Palm TX is great as an e-book reader overall, but I miss my jog-wheel
If Palm wants people reading e-books, then the successor to the Palm TX Handheld ought to have a jog-wheel for changing pages. While I’m glad I switched from my Sony Clie to the TX, I’m mystified why the latter doesn’t include a jog-wheel like my old handheld.
Whether it’s a jog-wheel or a bidirectional lever, the Palm should have a page-changing do-dad on the left side to make it easier to read in the portrait mode. The Palm, albeit light, doesn’t quite feel right when I’m holding it mostly from the bottom. I’m into the one-hand act.
And now a question: What are the pet ergonomic peeves associated with e-book reading your own device, even if you like it overall? Share the gory details, as well as the ergonomic aspects that you like. Future shoppers will bow down in your direction three times a day.
Other PDA makers, please heed. And perhaps cell phone makers as well. E-books can’t live up to their potential unless basic ergonomics are decent. No, I don’t think that everyone needs to use a dedicated device, but surely PDA makers can be more sensitive to e-bookers’ needs. Maybe the book-relevant ergnomics of PDAs will improve as the e-book market grows.
Detail: The Palm’s weight and button placement work out better when I’m reading in the landscape mode. But I suspect that most people prefer portrait.
General impressions: Even without a jog-wheel on the Palm, I’m glad I made the switch. I wanted to spend more time away from my desk, and a WiFi machine with a good browser made sense. Beyond that, I’ll have fewer problems with with software compatibility than I did with the Sony in some instances.
Related: The Palm TX Handheld as an e-book reader: Tip request–and another source of $250 TXs. I invite fellow Palm owners to share tips in the discussion area accompanying that post.
July 8th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
David,
I am so glad that you like the TX. I use to think that the screen was too small to read from, then I realized that I had never tried. I do like the experience and most of all I like being able to put it in my purse. My pet peeve is page turning. Sometimes it skips a page, or even pages. I keep my TX in a case and sometimes that gets a bit cumbersome to hold and navigate. I prefer the flip style case with the bottom snap. That way I can snap the case to the back which helps me hold my PDA when reading. Personally, I like reading in portrait mode. I do wish that the 5 way button allowed me to change preferences without using the stylus.
Re: jogwheel. I tell ya the Franklin Ebookman could have been a great device if TPTB hadn’t jumped ship. It was a great size, big screen, and catered to reading e-books. If only it was color, kept its original promise to include MS reader, included an updated and user friendly desktop sync application, and a rechargeable battery. I still use mine from time to time, but that loss of OS everytime the battery dies is a hassle (but having a backup on the MMC really helps).
Ellen
July 8th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Hi,
Ergonomics Nokia 770:
On the go, or standing or even in bed the Nokia is very easy to use, though being so fragile you have to pay attention at holding it. I use it right handed cupping it in my hand since being right handed it comes naturally for more demanding tasks (say holding the Nokia as opposed to holding Ebookwise) to use that hand, but again you can turn the pages to hold it left handed. You can actually customize your buttons for Fbreader but you have to do it each time, so I keep the regular settings (page up/dwn, full screen - on the right side, prev boook, library, toggle page indicator, recent book list, back, rotate 90 - on the front).
I have used the Nokia on my exercise treadmill, standing in line at the supermarket, walking… but less when eating since I have to keep it closer to my eyes than it is convenient for eating. The Ebookwise is better to use when eating since you can hold it farther from the eyes.
Navigation and book access are ok, loading time is noticeable for bigger books (not instantaneous as for Ebk) and for the moment Fbreader has a navigation line that is not paginated so you have to estimate.
Another nice touch is that you do not need to turn it off, you slide it from the case and start reading (and you can slide it in the case face up to read or you can keep it like a 2 page book, though you read only one), you stop you slide it back.
Ebookwise 1150:
Ebookwise gives you the solid feel you have with a book, you can hold it in the left hand and turn the pages also with that hand, and if you tire you can turn the pages upside down so you can use it with the right hand. The book access and navigation are great since you can move the stylus on the page line and the numbers flick in front of you and you can stop wherever you want. Once you have the books on your card and the device recognizes them (recognition happens first time you load them only and takes a little bit depending on how many new books you have), loading, navigation… is instantaneous. You have a previous book button, library button on the bottom, setting buttons on top, and page up/dwn buttons on the left side, and you can arrange your library after several criteria (author, title, size…)
For reading books, I use Nokia about 60-65%, Ebk 30%, print/tablet/pc the rest
Liviu
July 8th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
Now that most PDAs have built-in microphones, I would like to see page-turning triggered by a distinctive sound - preferably something like a click of the tongue. Automatic scrolling just doesn’t work for me so if I’m at the breakfast table with a cup of tea in one hand and a slice of toast in the other, I want to be able to turn the page without dropping anything or getting grease all over the device. ‘Click!’ = turn page and ‘Click-click’ = page back would be ideal.
Jon.
July 8th, 2006 at 9:40 pm
nokia770: way to jump between index page and other html pages by using one of the physical buttons; generally i don’t want to use stylus for anything (and that’s what ebookwise does so well).
easy way to prevent the display from switching off automatically. (when I am in the kitchen and referring to recipe in an ebook).
a way of highlighting and copying a selection to a laptop or desktop using bluetooth (when the license permits it).
using the software to correct space break issues, on the fly wordwrapping. sometimes that involves removing spacebreaks within a paragraph, but not between paragraphs. I’m now looking on an html page where a 3 character word on a recipe is a separate line.
both: I want a numerical value to mark a certain point which I can use as reference for someone using another reader/device.
July 9th, 2006 at 7:07 am
ELLEN: I agree with most everything you’ve written, especially about the tendency of the TX to move forward or back too many pages if you’re not careful. My Sony Clie has a similar problem with its jog wheel. BTW, I myself owned an eBookman and appreciate your comments on it.
ROBERT and LIVIU: Thanks for your Nokia 770 comments. Glad the discussion isn’t limited to the TX. Comparisions welcomed.
JON J: Fascinating idea–sound-activated page turning. I love it.
Thanks,
David
July 9th, 2006 at 7:44 am
I’ve had problems with the TX skipping pages too. It was quite annoying at first, but I learned to live with it.
As for the sound-activated page turning: interesting idea, but how feasible would it be given ambient noises? Sure, a click of the tongue might be distinctive in a quiet room, but can you click loud enough for the device to recognize you on an airplane or what have you?
July 9th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Hi, Biz–many thanks for your note. I agree with your concen over ambient noises, but perhaps that feature could be toggled in for use when the room was quiet. David
July 10th, 2006 at 12:18 am
I envisage the click signal as an option, certainly not as the only way to turn pages.
July 10th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Personally I had my best text-only e-reading experiences using a Sony Clie NX73V: even opening/turning its screen is an action similar to the opening of a paper book… ;-).
My second best hardware for e-book is the Compaq/HP TC1000 tablet pc. Really nice design, good form factor and powerful enough as a laptop too. Today you can find one second-hand TC1000 for about 600 US$, so less than the price of the incoming iLiad…
Cheers
Ervino
December 11th, 2006 at 5:39 pm
I am currently using a Palm TX - previously I’ve had a Palm T3 and a Handspring Visor Prism. I’ve read ebooks since about three weeks after I got the Prism…
I like the TX - I haven’t run into the problem with pages skipping. I generally read with it in my left hand, and advance the page by tapping (CSpotRun or (new preferred) Weasel). Odd thing - if I use the 5-way keys to advance, the PDA doesn’t notice I’m doing anything and shuts itself off after the usual 2 minutes.
I do find I’m more twitchy reading on the Palm than I am with a paper book - much more likely to switch to something else (a game or whatever), while with a paper book I get more immersed and less likely to come up for air without a major external nudge. But the fact that I can carry a large bookshelf with me everywhere is so wonderful…
Gutenberg and Baen, with the help of Interparse, are magnificent sources (of what I mostly read, which is SF).
And the sound-activated page jump is a _wonderful_ idea. Yes, scrolling is just about useless, and it would be great to be able to read hands-free - I could read while cross-stitching, or eating, or…
October 13th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I have a Sony Clie SJ33 and I think that the left side jog wheel is wonderful for reading. I hold the Clie in my right palm (the same hand I usually use for physical books) and turn the jog wheel with my index finger. I only need to use one hand, and I love that.
I need to switch to something newer because I can’t network the Clie anymore, but I’m having trouble finding something with that side jog wheel.