PRS-600 Page Turn Gesture: Yes/No, Which side and which finger?

[Juliette]

I personally use the left-to-right, swiping with my right thumb, although I find pretty comfortable the buttons when I hold the Reader with my left hand.

[HarryT]

I far prefer the buttons, and exclusively use the stylus to operate the screen. I can't bear to use a screen with fingerprints on it!

[acidzebra]

Yes, I hate it when those bears get all up on my screen. Stupid bears.

(dedicated buttons FTW)

[NSqirrel]

Early days here as I have only had the 600 for a couple of days. One thing I noticed was that to start with my right hand automatically went up to the right hand corner of the 600 to turn the page - as though I was reading a real book.

[AmboCS]

Haha I completely understand NSqirrel - I had to change the direction to 'Right to Left' just because it felt more like actually 'turning a page'...

[Wetdogeared]

I hold my 'touch screen' reader with my left hand, and swipe my left thumb left to right (an arc actually) to turn the page.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by acidzebra

Yes, I hate it when those bears get all up on my screen. Stupid bears.

(dedicated buttons FTW)

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

I hold my 'touch screen' reader with my left hand, and swipe my left thumb left to right (an arc actually) to turn the page.

i do the same thing, but opposite, with my right hand.

i very occasionally use the buttons (depending on my position), but so rarely that i voted for "i use it (exclusive use)". i like the touch screen because it effectively allows you to create your own dedicated buttons wherever they are most convenient for you. excellent ergonomy.

also, i apparently have unnaturally clean fingers, because i've never had a problem with fingerprints or smudges on my screen.

when i first got my 700 the left-to-right swipe seemed so completely natural to me that i didn't even think of changing it. (in graphic design, left-to-right is the direction which communicates moving forward, going towards the future, etc., so it seemed quite natural to use it to go "forward" in the book). then one day someone said to me "that makes no sense, it a paper book it's the other direction / you should be "pushing" the current page off the screen (to the left, into the past...) to reveal the next screen" and naturally since then i sometimes get confused (only when giving a demo, of course. when i'm reading it's quite instinctive and i don't even think about it). even so, i still prefer left-to-right, because for me, physically it's more comfortable than the inverse.

[Grandma Aubbie]

I occasionally use the buttons in unusual positions, but 99% of the time I page swipe - at an angle, with my thumb.

[MelC]

I mostly use the buttons but sometimes depending on the angle at which I am holding the book I use the swipe. I did change the swipe to right to left and that feels more natural although I have a macbook and use the touchpad swipe from left to right to advance pages on the computer.

Mel

[FizzyWater]

I find that swiping with my knuckle (usually the middle finger) has more consistent (good) results that a finger tip ... and little smudging. Fingernail works too, but for some reason, I find the knuckle just more comfortable.

If I'm holding the book in my hand, though, it's almost always the buttons. It's only when I have the Reader propped up against something I swipe.

[Juliette]

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

I hold my 'touch screen' reader with my left hand, and swipe my left thumb left to right (an arc actually) to turn the page.

Yes, my gesture too is more an arc than anything else

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by MelC

I mostly use the buttons but sometimes depending on the angle at which I am holding the book I use the swipe. I did change the swipe to right to left and that feels more natural although I have a macbook and use the touchpad swipe from left to right to advance pages on the computer.

Mel

hm, very interesting. did you change that parameter yourself, or is it by default set to that direction ? i ask, because in a discussion recently a friend showed me on his iphone that to "turn pages" (really, to move through a set of photos, but same concept) you swipe from right to left to "push the old photo out of the way" (his explanation). i imagine you can modify that gesture (i don't know for sure) but i think that was the default. it would be surprising if another apple device uses the opposite direction as default.

Originally Posted by Juliette

Yes, my gesture too is more an arc than anything else

yep, mine too. hard not too, given the nature of the thumb anatomy.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I far prefer the buttons, and exclusively use the stylus to operate the screen. I can't bear to use a screen with fingerprints on it!

I hardly ever touch screens with my fingers, for the same reason. Only on my PDA and JE100 do I sometimes use my finger, but I have a screen protector on those and it's very difficult to leave a fingerprint on that (anti-glare).

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i do the same thing, but opposite, with my right hand.

i very occasionally use the buttons (depending on my position), but so rarely that i voted for "i use it (exclusive use)". i like the touch screen because it effectively allows you to create your own dedicated buttons wherever they are most convenient for you. excellent ergonomy.

also, i apparently have unnaturally clean fingers, because i've never had a problem with fingerprints or smudges on my screen.

when i first got my 700 the left-to-right swipe seemed so completely natural to me that i didn't even think of changing it. (in graphic design, left-to-right is the direction which communicates moving forward, going towards the future, etc., so it seemed quite natural to use it to go "forward" in the book). then one day someone said to me "that makes no sense, it a paper book it's the other direction / you should be "pushing" the current page off the screen (to the left, into the past...) to reveal the next screen" and naturally since then i sometimes get confused (only when giving a demo, of course. when i'm reading it's quite instinctive and i don't even think about it). even so, i still prefer left-to-right, because for me, physically it's more comfortable than the inverse.

You and I must have the same type of fingers because I very rarely get fingerprints on my screen. I will admit that I wash my hands a lot. Dealing with children, it's a necessity.

I hadn't thought about the swipe direction before. I stuck with the left to right, as well. Now, however, I am thinking of giving the "pushing" swipe a try. Going from L-to-R didn't bother me on the 700, but since the 600 now has a raised frame, I've had to readjust my swipe so that my thumb doesn't encounter the rim and it feels unnatural. I know it sounds silly, but when you start getting arthritis in your thumb joints, any uncommon movements can be painful.

Thanks for the tip, Zelda (and friend)!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by kazbates

You and I must have the same type of fingers because I very rarely get fingerprints on my screen. I will admit that I wash my hands a lot. Dealing with children, it's a necessity.

yes, i imagine washing them regularly is at least partly responsible in my case as well.

I hadn't thought about the swipe direction before. I stuck with the left to right, as well. Now, however, I am thinking of giving the "pushing" swipe a try. Going from L-to-R didn't bother me on the 700, but since the 600 now has a raised frame, I've had to readjust my swipe so that my thumb doesn't encounter the rim and it feels unnatural. I know it sounds silly, but when you start getting arthritis in your thumb joints, any uncommon movements can be painful.

you know, i also am a bit annoyed by the raised edge of the frame on the 600. i don't know why they made it that way. it doesn't bother me enough to change my use, but occasionally i bump into it and think "sheesh, design flaw, sony !" i really wonder what possibly could have made them build it that way.

Thanks for the tip, Zelda (and friend)!

i'll let him know you found it interesting. i'll be interested to hear how you like the new direction ; i obviously use that sometimes (when i want to go backwards in the book) and i don't find it unbearably uncomfortable but i still prefer to keep the left to right for what i do the most often.