexus 7 or Nexus 4, then you may need to get your eyes checked.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Why do people browse the web on their phones at all? You can #%$! in the back seat of a Mustang but, why?

 

[zerocool84]

Why do people browse the web on their phones at all? You can #%$! in the back seat of a Mustang but, why?

Because not everyone lugs around a computer everywhere they go. It's not that hard to understand why.

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

I can read it perfectly fine.
No offense...but if you can't read anything in portrait mode on a Nexus 7 or Nexus 4, then you may need to get your eyes checked.

I'll let you know when I get my 4 & 7 soon.

I didn't think it would be long before "Get your eyes checked!". My eyes are good.

 

[Nothinman]

Why do people browse the web on their phones at all? You can #%$! in the back seat of a Mustang but, why?

Convenience.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Convenience.

I think how people use technology is as interesting as how they hold it.
From what I've observed, many use smartphones to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[Deeko]

I'll let you know when I get my 4 & 7 soon.

I didn't think it would be long before "Get your eyes checked!". My eyes are good.

You said the same above just reversed.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I think how people use technology is as interesting as how they hold it.
From what I've observed, many use smartphones to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

You mean like being able to check my work email, remote into a work server and doing some work if an emergency comes up? Using it as a GPS? Quickly check weather, traffic? Scan the bar code of something you might purchase and see if there's a cheaper price somewhere else? Want to go to the movies while your in having dinner someplace, you can order tickets from your phone.

Mobility and convenience is something many folks appreciate.