After nearly a decade together, I foolishly stepped on my PRS-T1 this morning and fatally damaged the screen. I am considering this an opportunity to upgrade, but in my limited research I haven't been terribly thrilled with the direction the industry has taken.
How I used my T1:
- Sideloaded .epub files via Calibre.
- Rooted the device and installed an alternate homescreen app to replace the default Sony homescreen.
- Rooted the device and installed coolreader as an alternate reader app to replace the default Sony reader.
Trends I'm not thrilled with:
- Doing away with hardware buttons or, for the few devices where they remain, moving them to the side bezel. In particular I liked being able to hold the device from the bottom and use the hardware page turn buttons.
- Wider bezels in general.
- Non-Android operating systems (I am an Android developer and I liked being able to load apps from the ecosystem or write or edit my own apps if I had to). I particularly like coolreader as my main reader app.
Things I would mind upgrading:
- I read with the lights on currently, but having a built in light sounds nifty.
- Reliable wi-fi and downloading of content, particularly periodicals. I wouldn't mind being the kind of person who reads The Economist for the articles, and not the lewd photos of Fed Chairmen.
- Faster screen refresh and navigation.
- USB-C port. My phone made the switch a few years ago now, and I wouldn't mind continuing to unify my devices on USB-C.
I'm wondering if there's a device that would represent a meaningful upgrade, or if I'm better off just buying another T1 off ebay and considering this morning a $60 blunder.
Thanks