Dead Prince
Banned
oh. well that sucks.
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Amazon Kindle |OT| of eInk superiority
- Thread starter HiroProtagonist
- Start date
oh. well that sucks.
Baconsammy
Banned
Looks like Paperwhite and iPad Mini might be the must-have gifts this Xmas.
I assume people complaining about this are new to e-Readers. It's done this for years. When the books I bought in hardback went to softcover, the cover on my Kindle version changed as well.
I assume people complaining about this are new to e-Readers. It's done this for years. When the books I bought in hardback went to softcover, the cover on my Kindle version changed as well.
I got my new Kindle Paperwhite yesterday and while I haven't had a whole time to read on it so far here are my first impressions:
- It's so small looking by itself! I have a Kindle 3 keyboard and this thing looks tiny beside that.
- The touch screen works great! Huge plus here, typing works very well and is responsive.
- The back light is awesome but I can immediately see the variation caused by the 4 LED lights. They made such a big deal of creating the screen in a way that keeps the lighting uniform. Wish they would have added more LED lights.
- The fonts (to me) don't look noticeably crisper. I really need to compare my old Kindle to this one though. Any suggestions of which Font and size to use? I try not to make the Fonts too big so I don't have to change the page every 4 sentences.
- I got the Amazon cover in blue and I like it a lot, doesn't add much bulk or weight and the auto on and off feature is nice. I'm glad I bought it as it makes the Kindle easier to hold and use with just one hand.
Gary Whitta
Member
Hmmm. Still undecided on the case.
It looks like The Hunger Games.
Now that I actually read the text, yeah looks like what I remember from the movie. Never read the books, but the chapter number visual effect reminded of other books I've read. Culture maybe?
I've never seen that particular chapter number effect, but that's what made me assume it's The Hunger Games, and the text just contributed to that. It's always scary when you can identify a book by its chapter number design.
chickdigger802
Banned
God damn, that kindle case looks nice.
But $40...
And the issue i had with the kindle 4 lighted cover was that wear and tear is really apparent.
But $40...
And the issue i had with the kindle 4 lighted cover was that wear and tear is really apparent.
From carrying the case around in my laptop bag during the summer.
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
I was excited to get mine today but unfortunately it has this pinhole light leakage right in the middle of the bloody screen. Extremely distracting. It's like having a piece of glitter stuck on every page that you can't remove.
I'm going to have to return it for a new one which sucks because I know how backlogged they are
Still extremely excited about having one though.
Update: I gave them a call and I'll have my replacement Monday! God I love their support.
I'm going to have to return it for a new one which sucks because I know how backlogged they are
Still extremely excited about having one though.
Update: I gave them a call and I'll have my replacement Monday! God I love their support.
Maklershed
Member
I couldn't imagine the Paperwhite without it. Fits nice, easy to hold, keep the Kindle clean, and that auto sleep/on feature is incredibly nice.
Baconsammy
Banned
Amazon's Kindle cases are stupidly expensive, but they're also really nice. Pretty much the complete opposite of Apple...wait not the opposite. Apple's cases are expensive and shitty. I was pleasantly surprised with how great the new Kindle Paperwhite case is.
My case is already slightly beat up, and the automatic locking and unlocking. I tried taking out the Kindle and reinserting it in the case, but when I close the case, my Kindle stays on.
chickdigger802
Banned
Curious how long before 3rd party could get the magnet thing working. Shouldn't be too hard.
genericsuperhero
Member
Paperwhite came today, so far I really like it but I'm not blown away. I have the same issue others have said, with the uneven lighting at the bottom, which to me makes it seem smudged or dirty. I'm already getting used to it, but it's a bit disappointing.
This is at full brightness:
Also, maybe it's the font size I have it set to, (3rd smallest) but the contrast for the text seems no better than my Kindle Keyboard. It also seems like the color uniformity of the text suffers whenever the display doesn't completely refresh after a page turn, making the text look faded or less crisp than it should be on some pages. I don't think I ever really noticed that with the Keyboard.
That said, the backlit Paperwhite vs the Kindle Keyboard display is like night and day. I don't think I'd want to go back to a non-lit display. I'm still playing around finding a brightness that I like (which does depend on room, and the kind of lighting available) but I'm finding it much easier to read anywhere I want to. I am also seriously liking the touch interface better than the keyboard navigation. It's plenty responsive and I haven't run into any significant issues so far.
This is at full brightness:
Also, maybe it's the font size I have it set to, (3rd smallest) but the contrast for the text seems no better than my Kindle Keyboard. It also seems like the color uniformity of the text suffers whenever the display doesn't completely refresh after a page turn, making the text look faded or less crisp than it should be on some pages. I don't think I ever really noticed that with the Keyboard.
That said, the backlit Paperwhite vs the Kindle Keyboard display is like night and day. I don't think I'd want to go back to a non-lit display. I'm still playing around finding a brightness that I like (which does depend on room, and the kind of lighting available) but I'm finding it much easier to read anywhere I want to. I am also seriously liking the touch interface better than the keyboard navigation. It's plenty responsive and I haven't run into any significant issues so far.
everthustodeadbeats
Member
I don't think I'm going with the official magnet case as when I read my paperwhite, I want it without anything. I bought a 5 buck sleeve on Amazon.
The only reason I had a case on my Kindle 4 was for lighting and that case was 40 bucks. That case had a light. Now, the new paperwhite case is....40 bucks. No way. Not going to happen.
The new paperwhite is cooler without a case anyway. Just get a sleeve.
The only reason I had a case on my Kindle 4 was for lighting and that case was 40 bucks. That case had a light. Now, the new paperwhite case is....40 bucks. No way. Not going to happen.
The new paperwhite is cooler without a case anyway. Just get a sleeve.
Gary Whitta
Member
It's barely even an issue.
everthustodeadbeats
Member
That's the thing. There isn't a light issue.
Agreed. There are some people who appear to have received a rotten batch, but for most Paperwhites and their owners, I don't think it's nearly enough of a problem for Amazon to go out of their way to improve it. I wouldn't be surprised if the uneven lighting at the bottom and slight bleeding is fixed in the next revision though.
tyguy20204
Member
Which $5 sleeve did you buy?
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
Here's the issue I had when I called support and they're sending me a replacement on Monday:
Best I can describe it is like a pin prick of light getting out. In the dark it's like a piece of glitter. It's really distracting.
Best I can describe it is like a pin prick of light getting out. In the dark it's like a piece of glitter. It's really distracting.
Necromanti
Member
My expectations have been appropriately adjusted.
The light bleed isn't that bad if I don't think about it. I've gotten used to it. The only things that tend to still niggle at me are the white bright spots and the occasional blurry text, the equivalent of text with missing/weak ink in a print version. The font could also be a tad sharper, but I guess I'm a nit-picker.
I'm pretty happy with it otherwise, so far. I'm still trying to figure out what brightness I'm supposed to have it at when reading in the dark, since we're only supposed to use higher brightness settings in brightly-lit rooms...but if I have it set too low, I won't be able to read it, either.
I have dozens of those on my screen, but I heard from some people that it's normal. It's pretty darn distracting. Guess I should place a call as well.
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
If it helps, mine shows up like it's on the surface of the screen and the words and pictures are one level lower. It's almost like you could scratch it off... which I tried to do when I first saw it
I've had the same blurry text issue, which is probably an issue with the fonts, as the regular Kindle font still looks crisp and clear. The different formatting in books is really apparent now. I had a few books on the Keyboard that had larger text sizes, but it wasn't a huge issue, whereas I'm noticing it a lot more on the Paperwhite. Baskerville looks different in different books, and other books don't allow me to change the text size at all, and instead revert to Publisher Font. It's rather bizarre.
I don't understand the brightness tip. It seems completely backwards for me.
VistraNorrez
Member
For what Amazon is aiming at it makes perfect sense. You want a higher brightness in a well lit room because it helps the screen stand out more. But you want less in a dark room because a little light goes a long way.
This is how it works for me. When I go to bed I have it on 2 or 3. 5 is just too bright. But I won't even notice the light unless its cranked up past 15 in well lit room or outside.
I've also found the light looks more even at lower settings in the dark.
chickdigger802
Banned
I'm just glad it's a responsive slider with fine control.
I just turn it bright enough so it wont hurting my eyes.
No real science behind it.
And it might just be me or the 'imperfection' is just at the very bottom, like where the info for how far ya along is. Barely noticeable while reading.
Switching the reading info to 'time left for chapter' is something everyone should do. Hidden best feature holy shit.
I just turn it bright enough so it wont hurting my eyes.
No real science behind it.
And it might just be me or the 'imperfection' is just at the very bottom, like where the info for how far ya along is. Barely noticeable while reading.
Switching the reading info to 'time left for chapter' is something everyone should do. Hidden best feature holy shit.
I was excited to get mine today but unfortunately it has this pinhole light leakage right in the middle of the bloody screen. Extremely distracting. It's like having a piece of glitter stuck on every page that you can't remove.
I'm going to have to return it for a new one which sucks because I know how backlogged they are
Still extremely excited about having one though.
Update: I gave them a call and I'll have my replacement Monday! God I love their support.
I have the same problem, like the opposite of a dead pixel. Did you have to send in yours before they sent the replacement? It really bugs me, but I don't want to be without it for awhile since I already gave my wife my old kindle and use it every day.
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
Nope they're sending the replacement first and once I get it I send mine back.
Awesome. I should go ahead and call then. To be honest I don't even mind waiting a bit if it takes awhile to get a replacement, it is just annoying every time I turn it on to see it right there in front of me. Knowing I'll be getting a fixed version will make it feel better.
antiquegamer
Member
I got the same case I have been using with my old Kindle. I love the case, it's small enough not to be bulky, nicely stitch (fake) leather that make it looks like a small notebook, come with strap that if you want to secure the cover, pocket (that also handy for using it to hold it with one hand and the best part is it's 9.99.
Here is the black one on my old Kindle, it will fit the Paperwhite but a little tight.
I got the one make for Kindle Touch (which sadly is just a little big but still fit fine just not snug like I would like). I pick a blue since I saw how nice blue look with black Kindle Paperwhite. The Touch one is a bit bigger and come with touch stylus which is nice to have when your hand is all greasy when you read during lunch. Also $9.99. Both are made and sold by iPearl / mCover and can be found on Amazon store.
Here is the black one on my old Kindle, it will fit the Paperwhite but a little tight.
I got the one make for Kindle Touch (which sadly is just a little big but still fit fine just not snug like I would like). I pick a blue since I saw how nice blue look with black Kindle Paperwhite. The Touch one is a bit bigger and come with touch stylus which is nice to have when your hand is all greasy when you read during lunch. Also $9.99. Both are made and sold by iPearl / mCover and can be found on Amazon store.
Brightness on 5 is too much for you in the dark? Wow. I couldn't imagine going any lower.
Baconsammy
Banned
Send that sucker back. If Amazon is great at one thing, it's satisfying the customer.
QueenOfThorns
Member
I had the same issue, with two on the screen. Really hard to ignore most of the time. They're also sending me a replacement that will be here ..in November. But hey, cool customer support either way. Most monitor manufacturers would just laugh at you if you emailed them about dead pixels.
VistraNorrez
Member
There is practically no other light source, so the contrast is so apparent.
The Take Out Bandit
Member
I'm thinking of switching sides guys. :X
Was checking out the Nook Glow today after reading some unfavorable reviews of the Kindle Paperwhite. One thing I love about the Nook Glow, and correct me if I'm wrong here, is it still has buttons on the face for turning pages.
The Paperwhite is all screen interface now, correct?
Was checking out the Nook Glow today after reading some unfavorable reviews of the Kindle Paperwhite. One thing I love about the Nook Glow, and correct me if I'm wrong here, is it still has buttons on the face for turning pages.
The Paperwhite is all screen interface now, correct?
Yep. What were the negative reviews saying?
The Take Out Bandit
Member
Nothing terrible. Just the mildly inconvenient form factor, not enough bezel for gripping.
Generally though I prefer to avoid touch interfaces where I can. Since I'm made of wood touch screens do not cooperate when I touch them a lot of the time. D:
Price point (sans special offers) and lack of page turn buttons will turn me to the dark side I'm afraid. Ah well I still have kindle app on my smartphone (and volume buttons to change pages). :3
The next big leap, most likely a pipe dream, for me will be color eInk displays. Though if it's not back lit, then I'll need to wait for the model that comes after that.
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
Same here. How far off are we on colour e-ink?
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
You can buy a colour e-ink e-reader today. $500.
Problem is the tech still is nowhere near ready. Takes way too much power and the colours look really muted. I wonder if frontlighting the display would help. Nobody seems to have tried that yet.
I would guess it's still a few years off.
Love my paperwhite. No dead pixels on mine. I have purchased numerous book lights over the years and they have never satisfied me. The light is fantastic. I upgraded from the kindle 2 and the difference is night and day. The performance increase is huge, you hardly notice page turns.
I'm totally happy with it.
I'm totally happy with it.
They're not dead pixels, persay. Instead they're imperfections on the light guide. I've dealt with light guides from the front-lit GBA SP, and they're notoriously easy to scratch. And any scratch/imperfection on that light guide will show up as bright white.
Even so much as a speck of dust that landed on the light guide during manufacturing could cause that.
The newer kindles sacrificed full page refreshes for quicker page turns. So instead of getting a full page refresh after every page turn, now you get one for every 6 page turns (iirc). The downside being that you'll see faint remnants of text from the previous page.
Been eyeing a Kindle or other eReader for years. Finally pulled the trigger on the Paperwhite. Will probably be my only ebook device until color eInk gets sorted out (hopefully within the next 3-5 years).
I don't really have much of a comparative frame of reference, but I really like the device so far. Probably can't add much to the discussion in this topic others haven't already shared. The only thing that especially jumps out at me is that this thing is really light. Trivially light. It's light enough that I'm fine taking it with me everywhere, even when I don't explicitly have plans to read anything. The iPad is too heavy to do this - it's a decision to take the iPad. Not so, with the Kindle.
This topic is the first time I've heard that the bottom lighting uneveness isn't the same for everyone, though. It's noticeably present on my unit. I'll probably look at some pictures and if it seems mine is on the more extreme side give Amazon a call and see what they can do for me. I'm a Prime subscriber dating back to when the service launched... hopefully they'll wanna take care of me.
I don't really have much of a comparative frame of reference, but I really like the device so far. Probably can't add much to the discussion in this topic others haven't already shared. The only thing that especially jumps out at me is that this thing is really light. Trivially light. It's light enough that I'm fine taking it with me everywhere, even when I don't explicitly have plans to read anything. The iPad is too heavy to do this - it's a decision to take the iPad. Not so, with the Kindle.
This topic is the first time I've heard that the bottom lighting uneveness isn't the same for everyone, though. It's noticeably present on my unit. I'll probably look at some pictures and if it seems mine is on the more extreme side give Amazon a call and see what they can do for me. I'm a Prime subscriber dating back to when the service launched... hopefully they'll wanna take care of me.
I think everyone has different expectations.
I can only speak for myself, but I'm used to reading with the lighted covers with the previous kindles. They were great and substantially better than an off the shelf booklight, but they were still rather uneven in the lighting. I got used to it. With the paperwhite, I do see the slight unevenness on the bottom, but compared to the lighted covers, it's practically nothing.
Maklershed
Member
That's yet another part of why the official case is so great. Provides a lot more to grip. I'm 6'4" 230lb with big mitts for hands and I don't have the slightest problem holding the paperwhite in its case.
VistraNorrez
Member
I much prefer the Paperwhite form factor to the Nook. For me it's more comfortable. Yesterday I discovered something great, the PW fits perfectly in my suit's inner pocket. That's incredible coming from a K2.
Also, for those worried about bezel grip, try landscape mode.
Also, for those worried about bezel grip, try landscape mode.
Like the hat?
Banned
I will continue hating everyone that has a paperwhite until I get mine toward the end of October. Oh well. At least it's gotten me to go to an actual bookstore for the first (and second!) time in a long time. I am not one of those people that needs "the smell and feel of the paper", but I'll be damned if book stores aren't one of my favorite smells in the world.