SmartPhones and Phablets as eReaders

Ray Hendon

The phenomenon of eReading has gone through several stages in its early development.  At first the popularity of reading electronic texts was expressed in the sales of E-Ink screen devices and the sale of eBooks that were read on them.

However, with the recent advent of the tablet computer, the reading public is switching to the internally illuminated screens of 7-inch and larger form factors.

Now there is an increaqsing use of multiple devices.  A person reading  may use a smartphone, a 7-inch tablet, or a larger smartphone with up to a 7-inch screen. 

Smartphones were popular early-on as an ultraportable way of eReading, but they were handicapped by their small, 4-inch screens.  Comparatively little text can be displayed on a 4-inch screen, so page turns are frequent to the point of distraction.  The popularity of the small tablet—the ones with 7-inch screens was partially a response to the uncomfortable size of the smartphone’s screen.

In the last year or so a hybrid devices has become more prominent.  It is a device that has smartphone capabilities, i.e., it makes phone calls and surfs the internet, but it also has a screen that makes eReading more of a pleasure—almost as much as a 7-inch tablet.  It has been labeled a phablet, and the phone providers are taking interest in this new form factor. 

Below are pictures of a few of this new hybrid device, and it looks as if there are to be many more introduced before the end of the year.

All of the phablet devices show below have eReading apps available from Kindle, Nook, Sony, Kobo and others.  The three shown use Android as the OS, and all the apps are free in the Google Play store.

Immediately below is Samsung’s Galaxy Note II.  It has a well done 1280 X 720 Super AMOLED HD 5.5” screen and retails (unlocked) for $541 unlocked on Amazon.  It can be bought for $300 under contract with a WCMMA configuration for Sprint or Verizon or in a GSM mode for T-Mobile or AT&T.  It is also available with LTE (4th generation high-speed cell phone connectivity).

5.5-inches is the low-end screen size.  Samsung has 6.8-inch phablet planned for release soon.

Below is the Huawei Ascend Mate: It features a 6.1” screen with a 1280x720 IPS display.  Its dimensions are 5x3.4x.4 inches thick, and it weighs in at a mere 7-ounces.  The display below

is close to actual size.  By the looks of it eReading with a Kindle or Nook app would be quite enjoyable.  It doesn’t look to be as easy to carry, though, as a more traditional 4-inch screen smartphone.  That inconvenience is a tradeoff that is unavoidable with a screen that size.  Reviewers, however, say it is comfortable to hold.

The main knock on the Ascend Mate is the graphics are not as good as a retina display, and that the processor is not as robust as most tablets.  This means that it is not good for gaming, so a full-fledged tablet is more in line for those who need the capability. But the relatively mundane graphics keep the price down.

I haven’t seen the Kindle or Nook run on this device, but the screen specs tell me the text and coloration of the text field will be quite good. 

The battery life is outstanding, and one website posted a picture of the screen showing eReading texts (shown at left).  Why they put a magnified section in the middle I do not know.  I presume it is to show off a magnification ability of the eReader. They do not say which eReader app was used.

Pricing is less than $479 for a WCDMA cell phone configuration, set up for Verizon.  Verizon and Sprint may offer the Ascend Mate with a contract for considerably less than that in the future, but it not available at the time of this writing.

 

Acer Liquid S1 5.7’ inch screen with 1280x720 resolution.  It will be available in the third

quarter of this, but information as to carriers is not available.

For the larger picture, phablet-sized smartphones can be expected to become more plentiful at all the carriers.  This ne form factor may be an eReader’s answer for a single device for general purpose computing power, eReading and smartphone capability.  But for now there is little to choose from.

For today the option is mostly to accept the tradeoffs of the small screen smartphone (3.4 to 4.3 inches) and get a seven inch or larger tablet for more serious internet work and eReading.  The next article will cover the small to medium sized tablets.

Stay tuned to this article.  I will be adding to it as more devices come to market.  This week and next with the Computex trade show in Taiwan, I expect to see several more announcements about this new form factor.