Best E-Reader For Touchscreen Haters?

[Richwood]

These days probably have to buy used but what are people's nominations for the best Ebook reader for those who cannot stand touchscreens?

Candidates I come up with are the Kindle DX, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4/5 and the Sony PRS-505 but I presume that there are a few other candidates. Based on the Kindle 4/5 model I find that without a touch screen or a physical keyboard like the Kindle DX and Kindle Keyboard any keyboard entry is a PITA so trying to take notes is very slow.

With their 5 physical keys many functions of the Sony X50 and T series units can ignore the touchscreen but far from all.

[JSWolf]

Why do you hate a touchscreen?

[ZodWallop]

I don't get it. If you just want to be a curmudgeon because that's how you roll, you could get a Kindle Oasis and turn the touchscreen off.

[ZodWallop]

If you're looking for cheap old e-readers, look at ShopGoodwill.com. Last I looked they had old non-touch Kindles, Kobos and Nooks for cheap.

[glow]

New Nook Glowlight 3, very nice display and has page turn buttons. I prefer buttons also, and makes it easier to page forward and backward with either hand.

[HarryT]

I can understand that someone might prefer to turn pages with buttons, but it seems to me that only a masochist wouldn’t want a touchscreen for operations such as looking up a word in a dictionary, highlighting text, or adding an annotation!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Richwood

Candidates I come up with are the Kindle DX, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4/5 and the Sony PRS-505 but I presume that there are a few other candidates. Based on the Kindle 4/5 model I find that without a touch screen or a physical keyboard like the Kindle DX and Kindle Keyboard any keyboard entry is a PITA so trying to take notes is very slow.

There's a couple I can add to the list. The Kobo (and the closely related Kobo WiFi) – neither which I liked – and the Sony PRS-300 (which I like). But if you write a lot of notes and want a real keyboard, I think you're pretty much stuck with the early Kindles. Personally, if I have page turn keys, I don't mind using the touch screen for the dictionary, etc., but it is a pain when I have to clean the screen and appreciate my Kindle Keyboards and Kindle 4 because of that.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I can understand that someone might prefer to turn pages with buttons, but it seems to me that only a masochist wouldn’t want a touchscreen for operations such as looking up a word in a dictionary, highlighting text, or adding an annotation!

One of the main reasons I enjoy reading on my Kindle Keyboard or Kindle 4 is that, when I want to clean a dust speck off the screen, I can do it without worrying about from page to next (or back) by accident. I also like the simple, clean font, but that's a different issue. The Sony x50 is not too bad here because a tap doesn't navigate, you've got to swipe. But sometimes I accidentally swipe when cleaning the screen.

[Hemmi]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I can understand that someone might prefer to turn pages with buttons, but it seems to me that only a masochist wouldn’t want a touchscreen for operations such as looking up a word in a dictionary, highlighting text, or adding an annotation!

I bought my first ereader back in 2009. I've never looked up a word in the dictionary, highlighted anything or added an annotation to anything either. Why would I want to do any of those things?

[Deskisamess]

I can't imagine reading and never using the dictionary.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Hemmi

I bought my first ereader back in 2009. I've never looked up a word in the dictionary, highlighted anything or added an annotation to anything either. Why would I want to do any of those things?

You wouldn't, but that doesn't mean no one else would. While I don't highlight or annotate, I use the dictionary occasionally when there's some rarely used or obscure word. I read fiction mostly in English, but English is not my native language. Hence the need for dictionary.

Many people read for research or academic purposes and they certainly highlight or annotate, or both.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I can't imagine reading and never using the dictionary.

Ditto. I love having the dictionary. Besides the obvious use of looking up unfamiliar words, sometimes I look up a known word out of curiosity about its etymology.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by rcentros

One of the main reasons I enjoy reading on my Kindle Keyboard or Kindle 4 is that, when I want to clean a dust speck off the screen, I can do it without worrying about from page to next (or back) by accident. I also like the simple, clean font, but that's a different issue. The Sony x50 is not too bad here because a tap doesn't navigate, you've got to swipe. But sometimes I accidentally swipe when cleaning the screen.

I'm not sure what you mean by a simple, clean font. But I guarantee a Glowlight 3 will have a better looking, cleaner screen than any e-reader that is old enough to not have a touchscreen, due to the higher resolution and later generation screen.

[Richwood]

I did not say that I personally hate touchscreens but I do think that a combo of page turn switches and the infrared touchscreen are the best user interface, particularly if the unit has wi-fi or 3G. The 5 switch Sonys with touch screen are overall very good and the old Sony PRS-300 and PRS-505 are not too bad. I tossed the question out to see what responses I would get. If have a touch screen I prefer the infrared version to capacitive.

[Richwood]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

You wouldn't, but that doesn't mean no one else would. While I don't highlight or annotate, I use the dictionary occasionally when there's some rarely used or obscure word. I read fiction mostly in English, but English is not my native language. Hence the need for dictionary.

Many people read for research or academic purposes and they certainly highlight or annotate, or both.

I noted when in Holland years ago, circa 1972, that book stores seemed to have books in 4 languages. Languages were Dutch, English, French and German. The Dutch are highly multilingual and Holland is a small enough country that apparently relatively few books are published in Dutch. The same true in Estonia? Anything specialized or most fiction is going to only be available in Russian or English?