Kindle Touch - first thoughts

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by dbh2ppa

Wait... no landscape?? Not even on PDFs?!?!...
Could someone please confirm this, so I can cancel my order before it ships! No landscape in PDFs is a dealbraker for me.

I don't know about PDFs but none in Kindle books. Call Kindle Support and ask. Don't let them say just yes it does and hang up, ask them to give you instructions how to rotate the screen to landscape.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I can turn my Kindle sideways to read? How do I do that? and why would I want to?

For PDFs in 'fit to width' mode, and for some web browsing especially. But also, if you want or need to use large type, the longer line length works better (justification is better, etc.). I have been known to increase the size so I can read it while running on a treadmill, with TTS turned on to advance pages, for example.

In the past, reading on a Kindle in landscape (or 'upside down') meant some compromises, because of the asymmetry of the button layout and keyboard. But with a touch screen, the virtual keyboard, etc., it should work quite well in any orientation. That's why it is so strange they don't have this feature on Day 1.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by tomsem

For PDFs in 'fit to width' mode, and for some web browsing especially. But also, if you want or need to use large type, the longer line length works better (justification is better, etc.). I have been known to increase the size so I can read it while running on a treadmill, with TTS turned on to advance pages, for example.

In the past, reading on a Kindle in landscape (or 'upside down') meant some compromises, because of the asymmetry of the button layout and keyboard. But with a touch screen, the virtual keyboard, etc., it should work quite well in any orientation. That's why it is so strange they don't have this feature on Day 1.

OK, thanks. Not a feature I'd use, but I can see why others would want it.

[vxf]

Originally Posted by SCION

I looked at the Sony today for the first time at Best Buy. I was very impressed with the clarity. It was noticeably better than the Sony 950.

The T1 screens I have seen are noticeably whiter in background than either my 350 or 950 - and the letters are just slightly darker. But there is variation within the same models... so I am not sure.

I was planning on buying a T1 just for the better screen, but two things are making me look at the KT:

1) No 3g on the T1. I know most people don't care... but I do. I like getting my newspapers delivered when I travel. So I am obviously looking at the 3g KT.

2) Page flipping/freezing.

On the other side, neither device seems to be perfect in how they handle annotations.

On the KT you have no stylus for handwritten annotations. Occasionally I like scribbling, so that kind of sucks.

On SONY, annotation support is poor. To export and store annotations, you need to use the Reader software, and that is an exercise in frustration.

So... KT has good support for highlighting and bookmarking, as you can sync in the cloud but no freehand annotations with a stylus... I call it a draw.

The lack of buttons on the KT is also a big drawback. Sometimes I read at the beach or when eating and don't want to touch the screen with dirty hands. On the other side, KT has tapping for turning pages, which is something I miss on my SONY. Mixed bag, again.

Well, I guess this is a long digression to say... it all comes down to the screen. I hope someone who has both can offer some insight...

[thebestjeter]

Originally Posted by Stingo

4. No tracking bar on the bottom. I would not have minded making it hiding but I liked having it.

So, there is no way to view and use the chapter marks?

[mewmartigan]

One thing I would like to see in a software update:

When you select certain things, like books or keys on the keyboard, they "highlight". However, other buttons like "cancel" and "ok" when sycing to furthest page read, do not highlight. Sometimes its tough to tell if it took my input, especially if it takes a few seconds to perform the function. I'd like to see a software update so that any operation you perform on the touchscreen highlights the button you pressed.

On a side note, they really really really REALLY need a way to let the end user reset sync. I opened a book yesterday and when I tapped the page to go to the next, it instead opened up to the last chapter because I was on the TOC when I tapped. My mistake, should have swiped. Anyway, it took 30 minutes and two different customer service reps from Amazon just to get the "furthest page read" reset.

[abookreader]

I'm kind of iffy about mine. I want to use it a couple of days and see if it grows on me but right now I'm really kind of missing the Kindle Keyboard.

First - my Collections are a mess. I put all the books on and then transferred in the Collections. Some of my Collections didn't show up. Some Collections that I had months ago on the old Kindle but had deleted off did show up. Some Collections are listed two or three times. Then in some Collections there will be 3 books listed but on the screen it will say Collection name (5) and I can't figure out why or how to fix it. So, I did a Factory reset to wipe it clean BUT, the Collections stayed. This all seems to be a firmware Amazon Cloud Whispersync kind of problem and probably not a Kindle Touch hardware problem but let's just say right now I'm really missing the Calibre Kindle Collection plug-in which does not work with the Kindle Touch. I have way too many books and I've spent hours on getting my Collections just as I want. The thought of having to do it again makes me kind of pissy.

Moving on to the device. I've picked up a few fingerprints which I suspected. Holding it, I really need a cover. There is very little bezel on the sides and I guess I have monster hands because I have a really hard time finding a place to put my fingers which isn't on the screen. I will say that I don't adapt easy to change and I've just gotten used to the old Kindle. There's a good chance that if I use it more, I'll find a way to like it. I'm just not there yet.

I've had a couple of glitchy things like hitting the home button and it going and opening up a Collection for no apparent reason. Sometimes it seems to hang for 5 to 10 seconds when I'm navigating around the home screen. If I keep it, I think I'll pay to eliminate the Special Offers because that banner down at the bottom does kind of bug me.

The screen contrast looks great. Page turns seem fine. As somebody else mentioned, if you want something to read PDF files this is not a good option. I really don't do much highlighting or note taking or anything like that so I can't comment much on those features.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I will be disappointed if you can't operate the KTouch in any orientation (as with all Kindles thus far). Maybe enough to return it until they add this feature back.

If this is true I will jump from a hill, and kill myself. Or stop a truck with my own hands.

Just kidding!

Gosh, if they removed that, I am going to cry harder than a 2 months old baby. I can't read my computer books in portrait. My Kindle keyboard 3G will be kept for centuries if that's the case, until battery dies.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by jocampo

If this is true I will jump from a hill, and kill myself. Or stop a truck with my own hands.

Just kidding!

Gosh, if they removed that, I am going to cry harder than a 2 months old baby. I can't read my computer books in portrait. My Kindle keyboard 3G will be kept for centuries if that's the case, until battery dies.

The K4 has landscape but the Touch does not. Support said it may be added later but not sure how much I believe it.

[markbot]

Originally Posted by Stingo

Well, I've had my Touch for six hours, loaded it with all of my books, transferred the collections and am up and running. Yet....I'm not happy. In fact, I've already thought more than once about giving the Sony another look.

Why am I unhappy:
1. First and foremost -- screen is just a tad greener.
2. No portrait mode.
3. Had to turn refresh on every page turn on due to the shadowing in the every six page mode.
4. No tracking bar on the bottom. I would not have minded making it hiding but I liked having it.

My recollection is that the Sony has portrait and a very contrasty clean screen. Lets see how I feel after a couple of days. How is everyone else liking their touch?

I couldn't measure it but I also thought the Sony had a better screen than the Kindles I saw. it just seemed that the black was blacker, or something like that. It just felt easier to read but I can't pinpoint the reason. The letters popped out more.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Blossom

The K4 has landscape but the Touch does not. Support said it may be added later but not sure how much I believe it.

I think in this case we need to insist on an official announcement that an update is in the works to deliver the features of K4 that are missing on KT, not vague assurances from Support.

I think there's good reason to expect that such an update is in the works. For example, if they want to sell this in France, Germany, Spain, the dictionary stuff has got to work right, and landscape viewing is kind of a baseline feature for mobile devices, and is a natural fit for one without buttons and keyboard.

I understand why they would push KTouch out the door while deferring some less critical features to an update, and I certainly don't want features that they haven't tested thoroughly, but I wish they could simply make a commitment to do so within a reasonable period of time.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by markbot

I couldn't measure it but I also thought the sony had a better screen the Kindles I saw.

Hmmm...

The same exact company who makes those for Amazon is the same that does for Sony. Same pearl screen I think.

If I recall well, there are comments here that eink screens loss contrast over the time and usage? But can't confirm.

It could be an isolated case or a perception. Most reliable way to measure is with a colorimeter, which I doubt someone here in Mobileread has ...

[Blog Kindle]

Originally Posted by thebestjeter

So, there is no way to view and use the chapter marks?

Swiping up and down will navigate chapters same as left and right on the 5-way on older Kindles.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Hmmm...

The same exact company who makes those for Amazon is the same that does for Sony. Same pearl screen I think.

If I recall well, there are comments here that eink screens loss contrast over the time and usage? But can't confirm.

It could be an isolated case or a perception. Most reliable way to measure is with a colorimeter, which I doubt someone here in Mobileread has ...

Actually they do. The old K4 threads has people claiming theirs is as good as the K3. Even a few scientific tests so I expect to see them post on the Touch.

I know my K4 screen isn't as good as a Sony and the pics I've seen from Touch looks alot like one from K4s. Now my K3 is excellent! My K3 uses a different tint then the K4.

Wow, I guess Amazon put a lot more thought in the Kindle 4 non-touch model and the Kindle Fire than they did in the Kindle Touch. Glad I didn't buy one.

I think the lack of a landscape mode is foolish since all previous models and all other current models have that option. NEVER take away functionality!

Also I'm not too thrilled that they did away with the progress bar across the bottom. Even the Fire still has that, though it is not nearly as informative as the ones on the E Ink models. How else can you tell where you are in a section/chapter? BTW, On the E Ink models the bar shows section/chapter divisions and distance read during current reading session, but the Fire merely has a total progress indication bar.

Oh well I was skeptical to begin with. I previously owned three different E Ink touchscreens (2 from Sony and 1 from Kobo). But the lag time of E Ink screens just never seems to work that well with a touchscreen.