Auto-scrolling ebooks
January 30, 2013 1:36 AM Subscribe
What's my best option for reading ebooks in an auto-scrolling format?
By "auto-scrolling" I mean one of these two things:
1. the text scrolls continuously up the screen, with no pagination at all; or
2. there's a line or "screen" or something that moves down each page, and when it reaches the bottom it automatically advances to the next page and starts at the top, without pausing.
I would like to have both options available, ideally. In either case, the basic controls would be speed up / slow down / pause, and the speed would adjust automatically to accommodate graphics, short lines and blank space. (Meaning it might be tied to word count per second and not just vertical distance per second.)
My Kindle Paperwhite doesn't do this and I don't think any device with that kind of e-paper screen is even capable of it, because it seems to refresh the whole screen at once like an Etch-a-Sketch. (Right?) So I'm going to buy either an iPad Mini or a Nexus 7. Which one should I get, and which iOS or Android apps can do what I want?
By "auto-scrolling" I mean one of these two things:
1. the text scrolls continuously up the screen, with no pagination at all; or
2. there's a line or "screen" or something that moves down each page, and when it reaches the bottom it automatically advances to the next page and starts at the top, without pausing.
I would like to have both options available, ideally. In either case, the basic controls would be speed up / slow down / pause, and the speed would adjust automatically to accommodate graphics, short lines and blank space. (Meaning it might be tied to word count per second and not just vertical distance per second.)
My Kindle Paperwhite doesn't do this and I don't think any device with that kind of e-paper screen is even capable of it, because it seems to refresh the whole screen at once like an Etch-a-Sketch. (Right?) So I'm going to buy either an iPad Mini or a Nexus 7. Which one should I get, and which iOS or Android apps can do what I want?
Best answer: Wikipedia has a feature comparison table for iOS eBook reader apps, which includes an autoscroll column.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:53 AM on January 30, 2013
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:53 AM on January 30, 2013
Response by poster: Wow, did not realize this feature was so unusual -- only two of 14 apps on that table offer it, and from quick googling they both look pretty low-rated. I guess Android is a better bet? Can anyone recommend an auto-scrolling Android app?
posted by pete_22 at 5:02 AM on January 30, 2013
posted by pete_22 at 5:02 AM on January 30, 2013
Response by poster: devnull, that applet is pretty nifty but I can't imagine it completely replacing my reading experience. FWIW I'm not doing this specifically for "speed-reading" purposes, I just think I'd be able to concentrate better without pagination -- and as third word says, it's useful for hands-free reading too.
posted by pete_22 at 5:20 AM on January 30, 2013
posted by pete_22 at 5:20 AM on January 30, 2013
Instapaper is not an ebook reader per se, but it supports tilt scrolling.
posted by nev at 7:44 AM on January 30, 2013
posted by nev at 7:44 AM on January 30, 2013
If you have a certified print disability (that is, you have trouble manipulating or reading a standard book) you could use Bookshare's Read2Go app with the volume turned off.
posted by Soliloquy at 5:53 PM on January 30, 2013
posted by Soliloquy at 5:53 PM on January 30, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by third word on a random page at 3:15 AM on January 30, 2013