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#46 |
Connoisseur
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: VA
Device: Kindle (K3, DXG)
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One thing I found interesting - I wanted a small Kindle to go with my DXG. So I went about trying to decide between the K3 and the new little K4. I checked Amazon reviews and found that about 10% of the reviews of the K4 were 1 star reviews, while only about 5% of the reviews of the K3 were 1 star reviews. I certainly didn't read all the reviews, but it seemed a good many of those I did read that were negative about the K4 referred to screen contrast. All in all, a 5% higher rate of 1 star reviews seemed significant.
I bought a K3, and found when it came that the screen background appears lighter than that of my DXG, and the font - the sans serif at any rate - is darker than that on my DXG. So, I'm very happy with it. I'd bought my daughter a K3 a couple of months ago and my new one seems to be a twin of hers. The DXG doesn't have the sans serif font option, which is the biggest fault I've found with it in the past 14 months. Of course, I tend to usually buy year old tech as opposed to 'new and improved' - when I've upgraded my laptops, I always wait until Apple releases a new product line and then I buy one of the prior year's models refurbed. That's always worked out great for me. I hope Amazon does continue to improve the Kindle, but at this point I'm happy with my choice of what's now known as the 'Kindle Keyboard'. I've a feeling they may phase out this model, so I'm glad I bought one when I did, and I think the $20 price difference from the K4 is fair for the increased battery life and other features. I don't use the keyboard much, but it's a good place to rest my fingers while holding the Kindle. Also, I was having a hard time just dismissing that article from Tom's Hardware, because it makes a lot of sense that all screens are not created equal. |
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#47 | ||
Grand Master of Flowers
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Karma: 8389072
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Naptown
Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)
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![]() To be concrete, I should state that I do not believe that there are different grades of Pearl screens. I know that there are different grades of e-ink screens - Pearl vs. non-Pearl, for example. And the e-ink used in flexible displays or watches or phones may be a different grade from that used in e-readers, not to mention Pearl e-ink readers. But I don't believe that there are different grades of Pearl screens used in e-ink readers. (And this appears to be supported by the fact that many people are reporting that their K4 Buttons have better screens than their K3 Keyboards.) |
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#48 |
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Karma: 514506
Join Date: Sep 2011
Device: Sony PRS-T1
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Don't need any fancy equipment or a microscope to see that the quality of these screens is different, contrast ratio is clearly better on the e-Ink pearl screen on the right.
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#49 | |
Addict
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Karma: 1008082
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: NYC
Device: Kindle PW, K4 Touch, iPad2, Samsung Galaxy S II
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I wish people would stop taking a picture and eyeballing the differences then put it on the web as a "prove" of A is darker/brighter than B. Cameras are such inappropriate tools for this task. In your example, it's very obvious that there was a single light source very close to the left side of the K4. Based on the picture, you could even argue that the left side bezel on the K4 is brighter than its right one. Light intensity could fall off rapidly depending on how close the light source is to the object, which makes the K4 on the left side appear to be much lighter than the Sony ereader on the right. This can be calculated using the Inverse-Square Law(in case you're interested http://tinyurl.com/3q3us5o). Assuming you actually own a K4 and took the picture and didn't just copy it from some website and speculate, you'll be surprised to see how the result would differ and most likely reverse if you swap the two readers position, and make sure you use the same aperture, iso, lens & shutter speed setting for the camera at the exact same distance. Just saw the pearl display spec on the eInk.com(http://www.eink.com/sell_sheets/pear...ll%20sheet.pdf): White State: 70 (minimum) Dark Sate: 24 (maximum) If the above spec applies, all 3 ebook readers I've tested are well within the spec for the max dark state with 18.3 for K4, 21.5 for K3 & 18.8 for NookSTR. In the end, they're all fine, I myself couldn't reliably tell which one is better than the other as the viewing condition changes just by eyeballing them. Edit: updated dark state stats with hi-res mode reading(more accurate) Last edited by shinew; 10-10-2011 at 12:35 PM. |
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#50 | |
Treasure Seeker
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices
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I am getting a nice black shiny one for my birthday! ![]() |
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#51 | |
Is that a sandwich?
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Device: Nook Glowlight Plus
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#52 | |
Fanatic
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Device: Sony PRS-505, Sony PRS-950
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#53 | |
Member Retired
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2
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#54 |
Member
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Device: Kindle
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For what it's worth, I received my Kindle 4 over a week ago and the screen was noticeably less contrast-y than my Kindle 3. The difference was subtle enough that I was willing to live with it, but then I noticed a black spot (stuck pixel?) in the middle of the screen that wouldn't go away. So I sent it back to Amazon and ordered a second one. The screen on the new Kindle 4 is perfect and actually seems superior to my Kindle 3. I haven't taken any pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. All of this proves to me that e-ink screens vary from device to device, not generation to generation.
Oh, and for the record, I cannot go back to using my Kindle 3 after using the Kindle 4. The build quality, size, simplicity, and feel of the device makes for a much more pleasant experience and it just feels more "high end." And the on screen keyboard is surprisingly not THAT clunky to use... especially since I hardly ever need to use it. ![]() Last edited by Cooling1978; 10-09-2011 at 10:58 PM. |
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#55 | |
Wizard
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: where the sun lives, or so they say
Device: Pocketbook Era, Pocketbook Inkpad 4, Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Scribe
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![]() And welcome at MR btw. |
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#56 |
Grand Master of Flowers
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Naptown
Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)
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I don't believe that there are different grades within the same technology. Therefore, grade either means different generations, or it is made up.
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#57 | |
Treasure Seeker
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices
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#58 |
Spork Connoisseur
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Device: Nook Color
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My co-worker just got his new Kindle, and we compared the screens for S-and-G's... To us, we couldn't really make out too much of a difference. They both look fine.
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#59 |
Addict
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Paris
Device: Kindle Keyboard, Kindle NT, PRS-650
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After seeing this well known optical trick (for those who don't haven't seen it yet, A et B squares are the same color), I don't trust my eyes only, so factual numbers as posted by shinew are very welcomed
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#60 | |
Addict
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Netherlands
Device: Kindle Paperwhite
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When a device is just released, there are likely to be more negative reviews than a year after release, because of bugs that need to be sorted out in the begining. When the kindle 4 gets more (positive) reviews after that, the percentage 1 star reviews will lower. |
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