In Praise of Oasis 2

[cd2013]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Oasis, yes, absolutely. I can comfortably read one-handed with it for hours on end.

Thanks. @maximums, you find the same is true of the Forma, which is even bigger?

Originally Posted by cd2013

Thanks. @maximums, you find the same is true of the Forma, which is even bigger?

Absolutely. I had the luxury of comparing the current versions of both devices side-by-side for nearly a week. Both are good readers and do certain things better than the other, but one area I strongly preferred the Forma was the ease/comfort of holding onto it one-handed for lengthy reading sessions. I have a very severe neuropathy so I'm probably more picky about the reading ergonomics than some folks.

* The angled area that contains the buttons is a nice touch. It gives you more leverage to control what is a fairly tall and wide reading device, so that it doesn't feel tippy or top-heavy while holding it one handed.
* The soft grippy material is a pleasure to hold onto, gives you a great purchase and is super comfortable when doing things like using an area of your palm to support the bottom edge of the device. This was a killer difference vs the Oasis: I like to read case-less in order to keep weight down, and the dang Oasis was just miserably slippery unless my hands were damp.
* The Forma corners are more rounded and give a pleasing feel when supporting the bottom edge of the device with your palm; they don't dig in after you've held it for a while. I really noticed this because it didn't make my hand go number after holding it for 30 minutes or so; the Oasis did.
* The buttons are larger and farther apart than those on the Oasis, and I have moderately big hands, so this makes it much easier for me to get a comfortable grasp and turn pages one-handed. I invert the buttons and use the top button to turn pages, and when I do that, it's about in the perfect position for me. Also, the angled ledge that the buttons are on is a bit wider than that of the Oasis, thus keeping your thumb a bit further from the edge of the screen. I found the Oasis had a narrower ledge for the screen, and my thumb was often inadvertently bumping the screen and flipping the page forward before I wanted to. The Forma solves that problem by giving you a more roomy button area.

Anyway, I could go on, but I think the Forma while not perfect, is a really well thought-out design from an ergonomic reading perspective.

[cd2013]

Thank you, that's a very detailed response!

[TheSmitty]

Originally Posted by cd2013

Do you also consider it shady to rip a CD you have bought and convert it to mp3? Or to rip a DVD? So you can play the media you have bought on a phone or another device?

Some would, I do not. I feel I have paid for a product that I own it. Of course most digital media we buy is a lease of sorts according to most EULAs

[harrygerand]

In my opinion Oasis is a better made device and the hardware is clearly superior. Yes, the battery life is awful. The dictionary is much better than Kobo's.