Bye, Kindle: 3 companies whose e-readers have actual buttons

Boy, is my wife mad at Amazon for killing off the wonderful Oasis line of premium Kindle e-book readers. I, too, am upset—she’s due for an upgrade and the holidays are right around the corner.

She likes the Oasis’s buttons—the physical, tangible, clicky-clacky, tried and true buttons for turning pages. Amazon says they’re going all in on “touch-forward” devices—i.e. no more buttons.

Fortunately in today’s touchscreen-dominated world, a few brave e-reader manufacturers continue to champion the tactile experience of physical page-turn buttons.

Here are some of the unsung heroes keeping the tradition alive.

Barnes & Noble

Despite facing stiff competition in the e-reader market, Barnes & Noble has consistently included physical buttons in its Nook line of devices.

The latest offerings from the GlowLight series of e-readers start at $150 and incorporate modern features like adjustable color temperature and USB-C charging. And buttons, of course. 

Being a bookseller, Barnes & Noble offers a huge variety of downloadable content from its store. If you’re worried about missing out on the ease of downloading books to your Kindle, you’ll feel right at home here.

Kobo

Rakuten’s Kobo has emerged as a major player in the e-reader market by thoughtfully balancing innovation with traditional features.

While not all its models include physical buttons, its premium devices like the $220 Libra Colour and the $270 Sage demonstrate a commitment to tactile controls.

These devices also support bonus features like stylus input and note-taking.

Onyx Boox

ONYX BOOX has carved out a unique niche by creating versatile E Ink devices that bridge the gap between e-readers and tablets.

The 7-inch Boox Page costs $220 and puts e-reading features front and center. Under the hood, though, it’s got a powerful chipset and runs Android, which makes it ideal for tasks beyond book reading such as light web browsing and third-party app usage.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91211880/kindle-alternatives-readers-physical-page-turn-buttons?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Created 9mo | Oct 20, 2024, 2:40:06 PM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

U.K.’s Bytes Technology stock plunged over 27%. Here’s why

Shares of U.K.’s Bytes Technology plunged over 27% on Wednesday after the IT firm said its operating profit for the first half of fiscal 2026 would be marginally lower due to delayed custome

Jul 2, 2025, 5:50:03 PM | Fast company - tech
Elon Musk is right: Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill could hurt clean energy

Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act has passed through the Senate thanks to

Jul 2, 2025, 3:30:04 PM | Fast company - tech
These geeks are building an early warning system for disappearing government data

To a certain brand of policy wonk, January 31, 2025, is a day that will live in infamy. 

It had been nearly two weeks since President Donald Trump took office for the second time—days th

Jul 2, 2025, 1:20:06 PM | Fast company - tech
‘Creatives are going to be elevated’: Canva’s COO on how AI is transforming the artistic landscape

For over a decade, Canva has made design and publishing accessible to anyone. Now the company is wrestling with how to harness

Jul 2, 2025, 1:20:04 PM | Fast company - tech
I quit TikTok—and got my attention span back

For a few days, my finger would hover over the TikTok hole on my home screen. But

Jul 2, 2025, 10:50:08 AM | Fast company - tech