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Amazon Kindle |OT| of eInk superiority

F

Fjordson

Member
HiroProtagonist said:
i2Ht7FT7QUst6.png



http://www.humblebundle.com/
Click to expand...
Little late here, but this is awesome. Ebook bundles are a great idea, surprised it hasn't been done before (or rather I'm surprised I haven't seen it yet, I'm guessing it has been done before).

Pump Six in particular sounds fascinating.
 
W

wilflare

Member
does anyone use Kindle to read textbooks and stuff?

have a old Kindle 3 (from like 2years back) and it has been kinda collecting dust.

the new Kindles look kinda tempting, especially the Paperwhite
 
N

Nuklear

Banned
wilflare said:
does anyone use Kindle to read textbooks and stuff?

have a old Kindle 3 (from like 2years back) and it has been kinda collecting dust.

the new Kindles look kinda tempting, especially the Paperwhite
Click to expand...


Better off getting a Nexus for that imho. They are much better at displaying graphics/charts/images that a lot of textbooks have. I'd reading the Malazan series on my Kindle now and the maps at the beginning of the book are pretty much unreadable. I've had the same problem with other books. E-ink just isn't that great at displaying that stuff yet.
 
W

wilflare

Member
so basically just linear reading and.. pretty much nothing else?

got about 2months more in the States so I thought it'll be a nice time to grab the new Paperwhite (anyone got them?) and maybe give the old Kindle Keyboard to my brother.

the Kindle Fire HD looks pretty awesome though (wonder how it'll match up with the Nexus)
 
K

Kwixotik

Member
So what's the general consensus on paper white? I don't have a Kindle at all yet so is it worth buying that or just going for the standard?
 
H

hardcastlemccormick

Banned
wilflare said:
so basically just linear reading and.. pretty much nothing else?
Click to expand...

Last time I had something as reference on my Kindle, it required a lot of familiarity. It was the Iliad. Skipping around inside of the book isn't the greatest experience. However, for stuff that you're just plowing through chapter by chapter, those books are awesome and save some back pain. I had a chemistry book like that last year.

Kwixotik said:
So what's the general consensus on paper white? I don't have a Kindle at all yet so is it worth buying that or just going for the standard?
Click to expand...

It depends on who you talk to. It's definitely different as advertised, but whether those changes really bother you is up to your own impressions. I'd say wait until they get shipped to stores, check out the display model, and then return to the store if it's faulty. Personally, I'm waiting until PW round 2; If you're impatient, just get the cheap one. (I've used and like the cheap one, myself)
 
V

virtuoso88

Member
Kwixotik said:
So what's the general consensus on paper white? I don't have a Kindle at all yet so is it worth buying that or just going for the standard?
Click to expand...

I think it's awesome. The contrast is great at very low light, awesome battery, resolution and very responsive. Well worth the 70 i had to put in to upgrade.
 
7

7aged

Member
I was tempted to get a paperwhite but in the end went for a Kobo Glo. The fact that Amazon still refuses to support epub swayed me.

But I have to say these new generation lit eInk displays are a huge improvement. I'd definitely recommend the glo, paperwhite and whaterever the nook one is called over their standard equivalent.
 
V

Veelk

Banned
virtuoso88 said:
I sold my kindle keyboard and cover on a craigslist like site for $55. Picked up a kindle cover for the previous gen kindle at target 5 dollars and it fits perfectly!
Click to expand...

Oh, okay. That was what I was originally going to do. I thought for a second that amazon was being awesome about it, but oh well.
 
M

Maklershed

Member
Kwixotik said:
So what's the general consensus on paper white? I don't have a Kindle at all yet so is it worth buying that or just going for the standard?
Click to expand...

I would definitely go for the Paperwhite. I had the Kindle 2 before this and its like a whole different machine. The back lighting is great, the contrast is great, I like the touch (except for when it skips ahead too many pages - very sensitive), the form factor and weight is great, the download speeds are great, battery life is great. The paperwhite is .. well, great! :b

Oh and I said this before and I'll say it again - if you get one, get the official leathercase with the magnet for the on/off function.
 
P

PoweredBySoy

Banned
So I always see Amazon's recommendation of having the light at full power during daylight conditions. Is this really necessary? Isn't natural light capable of making the screen readable?

I'd like to be able to set the light at low, for nighttime reading, and then never touch it again. I'd rather not have to be adjusting it for every lighting condition.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
PoweredBySoy said:
So I always see Amazon's recommendation of having the light at full power during daylight conditions. Is this really necessary? Isn't natural light capable of making the screen readable?

I'd like to be able to set the light at low, for nighttime reading, and then never touch it again. I'd rather not have to be adjusting it for every lighting condition.
Click to expand...

does it not do it automatically? That seems a bit silly for something so reliant on having the correct light level for the ambient light.
 
A

antiquegamer

Member
PoweredBySoy said:
So I always see Amazon's recommendation of having the light at full power during daylight conditions. Is this really necessary? Isn't natural light capable of making the screen readable?

I'd like to be able to set the light at low, for nighttime reading, and then never touch it again. I'd rather not have to be adjusting it for every lighting condition.
Click to expand...

I set mine to 10 and rarely ever change the setting. I think it really depend on individual preference. Personally I don't find the need to crank up the light to full when I am in brightly lit room, the screen works just like the old Kindle. They suggest the light up so you can get full "white" effect which I don't really care for.
 
V

virtuoso88

Member
antiquegamer said:
I set mine to 10 and rarely ever change the setting. I think it really depend on individual preference. Personally I don't find the need to crank up the light to full when I am in brightly lit room, the screen works just like the old Kindle. They suggest the light up so you can get full "white" effect which I don't really care for.
Click to expand...

I keep mine at 5 no matter what. Night or day that seems to be my preferred setting.
 
K

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
I've ordered a Kindle Paperwhite despite having no problems whatsoever with my Kindle 3, I like the buttons on the sides and don't mid the keyboard, only thing is the light.

How is this thing for turning pages? I used to hold my kindle one handed and just use the same hand to flick back and forth, now I have to adjust position to flick backwards?

I suppose I won't need to go back all that often so it won't be an issue....
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
kaizoku said:
How is this thing for turning pages? I used to hold my kindle one handed and just use the same hand to flick back and forth, now I have to adjust position to flick backwards?

I suppose I won't need to go back all that often so it won't be an issue....
Click to expand...

You can swipe to go back (and forward). No need to switch hands. A touch screen is more flexible on how you can hold it because there is a wider area to turn pages.

And anyone worried about bezel grip, try landscape mode. It might be more comfortable for you.
 
T

Trouble

Banned
Bought the Amazon leather case for my paperwhite. Kinda pricey, but I really like it. Very form fitting and the magnet putting it to sleep/waking it when you open/close the cover is sweet.
 
M

Mafro

Member
Trouble said:
Bought the Amazon leather case for my paperwhite. Kinda pricey, but I really like it. Very form fitting and the magnet putting it to sleep/waking it when you open/close the cover is sweet.
Click to expand...
That's the one I preordered. Wish I'd done so earlier as that case is out in the UK today, but it's sold out already and won't be back in stock for two weeks.
 
P

PoweredBySoy

Banned
Been using my paperwhite for a few days now - and I'm not sure if I should keep it or not.

The light is great for reading at night in bed (no the light is not perfect, but it's fine), but holding this thing while laying down is awkward. The bezels are too thin, and if you accidentally touch the screen even just a little bit you'll get unwanted page turns. So quickly the finger cramps start to set in.

I want my buttons back. If this screen were in the keyboard body I'd gladly pay $50 more for this thing.
 
L

Ledsen

Member
PoweredBySoy said:
Been using my paperwhite for a few days now - and I'm not sure if I should keep it or not.

The light is great for reading at night in bed (no the light is not perfect, but it's fine), but holding this thing while laying down is awkward. The bezels are too thin, and if you accidentally touch the screen even just a little bit you'll get unwanted page turns. So quickly the finger cramps start to set in.

I want my buttons back. If this screen were in the keyboard body I'd gladly pay $50 more for this thing.
Click to expand...

Seems like my fears are confirmed. What a shame.
 
V

vazel

Banned
PoweredBySoy said:
Been using my paperwhite for a few days now - and I'm not sure if I should keep it or not.

The light is great for reading at night in bed (no the light is not perfect, but it's fine), but holding this thing while laying down is awkward. The bezels are too thin, and if you accidentally touch the screen even just a little bit you'll get unwanted page turns. So quickly the finger cramps start to set in.

I want my buttons back. If this screen were in the keyboard body I'd gladly pay $50 more for this thing.
Click to expand...
I was afraid of that. Are you using the cover? Maybe it's more comfortable to hold with the cover.
 
F

Fireye

Member
mrklaw said:
details?
Click to expand...

I've read manga on my K3 and K4's (infrequently) throughout the years. You can easily convert jpg/png/gifs into a kindle compatible resolution via Mangle. I don't think that Mangle has been updated with the Paperwhite resolution (768 x 1024), but it shouldn't be hard to hack the python code with that new Kindle target.

What I like about it is that it can generate CBZs which Kindles can read, and are easy to organize, and it'll do the 8-greyscale color dithering for you.
 
V

virtuoso88

Member
PoweredBySoy said:
Been using my paperwhite for a few days now - and I'm not sure if I should keep it or not.

The light is great for reading at night in bed (no the light is not perfect, but it's fine), but holding this thing while laying down is awkward. The bezels are too thin, and if you accidentally touch the screen even just a little bit you'll get unwanted page turns. So quickly the finger cramps start to set in.

I want my buttons back. If this screen were in the keyboard body I'd gladly pay $50 more for this thing.
Click to expand...

Ever since I got a case that problem has gone away for me. Makes it a little thicker to hold with the cover wrapped in the back.

At Target, they have on clearance last year's Kindle case from belkin for $9. It's a perfect fit and I like the magnet that keeps the cover shut or open.
 
C

Cheebo

Banned
PoweredBySoy said:
Been using my paperwhite for a few days now - and I'm not sure if I should keep it or not.

The light is great for reading at night in bed (no the light is not perfect, but it's fine), but holding this thing while laying down is awkward. The bezels are too thin, and if you accidentally touch the screen even just a little bit you'll get unwanted page turns. So quickly the finger cramps start to set in.

I want my buttons back. If this screen were in the keyboard body I'd gladly pay $50 more for this thing.
Click to expand...
It's better just to get used to it at this point, Amazon killed the keyboard line (only ones left in stock now are 3G, they never restocked the wifi one when it sold out) and won't be making any more of them.
 
P

PoweredBySoy

Banned
vazel said:
I was afraid of that. Are you using the cover? Maybe it's more comfortable to hold with the cover.
Click to expand...

No, not using a cover. I really don't want one - nor should I have to get one to improve ergonomics.

I've always been highly impressed with the screens on the Kindle. They seem virtually smudge proof and scratch proof, so for my Keyboard model I always held it with my fingers on the screen, making it much more comfortable to hold. Now with the touch screen I'm restricted to just the thin bezels, making it awkward.
 
P

PoweredBySoy

Banned
Cheebo said:
It's better just to get used to it at this point, Amazon killed the keyboard line (only ones left in stock now are 3G, they never restocked the wifi one when it sold out) and won't be making any more of them.
Click to expand...

But.... I still have my Keyboard 3G which I could go back to. Sure it's slower and I'd have to use my night-light again, but you don't realize how important ergonomics are until they're done poorly.
 
P

plc268

Member
Trouble said:
Bought the Amazon leather case for my paperwhite. Kinda pricey, but I really like it. Very form fitting and the magnet putting it to sleep/waking it when you open/close the cover is sweet.
Click to expand...

The only problem is, is that if you have the kindle with special offers, it's kinda pointless because you still have to swipe the screen to get to your book after you open your cover.

PoweredBySoy said:
I've always been highly impressed with the screens on the Kindle. They seem virtually smudge proof and scratch proof, so for my Keyboard model I always held it with my fingers on the screen, making it much more comfortable to hold. Now with the touch screen I'm restricted to just the thin bezels, making it awkward.
Click to expand...

Yea, thats precisely why I don't care much for the touch screen kindles. For two handed operation, it's fine, but one handed operation? It's terrible. But, I'm probably beating a dead horse here, and most don't care.

And I do realize that flipping it to landscape makes it more comfortable, but who the hell reads like that? That's just awkward.
 
K

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
PoweredBySoy said:
But.... I still have my Keyboard 3G which I could go back to. Sure it's slower and I'd have to use my night-light again, but you don't realize how important ergonomics are until they're done poorly.
Click to expand...

I really liked how my Kindle 3 felt, nice texture to everything. How does this one feel?

Your concerns are also my biggest concern, how do you lock the screen?

If I'm in bed reading and I get up I might touch the screen which seems incredibly annoying.
 
P

PoweredBySoy

Banned
kaizoku said:
I really liked how my Kindle 3 felt, nice texture to everything. How does this one feel?

Your concerns are also my biggest concern, how do you lock the screen?

If I'm in bed reading and I get up I might touch the screen which seems incredibly annoying.
Click to expand...

Feels great. Solid. Good materials. The screen still feels as durable as the Keyboard did - although this one feels a little more textured, rough, which is neat.

As far as I know you can't lock the screen - because then how would you turn the pages. I kind of hope they can do a firmware upgrade to reduce the touch "zones". If there were like a 1/2" buffer around the edge where touch were disabled, that would help a lot.

Accidentally touching the screen is annoying. Constantly trying to avoid touching it is even worse. I'm hoping I can overcome this ergo problem though, since the Paperwhite does have a lot of nice advantages to it.
 
K

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
PoweredBySoy said:
Feels great. Solid. Good materials. The screen still feels as durable as the Keyboard did - although this one feels a little more textured, rough, which is neat.

As far as I know you can't lock the screen - because then how would you turn the pages. I kind of hope they can do a firmware upgrade to reduce the touch "zones". If there were like a 1/2" buffer around the edge where touch were disabled, that would help a lot.

Accidentally touching the screen is annoying. Constantly trying to avoid touching it is even worse. I'm hoping I can overcome this ergo problem though, since the Paperwhite does have a lot of nice advantages to it.
Click to expand...

so pressing the power button puts it to sleep right? and then you just swipe to unlock? That's not too bad I guess.....
 
C

chickdigger802

Banned
Fireye said:
I've read manga on my K3 and K4's (infrequently) throughout the years. You can easily convert jpg/png/gifs into a kindle compatible resolution via Mangle. I don't think that Mangle has been updated with the Paperwhite resolution (768 x 1024), but it shouldn't be hard to hack the python code with that new Kindle target.

What I like about it is that it can generate CBZs which Kindles can read, and are easy to organize, and it'll do the 8-greyscale color dithering for you.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. been using this beta (quote to reveal) of otamangle which is just mangle with more features

It should output you a folder of images. But due to the lack of cbz support for kindle touch and PW, you'd need to convert it to a pdf or mobi.

pdf seems to work the best.

My process is
- run it through otamangle.
- zip the folder
- rename .zip to .cbz
- put it in calibri
- convert to pdf (in comic input, disable comic processing, pdf output click preserve aspect ratio of cover)
- drag pdf into your documents folder on the kindle.


So yeah, not the most elegant way, but it works. Just hate how amazon loves to take away features :X
 
V

VistraNorrez

Member
plc268 said:
And I do realize that flipping it to landscape makes it more comfortable, but who the hell reads like that? That's just awkward.
Click to expand...

When you would open a physical book, it was in landscape mode. Don't really see how it's awkward. The weight distribution is pretty good in landscape mode too. One-handed reading works well.

But I don't use landscape mode that often, I prefer portrait. I have no problem with it. I find it far more comfortable to hold than my K2 (and I do accidental page turns less often too). The touch interface, coupled with the small size of the unit, allows for far more ways to hold the unit than the models with buttons. You can hold it higher or lower and still be able to turn the page. Usually I have the bottom right corner resting in the middle of palm and let gravity take over. Sometimes I rest the device on my pinky, or I rest my thumb on the bottom part of the bezel and rock my thumb upward to turn the page, or I rest my thumb on the upper right corner.
 
S

SnakeswithLasers

Member
kaizoku said:
so pressing the power button puts it to sleep right? and then you just swipe to unlock? That's not too bad I guess.....
Click to expand...

Power button to sleep. Power button then swipe to unlock. It's not bad at all. That said, if you're relying on locking it to avoid touching the screen accidentally while reading, it doesn't work like that--locking the screen turns off the light and goes to ads/book covers.

Also, the light bleed is there, but I've gotten used to it.

That said, I always have the light at the minimum (0) setting. It's enough to read in the dark for me, but I have terrible eyes so I have to keep things a couple of inches from my face to read them without my glasses on.
 
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