Paperwhite vs Glow Kobo - specs please

[hwangeruk]

We know Kindle is 212 DPI, but no resolution specs.
(Capacitive touch versus IR)
Paperwhite is better than Nook Glow, for display (and Nook is fragile?)

The new Kobo glow is what in DPI?
Is it capactive or IR for touch?

And there is no specs or technique of the Glow on Kobo?

Paperwhite is the e-reader to get, unless the Kobo Glow can surpass it.

I'd love to know more.

[geormes]

Gizmodo says the Glo has 210 DPI.

http://gizmodo.com/5940823/kobo-arc-...upstage-amazon

[hwangeruk]

Thanks.
So, the Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo Glo have the same resolution. 768x1024
The Kobo continues to use IR for touch (on their website)

Not sure if there is a significant advantage in the Kindle Capactive or Kobo IR (perhaps a thinner bezel depth for capactive?)

So the Glo tech is the next important factor, and how it impacts robustness.
I've heard bad stories about Nook Glowlight, being very fragile.

I'd love Kobo to tell use more about how they achieve theirs.

[wallcraft]

Kobo says their screen is (presumably) plastic:

Because Kobo Glo’s advanced high-res XGA Pearl E Ink screen isn’t made from glass there’s never any glare, even in the brightest sunlight.

Also:

Kobo Glo’s 6” high-res XGA E Ink Pearl touchscreen is ultra-thin and durable so nothing gets between you and your eBook, not even the brightest sunlight (or a little scratch).

The 2nd quote might imply that they are using LG's display (LG's flexible, plastic e-ink display hits mass production). Note that here the plastic is in the substrate. If they are using the LG display, that would be a good selling point and I'm surprised they are not making more of it. It really should be much harder to damage than the relatively fragile conventional EInk screens.

Amazon goes into more detail about their PaperWhite screen on its product page:

We worked on Kindle Paperwhite for over two years to perfect the uniformity of the built-in light, flattening out a fiber optic cable into a sheet, and nanoimprinting to ensure perfectly even distribution of light. Our design uses nanoscale optical diffractive patterns to enable tight control over the direction of the light. Enjoy reading with exceptional lighting uniformity and evenly balanced whiteness across the entire display.

This screen is most likely glass.

[ijdod]

Aside from the usual differences (microSD, EPUB), I'm very curious about the screen, in real life. Both lighting techniques add a layer to the screen, as does the Kindle's touchscreen. The latter has been a problem in the past (edit: those were resistive, capacitive is what modern smartphones use), making the screen lose contrast. I wouldn't say the Kindle is the better device out of hand, although it will be the better known one.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by geormes

Gizmodo says the Glo has 210 DPI.

http://gizmodo.com/5940823/kobo-arc-...upstage-amazon

Both the Kindle and Kobo are using an XGA panel. So the DPI/resolution is the same. I don't know who is correct or not about the DPI, but it is the same for both readers. Kobo might be using the plastic backed panel from LG. No idea what Amazon is using.

One big advantage the Kobo has over the Kindle is that the Kobo handle ePub while the Kindle does not. Also, we don't know if Amazon has fixed the display issues with KF8 in the new Kindle's firmware.

[ijdod]

Both use the actual E-ink brand displays:

http://www.eink.com/customer_showcase_kobo_glo.html
http://www.eink.com/customer_showcas...aperwhite.html

[FJames]

A quick calculation of 1024 x 768 into a 6" diagonal says 213 dpi. The links ijdod posted above would appear to indicate that they are both using the same eInk brand display, which would make sense in spite of the small difference in the published specs (eink.com site currently not responding, so I can't check).

They're all using a flat light pipe layer over the eInk display, like the Nook. The Nook has shown that the slightest damage to that layer is very visible when the glow light is turned on, so you would certainly want it to be well protected by another hard layer on top of it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by FJames

A quick calculation of 1024 x 768 into a 6" diagonal says 213 dpi. The links ijdod posted above would appear to indicate that they are both using the same eInk brand display, which would make sense in spite of the small difference in the published specs (eink.com site currently not responding, so I can't check).

They're all using a flat light pipe layer over the eInk display, like the Nook. The Nook has shown that the slightest damage to that layer is very visible when the glow light is turned on, so you would certainly want it to be well protected by another hard layer on top of it.

The Kindle and the Kobo are lighting the screens differently then B&N. It's not a layer like the nook.

[ijdod]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Kindle and the Kobo are lighting the screens differently then B&N. It's not a layer like the nook.

It is, although it may or may not be a better implementation:

Kindle Paperwhite (from Amazon webpage). I have no reason whatsoever to believe the Kobo uses something different.

[stewacide]

Have Kobo said that the Glo uses IR touch? Because I don't see any mention of it on their site. Just ambiguously that it is non-glass.

The easiest explanation would be that these are the exact same panels, including light, from the same supplier.

[ijdod]

Good point. I seem to recall reading that somewhere, but can't recall where, so it may very well be wrong.

[Blue2u]

So are you saying that the Kindle Paperwhite and the Kobo Glo have the same screen [including contrast, etc]? If you compared them side by side the screens [ie reading experience] would be the exact same?

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by stewacide

The easiest explanation would be that these are the exact same panels, including light, from the same supplier.

Amazon bought the company that developed the technology behind the PaperWhite screen - from Amazon to Launch Illuminated E ink Kindles This Year in April:

He does, however, point to a patent filed by the illumination company Oy Modilis prior to their absorption into Amazon. Their technology is apparently at the heart of the new E Ink lighting system in these Kindles. The patent describes a novel method by which light from a single source is channeled into the screen area, where it bounces around before finally being directed outward toward the user.

This is almost certainly exclusive to Amazon, so the Kobo Glo and the NOOK with GlowLight are using different technology to the Kindle PaperWhite.

[ijdod]

Blue, that's what we're trying to deduce . The base screen appears to be the same, but there may be differences depending on whether or not the 'backlight' and touchscreen are the same or not.