[issybird]

Since people seem to be commenting on trying out the new Oasis in this thread, I'll follow suit. If the OP is bothered, PM me or post here and I'll make a new thread and move the "trying out" posts.

I was able to handle the new Oasis at Best Buy yesterday; they had a demo model in the Kindle display. Color me surprised, as this store had never had even the Voyage on display.

But, this was the frustrating aspect; the floor model only ran in demo mode. I couldn't test out any of the controls or settings or see how it functioned when you actually, you know, tried reading a book. What's the point? Except that handling it was enough for me to realize that I didn't like it. I found it awkward and uncomfortable to hold. It might have been in part because I'm used to holding readers in the cradle of my hand instead of grasping it by the side, but the corner dug into my palm. I found the ridge awkward and the buttons poorly placed for my hand size. Flipping it to get the bulge into my other hand didn't come naturally to me, but I I admit that as I pretty much just left hand a reader, that wouldn't be a dealbreaker. I'm also not saying that I couldn't get used to grasping the side.

The thing is, I really wanted to see how fast it was (everyone has commented on it) and play with the various adjustments. I expected to be blown away by this and instead I walked away saying, "Not for me." A good reading experience might have more than offset my poor initial reaction to how it felt in my hand.

Amazon doesn't have to lose any sleep over me; I wasn't going to buy one. But based on this experience, if I were going to get a Kindle, I'd prefer a Voyage.