MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Readers/mobile devices allow for one-hand operation w/ highlighting & dictionary use?

avid01 · 09-13-2016, 09:39 PM

Me again, this time with a new angle!

My 6" Kindle 4 with its physical buttons has been allowing me perfect one-handed operation (yes, I'm one of those crazy people) with highlighting and dictionary use. Its battery is dying. Sooner or later I will be replacing it anyways. For the sake of simplicity of this argument, experiment, let's forget about that previously I required the Oxford dictionary and an illuminated screen as absolute must have features.

The thing is, 6" readers with physical buttons can be operated with one hand. But readers with physical buttons are phased out, and 6" readers with touch screens cannot be operated with one hand, if one is a highlighter, and user of any built-in dictionary. Similarly, mobile devices in the 4.7"-5.5" range cannot be used for this purpose either. I have an Android device at the lower end on the screen size scale here for testing, and all it would give if I tried to use like that is RSI.

The only device class I see could work here, is the 4" iPhone. As no decent Android device is made with a ~4" size anymore, with thin bezels. Oh, let's not forget the next gen. iPhone will go edge-to-edge screens, so the same, one-handable small form factor will include a 4.2"-4.3" screen. You heard it first, or not. So, that's the maximum touchscreen size I can comfortably work with one hand, for my reading and all.

My question to you. Else, any e-reader manufacturer still produces a decent reader with physical buttons, or a small, iPhone 4"-like screen? Trekstor had one, for what it's worth. Do you see any other solution to my quest other than the 4" iPhone/iPod Touch? I'm fine with that, by the way. Strangely, if I had to choose a mobile device size from three sizes, small (~4"), medium (~4.7") and large (~5.5), I'd go either with the small or the big one. Anything but medium. But I can't use the big one with one hand, so let's go with the small. The iBooks app comes with my favorite Oxford dictionary too, as an added bonus.

Yes, I'm also one of those crazy people who sometimes enjoys typing on a normal QWERTY keyboard with one hand.

09-13-2016, 09:39 PM	#1
avid01 Addict Posts: 300 Karma: 2000410 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle 4	Readers/mobile devices allow for one-hand operation w/ highlighting & dictionary use? Me again, this time with a new angle! My 6" Kindle 4 with its physical buttons has been allowing me perfect one-handed operation (yes, I'm one of those crazy people) with highlighting and dictionary use. Its battery is dying. Sooner or later I will be replacing it anyways. For the sake of simplicity of this argument, experiment, let's forget about that previously I required the Oxford dictionary and an illuminated screen as absolute must have features. The thing is, 6" readers with physical buttons can be operated with one hand. But readers with physical buttons are phased out, and 6" readers with touch screens cannot be operated with one hand, if one is a highlighter, and user of any built-in dictionary. Similarly, mobile devices in the 4.7"-5.5" range cannot be used for this purpose either. I have an Android device at the lower end on the screen size scale here for testing, and all it would give if I tried to use like that is RSI. The only device class I see could work here, is the 4" iPhone. As no decent Android device is made with a ~4" size anymore, with thin bezels. Oh, let's not forget the next gen. iPhone will go edge-to-edge screens, so the same, one-handable small form factor will include a 4.2"-4.3" screen. You heard it first, or not. So, that's the maximum touchscreen size I can comfortably work with one hand, for my reading and all. My question to you. Else, any e-reader manufacturer still produces a decent reader with physical buttons, or a small, iPhone 4"-like screen? Trekstor had one, for what it's worth. Do you see any other solution to my quest other than the 4" iPhone/iPod Touch? I'm fine with that, by the way. Strangely, if I had to choose a mobile device size from three sizes, small (~4"), medium (~4.7") and large (~5.5), I'd go either with the small or the big one. Anything but medium. But I can't use the big one with one hand, so let's go with the small. The iBooks app comes with my favorite Oxford dictionary too, as an added bonus. Yes, I'm also one of those crazy people who sometimes enjoys typing on a normal QWERTY keyboard with one hand. Last edited by avid01; 09-14-2016 at 06:54 AM.