Touchscreens and E-readers

Most have responded positively to the release of touchscreen e-readers from Kobo and Barnes and Noble. Here's a dissenting view from Matt Burns. I doubt that Burns has actually used a touchscreen e-reader and I think he underestimates the benefits that a touchscreen would provide to reading. To most, I think the benefits of a touchscreen far outweigh any negatives.

Amazon, Please Do Not Make The Kindle Touchscreen

The beauty of e-ink screens is text looks fantastic. It looks just like text — or it’s the closest thing to paper print as technology gave us yet and the latest Pearl screen is awesome. But I don’t want to touch it. I don’t want to wipe my screen or worry in any fashion about the screen. True, e-ink screens aren’t LCD screens. They don’t have a glossy overlay that naturally sucks the oil out of my fat fingers. E-ink screens are generally finger-friendly. Still, why do I want to control the device with the screen?

In many ways this is BlackBerry versus iPhone. Touchscreen versus keypad. But it’s not the QWERTY keypad that I necessarily I care about. It’s the thought processes involved that are naturally inherent with touchscreens. They need to be cared for differently. Suddenly a screen protector is a must-have accessory. You’re going to be touching and prodding it after all.

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