Friday, September 7, 2012

A solution to the ereader-holding problem

Hardly any ereaders/tablets are very easy to hold with one hand, this especially applies to touch-screen models where you don't want to touch the screen accidentally, so you have only the narrow bezel for your thumb. A precarious grip.

I solved it to my own satisfaction after two years' research (well, not continual!). It's not a pretty solution yet, but it's just a prototype, and it works.

See how I hold the Nexus 7 with the thumb just on the edge, with the fingers on the ridge I've made on the back:

I can even hold it upside down (though not for long, eventually it'll slip):

I simply put a ridge-shaped object under a self-adhesive rubber sticker. (The other stickers around the side are earlier improvements, and are not needed now.) The rubber part of the equation is of course essential, and you have to find the right kind. I found these pads after trying many types which did not have enough friction.

The grip is really effortless.

The sticker holds on pretty well, but not perfectly by the ends of the ridge, I'll work on that. But nevertheless this is very workable, and provides the best grip I've had on any tablet or ereader.

1 comment:

Stephen A said...

Sounds like an excellent candidate for a 3d printer model for thingverse or shapeways.

The best solution I have found so far is this stand it holds 7"-10" tablets in either landscape or portrait mode as well as providing a rubberized loop to grasp when holding in your hand. You can even hang it from the wall or a car headrest.