I felt the same way, until I got the Kobo Mini. I did NOT want to have an ereader without page turn buttons, but honestly after using the Mini for a day I got used to it and found that a very light tap on the side of the screen would turn a page just as easily as my buttons on the K3. I can prop it up against something and turn the page with a knuckle if I'm holding a sandwich or something. Trying that with the K3 I sometimes knocked it over.
If you really like the Paperwhite (I'm dying to get one), I think you should try it out. Amazon has a 30 day return policy I think, in case you're not happy with the touch screen
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