Saturday, April 20, 2013

Reading novels on my iTouch

I use my iPod Touch to read novels. I don't play games  on it and I don't surf the Internet or view YouTube videos. I just read. For those two or three of you who don't know what an iPod Touch is, well, it is the equivalent of the iPhone, but without the phone. Since I have the first generation iTouch, it has no camera either, but the recent ones do.

This post is to tell just how much I enjoy reading on my iTouch. At first when a friend suggested I try one, I scoffed. No way you could get me to read from such a tiny screen and turn pages so often. Then I went to his house and he showed me his wife's iTouch and I became a
believer. I went to the Apple Store in Northridge and bought me one, along with a red case.

The beauty of the iTouch is that I can take it everywhere with me —— and no, I could NOT take a Nook or a Kindle everywhere with me because I do not carry a large enough purse. The iTouch fits  in the compartment usually made for a pack of cigarettes in a purse; I love it.

Another beauty of the iTouch is that if a waitress is long in coming to my table, I pass the time reading a good novel. No such thing as tapping my fingers on the table or checking my watch. Also, because it is small, I can hold it in my left hand and a fork in my right hand; pages turn with the swipe or a tap of the thumb. I don't have to make space on the restaurant table like I would have to if I were using a Nook, Kindle, or iPad.

Reading  on the iTouch is customizable, down to the way one prefers to turn the pages, or the size or color of the fonts or the text field. The other day I went to Denny's after going to the physical therapist and read my newest downloaded novel (from Barnes and Noble), In The Woods, by Tana French. I am using the Barnes and Noble Nook eReader but there are others, like one for the Kindle, that can be downloaded for free from the App Store.

I also read my novels in bed at night, at which time I change the reading format to white words on a black field (to avoid the glare of a white page in a dark room). It is a lot easier holding the little iTouch than trying to balance a large and thick or even small and thin book  on my lap or on a pillow on my chest. And have you ever read a book and the print was too darn small for you? That never happens with the iTouch, since you can change the font size as well as style.

Another beauty of reading on the iTouch is that all of the books that I have bought are all right there; I have the option of deciding to read this book, or that book, or that other book without having to carry them all with me, say, at an airport.

If I am reading at Denny's and finish a novel, I can quickly go on to read another one. The thing that I have to do to prepare for this, is to buy a new novel when I am getting near to finishing one novel — unless I am at a place where there is free WiFi. I have WiFi at home so I can download books in bed if I want to, although I prefer to do my book shopping on my iMac and then download the novel from my iMac to my iTouch. It's easier than typing on that too-small keyboard on the iTouch. (My one big dislike. The virtual keyboard is ridiculously small and those keys are a royal pain. This is why I do not send email on my iTouch.)

If you're at the Apple Store of if you have a friend who has an iTouch and reads with an eBook app, give it a whirl — you might like it.

12 comments:

DJan said...

I have downloaded the Kindle app to my iPad2. If I had waited until they created the mini, I would have that one, but it fits quite nicely into my backpack that I carry as a purse. I love reading on these things, too. Your iTouch is perfect! :-)

Lorna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lorna said...

DJan, how do you most use your iPad?

~Lorna
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HermanTurnip said...

Electronic reading is the future. I've been using my Nook for several years now and swear by the thing. I now go though roughly 40 books a year. iTouches and eBooks makes reading extremely portable. No need to lug around stacks of books! And, like you said, it's customizable, which is great because some fonts are just too darn small to see!

Lorna said...

If I did not have my iTouch, I would buy an iPad and use their eBook reader and buy books through Apple, but that would be a big change and bla bla bla bla bla....... so I keep with my iTouch even at home. It is easier to handle in bed when I am on my back.

So far I have only my desktop iMac, from which I refuse to read any novels, and my iTouch. No iPad, no Nook.

I think of "losing" my books sometimes and panic for a fraction of an hour. :-)

Shelly said...

All the technology we have now leaves me agog, but I do love it. What you write about your Ipod touch is true. I still miss the feel of the pages of a book sometimes, though-

A Lady's Life said...

I still prefer a good book.

Lorna said...

@A Lady's Life ~~ Have you ever read from an iTouch, Nook, or Kindle? I feel vulnerable when I leave the house without taking my iTouch due to forgetfulness. If there is any chance that I would eat on the road, that iTouch is the best companion. I would never carry a book with me. Too big,too heavy, too cumbersome.

Lorna said...

@Shelly -- I do not miss the feel of pages. :-) I also do not miss having to find space in my house to store books. I like having them all archived in my iTouch and at Barnes and Noble.

And in all likelihood, I will never re-read those old novels. There are always new ones coming out to read.

CrystalChick said...

I'm glad you are enjoying your iTouch. I sometimes take my laptop (MacBook Air) to the cafe in the bookstore and use it for assorted things... email/news/blogging/FB, etc. but for novel reading I still prefer an actual book so I take one of those with me too in my big handbag. I don't have any kind of eReader and don't want one right now. I don't even have a smart phone, just a flip phone with no online access or programs. I can send/receive texts, but do as little of that as possible.

Lorna said...

@Crystal Chick -- I have a very average flip phone whose main attribute is a loud speakerphone, which I need. I rarely even use my cell phone and do NOT connect to the Internet with it. :-)

Dee said...

Dear Lorna, thanks for explaining all this to us. I'm somewhat technologically challenged and so didn't appreciate really what an iTouch was. I have an iPad--a Christmas gifts from friends (what a stupendous gift!!!!)--and I'm getting used to reading books on it's screen. Such a relief not to haul around a large book. But I can see, from your writing, the real advantage of something smaller than the iPad. I'll check into it. I'm wondering about the expense so I'll go to the Apple on-line store and check on it. Peace.

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