[TerryH]

Is it just me that thinks 7 inch tablets should be designed to be used in landscape mode.

I have used an iPad and a BlackBerry Playbook and whereas the iPad can be used easily in landscape and portrait because of the larger screen, the PlayBook is best in landscape (and is designed as such).

The Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7 are both designed (camera positioning, speakers etc) to be used in portrait mode.

Should they not be the other way round?

[flagpole]

the printed page is in portrait and i think that is what inspires them.

i don't know. obviously my computer screen is landscape. but i use it differently. i have say my browser open in a basically square window with other stuff down the sides.

[Hampton Wick]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Is it just me that thinks 7 inch tablets should be designed to be used in landscape mode.

I have used an iPad and a BlackBerry Playbook and whereas the iPad can be used easily in landscape and portrait because of the larger screen, the PlayBook is best in landscape (and is designed as such).

The Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7 are both designed (camera positioning, speakers etc) to be used in portrait mode.

Should they not be the other way round?

Tablets feel much better in portrait mode, holding them like a book, IMO. Especially 7" ones where you can easily hold them with a single hand and tap with the other.

Obvious exceptions are for watching video content which is mostly 16:9 and should be viewed in landscape.

Some web stuff is very obviously formatted for 1280 wide screens too, but thankfully that is becoming less common.

[flynn]

Each to their own I guess - I use my tablet pretty much exclusively in landscape...

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Hampton Wick

Some web stuff is very obviously formatted for 1280 wide screens too, but thankfully that is becoming less common.

Most regular websites are hard to read on a 7 inch screen in portrait don't you feel?