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Old 02-21-2014, 10:42 PM   #9
kgn
Groupie
kgn has learned how to buy an e-book online
 
Posts: 171
Karma: 94
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Device: Pocketbook 302
Quote:
Originally Posted by filmo View Post
Push button page turns sound better but often button only placed correctly for one hand not the other (Sony T1 problem), buttons are often hard to press or wear out.
Yes, it is weird what ereader designers come up with! You would swear that some designers have never used the thing to read a book!

My ancient Pocketbook 302 is a perfect example. It has hardware buttons well placed and perfectly designed. They operate inwards (a weird concept which I won't bother explaining here), which stops accidental operation. Brilliant system. And you could custom set every switch to anything at all. Also had swipes and touches - also completely customizable. If you could not set it up perfectly, you were not trying.

They had a very good designer on the team - and he (she) obviously read books. So what do they do on the newer models! Fire the first designer (I am guessing). Remove/move the buttons around. Why? Staggering. Here they had a perfect ereader - all you needed to do was update the hardware a bit (ie faster CPU, better screen, frontlight) and they would be done. The latest models still have hardware buttons (kudos at least for that), but they are very poorly placed. At least their software is still very good.

You know - if I was a clever designer, and I was making up a new reader, the very first thing I would do is lurk around forums like this one. Ask users like ourselves who read hundreds of books what they want.
[/rant off]
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