Specific use for a tablet

[amazonkindleguy]

I am interested in using a tablet for a voiceover recording studio where I can transfer scripts to the tablet and the talent can size the script to their liking and scroll as needed.  This will save the printing of lots of paper every day.

Does the Kindle allow for the opening of various word processing documents, most importantly, MS Word documents?

[mooshie78]

You'd have to convert it to mobi, and you may have formatting issues.  You could convert it to a PDF to preserver formatting, but you'd probably need a Kindle DX for that unless you limited your physical page sizes to 6" for the other Kindle model screens.

A tablet like the iPad would be fine though as you could just use any of the office apps to open the Word Docs, or a program like Goodreader for PDFs.

[CrystalStarr]

What about the Kindle Fire?  There are various programs like Documents to go that can view, edit, etc word files, pdfs, etc. At $200 this could be just the thing!

[mooshie78]

What about the Kindle Fire?  There are various programs like Documents to go that can view, edit, etc word files, pdfs, etc. At $200 this could be just the thing!

Screen would probably be two small.  It's 7" and 16x9 ratio so the screen is way to narrow in portrait for displaying something like a full script page.

Could do like a 1/3rd page at at time in landscape mode I suppose if one doesn't mind all the scrolling.

[mom133d (aka Liz)]

Sounds like what you really need is a teleprompter. IIRC, we use Script-Q here at work, but this is one I found for free: http://www.movieclip.biz/prompt.html

Both run off your laptop and for your use you wouldn't need a teleprompter, just the software. 

[amazonkindleguy]

Thanks for all the info.  I'd have to look at a 7" Kindle Fire but it does sound like it might be too small although if they're made for reading it might be ok.  I'm dealing with a lot of paragraphs that are read separately so only seeing 1/3 of a page at a time would be ok for the most part.

I didn't want to get involved with a teleprompter although in many ways that would be a perfect solution if it were completely quiet and were $200    I can't put a laptop in the booth because they do make some noise albeit not as much as a desktop.  I thought a tablet would be a very elegant solution since I believe they are completely quiet, right?

My search started with the Kindle because of price. Since I'd only be using it to replace printing of paper scripts it didn't make sense to spend 3-6 hundred on one of the other fancier tablets.

[Ann in Arlington]

Thanks for all the info.  I'd have to look at a 7" Kindle Fire but it does sound like it might be too small although if they're made for reading it might be ok.  I'm dealing with a lot of paragraphs that are read separately so only seeing 1/3 of a page at a time would be ok for the most part.

I didn't want to get involved with a teleprompter although in many ways that would be a perfect solution if it were completely quiet and were $200    I can't put a laptop in the booth because they do make some noise albeit not as much as a desktop.  I thought a tablet would be a very elegant solution since I believe they are completely quiet, right?

My search started with the Kindle because of price. Since I'd only be using it to replace printing of paper scripts it didn't make sense to spend 3-6 hundred on one of the other fancier tablets.

If you're talking scripts that are basically paragraphs. . .as opposed to a lot of stage direction and character switching like you'd have with the script, say, for a play, a regular Kindle might do it for you.  If it's in Word, you could easily format it so that when converted to MOBI (the native Kindle format) it works just fine and they can change the size of the font to their liking. 

It's not completely silent, necessarily, some find the button click is audible but most don't notice it at all.  A touch screen device, of course, would not even have that.

Fire is also touch screen as a small tablet. . .but it's not eInk so would be a different reading experience.  It would still take a MOBI format file -- which allows for print size adjustment -- as well as other formats depending on the additional apps installed.

If it was me, I'd try the eInk kindles first. . .they're much cheaper.  If they don't work you can return them within 30 days for a full refund (less return shipping).  If you can get a template worked out to put your scripts in, you might even find that some people already HAVE Kindles.  If they do, it would technically be possible to just send the scripts to them directly.

You might ask in the Writer's Cafe area for some guidelines on formatting for the Kindle . . .

[dbeman]

I thought a tablet would be a very elegant solution since I believe they are completely quiet, right?

To the human ear tablets are virtually silent. I'm not sure whether or not a high end studio microphone would pick up any electronic interference though...

[sanshoku]

I think you have to convert those kinds of files into .mobi.

[shalym]

I think you have to convert those kinds of files into .mobi.

You would, but you could convert them very easily by just emailing the word doc to your Kindle email address.

Shari