[JasonB]

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

The status information is just showed while page turning. It hides then after a while. You can configure that so it stays on the screen.

Nice. I would definitely configure it so that the page numbers are always there.

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

the "page numbers or not page numbers" question is a whole sack of knots. i think you'll be surprised to find that there are many people who are quite attached to this convention, for many reasons

I'm one of them. I'd feel quite odd without page numbers. I know that noonscoomo said that having the pages renumber themselves with variable font sizes results in them not making much sense, but I disagree completely. It's not about what pre-set, static, page you're on - it's about what page you're on relative to all of the other pages in a book. I'm used to seeing physical books in different formats (hardcover, paperback, trade paperback, etc.) and the same book is, obviously, numbered differently when you buy it in a different format. But that's just fine. The point is that, with whatever version of book you're currently reading (or font size), you know exactly where you are.

In fact, the one thing I was mentioning to a friend of mine that I miss about physical books (although I still prefer electronic) is the feel of the book in my hand that lets me "sense" how much I've read by the thickness of pages in my left hand vs. the thickness in my right. I've always felt eager to start a book when I have so many pages left unturned in my right hand - then start to feel a little sad <grin> when there's the opposite effect and I know that I'm coming to the end. With electronic books, I don't have the same tactile feel for where I am in a book. It's odd having to just refer to the page number. (Sometimes I'm surprised by how much I've read because I can't sense it - and I haven't explicitly looked at the page number in a while.) Without even just the page numbers I think that I'd feel completely lost.

Originally Posted by noonscoomo

It will display 16 gray shades

Can somebody describe what that means in terms of the difference in readability from only 8 (as with the Sony I have)? I'm assuming that it's the same as in the computer world, and there will simply be better contrast, making it look even that much more realistic?

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I can (and do) hold my PDA in one hand, gripping it on both sides. But I don't think I can get my hand around a 6" screen Holding a reader only on the bottom sounds so ... awkward... to me.

Am I the only one who had a momentary mental image about this statement taken a bit out of context and sounding a little inappropriate? LOL

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i really hope my liseuse will have better ergonomy than a hardback. those things are horribly uncomfortable (and sometimes impossible) to hold one-handed.

I normally hold my books two-handed, although sometimes I will switch to using just my right hand. With a hard cover, as I don't need to worry about bending the pages beyond what they can take without being "damaged", I will often just sit it on my lap (or stomach if I'm lying down) and read it that way, just lightly touching the cover to keep it up. (And I'm trying to stop laughing as I type this and continue to think of things out of context...)

With my electronic reader, I like the option of folding the cover back behind. Sometimes I leave it open, sometimes I don't. (If I'm at a pub, I may fold it back and leave it on the table, so I don't use my hands at all.)

But there isn't really any one way that I hold the reader - I like to vary from time to time.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I personally dislike touch screens for reading on intensely

I tend to agree. I've never enjoyed touch screens myself. I haven't considered the fingerprint issue, but the whole touch screen experience itself has never felt natural to me. I've played with iPhones, and using the touch screen has always felt slightly unnatural to me. Given the choice, I would always prefer a manual button or other type of control that has nothing to do with the screen itself. I own a Harmony One universal remote control, and part of its interface is a touch screen. I've never enjoyed it. The touch screen bit, I mean. The remote itself is amazing. (And that's just touching the screen as if the elements were buttons, not actually sliding a finger across it.) For me, a touch screen is a knock against a device, not a selling feature.

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i'm right handed too, but i like to hold my reader in my left hand. but anyway, the good news for you is the txtr will have an accelerometer, so if you prefer to hold it in your right hand, just turn it around ! in fact, if you want the controls on the bottom, you can have that too.

How? You mean by turning the device 90 degrees so that the page is horizontal rather than vertical?

With my Sony, I very much like the page turn buttons on the right and the bottom. Although I mainly use the buttons on the right, I do sometimes use them on the bottom too (depending on how I'm holding it).

I kind of like the static nature of the Sony (505) that just works for me exactly as it is. Granted, it may not work perfectly for a lot of other people. (Such as those who like page turn buttons on the left.) But, my specific tastes aside, I'm very impressed by this new reader and I think that it's probably the best in terms of reconfigurability and compromise that I've yet seen. If it lives up to its promise, I think it's going to be very successful.