Since first seeing the
pictures of the LS800 on Motion's site, I've wondered how it was meant to be held. They show a few different possibilities, but some don't really work in practice. For example, the one with the doctor holding it in portrait with the battery on the left; his hand is underneath and he is only holding the side. If you do that, you really don't have a grip on it, and wrapping your fingers around puts them on the screen; it's only about a quarter inch from the edge on that side. The other issue is the layout of the buttons. They show one shot with the person's fingers gripping the area by the buttons. Again, there's not much purchase there, and you really couldn't use the buttons that way.
So, I've tried a few different grips and noted pros and cons for each. Note: I've used the pictures I took with a flash so you can also get an idea of washout on the non-ViewAnywhere screen. I should also note I'm a right-hander, so this is likely biased in that direction.
Docking Landscape
This is the orientation the LS800 docks in with the
MobileDock.
This is my preferred landscape mode (although I don't prefer landscape). You get a good grip on the top along the battery, your hand is clear of all the vents (with the heating issues, this is actually an important consideration), and the buttons are easily accessible on the right side. Only realy negative is that you have to put your hand across the screen to use the fingerprint reader to scroll. You actually do better to hold it in two hands, one on each side, if you will be scrolling (but then switching to the pen is an issue). No surprise - this is considered the Primary Landscape orientation.
Battery-down Landscape
This is the
Secondary Landscape orientation.
As a righty, the buttons are on the wrong side, but the fingerprint reader is in a good place for scrolling. Since you are only holding it on the bottom, you don't get good stability for writing.
Book-style
This is the classic book style (and
Primary Portrait orientation) with the binding on the left.
While this is comfortable, everything is in the wrong place. The buttons are along the top and the fingerprint reader is on the bottom-left. Still, I find myself liking this best for just reading using the pen. A positive is that the power switch is at the top, and your hand is away from the vents and on the cool spot. Another drawback, though, is that the headphone port is on the bottom, causing plugged-in headphones to press into your chest, if you rest it there while reading.
Portrait Cradle
This is my favorite grip, so far.
The buttons are on the bottom (where they belong!), and you get a good, secure grip and stable writing base. The fingerprint reader is easily accessible with your right hand, and the headphone port is on the top. The power button and pen holder are both on the bottom (not sure if that's a pro or a con). Also, your arm covers one of the vents on the back and runs right across the hot areas; might want to wear an oven mitt. This is also a bit uncomfortable because you have to bend your wrist at an angle to get the tablet straight (a carpal tunnel irritant, for sure). So, a slightly modified grip fixes this:
This has the added benefit of getting your hand away from the vent. You can almost of use the fingerprint reader with the same hand this way, but it's not very effective. This is the Secondary Portrait orientation.
Conclusion
Not having experienced a full-sized tablet, I'm not sure if how you hold it is much of an issue. The LS800 is bigger than a palmable PDA, but small enough that you want to get a good grip on it. And it's interesting to consider what Motion's engineers had in mind while making design decisions on this little beauty.