Forma/Libra: Any comparison photos of Same book on BOTH these readers?

[jgbout]

Hi again all.
As to my trying to decide Forma vs Libra, if the $110 extra is worth it for little more viewing space....

I'm trying to find a photo or vid (so far no luck) showing the SAME book displayed on a Forma beside a Libra

I know I can turn a Libra landscape and basically get the same viewing width as the Forma (yes?) but I'm trying to get a sense of comparable difference.

I've given up trying to compare a Mass Market book to the display on a forma or libra.

--- boiled down, I'm trying to gauge how close the experience is to paper reading on a Libra and Forma (I'd love the Libra to work, but willing to consider a forma)

I know things like my bigger format chess books, or Manga, etc... would be best on the forma.

Thank you again.
Why must this be so hard? I know, coming by the money is so hard

[jgbout]

ps- not trying to be a bug... I literally have no place to go in and compare these.
Thanks again

[davidfor]

In your other thread, I gave the following response to the point about page numbers:

Originally Posted by davidfor

No, and no device does. Because the simplest answer to this question is: Which edition should it match? And "Mass Paperback sized book" is meaningless. There are different sized pages, different margins, different font sizes. The words and lines per page is probably different for each paperback. How can the device match this?

Unless you are using PDF, then all devices use some sort of "fake" page number. This can be the screen is treated as a page, the Adobe RMDSK calculation or something else. Any match to a paperbook is a fluke.

I think that what you are asking is pretty pointless. Ereadears allow you to adjust the font size, margins and line spacing. That means that you can make the book comfortable for you to read, not some arbitrary layout done by a publisher trying to save money. Pick up two paperbacks from different publishers and compare them. They are not the same. And even comparing paperbacks within the same publisher, they are likely to be different. We need to get over the idea that ebooks should be exactly the same as paper books. They aren't and trying to make them the same is handicapping your reading.

So, a photos someone took of a Forma and Libra H2O of the same book would look different. They will have adjusted the settings on the devices to be comfortable to themselves. This will usually mean there will be more words per screen on the Forma than the Libra H2O. Hence less page turns. But, people do find these things work differently. For some reason I find a slightly larger apparent font size (not choosing the same number for the font size, but, choosing a comfortable font size on both) works better for me on the Aura ONE (7.8" screen) than the Clara HD (6" screen). But, it really just comes down to how many times do I tap the screen to turn the page while reading. There might be 10% difference between the two and that's pretty meaningless over the hours it takes me to read a novel.

You will, or at least should, adjust the settings of the device to be comfortable to you. I read comfortably on a Clara HD with the font set to roughly whatever Kobo has the default set to (I think I go to one size larger). When I use the Libra H2O, the font is roughly the same size. My wife uses a Forma and has the font set very large. If I used this on the Clara HD, I might get ten lines per page. But, that is one of the big points of using these devices. They are adjustable to the user, not fixed like paper books.

There are plenty of photos of ereaders showing how the book displays. Look at them and decide if that looks good to you, not, if it looks the same a some other way of displaying a book.


And...

My apologies for the rant. You seem to have picked a couple of trigger points for me today. The above is my considered opinion, no one else's and I stand by it. Until someone proves me wrong. Then I'll pout for a little while, argue a bit (hopefully in a constructive way) to make I understand why I am wrong they are right and then gracefully concede.

[jgbout]

Hahaha, I appreciate the "rant" David.
Seriously, any and all info is great because the way my head works.., more than one choice can paralyse me for weeks of indecision. I know this about me, so part of my plan in the questions (besides my other thread about perceived issues with the devices) is to break any wrong thinking going forward.

My only concern(s) regarding sizing here are

(1) I know you can and should adjust these to your personal preference (that's the freedom here), but I really have not been happy with the 6" size (my Glo, before that, Touch). It feels too artificial because the amount of material on the page is just so wrong from what I know (and again, with my head, it's just a little too much to get passed.) And since my background is in writing & research.., it's a thing.

(2) There is a point of things feeling "normal". Don't go off now on calling it normal, haha. But for example, reading a large Manga or textbook on an ereader would be best on a larger screen so the resizing doesn't condense the product too much (especially on old eyes) requiring awkward pinch and zooming.

Now, I did just watch a video of some manga on the Libra that was perfectly readable, and so, I'd have no issue with it over the forma, in that instance (though bigger of course would be nicer.)

I guess I'm just saying I don't want a mainstream reading experience to suddenly feel too condensed or employ the need to pinch and zoom.

[mirage]

Where would you buy the device? If returns are easy, get both and return the one you like less. If you're in the US and buy from Walmart, that's easy to do. Many of us don't like shopping there, myself included, but in this particular case, it might make your ultimate decision easier. In Canada, Indigo seems great about returns. I can't speak for options in other countries.

Or get the one you think you're most likely to prefer. If you're happy with it, great. If not, return it and get the other one.

[Nascarfan1972]

I have both, and notice no difference other than the fact that with the 32gb forma I can fit my entire library on it. Whereas with the Libra I have to pick my books carefully to fit them on the 8gb of storage (I have 3700+ books purchased through kobo, with 15 of those being bigger than 50mb each).

So personally I have tailored my requirements to fit my ever expanding liibrary, so you need to ask yourself, how many books do I plan to buy during the life of my ereader, and is it important to be able to access my whole library without having to download a book I have already bought before reading it?

[rashkae]

There is also a big difference between luxury and raw pragmatism. I Like my forma. It's very nice to have a big screen with lots of text. But the truth is, if you actually measure such things, a smaller screen is *better* for ease of use. Assuming you don't need a text size so large that you can't fit a few standard paragraphs to a page, you can read on a smaller screen more easily and more quickly with short line lengths. And unlike paper books, more page turns on an e-book will not make a thicker book.

[jgbout]

I was about to order a Forma 32gb, but....
On the Kobo website are reviews.
The Forma has about a 40% trouble report, mainly in the build, not saying anything about the lighting stuff. This is all failed devices due to bad power buttons, some USB connections, and even the positive reviews complain about the hit or miss page turn buttons.

There are none of these concerns on Libra reviews.

$160 difference with that many hardware review problems, even amongst the positive reviews I can't do.

So, I want to go with LIBRA.

My only worry (since the beginning) is reading PDF on Libra.
I've seen plenty of MAnga videos with the Libra, and it's mainly fine.
But, PDF.....

I mentioned this somewhere but didn't get an answer... Even on my PC, when reading a PDF, you have to pull the PDF (image) to fit the screen. When you scroll or pull it down, it can move left and right, AND when you turn the page it looses it's page positioning and you have to line the sides and top up in the screen all over again.

I'm assuming it's the same way on the eReader? and if so, is there ANY way to correct this? Is there some kind of Fit to Screen that will retain it's position after a page turn?

I thought it might not be a problem on the Forma because the screen was bigger, but my PC is 23" and does it, so I'm guessing it's how the software manages it.

Help ?

[93terp]

Originally Posted by jgbout

I was about to order a Forma 32gb, but....
On the Kobo website are reviews.
The Forma has about a 40% trouble report, mainly in the build, not saying anything about the lighting stuff. This is all failed devices due to bad power buttons, some USB connections, and even the positive reviews complain about the hit or miss page turn buttons.

I have both devices and prefer the Forma. The first Forma I bought did suffer from an extremely stiff power button, so I returned it and Kobo replaced it with a new unit, no questions asked. Power button on the replacement unit is much easier to push and I haven't experienced any further issues. Additionally, no issues with USB connections or "hit/miss" page turn buttons. I use it daily and with the exception of the Kindle Voyage (IMHO the best ereader ever released) it's my absolute favorite reader of all time.

[jgbout]

If it's ok, I'm going to move this question to it's own post.
The original question here is pretty much answered, and I guess my main concern is a little different than I originally thought - pdfs.

[astoriedsoul]

Originally Posted by jgbout

If it's ok, I'm going to move this question to it's own post.
The original question here is pretty much answered, and I guess my main concern is a little different than I originally thought - pdfs.

In a nutshell, eInk ereaders aren't meant for PDFs. They have never really handled PDFs well, so I think you're always going to have a clunky, issue-ridden experience with reading and navigating PDFs on these devices.

PDF functionality is never a point of consideration (at least for me) when buying an ereader, because of the aforementioned reasons (and I do read PDFs for academic reasons--I just use an iPad for that).

I personally have a Kobo Libra and love it. The 7" screen is just right for *ME*, but as what has already been said, everyone tailors their reading preferences differently on them, so they are unique to the reader.