07-17-2011, 12:34 PM | #91 |
Wizard
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07-17-2011, 02:12 PM | #92 |
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07-17-2011, 02:14 PM | #93 |
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That's the stuff I would like them to keep as well, removing most of those would just be doing it for the sake of it rather than for reasons of usability.
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07-17-2011, 02:44 PM | #94 | |
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Quote:
I'm against doing away with buttons altogether. A good device should have dedicated page turn buttons as well as the touch interface. When you say that you've 'tried' various touch devices, have you actually owned one? I ask, because I felt the same way as you do now before I bought my Sony. I wasn't noticeably impressed by the touch interface in the shop, and was perfectly satisfied with my Bookeen and Elonex which had excellent button-driven interfaces. But after using the Sony in practice once I got it home I was in no doubt whatsoever that it was far easier and more intuitive to use. Obviously everyone's mileage may vary, and you've got every right to love buttons and hate touchscreens, but I suspect that you'll get a hybrid machine in due course (as that seems to be the way the market is heading) and will find that the touch interface isn't as painful as you think. Graham |
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07-17-2011, 02:53 PM | #95 | |
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Except for maybe two handed landscape reading, the 5 way needs much less movement for page turning than using the other buttons. The only reason that I have not configured them to do something else is that I can do everything that I need with the 5 way button. If I ever start using bookmarks or notes much, I will probably configure the giant buttons for that. I knew that I would be making some compromises in return for true pocketability, but I was surprised to find that some aspects of reading on this 5" 200dpi 600x800 screen are better than reading on the 6" 167dpi 600x800 Kindle 2. I get about the same number of words per screen, sometimes more. And I can jump to end notes, read them, and return to the main text much quicker and more easily. One handed reading (either hand) is a dream on the PB 360. On the Kindle 2, it is not a nightmare, but it is not pleasant for me. I often go back a page, and the weight and balance of the Kindle 2 in a cover are not comfortable for me in one hand. I still say that a truly ergonomic 5-way button is much better, for me, than dedicated page turn buttons. That may not work for everyone, but it looks to me like people are rejecting the idea out of hand for reasons that do not apply. There is no requirement that a 5-way button be located someplace awkward to get to, or that its operation be vague, mushy, or prone to register a different direction than intended, or be otherwise uncomfortable to operate. This is not just some theoretical idea. The 5-way button on the PB 360 is just such a control. (Now, if they would just get their firmware and possibly electrical problems sorted..., but that has nothing to do with whether a 5-way button as the main or sole control is a good idea.) |
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07-17-2011, 03:05 PM | #96 | |
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07-17-2011, 03:36 PM | #97 |
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07-17-2011, 05:50 PM | #98 | |
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I'm not saying a 5-way can't be useable. I just don't see it being as easy to use and as ergonomic as the Kindle 3's buttons, let alone superior. |
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07-17-2011, 05:57 PM | #99 |
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I say "Do away with those vestigial page turning contraptions! And give us a touch sensitive swiping mechanism, which more emulates the manner in which text is rendered on our ereaders! What is a page after all but a window of a text?"
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07-17-2011, 06:35 PM | #100 | |
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07-17-2011, 07:17 PM | #101 |
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I can hold my K3 and turn pages all with ONE hand. Not sure how would I do that with a touch interface. But maybe a touch interface combined with minimal buttons work the best.
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07-17-2011, 09:23 PM | #102 |
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it's extremely easy in fact much easier that having to push a button. Just a nice flix of your thumb right or left.
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07-17-2011, 09:30 PM | #103 | |
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In the end we can argue all day, but all this comes down to what everybody is used to. I like touch screens because I want the device to be as small as possible, no giant bezel or buttons that take up a lot of space. |
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07-17-2011, 09:38 PM | #104 | |
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Quote:
On my 360, I've programmed the left-right clicks to page forward and back, long-presses jump 10 pages forward and back; up and down jump to next or last chapter, long-presses call the TOC or dictionaries. Center button calls the app menu, long press the note-taking/highlighting. All by *my choice*; It's my reader and my GUI. The K2/K3 5-way implementation isn't bad but it isn't great either; mostly it treats the switch as a mouse replacement. The Kindle UI is decent on discoverability but lacking in customizability and single-handed operation, though Amazon gets credit for trying. The touch screen crowd is so hooked on replicating the paper experience they don't even try. I'm hoping that if Amazon does go with a Touch screen on one of the K4s, they remember the Rocketbook. Better yet, I hope their non-touch K4 ditches the keyboard and goes for a clean 5-way based GUI; its cheaper and the most motion efficient control system for reading. Of the currently available touch models, I might consider the Nook Touch but you couldn't pay me to use the Kobo or Sonys. Edit: Among the advantages of a good button-based interface for *reading* are the tactile feedback and ability to handle the display arbitrarilly without activating functions accidentally. The PB360 requires just the right amount of force to activate the rocker ring so I can keep my thumb on it and just increase the pressure to activate. No finger motion required. I'm a fan of touchscreen on PDAs and computers but not for reading. If nothing else, I can hold the PB360 in one hand and a sandwich with the other. Last edited by fjtorres; 07-17-2011 at 10:08 PM. |
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07-18-2011, 02:12 AM | #105 |
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I can (and always do) hold my Sony650 and turn pages all with one hand. But then, I wouldn't buy a dedicated ereader without buttons to turn pages...
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Tags |
amazon, kindle, tablet, touch |
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