Two Weeks Now of Kindle Touch and I've Learned Something

[Skydog]

Wow. I must be doing something wrong. With little effort, a tap turns the page quickly to a new page of clear, crisp text. One thumb, left or right, is all that is needed -- a real plus when propped up in the bed linens. No fingerprints to be found.

While I intend to keep and use my K3 (I consider it a classic), I love the Touch and find that reading with less physical action from my digits and thumbs contributes to an improved reading experience for me. The lack of buttons/keys makes the KT nearly invisible while reading. Perhaps I am not as critical as I think I am, but it is doubtful.

In addition, I LOVE Amazon's lighted cover. It is sleek, classy and houses the Touch securely. I have used the light quite a bit in the past two weeks and find it works extremely well and is an improvement over the case and light of the K3, IMHO.

I am very pleased.

[shinew]

I'm a thumb tapper too. The only time I ever swipe is when I need to go back a page while holding the Touch with my right hand(very very rare...).

[VictoriaP]

Originally Posted by Skydog

... One thumb, left or right, is all that is needed -- a real plus when propped up in the bed linens. No fingerprints to be found.
...

I've gotten really spoiled by the touchscreen for reading in bed. Laying on my side, with the Touch propped in front of me and using a stylus, I can tap from a distance, with just the stylus poking out from under the covers so my hand stays warm. Try that with my old K2! LOL

On a serious note though, I'm really wondering about the disparity of opinions on this thing. People seem to either love it or hate it. Are other touchscreen readers this polarizing?

[wallflower75]

The swiping is what turned me off a bit from my eInk Sony. Doesn't recognize taps. When given the choice, I'll always tap.

Same here--it's why I decided to buy the KT in the first place and pass on my Sony PRS-650 to my sister. I never cared for having to swipe to turn a page (especially after I got an iPhone, where all I have to do is tap the screen) and I hated the page-turn buttons on the 650--my thumbs would hurt after a while of reading. When I saw that all you'd have to do to turn a page with KT was to tap the screen, I was sold. And so far, I haven't had any reason to be disappointed with my purchase.

[Shopaholic]

Originally Posted by VictoriaP

On a serious note though, I'm really wondering about the disparity of opinions on this thing. People seem to either love it or hate it. Are other touchscreen readers this polarizing?

Yes! and then of course there's the swipe vs tap issue.

I adore my Sony 350 and bought the new Sony T1. Both are touch. I personally prefer swipe to touch so am happy. But I for some reason still like buttons. I don't like the Kindle keyboard & wouldn't buy it but was drawn to the K4 non-touch. It's silly really when I have a whole library of books I can't use on it because of compatibility but I like it so I have both. I love the page turn buttons on the side.

I still sometimes reach to touch the screen on it but I like the buttons. I have a Blackberry because of the buttons over the hubby's iPhone or similar. But that's just me.

[shinew]

Originally Posted by VictoriaP

On a serious note though, I'm really wondering about the disparity of opinions on this thing. People seem to either love it or hate it. Are other touchscreen readers this polarizing?

I've found that majority of the people who dislike touchscreen based ereader are the ones who either don't know the basic operation, or refuse to try one because they think they won't like it. Just look at the people on this board!
To be fair though, the Touch is less intuitive to use than some other touchscreen based device like an iPad, mainly because of the asymmetrical assignment for the touchscreen region(but really, it just takes less than 10 seconds to read the "Tips", I swear!).

Of course there're very few out there who've tried & know everything there is to know about how it works and simply prefer NOT using a touchscreen.

[thayerwilliams]

Originally Posted by shinew

To be fair though, the Touch is less intuitive to use than some other touchscreen based device like an iPad, mainly because of the asymmetrical assignment for the touchscreen region(but really, it just takes less than 10 seconds to read the "Tips", I swear!).

It's not simply a matter of intuitiveness, it's a matter of inefficiency. Features that used to work with the press of a button now require 3-5 times as many steps to reproduce with the Touch. IMO that's not an upgrade, that's a chore.

[abookreader]

Originally Posted by shinew

I've found that majority of the people who dislike touchscreen based ereader are the ones who either don't know the basic operation, or refuse to try one because they think they won't like it. Just look at the people on this board!
To be fair though, the Touch is less intuitive to use than some other touchscreen based device like an iPad, mainly because of the asymmetrical assignment for the touchscreen region(but really, it just takes less than 10 seconds to read the "Tips", I swear!).

Of course there're very few out there who've tried & know everything there is to know about how it works and simply prefer NOT using a touchscreen.

I'm not sure what you mean by that but since I'm the starter of the thread and I returned my Touch because I didn't like it as well as the Keyboard model.

1. I have an iPhone and and iPad and a Kindle Fire. I even own a nook Color. I don't mind those touch screens. I'm well aware of the basic operations of touch screens work and I certainly don't refuse to try them.

2. I used the Touch at least once a day for about two weeks. I knew how to use it just fine. I simply didn't like it as well as the previous model so I sent it back. I prefer to have the device that suits my tastes.

Your experience of the people you know might be different but I think that if you search around MobileRead you will find much more than a "few" people who prefer having a keyboard. Just like with all the different brands of readers, there is more than enough room for personal preference without having to insist that somebody who makes choices that don't match yourself must be inept, uneducated, or simply wrong.

[shinew]

Originally Posted by thayerwilliams

It's not simply a matter of intuitiveness, it's a matter of inefficiency. Features that used to work with the press of a button now require 3-5 times as many steps to reproduce with the Touch. IMO that's not an upgrade, that's a chore.

Some features take 1-2 more steps to complete, some take less steps. Mostly faster IMO, and KK doesn't even have the X-Ray, which I consider very helpful for many books.

Originally Posted by abookreader

Just like with all the different brands of readers, there is more than enough room for personal preference without having to insist that somebody who makes choices that don't match yourself must be inept, uneducated, or simply wrong.

hmm it seems to me that you're the only one who's using those terms to describe people here...
I assume what you wrote was your misinterpreted version of the first possibility I've listed, you must've also missed the 2 other possibilities I've wrote even though you've quoted them...

No my opinion is not only based on the people I know. It's mostly from reading people's complains on the internet(including MobileRead).

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by SCION

The swiping is what turned me off a bit from my eInk Sony. Doesn't recognize taps. When given the choice, I'll always tap.

Tap works for me.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by thayerwilliams

It's not simply a matter of intuitiveness, it's a matter of inefficiency. Features that used to work with the press of a button now require 3-5 times as many steps to reproduce with the Touch. IMO that's not an upgrade, that's a chore.

Specifics, please. I haven't discovered any inefficiencies of that order ("3 to 5 times"). On the contrary, most things are much more efficient.

[vigna04]

Agreed, some things are just better with keyboard rather than touchscreen. Anyone seen the new laser keyboard? Ridiculous, I'll never buy it and I'm a tech addict.

Originally Posted by abookreader

I really, really love that Kindle Keyboard.

I tried it out. My objections pretty much what I thought they would be. I just don't much like reading with touch screen devices. I accidentally turn pages. I accidentally skip to the next chapter. I want a page turn button to rest my finger on. I try to adjust the font and I end up highlighting words and looking them up in the dictionary instead. Mostly, I'm hopeless.

It just hit me today that I should just get another of the keyboard device that I loved, while I can still buy one, rather than continue to make myself like this one. Because I'm pretty sure that in the next couple of years, touchscreens will probably be all that is available. Plus, I already own a Kindle Keyboard lighted cover that is just sitting here empty and unloved. New Kindle Keyboard will be here tomorrow.

And I'll be able to put the pictures of my kids back on with the screensaver hacks and I'll be able to use the Calibre Collection Plug-in again.

[mewmartigan]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Specifics, please. I haven't discovered any inefficiencies of that order ("3 to 5 times"). On the contrary, most things are much more efficient.

With the non-touch version it would technically take me 8-9 key presses to scroll to the last book on the homepage and open it.
With the touch version, it takes one finger one touch.

[DiapDealer]

With the non-touch version it would technically take me 8-9 key presses to scroll to the last book on the homepage and open it.
With the touch version, it takes one finger one touch.

But what does it take to get to the home page from inside a book?

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

But what does it take to get to the home page from inside a book?

One click on the Home button at the bottom of the Kindle.