New Kindle DX available for preorder

[Guiltyr1]

Wonder if you could buy the casing and replace it on the old DX???

[John F]

What's the status on plastic screens? Wasn't a plastic screen "coming out soon" when the last DX was released?

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

You'd be surprised! The brand new Sony video cam I took with me turned out to be utter garbage! no stability, i had it turned on but it didnt stabalize any video i took. seemingly unable to actually get the white balance correct. Most of my stills turned very yellow. even 2 pictures taken within a second from the same position would come out differently colored. one usually very yellow

it went back the day after i got hope. I would have done better to bring my 3 year old Powershot.

So I apologize for the lack of pictures most came out truly awful.

The poor lighting at a trade show is a fair excuse for less-skilled camerafolk, but I'm talking about when users get their hands on the newer DXs and put them side-by-side with their current models or other E-Ink displays. I won't be getting a Kindle DX, but since it's the first device I know of with supposedly higher contrast, it's the best early subject to get photographs of.

And as a tip...if you can't pre-set your white balance or if you end up in varied light...bring some kind of white balance reference for the main subject. For most people, a simple piece of medium-quality paper is sufficient.

[Dulin's Books]

Thanks for the tip on the white balance.

Ill have to weigh getting a DX for comparison sake. Im really tempted myself but I have to wait for a couple of others.

[BenLee]

This new DX actually looks pretty nice. I guess with the flood of eReaders being made in beige or white, having it in a darker color definitely makes it stand out from the crowd. This goes back to another discussion we had here about doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing. I think that's one reason I appreciated the QUE design as well and the Sony ones. They do seem different somehow. Definitely want to see what the constrast on this thing looks like along with everyone else here.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

The poor lighting at a trade show is a fair excuse for less-skilled camerafolk, but I'm talking about when users get their hands on the newer DXs and put them side-by-side with their current models or other E-Ink displays. I won't be getting a Kindle DX, but since it's the first device I know of with supposedly higher contrast, it's the best early subject to get photographs of.

And as a tip...if you can't pre-set your white balance or if you end up in varied light...bring some kind of white balance reference for the main subject. For most people, a simple piece of medium-quality paper is sufficient.

You always have a decent WB tool with you...the palm of your hand works great as an emergency WB reference, even better for setting exposure fast and easily because the same light is likely hitting your hand as your subject. It's a long explanation but it works well. And like ya mention a sheet of white paper (I even carry a zip loc with a few sheets of 92 whiteness, or better, just in case) works as well...but the most frustrating thing can be mixed lighting (different color temp light-sources--bulbs, windows/skylights, counter lighting can all have color temps between about 2600k-6400k or simply put, all over the place) along with not shooting in RAW format for stills.)

I know I am surprised that more bodies don't offer the ability to take a WB reference shot. It's on of the features I like with Canon bodies. My Pentax bodies allow better control but it's not as easy as using a reference shot to get close in camera, even with shooting RAW.

Dulin: I hear ya about getting back only to find you had a bad shoot...sometimes even Photoshop or whatever just can't save the day...just thanks for trying!

On another note, the new price makes the DX much more attractive though I am more than willing to wait for a few more larger format devices to hit the shelves and see how Amazon responds to the challenge on the price/feature points. I wonder what the over/under on a sub $300 large format device before the end of '10 are right now...I am better we see $289/$299 on a 9.7" E-Ink based device before November from someone. If for no other reason than to start to reduce inventory prior to the start of color EPD-type panels in '11 some time.

One disappoint for me at first glance is again the lack of a hand agnostic large format reader from Amazon...it's a very right hand focused device. Personally I need to change hands constantly while reading due to fatigue in my palm, fingers and knuckles. And no rotating the device to play the keyboard on top is not a solution...it's asinine as the reader is not designed to be handled in that position, not for long periods anyway.

[kjk]

Has the new Pearl display, apparently:
http://www.electronista.com/articles...new.kindle.dx/
http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res_Pearl.html

[Dulin's Books]

Oh i hadnt noticed they updated the site and named the new film. They had to have changed ti today after the DX announcement. thank you.

Notice they are advertising the "min" contrast now of 10:1. Thats much better marketing than advertising 15 but devices only showing 10 normally.

Also they are now listing the 7 inch size used by Sony. Previously they were only making it for Sony

[kjk]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

Oh i hadnt noticed they updated the site and named the new film. They had to have changed ti today after the DX announcement. thank you.

Notice they are advertising the "min" contrast now of 10:1. Thats much better marketing than advertising 15 but devices only showing 10 normally.

Also they are now listing the 7 inch size used by Sony. Previously they were only making it for Sony

According to Sri Peruvemba, head of E Ink global sales, part of the reason for the increased contrast is for the upcoming color screens:
http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2010/07...-on-kindle-dx/

“We are in the process of building a colour display - our colour display is essentially a monochrome display with a colour filter on top,” Sri Peruvemba, head of E Ink global sales, told me.

This filter reduces the light going into the display, affecting the contrast, which is particularly noticeable on black and white text.

“We had to change the fundamental display so that we had double the contrast. Then, when we put the colour filter on top, the black and white text should look at least as good as the current product - so that’s what drove us to do this.”

[Dulin's Books]

right. they have/had to get the b+w contrast up to a point that when they add the color the reduced final contrast is still "acceptable". acceptable being at least what is currently available in b+w.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

right. they have/had to get the b+w contrast up to a point that when they add the color the reduced final contrast is still "acceptable". acceptable being at least what is currently available in b+w.

Seems like it could turn out to be an interesting product differentiation down the line-a very high contrast B&W only Kindle, and a lower contrast but color Kindle.

[brecklundin]

remember one thing, you don't want a monochrome/grayscale panel to get too "white" or contrasty. Think of the situation where trying to read on super white paper outside or under very powerful lighting. If you have any printer/copier or whatever paper with a whiteness rating over 94ish (I know this is not a standardized rating system, but fer a change just go with the idea rather than bicker about trivial semantics... ) Print some text on that paper, take it out into the bright sunshine and try to read on it...it's at best worse than an LCD at full power...remember you are getting a thing in the sky called THE SUN reflected back into your eyes and there is not a lot of light lost in that reflection. So, there is a point, though it will be a while in coming I'm sure, but a there exists a point where a panel can reflect too much light and have too much contrast for many, but obviously not all, reading conditions.

Now those in more northern latitudes are not as aware of these sorts of things but others who are closer down the globe toward the equator know full well how bright the sun can make things. And for us, reading outside by the pool, at the beach or even in the park is not an uncommon event which DTB's are very well suited for...

I doubt this new crop of panels is even close to that problem point buuuut, one never knows. In fact the final panels used for this style color panels might end up being too contrasty for use as a plain B&W reading device. But color needs a LOT of white light and strong as well...

If the Sony Daily Edition is using this new tech panel I need to find a place and compare with my K2i to see the difference, if any, under the same conditions.

[Dulin's Books]

sorry- i didnt mean to imply that Sony was already using this film in its displays. I meant that previously only Sony was using a 7" panel and EInk didn't even list that size film. Looking just now they still haven't listed the 7inch size on the Vizplex page http://www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

remember one thing, you don't want a monochrome/grayscale panel to get too "white" or contrasty. Think of the situation where trying to read on super white paper outside or under very powerful lighting. If you have any printer/copier or whatever paper with a whiteness rating over 94ish (I know this is not a standardized rating system, but fer a change just go with the idea rather than bicker about trivial semantics... ) Print some text on that paper, take it out into the bright sunshine and try to read on it...it's at best worse than an LCD at full power...remember you are getting a thing in the sky called THE SUN reflected back into your eyes and there is not a lot of light lost in that reflection. So, there is a point, though it will be a while in coming I'm sure, but a there exists a point where a panel can reflect too much light and have too much contrast for many, but obviously not all, reading conditions.

Now those in more northern latitudes are not as aware of these sorts of things but others who are closer down the globe toward the equator know full well how bright the sun can make things. And for us, reading outside by the pool, at the beach or even in the park is not an uncommon event which DTB's are very well suited for...

I doubt this new crop of panels is even close to that problem point buuuut, one never knows. In fact the final panels used for this style color panels might end up being too contrasty for use as a plain B&W reading device. But color needs a LOT of white light and strong as well...

If the Sony Daily Edition is using this new tech panel I need to find a place and compare with my K2i to see the difference, if any, under the same conditions.

It's very unlikely that EPDs will ever reach the level of white-state reflectance that would make them painful to view in bright light. What's more, even if they could reach that level (or if they are usurped by EFD or another technology that claims to be able to do so)...by the time it happens, devices ought to be sufficiently advanced that background gray adjustment will be a trivial matter. Bright, bright white in lower light, toned-down gray for a sunny day. Hey, that rhymes.