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kzm007 · 08-07-2010, 04:18 PM

I have cerebral palsy and use a crutch in one hand, so carrying paper books in the other hand is always a literal pain, especially if they're hardback.

Questions about specifics are marked with question marks in parentheses.

My ideal reader should:

BE EASY TO USE FOR A LEFT-HANDER !
Be comfortable to operate one-handed.
Be lightweight and easy to hold for lengths of time while reading, yet still not feel like it's going to blow up from overheating, fall apart due to shoddiness if I push a button, etc.
Be small enough to carry in a pocket if possible, or at least a book-bag or something, with a screen at least 7" or the rough/exact measurement of a readable softcover book's page.
Have a non-gloss finish, which would be nice to prevent fingerprints, but plastic's cheap to manufacture with while still balancing a decent sales cost and company's profit, so I'm not holding my breath here.
Have an ergonomic structure (ties into the above point) with comfortable buttons that are easy to press and access and a comfortable grip in the hand(s).
OR, the touch-screen should be responsive and as hassle-free as possible.
Have a realistic-looking page display (black on white) and be easy on the eyes for lengths of time, indoors and out with little to (preferably) no reflective screen glare. Good contrast, I guess I want to say.
Utilize e-ink and not any form of back-lit LCD, which causes eyestrain and the aforementioned glaring in bright areas.
Possess an expandable SD/SDHC memory card slot for adding files.
Have excellent PDF rendering and re-flow/formatting to the device screen. Most of my books will be in PDF unless someone can verify that converting them would be a good thing for me to do(?) and I would naturally want to maintain the comfort to read the page and the neat appearance of the formatted text.
Allow me the ability to view and play numerous formats easily - including audio files.
Any plug-ins/ports should be tucked out of the way (i.e NOT on the bottom where cables might lie in my lap, unless I can flip the reader as a lefty and thus move them above or to the side for reading).
Excellent battery life; these things are made to be portable, I want it to last when it's being transported away from home.
Allow the battery to be user-replaceable.
Not be tied to any one mobile carrier for the wi-fi/3G for book purchases; if it is, it should be Verizon, as that's all I have available to me (I don't fully understand 3G, truth be told :P do I need a mobile carrier? I get the basic principle that wi-fi is good for home and 3G helps with abroad, but after that, I'm lost?)
Internet access for book browsing/sampling portions (if possible) and purchasing, although if it comes down to it, I'll do it through my PC. I don't really need ANOTHER, fuller Internet-capable device and am trying to focus primarily on reading alone.
A PC client may be helpful, but I don't don't know how badly I'd really need one(?)
On that note, the ability to annotate and mark text would be nice; or at least the option to select it and save it for later upload to a PC? That would help me as an English major if I ever need to pull information from a text.
Be no more than $225...and even then, I'm being very generous. However, if something's out there with a lot of these features, I may reconsider and pay for it. Things get better with e-readers daily it seems

I realize e-readers are emerging seemingly overnight, and maybe my ideal plastic-back doesn't exist exactly as I'd like it, just yet, but a guy can still ask and dream, eh?

Thank you all so much -

Kegan

08-07-2010, 04:18 PM	#1
kzm007 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Port Allegany, PA; USA Device: none	Here's what I'm looking for :) I have cerebral palsy and use a crutch in one hand, so carrying paper books in the other hand is always a literal pain, especially if they're hardback. Questions about specifics are marked with question marks in parentheses. My ideal reader should: BE EASY TO USE FOR A LEFT-HANDER ! Be comfortable to operate one-handed. Be lightweight and easy to hold for lengths of time while reading, yet still not feel like it's going to blow up from overheating, fall apart due to shoddiness if I push a button, etc. Be small enough to carry in a pocket if possible, or at least a book-bag or something, with a screen at least 7" or the rough/exact measurement of a readable softcover book's page. Have a non-gloss finish, which would be nice to prevent fingerprints, but plastic's cheap to manufacture with while still balancing a decent sales cost and company's profit, so I'm not holding my breath here. Have an ergonomic structure (ties into the above point) with comfortable buttons that are easy to press and access and a comfortable grip in the hand(s). OR, the touch-screen should be responsive and as hassle-free as possible. Have a realistic-looking page display (black on white) and be easy on the eyes for lengths of time, indoors and out with little to (preferably) no reflective screen glare. Good contrast, I guess I want to say. Utilize e-ink and not any form of back-lit LCD, which causes eyestrain and the aforementioned glaring in bright areas. Possess an expandable SD/SDHC memory card slot for adding files. Have excellent PDF rendering and re-flow/formatting to the device screen. Most of my books will be in PDF unless someone can verify that converting them would be a good thing for me to do(?) and I would naturally want to maintain the comfort to read the page and the neat appearance of the formatted text. Allow me the ability to view and play numerous formats easily - including audio files. Any plug-ins/ports should be tucked out of the way (i.e NOT on the bottom where cables might lie in my lap, unless I can flip the reader as a lefty and thus move them above or to the side for reading). Excellent battery life; these things are made to be portable, I want it to last when it's being transported away from home. Allow the battery to be user-replaceable. Not be tied to any one mobile carrier for the wi-fi/3G for book purchases; if it is, it should be Verizon, as that's all I have available to me (I don't fully understand 3G, truth be told :P do I need a mobile carrier? I get the basic principle that wi-fi is good for home and 3G helps with abroad, but after that, I'm lost?) Internet access for book browsing/sampling portions (if possible) and purchasing, although if it comes down to it, I'll do it through my PC. I don't really need ANOTHER, fuller Internet-capable device and am trying to focus primarily on reading alone. A PC client may be helpful, but I don't don't know how badly I'd really need one(?) On that note, the ability to annotate and mark text would be nice; or at least the option to select it and save it for later upload to a PC? That would help me as an English major if I ever need to pull information from a text. Be no more than $225...and even then, I'm being very generous. However, if something's out there with a lot of these features, I may reconsider and pay for it. Things get better with e-readers daily it seems I realize e-readers are emerging seemingly overnight, and maybe my ideal plastic-back doesn't exist exactly as I'd like it, just yet, but a guy can still ask and dream, eh? Thank you all so much - Kegan Last edited by kzm007; 08-07-2010 at 04:23 PM.