# E-book owners - is the 6" screen big enough? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782 "2012-07-19T22:20:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/1 "2012-07-19T22:20:53Z")
I’ve got a Kindle Fire. As a “I want to check IMDB while sitting on the sofa” machine, it’s fine. As an e-reader, it has issues. It’s heavy - 14.6oz vs. 6 or 7oz for the standard Kindle. It’s got a tiny battery life - 8 hrs of read time, vs. 1 or 2 month straight e-reader. It’s got a glossy screen which makes it hard to read some times. So I’ve been pondering getting a Kindle, but I’m a bit concerned about the 6" size of the screen. The Fire has a 7" screen, and at times I’m annoyed at how often I have to advance the page (yes, I have the font size set pretty small.) So, anyone that has a Kindle, does the screen size seem reasonable? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/2 "2012-07-19T22:48:01Z")
I have a Kindle Touch & a Kindle Fire. I read on both but I like the regular Kindle better, because it’s easier to turn pages with my left hand. I have the font size cranked up medium-high. I also read on my iPod if that’s the device I happen to have with me. I don’t notice the page turning. I did at first, but the brain learns to compensate after a while, just like turning the physical page is unnoticeable for regular books. That said, I have no idea if you’ll like it better. You could always get the bigass model, although that seems really overpriced to me. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/3 "2012-07-19T22:51:38Z")
It’s my understanding that a regular Kindle is the size of a book and the type is sized appropriately. My Kindle Fire does show less than a printed page, but I haven’t mucked with the font size. Really though, the reason you’re flipping pages so much is because a Kindle’s only showing you one page at a time, not two like a regular book. That’s not going to change unless you get a tablet large enough to show you two pages at once. ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/4 "2012-07-19T22:55:54Z")
Turning pages is less intrusive on a Kindle vs. the Fire since the page turning buttons are located where you hold the device on both sides, that way you can turn the page without even having to adjust the position of you fingers. Personally I’ve never had any problem with my Kindle in this regard since it’s easier than physically turning a page anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/5 "2012-07-19T23:04:12Z")
> [@Rubixcube](#): > > Turning pages is less intrusive on a Kindle vs. the Fire since the page turning buttons are located where you hold the device on both sides, that way you can turn the page without even having to adjust the position of you fingers. Personally I’ve never had any problem with my Kindle in this regard since it’s easier than physically turning a page anyway. On the kindle touch you turn a page by tapping the screen anywhere on the right 2/3 of the available screen (the left 1/3 is for turning back). It’s pretty comparable to a paperback book in size, and eInk on the matte screen is way easier on the eyes than the glossy Fire screen. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/6 "2012-07-20T00:49:42Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > It’s my understanding that a regular Kindle is the size of a book and the type is sized appropriately. . . . Yep. Very much like reading a paperback. Weighs about the same, too. (Currently reading a book where the e-typesetter goofed… He put a phrase into _italics…and then forgot to turn them off again! A good thirty pages is all in italics. Finally…finally!_ another italicized word occurred, and the text went back to normal. But the ability to search for a word of phrase is the biggest selling point of all, for me: that’s just heaven! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/7 "2012-07-20T01:35:50Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Yep. Very much like reading a paperback. Weighs about the same, too. > > (Currently reading a book where the e-typesetter goofed… He put a phrase into _italics…and then forgot to turn them off again! A good thirty pages is all in italics. Finally…finally!_ another italicized word occurred, and the text went back to normal. > > But the ability to search for a word of phrase is the biggest selling point of all, for me: that’s just heaven! Pop it into calibre, set it to convert to text, open in office or open office, find the offending lack of end italics, and change font accordingly. Then hit save, delete the original flawed book, reconvert it from text back to whatever, reimport to your kindle. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/8 "2012-07-20T02:58:31Z")
I read books on my iPod Touch, so…yes, a 6" screen is big enough. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/9 "2012-07-20T03:47:06Z")
It’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use it. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/10 "2012-07-20T04:55:31Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Pop it into calibre, set it to convert to text, open in office or open office, find the offending lack of end italics, and change font accordingly. Then hit save, delete the original flawed book, reconvert it from text back to whatever, reimport to your kindle. Coo! Good to know. I basically just ignored the problem, but, like a good mathematician, I’m comforting simply knowing that a solution exists! (For converting _to_ kindle, I’ve been using the mobipocket creator, but, before now, didn’t have a way of converting _from._ Thanks!) ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/11 "2012-07-20T05:02:16Z")
I read 'em on my kobo. It’s big enough! The 4"ish Samsung phone is o-k, too, if I’m painfully bored on a bus or something. My old blackberry bold, however, was insufferable to read books on. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/12 "2012-07-20T11:03:45Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Coo! Good to know. I basically just ignored the problem, but, like a good mathematician, I’m comforting simply knowing that a solution exists! > > (For converting _to_ kindle, I’ve been using the mobipocket creator, but, before now, didn’t have a way of converting _from._ Thanks!) I find that calibre manages the metadata better than mobi. I think it also handles inserting the jpgs of the cover and back images better as well. You end up with 3 little files in your book folder, 1 cover, 1 text and 1 metadata. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/13 "2012-07-20T17:36:25Z")
I own a nook simple touch (roughly same type of device as a basic kindle). I love the smaller e-ink format. The device is a breeze to tote around, is light as a feather, and lasts so long on a single charge that it’s never a concern. Plus it seems more robust than it’s glass-screened counterparts. Of course if you don’t like frequent page turns on your larger device you’ll like it on the smaller ones even less. I keep my text fairly large so I’m used to the constant page turns (“jeez I’m still on page 80?”). ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/14 "2012-07-20T17:45:50Z")
Yeah, I think the screen size on my Kindle (2nd gen,) is just right - but then, I’d been reading e-books on PDAs with much smaller LCD displays before I got it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/15 "2012-07-20T17:57:00Z")
My Beloved was in the bedroom reading, so i walked in and asked her if six inches is big enough. She paused, patted me on the head, smiled wistfully, and said “Of _course_ it is, dear!” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-book-owners-is-the-6-screen-big-enough/628782/16 "2012-07-20T18:45:34Z")
My Kindle touch is fine for ebooks, but can be too small for PDFs. The PDFs are made to fit one page on a screen, regardless of margins and that can be an issue. But for most electronic books, I can read very easily. It’s no different than a paperback.