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cedsoft · 08-11-2017, 05:23 AM

Hi there, long time lurking on the forum but this subject interest me a lot.

The Kindle Oasis may be one of the most innovative and effective design evolution made for an e-reader to date.

Most brands first tried to imitate the basic look and feel of a book. While it's good for adoption amongst people that never used an e-reader, it's a bad/suboptimal design for ergonomics. It inherits from a paper book design and suffers from its drawbacks (bulky, 2 hands needed for interactions, suboptimal weight distribution, etc.). At the end, it takes unnecessary effort to operate and to handle it properly.

I think Amazon did an outstanding job to design "from scratch" what is a more comfortable way to read. They moved the device gravity center closer to the palm of the hand. In physics, that’s the lever effect and can reduce significantly the effort to lift it against gravity. This “spine” helps to offer a very comfortable grip and direct access to buttons, allowing to (almost) never use your second hand.

The cover is well designed as well and solves two "problems". It give the Oasis the extra battery it needs and a more pleasant aspect during transport.

I have some respect for this risky/disruptive design decision. Some people won't understand why it doesn't look like a book, but the legacy form factor won't likely makes sense for next generation readers (the same way we don't write anymore on 10 pounds stone tablets).

For the overpriced argument, I’d say:
- If you compare the price to a Kindle Voyage + a leather origami cover, you spend almost the same price since the Oasis has an included leather cover (+ an extra battery).
- If you have just one reader that fulfils all your need, it’s cheaper than buying several devices that may not suit you.
- I’m pretty sure Amazon makes more money on the basic Kindle and Paperwhite (high volume + cheaper to produce)

The only "bad thing" I could say against the Oasis is the lack of adaptive light sensor. I don’t know why since it’s a very appreciated feature on the Voyage.

Anyway, I really hope this Kindle will be back soon with maybe some evolutions. Finger crossed for a plastic/polymer cover (it saves an animal skin, it's cheaper and more resistant).

08-11-2017, 05:23 AM	#38
cedsoft Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2017 Device: Kindle gen 8, Kobo Glo	Hi there, long time lurking on the forum but this subject interest me a lot. The Kindle Oasis may be one of the most innovative and effective design evolution made for an e-reader to date. Most brands first tried to imitate the basic look and feel of a book. While it's good for adoption amongst people that never used an e-reader, it's a bad/suboptimal design for ergonomics. It inherits from a paper book design and suffers from its drawbacks (bulky, 2 hands needed for interactions, suboptimal weight distribution, etc.). At the end, it takes unnecessary effort to operate and to handle it properly. I think Amazon did an outstanding job to design "from scratch" what is a more comfortable way to read. They moved the device gravity center closer to the palm of the hand. In physics, that’s the lever effect and can reduce significantly the effort to lift it against gravity. This “spine” helps to offer a very comfortable grip and direct access to buttons, allowing to (almost) never use your second hand. The cover is well designed as well and solves two "problems". It give the Oasis the extra battery it needs and a more pleasant aspect during transport. I have some respect for this risky/disruptive design decision. Some people won't understand why it doesn't look like a book, but the legacy form factor won't likely makes sense for next generation readers (the same way we don't write anymore on 10 pounds stone tablets). For the overpriced argument, I’d say: - If you compare the price to a Kindle Voyage + a leather origami cover, you spend almost the same price since the Oasis has an included leather cover (+ an extra battery). - If you have just one reader that fulfils all your need, it’s cheaper than buying several devices that may not suit you. - I’m pretty sure Amazon makes more money on the basic Kindle and Paperwhite (high volume + cheaper to produce) The only "bad thing" I could say against the Oasis is the lack of adaptive light sensor. I don’t know why since it’s a very appreciated feature on the Voyage. Anyway, I really hope this Kindle will be back soon with maybe some evolutions. Finger crossed for a plastic/polymer cover (it saves an animal skin, it's cheaper and more resistant).