digital magazines

[Dave Fritz]

For those of you that subscribe to digital magazines how do you read them? I have them on my PC but find I don't really enjoy sitting at my desk reading all that much. I've been thinking about an iPad or small tablet that I can comfortably sit in an easy chair and use. I'd also no doubt use it to watch you tube or zoom events as well.

Looking for some experienced dos and don'ts.

[Bruce Page]

I have a few that came with magazine subscriptions. I wasn’t impressed with any of them. One of them in particular was very clumsy to navigate.

[John K Jordan]

For those of you that subscribe to digital magazines how do you read them? I have them on my PC but find I don't really enjoy sitting at my desk reading all that much. I've been thinking about an iPad or small tablet that I can comfortably sit in an easy chair and use. I'd also no doubt use it to watch you tube or zoom events as well.

Looking for some experienced dos and don'ts.

I can’t stand reading on the computer, either my laptop or desktop. I want sit in a comfortable chair and hold the device in my hand like a book, and in the portrait mode with one page full screen.

Can you get your mags for the Kindle? I have several subscriptions (not wood-related) and read for years on various Kindles, the orig, a Paperwhite, then a couple of 8” Kindle Fire tablets. My reading enjoyment recently improved a lot with the release of the new large screen 10.1” 32GB Kindle Fire. Good battery life, excellent screen, faster processor, no ads. I got it on Blk Fri sale for $89 but I think it would still be worth the full price, about $165 today. It’s apparently a full feature android tablet but I use it only for reading. I can’t speak to it’s value as a tablet.

It’s about the same size as my iPad Air but lighter weight, better battery life, and a lot cheaper.

I do have the Kindle app on the iPad but rarely use it for reading, I far prefer the Kindle. However, my wife used her iPad for several years for reading books.

I do use the iPad for videos, internet, email, sketching, and reading forums and have a good keyboard with track pad, and it’s OK for quick portable access but nothing beats there powerful desktop with large dial monitors all this, everything except for reading books and magazines!

JKJ

[Lee DeRaud]

Leaving aside the ergonomics of reading on a PC or laptop, the last time I tried a digital version of a magazine was Road & Track, some years ago. The real issue (no pun intended) is that the emag was effectively a PDF of the print version, which meant page jumps in the middle of articles...and no hyperlinks. Seriously?!? It made the thing completely unreadable. Unless the publisher is willing to really commit to the electronic format, that's a non-starter.

The only magazine I get electronically at this point is PC Magazine, but since there is no print version, it flows continuously from front to back, with computer-appropriate font sizing.

[Dave Fritz]

Thanks for the feedback. Pretty much as I thought although I didn't realize the digital edition was just a PDF of the magazine itself. The magazine I'm talking about is Woodturning. It seems stable on my PC but navigating takes some getting used to. John, I think the iPad is where I'll land. I had one some years ago when our internet was so bad and I'd have to go to a coffee shop to read forums. My grandson is still using it for games, although he complains it's too slow. He doesn't know slow. I can see other uses for it and the convivence of a small device in my lap is pretty appealing. Thanks again.

[John K Jordan]

I use an IPad Air with 10.2” screen. My son got an iPad pro with 12.9” screen, 128GB - what a difference! It’s a joy to use because of the screen size. It’s fast too. When I replace mine some day I’ll definitely go with the bigger screen.


Thanks for the feedback. Pretty much as I thought although I didn't realize the digital edition was just a PDF of the magazine itself. The magazine I'm talking about is Woodturning. It seems stable on my PC but navigating takes some getting used to. John, I think the iPad is where I'll land. I had one some years ago when our internet was so bad and I'd have to go to a coffee shop to read forums. My grandson is still using it for games, although he complains it's too slow. He doesn't know slow. I can see other uses for it and the convivence of a small device in my lap is pretty appealing. Thanks again.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have subscribed to a lot of digital magazines over the years to keep the clutter of print out of the house. Some digital magazines do it better than others. Out of all the magazine I have read over the years none of them were just a PDF copy. The one thing I dont like with the digital woodworking magazines is there is no way to print out article or patterns to take to the shop.
I use an 8" Kindle fire tablet. They are cheap and I buy everything digital through Amazon. There never seems to be a deal on Woodworking magazines but on others I wait for a deal before I subscribe. Get many for $5 year like Readers Digest and Family Handyman.

[Lee DeRaud]

Out of all the magazine I have read over the years none of them were just a PDF copy.
Sorry if I confused anyone with that phrasing. No, not a PDF, but no meaningful layout reformatting from the print version either. Then again, getting to 'Continued on Page X" would be easier on a PDF than it is on the Zinio app.


The one thing I dont like with the digital woodworking magazines is there is no way to print out article or patterns to take to the shop.Don't get me started on the "enhanced electronic edition" of the Los Angeles Times, with its gloriously baroque kabuki dance required to print out the sudoku and crossword.

[Tom Giles]

Not much for digital reading. It’s my generation I suppose. When I do read a digital magazine it is on an 12.9 in ipad. The issue I have with most digital magazines is they are usually just digital copies of magazines that were laid out for print media. They just don’t flow very well in a digital format.

[Lee DeRaud]

Not much for digital reading. It’s my generation I suppose.
Just to be clear, I have nothing against digital reading. But as soon as we're talking about anything with pictures or the need to flip back and forth, I prefer print.

For fiction, you can have my Kindle when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I really enjoy Fine woodworking mag on either my Mac or iPad. It reads just like the magazine page for page. But hard to get it to print off pages. Just trying to cut down on paper usage.

[andrew whicker]

I have a digital subscription to Dwell.. I also prefer the real glossy magazines, but at the end of the day I'm just trying to do something (however small) to use less resources.

I do like that I can sort thru everything in my email inbox vs keeping heavy magazines if I want to go back to something I saw. Magazines are cool, but they also have the problem of needing to either be thrown away or kept and neither is ideal. Also, resource pages are better online, assuming they are getting edited regularly.

The biggest problem with digital in my opinion is the constant diversion... where as if I sit down with book, etc I'm honed in on only that task with no diversions. I like going to coffee shops, putting on noise cancelling headphones, coffee in hand and read thru via laptop.

And since I'm 37 (and barely made the Millennial cut off..) with my avocado toast because we are all the same, much like people born under the same zodiac symbols.

: )

[Rick Potter]

Since I am from before the baby boomers (war baby), I can't get into reading something from a computer. I don't own a laptop, and see no reason to read off a cell phone screen if I don't have to.

I have a complete set of some mags on a thumb drive, but don't look at them on my PC, and there is no way that is going in to the throne room any time soon.

[Dave Fritz]

Rick, I can relate age wise. However I'm finding large print books are really big and heavy and since I mostly read in bed before going to sleep a kindle might just be something worth looking into for me. It's pretty bad when you're sitting in your chair looking at the clock waiting for the time you can go to bed without being laughed at even worse by the family. I also love the quiet time in the morning when everyone else is asleep. Early to bed, early to rise.

[Lee DeRaud]

However I'm finding large print books are really big and heavy and since I mostly read in bed before going to sleep a kindle might just be something worth looking into for me.
Kindles are a gift from heaven if your hands are aging and the authors you like tend to write door-stops.
(Yeah, Stephen King, I'm talkin' about you...problem?)


I also love the quiet time in the morning when everyone else is asleep.
Except the stupid cat, who is now accustomed to my hours and will loudly demand that I feed her the instant my feet hit the floor. If not sooner.

[Darrell Bade]

My irritation is something that Wood Magazine does. I get the printed version, don't do the electronic thing. Many of their articles leave out important info in my opinion then have a box somewhere on the page saying something like for these details see www.wood.blahblahblah. If
I wanted to do that I wouldn't pay for a hard copy.

[Myk Rian]

My kindle fire is great for online reading. Nice book sized pad that is easy to carry around.

[John K Jordan]

Rick, I can relate age wise. However I'm finding large print books are really big and heavy ...

My lovely bride has decreasing vision and is also and avid reader - reads at least 50 books a year.

Some books are not available in large print versions. She uses an electronic reader similar to the Kindle fire with a large screen. She cranks the font size up - the letters look almost 1/2" high to me - and she can read without glasses. She gets most of her ebooks from the local library lending program, buys a few. I'm not so conservative - I see a book I might want to read, download a free sample from Amazon, then buy it if it's good.

JKJ

[Curt Harms]

I use an IPad Air with 10.2” screen. My son got an iPad pro with 12.9” screen, 128GB - what a difference! It’s a joy to use because of the screen size. It’s fast too. When I replace mine some day I’ll definitely go with the bigger screen.

Screen size would be significant, especially where the electronic version is just a copy of the print version. I've noticed some paper magazines seem to have migrated to a somewhat smaller page size with smaller print. I may end up preferring electronic content with the ability to zoom. I'm a little surprised the larger format eReaders don't appear to have come down in price.