Why have e-readers ditched page turn buttons?

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Shaking it is too much work. I'm still a big fan of the idea of a stream-of-consciousness ereader.

Could scrolling serve this function, with a steady flow of text up the screen with an adjustable rate of speed? You'd probably have to design a new ebook format to allow this...or just have it display a stream of simply formatted plain text.

[murg]

Originally Posted by Apache

What happens when you blink?
Apache

You get teleported to Nebraska.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Could scrolling serve this function, with a steady flow of text up the screen with an adjustable rate of speed? You'd probably have to design a new ebook format to allow this...or just have it display a stream of simply formatted plain text.

I've had reading devices with autoscroll in the past. It just doesn't work well for me personally; when I read I frequently stop and re-start, go back and re-read a previous paragraph, and so on. I don't read at a constant speed.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've had reading devices with autoscroll in the past. It just doesn't work well for me personally; when I read I frequently stop and re-start, go back and re-read a previous paragraph, and so on. I don't read at a constant speed.

I'm with you, Harry. Tried it; didn't like it. For much the same reasons you state; it just doesn't work for me.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by murg

You get teleported to Nebraska.

My understanding is that you have to click your heels together three times to get to Kansas.
Apache

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by patrickt

So, back to the original question. Why have physical, mechanical page-turn buttons been abandoned?

Not enough people want them to make it worthwhile.

Actually, I think it was decided that it was a cost savings for the manufacturers.

Originally Posted by patrickt

The haptic button compromise is as close as it will get.

To me, those count as page turn buttons. It's too bad they're currently only available on one device. But that's looking like it will be my next e-reader.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Could scrolling serve this function, with a steady flow of text up the screen with an adjustable rate of speed? You'd probably have to design a new ebook format to allow this...or just have it display a stream of simply formatted plain text.

As HarryT said, it wouldn't really sync with the speed of your though processes.

Direct mind uplinks allow you to spontaneously know the passages of the book as you are ready for them. Theoretically, even the effort of thinking about it could be obsoleted.

Reading will never have been easier.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've had reading devices with autoscroll in the past. It just doesn't work well for me personally; when I read I frequently stop and re-start, go back and re-read a previous paragraph, and so on. I don't read at a constant speed.

Yes, the most successful ones I've used used motion sensors to control scrolling speed. iScrollReader (iOS) worked particularly well. But their business model collapsed when Apple began demanding a cut of in-app purchases and stopped allowing the 'launch web browser' workaround.

Now the Fire Phone has this but it is based on 'head tracking' via the cameras in the corners. If you set it down, it stops scrolling. It almost works well, but scrolling is a little jerky and stalls out for no apparent reason. And you can't use it with TTS or narration with it (I think TalkBack also doesn't work but I'd have to check again to be certain). I like it, even so.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Less user friendly though

I think it depends on the person. My mom has no problem with the lack of buttons, but I couldn't stand it. I would accidentally touch the screen, it turns the page or does something awkward. Just drove me nuts. I now have 3 Kindle Keyboards and those are my go-to readers. I mostly use the Kindle Fire for whispersync novels just because it's easier.

[barryem]

I got a Fire Phone yesterday and I've been playing with that scrolling feature in the Kindle app. It's far from perfect but it works a lot better than I expected. I find it pretty usable. I'd be happy if I could adjust it a bit more.

I don't want constant scrolling so I tilt the screen back a little when a little scrolling is needed and then I straighten it out again. That's simple and effortless and requires no more thought than swiping or tapping to turn pages, although the novelty of it is still a bit distracting. I'm pretty sure I'll get used to that.

What I find myself doing a lot is just reaching up with a finger to slide the page up a bit, rather than tilting back. That's what I'm accustomed to doing with Moon+ so it feels natural to me. And the scrolling is far smoother and more controllable in this app than in Moon+. I have Moon+ on board so I have compared.

The problems, as I see them, are first, that when the thing is perpendicular to my face it's just about ready to scroll backward, so I have to avoid that. That also means I have to tilt back pretty far to scroll forward. I'd love to be able to adjust the center relative to my head.

This is a pretty minor thing. I still find this kind of a nice way to read.

Another problem is that I can't turn off the tilt/scroll feature without turning off scrolling entirely, forcing me to page. If I could manually scroll instead of tilting I'd be pretty happy.

For a while I couldn't figure out why I liked scrolling so much better than page turning but now that I've been thinking about it a while I think it's because near the end of the page I have to force myself not to swipe yet, and that's a bit distracting. With a paper book when I got near the page end my fingers had a grip on the corner of the page and at the end the page was already lifted, giving myself as smooth a transition to the next page as possible. Ereaders, being digital, turn when I touch so I have to keep my finger away and I want to start ahead of time and I can't.

Anyway I find that when I scroll I do it ahead of time and the part I'm reading is between the top and the center of the page. I sort of keep it there. Its a major improvement for me, leading to faster and more enjoyable reading and, I think, better absorption.

Overall I'm disappointed in the Fire Phone. Everything works well but it's not really very intuitive and a lot of things don't work the way I'd like them to work. I'm pretty sure I'll get used to it but it could be a lot better. I think I'll probably keep it because of the scrolling Kindle app. I really do like that.

Barry

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Do the page turn buttons on the on the Nook Simple touch detract from the esthetics of the device? I don't think they do. (You could argue about the 'n' home button. I like it personally.)

They are not susceptible to dirt and dust. If anything, the ridge of the raised bezel is more of a concern when it comes to that, yet that has not become the de facto design.

The buttons on a nook STR are lousy because they require too much force to press.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The buttons on a nook STR are lousy because they require too much force to press.

Something like how much force it takes to press the button is pretty subjective, so I'll take your word on it.

I can only say that it hasn't been my experience, nor my better half's. It also hasn't been a running theme in the reviews I've read.

At least with the Nook Touch, if you don't like the page turn buttons, you have the option to swipe to turn the page

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

At least with the Nook Touch, if you don't like the page turn buttons, you have the option to swipe to turn the page

Same with the Voyage. You can use either the haptic sensors or the touchscreen.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by murg

I'd like to see an inertia sensor chip in an ereader.

That way, you just have to shake (flip?) the device to change the page.

I know you are just joking, but this is exactly how FBReader180 worked on PocketBook 360°.
They used G-sensor that was supposed to flip screen 90° the way modern smartphones do. Third-party FBReader did not rotate screen 90° but turned page when you tilted the reader. Hence the name FBReader180. The tilt angle was configurable.
I used the program because of large number of other features.

Originally Posted by jhowell

For me the ultimate would be a front facing camera interface. Wink to turn the page. Long wink to page backward. No need to move a finger. Too bad that it would kill the battery.

Well, I do remember Samsung Galaxy S III having a feature when it scanned the movement of your eyes from left to right as you read the line and scrolled the text.
So the idea isn't *that* far-fetched.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've had reading devices with autoscroll in the past. It just doesn't work well for me personally; when I read I frequently stop and re-start, go back and re-read a previous paragraph, and so on. I don't read at a constant speed.

The devices that have TTS [Text To Speech] do automatic pageturns following the text. All you had to do is leave the earphones unplugged.
I have e-ink reader with TTS, but I only ever tried this feature when I was making a review.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Same with the Voyage. You can use either the haptic sensors or the touchscreen.

Yeah, the Voyage will likely be my next e-reader.