Facibus Reviews

In the past I’ve worked with a few teams that have designed for PDA - the most recent example is Schedule for PDA. I also read a lot of eBooks on my Nokia e61.

The following post was made today to the ebook-community mailing list. I’ve reprinted it here with Freddie’s permission. Incidentally, she was the first independently e-published SF/Fantasy author to be featured at Fictionwise. :

I can’t remember which list it was but, some time ago, I saw a spirited
thread about what effect reading regularly on a Rocket, Gemstar 1150, Palm
or other backlit wireless e-reading device would have on one’s eyesight.
While it wasn’t lost on me that most of the dire warnings came from people
who were totally against ebooks to begin with, as a voracious reader who got
my first presciption glasses in 2004 at the age of 66, I was still
concerned.

After recently going through yet another eye exam which culminated in the
purchase of two pairs of hideously expensive eyeglasses, one for driving etc
and the other for the computer and reading etc., I figured I might as well
find out once and for all. So, when I went to pick up my new glasses last
Friday, I hauled along my NuvoMedia Rocket, 1100 Rocket and Palm Zire and
asked the doctor straight out, “Will reading on these devices have an
adverse effect on my eyes?”

As soon as he saw how the fonts could be enlarged and tried out the
landscape feature on the NM Rocket and the Gemstar 1100, the doctor started
calling various staff members over and enthusing on how fantastic they would
be for patients with macular degeneration and similar vision loss. After I
explained that the Palm Zire will also play MP3 audio books, he became so
excited I had a time getting him back to my original question. One of his
staff members then commented that the gentleman in our area who works with
the blind has some Rockets and that he had showed one to her.

Finally, to make a long story short, here’s what the doctor said: “The only
problem that I can see would be glare. My recommendation is that you don’t
read on any of these devices in a totally dark room. In other words, there
should be some light. Other than that, I think these are just great. Where
can I get one?” In response, I gave him a list of various websites that sell
ebooks, i.e. Fictionwise, and explained that it’s possible to still find a
Rocket on eBay.

So there you have it, folks. Reading on a backlit wireless device will *not*
damage your eyesight and the only problem might be glare. To prevent this,
the doctor said there should be some light in the room and that a nightlight
would do just fine.

Freddie aka Kate Saundby
shippard@bellsouth.net
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=1745
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/KateSaundbyeBooks.htm

There you are - some good advice. Like Freddie, I’ve wondered about the long-term effects of reading from backlit devices. I will stop reading in dark rooms, I promise