Kindle Keyboard Alternatives

[defenestrate]

My kindle keyboard broke. I ordered the newer model with buttons because I didn't want the gimmick of a touchscreen. Turns out the newest model is a poorly designed cheap piece of [edited - MODERATOR] and a disgrace to its predecessor.

Please somebody recommend a good alternative preferably with a keyboard. My wrists hurt when I use this new device.

Thanks,

Noi

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by defenestrate

....because I didn't want the gimmick of a touchscreen.

...preferably with a keyboard.

AFAIK, there are no e-readers with a keyboard anymore, just because the touchscreen readers are smaller, thinner, and cheaper to produce.

Why do you think having a touch screen is a gimmick? If you can use one, it is superior in userfriendlyness, as compared to navigational buttons, because you can just touch what you need, and be done with it.

Imagine looking up a word in the dictionary, that's on the bottom of the page.

Buttons: click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, find word.
Touch screen: touch, done.

So, I don't think a touch screen is a gimmick, but I can understand that the usage can be problematic if you don't have a lot of dexterity, have eyesight problems and therefore can't accurately target a touch screen, have a problem such as Parkinson, or you're 7 feet tall with hands as large as a pizza plate with matching fingers... In those cases buttons may be preferable.

There are still quite some readers that have buttons; Some by Onyx Boox, some by Bokeen, the Kindle 4 Basic, Sony readers combine buttons and a touch screen, but I don't know any readers that have a keyboard.

[defenestrate]

Thanks for the feedback. I, however, have no desire to work with an ereader lacking a keyboard. My romance with ereaders is over, which is a shame because I constantly travel and find them useful. I've purchased and read dozens of books on my Kindle so Amazon will also lose out on a lot of revenue. My wrist has been in pain all day from just using the new kindle for a few hours. Maybe my hands are unusual and my wrists are especially weak.

Anyways, thank you Sir for taking the time out of your day to answer my question.

Good luck,

Noi

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by defenestrate

Thanks for the feedback. I, however, have no desire to work with an ereader lacking a keyboard. My romance with ereaders is over, which is a shame because I constantly travel and find them useful. I've purchased and read dozens of books on my Kindle so Amazon will also lose out on a lot of revenue. My wrist has been in pain all day from just using the new kindle for a few hours. Maybe my hands are unusual and my wrists are especially weak.

In this case, a touch screen might actually be BETTER than buttons, because it does not require any pressure at all.

Before you write it off entirely, it'd be a good idea to just try it.

Anyways, thank you Sir for taking the time out of your day to answer my question.

Good luck,

Noi

You're welcome

[defenestrate]

I am Lao and my country is very poor and undeveloped and most people only read for work or study. Thus, finding an e-reader is impossible here. My uncle, an American citizen, recently traveled to Thailand where I met up with him so I had him order and deliver a new Kindle to me. Unfortunately, he has since returned to the United States leaving me with what I feel to be a paperweight. I return to Lao tomorrow and I already know I will be unable to sell or use this device.

Major disappointment for me because I relied so heavily on the Kindle Keyboard to learn and perfect my English. Will just read books in Thai in the meantime.

Best wishes,

Noi

[Katsunami]

To be honest, I don't understand.

Being in a country where e-readers are not easily obtainable, I would be overjoyed to be able to get ANY e-reader, as it would spare the expense of buying English books which, in your case, could be a major consideration. There are many books available for free.

Also, you say that you have problems with your wrists. Have you taken into account that the Kindle Paperwhite is much smaller and lighter than the Kindle Keyboard, and the touch screen requires no force to use, as opposed to the buttons on the Kindle Keyboard? Also, having to click a button many times to open a book, or look up a word, is much more difficult than just tapping the book or word on the screen.

Really, the only reason you give for not even trying a touch screen is that you consider it to be a gimmick. Try it. You may actually come to like it and start to find using the buttons cumbersome. You wouldn't be the first person to have this change of mind.

[Vroo]

I also can't understand why using Paperwhite may cause pain in wrist. The slightest touch of a finger changes the page, no need to swipe. Maybe it's because the device is smaller, and it's less comfortable to hold it - so maybe a cover would help? Or maybe you should try a stylus, though for me it's worse solution than just a thumb.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by Vroo

I also can't understand why using Paperwhite may cause pain in wrist. The slightest touch of a finger changes the page, no need to swipe. Maybe it's because the device is smaller, and it's less comfortable to hold it - so maybe a cover would help? Or maybe you should try a stylus, though for me it's worse solution than just a thumb.

The OP doesn't have a Paperwhite. They have the basic, non-touch Kindle.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

The OP doesn't have a Paperwhite. They have the basic, non-touch Kindle.

True. And indeed, I can imagine that having to press a page turn button that is not "just right" can hurt. The 5-way button of my Bokeen CyBook Gen3 was HARD to press, and I must say it was one of the reasons why I sold the reader.

A touch screen reader could be a great improvement, but the OP does not want one because he/she is of the opinion that touch screens are a gimmick. I think that the mentioned family member could return the Kindle Basic and swap it for a Paperwhite, and send it to the OP, if desired.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by defenestrate

Please somebody recommend a good alternative preferably with a keyboard. My wrists hurt when I use this new device.

Thanks,

Noi

If you or your uncle have access to Amazon U.S. you can purchase a used/refurbished Kindle Keyboard. The prices are low enough that you may want to order a couple (to have a back-up)

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireles...3115762&sr=1-3

I have a Paperwhite and like it a lot but still miss the page turn buttons.

[dordale]

The basic k4 does have buttons for page turns, but then again so does the Kindle Keyboard. Are the buttons on the k4 that much more difficult to push than those on the KK? I can't imagine the K4 being that much harder on your wrists than the KK! In fact I think it would be easier in that it weighs less--unless as Vroo speculated it's because the device is smaller and therefore not as easy for the OP to hold. If that's the case, maybe consider a Kindle DX--it does have a keyboard, but is significantly larger and heavier than either KK or the K4. I'll agree with Katsumami, the KPW with a touch screen is worth a look--the touch screen interface isn't "gimmicky"--it works very well and efficiently. (Although truth be told, I'd rather have page turn buttons in addition to the touchscreen.)

[pidgeon92]

Reality and perception are often two different things. I believe the OP is experiencing problems with their current Kindle. In time, those problems might alleviate. A touch Kindle might still be a better solution.

[Atunah]

As someone that has issues with wrists/hands, could the issue be coming from how one holds the device. I know when I came from my kindle keyboard to the PW1 initially, I didn't know where and how to hold the thing comfortably. The keyboard space is very useful for some of us.
I actually had to get a basic and put aside the PW because the PW would hurt my hands and my eyes. I prefer the buttons on the basic, with the touch screen my joints started hurting because to change pages, I had to turn in the finger in to tap. Now I just slightly press down.
Although the buttons on the keyboard were a bit easier to press than the ones on the basic, they feel very narrow.

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Atunah

As someone that has issues with wrists/hands, could the issue be coming from how one holds the device. I know when I came from my kindle keyboard to the PW1 initially, I didn't know where and how to hold the thing comfortably. The keyboard space is very useful for some of us.

One thing that can be helpful with not knowing how to hold the device is to buy a case with a finger/hand strap of some sort. I find holding a naked device really quite tricky - I feel like I need to pincer-grip it firmly somewhere and that ends up exacerbating hand pain a lot.

I get by with a simple case with rounded edges (so I can rest the device comfortably while side-lying), but for the heavier iPad Mini Retina I use a Gripster which has both an elastic strap and a flip-out plastic loop on the back. That gives me a number of different ways to hold/prop/support the device with my hands so that I don't have to actually grip anything.

Which cases are available depends on the specific devices, but that may be of some use to someone with similar hand issues.

Lastly, it may be better to use an ereader/tablet stand to hold the device, then you only need to touch it for page-turning. (Oh for that ereader remote control I keep dreaming of...)

[Barbara1955]

OP you might want to try the bigger Kindle Keyboard the DX... http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-DX-Wire...ords=kindle+dx