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Posted my initial Forma impressions in the software update thread, so, with some additional time to use it, reposting in what I think is the more correct forum (with edits/updates). The comparisons are to my Aura One:
The Forma is definitely lighter and easier to hold in one hand. Very enjoyable feel. Good grippy back (I don't get anyone saying it's slippery). The lighter weight (while keeping/slightly improving the same screen size) is, without a doubt for me, the Forma's best feature.
It is quite a bit wider in order to fit the physical buttons and I don't really like that look. It no longer looks like a book in its dimensions and is that much harder to fit into a pocket/small bag as compared to the Aura One (which had its own limitations, but not as many as this). Indeed most of my winter coat pockets will fit the Aura One, but not the Forma because of its extra width. This is probably the biggest drawback for my personal use.
The Forma's screen strikes me as being whiter than the Aura One, but I don't feel that the fonts are quite as sharp. Both are excellent on their own though -- that's just my impression from a side-by-side.
I do have a very mild white strip on the button side -- I would never have noticed it absent the comments on the forum. For me, it is slightly more pronounced the higher my backlight setting, but it is not distracting and almost exactly matches my right margin. I may have a better unit than others -- I definitely would not return mine on account of this attribute.
There is no auto-sensor on the Forma for adjusting brightness. One the other hand, I never found that worked well on the Aura One, so I don't miss it. It does have the same auto-setting for comfort light as the Aura One, but that's a timing issue that doesn't need the sensor. As others have noted, it's a less red, more even comfort light that, I think, is improved.
The auto-rotation lags a bit when switching hands, but not badly. More annoyingly, often when I turn on the device, the text is upside down in terms of the orientation in which I'm holding it and I have to do a turn and back to get it to correct. I suspect this is why they introduced the swipe, which now always opens the book in the right orientation if you're using the button to turn it on and off. If you're using the sleep cover, the orientation is usually correct at the start and there is no need to swipe.
I actively dislike the power button. It's not a deal breaker, but it's very hard to press and tell whether you activated it or not. The Aura One's button has a much better feel.
Very unscientifically, I don't notice an appreciably different battery life between the two units at this point. Both continue to have appreciable worse battery life for me than my H2O (all using Nickel).
The sleep cover works well, but holds the unit up at a much lower angle than the Aura One's sleep cover. However, this doesn't bother me and, in terms of construction and firmness of support, I think is an improvement.
I'm going back and forth on whether to use the page turn buttons in their default configuration (toggle down is page forward) or their inverted configuration. Since I hold the unit in different ways, what I really would like is an option to have BOTH toggle up and toggle down translate into a page forward. I rarely page backwards and can do that easily enough with a tap or swipe. But I won't hold my breath, as I've been hoping for better tap zone options (i.e., almost everything should translate into a page forward) for the Aura One's bigger screen forever.
Bottom line: There's a lot to like, but I'm still on the fence about whether it's a keeper or not. Lighter weight and comfort is great; larger width not so much. Interested in how others are liking their units....
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