My replacement PW overview

jswinden · 10-05-2012, 02:36 PM

I just got my replacement. I'll use this thread to discuss the differences between the replacement and the defective units.

The replacement unit is much better over all, but still not as good as I would have liked. I do think it is a keeper though. I'll outline the differences between the units below.

Background Shade

Defective PW: Darker than the Touch when unlit and much darker and blueish when lit.
Replacement: Same as Touch when unlit and much lighter/whiter when lit.

Light Color

Defective PW: The light casts a dark blue hue on the screen.
Replacement: The light casts a barely noticeable light tan hue on the screen.

Light Shadows

Defective PW: Very blotchy and uneven all over screen. Top third of screen very dark.
Replacement: Slightly noticeable uneven shading when in a darker room, but over all very evenly distributed light, except bottom half inch of course.

Fonts

Defective PW: Lower contrast (lighter and thinner) than Touch. Letters are mostly washed out at any light level with a lot of variations in contrast and darkness. Lot of eyestrain when reading.
Replacement: Noticeably higher contrast (darker and thicker) than Touch at all light levels. Still some variations in contrast and darkness and these areas coincide with those on the Defective PW, so I'm thinking firmware issue. Haven't yet read enough to see if there is any eyestrain, but I don't think there will be.

Over All Impression

The Replacement PW is much better over all with a screen that when adequately lit more closely resembles the marketing ads and the descriptions herein presented by many MR members. There are still some minor font display issues but I suspect that can be cleared up with a firmware upgrade. The Replacement PW delivers a much better reading experience than my Touch. I'm going to read a lot on it then report back on how that went, but preliminary testing looks very good!

EDIT: I was able to read a couple of hours on my replacement PW this evening without any eyestrain, so I'm pleased! It is in no way as good as the Amazon marketing ads make it out to be, but it is a lot better than using a clip on light, and better than any other eInk reader I've ever used. But Amazon still needs to work on font rendering to make it darker and heavier. Whenever the light level is turned up high enough to render a really white background, the text starts to look light and thin.

Trauma Doll · 10-05-2012, 02:40 PM

Thanks for taking the time to write this up, gives me some hope for my replacement.

mewmartigan · 10-05-2012, 02:42 PM

jswinden,

Glad to hear it! and seems they got you a replacement quick.

I think the new PW is fantastic and I am glad you've got yourself a keeper this time.

sparklemotion · 10-05-2012, 02:46 PM

Nice! Thanks for the review. I'm glad you got a better one!

iJn · 10-05-2012, 02:54 PM

I appreciate you taking the time to compare. As someone that's still on the fence about getting one, I was initially discouraged after reading some of the more negative reviews. I'll be particularly interested in your long-term opinion after you've used it for a while as it seems you have high standards and are thorough.

Helgetus · 10-05-2012, 02:58 PM

Thanks for this detailed description. I am happy for you!
It gives me hope that when the KPW eventually is available in Germany via Amazon.de it is a much more improved unit and probably at an advanced firmware status.

sirmaru · 10-05-2012, 03:15 PM

Great review. Good luck with the new 3G unit.

However, my unit recieved has no color hues on the screen at all. It a perfect white matching the white on my LCD screens. I cannot detect any shading anywhere and all the fonts are uniformly thick and black.

I have noticed that the fonts in different ebooks have a slightly different thickness. However, they are uniform for each ebook.

JoeC · 10-05-2012, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirmaru

Great review. Good luck with the new 3G unit.

However, my unit recieved has no color hues on the screen at all. It a perfect white matching the white on my LCD screens. I cannot detect any shading anywhere and all the fonts are uniformly thick and black.

I have noticed that the fonts in different ebooks have a slightly different thickness. However, they are uniform for each ebook.

So you see no shading/bleeding even with the brightness turned all the way up?

JoeC · 10-05-2012, 04:27 PM

jswinden - When you have the brightness turned all the way up do you see the shading/bleeding on the bottom of your replacement unit?

jswinden · 10-05-2012, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeC

jswinden - When you have the brightness turned all the way up do you see the shading/bleeding on the bottom of your replacement unit?

Yes, at level 24 I can see the bottom shadows very clearly, though that doesn't bother me. I think that is going to be there on all of the PWs. I'm currently in a well lit room and as I turn up the light level I can just start noticing the bottom shadows at around level 12. Level 14 is just right for reading in this room. Level 24 is way too bright to comfortably read in this room.

But I'm not seeing the blotchiness all over the screen like I did with my defective PW. There is some shadow/light variations, but they are not that bad. My screen looks much like most of the photos I've seen from good units. It does NOT look as white and clean as the marketing photos, but I wouldn't expect it too!

Blossom · 10-05-2012, 04:42 PM

Happy to hear the replacement is better. Now tell me when you read in the dark does the page flash bother you? This is my only real concern at the moment. I don't need him bickering at me for something new. Right now I'm on the fence between the PW or the KFHD.

jswinden · 10-05-2012, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

Happy to hear the replacement is better. Now tell me when you read in the dark does the page flash bother you? This is my only real concern at the moment. I don't need him bickering at me for something new. Right now I'm on the fence between the PW or the KFHD.

Blossom if you are sensitive that sort of thing then it might bother you. I went into the bathroom in my apartment because it is the only room other than a closet with no windows. It was very dark. Interestingly enough I've been using level 14 for my well lit room but only needed to turn it down to level 12 in a totally dark room. Anything below level 11 is too low and makes it a bit of an eyestrain. Much over 14 and it becomes to bright. At level 12 in the totally dark room the page turns are very noticeable and annoying though I could live with it. If your eyes are sensitive to such things then I can see where it would be a problem. I hesitate to use the word flash because the light level does not change or flicker when you turn pages, but you can really see a lot of detail as the eInk flashes to all black pixels and back to normal text! It is a big effect!!!! Like I said it doesn't bother me but it is page flash on major steroids compared to unlit Kindles.

Blossom · 10-05-2012, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

Blossom if you are sensitive that sort of thing then it might bother you. I went into the bathroom in my apartment because it is the only room other than a closet with no windows. It was very dark. Interestingly enough I've been using level 14 for my well lit room but only needed to turn it down to level 12 in a totally dark room. Anything below level 11 is too low and makes it a bit of an eyestrain. Much over 14 and it becomes to bright. At level 12 in the totally dark room the page turns are very noticeable and annoying though I could live with it. If your eyes are sensitive to such things then I can see where it would be a problem. I hesitate to use the word flash because the light level does not change or flicker when you turn pages, but you can really see a lot of detail as the eInk flashes to all back pixels and back to normal text! It is a big effect!!!! Like I said it doesn't bother me but it is page flash on major steroids compared to unlit Kindles.

Do you think it would bother someone in the room with you? I'm not concern about my eyes but my hubby will be next to me. Does it looks like someone taking pictures is what I am asking.

daffy4u · 10-05-2012, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

Do you think it would bother someone in the room with you? I'm not concern about my eyes but my hubby will be next to me. Does it looks like someone taking pictures is what I am asking.

You can still take advantage of the 30 day return, to see if the PW works for you. It might be the best way to have your questions answered.

jswinden · 10-05-2012, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

Do you think it would bother someone in the room with you? I'm not concern about my eyes but my hubby will be next to me. Does it looks like someone taking pictures is what I am asking.

Oh no, there is no change in the visible light as such, no camera flash effect, no glow bouncing off the walls, etc. It just amplifies the view a a page refreshing (flashing) that is all. As long as the light level doesn't bother your husband while you are reading a page it won't bother him while you turn a page.

10-05-2012, 02:36 PM	#1
jswinden Nameless Being	My replacement PW overview I just got my replacement. I'll use this thread to discuss the differences between the replacement and the defective units. The replacement unit is much better over all, but still not as good as I would have liked. I do think it is a keeper though. I'll outline the differences between the units below. Background Shade *Defective PW:* Darker than the Touch when unlit and much darker and blueish when lit. *Replacement:* Same as Touch when unlit and much lighter/whiter when lit. Light Color *Defective PW:* The light casts a dark blue hue on the screen. *Replacement:* The light casts a barely noticeable light tan hue on the screen. Light Shadows *Defective PW:* Very blotchy and uneven all over screen. Top third of screen very dark. *Replacement:* Slightly noticeable uneven shading when in a darker room, but over all very evenly distributed light, except bottom half inch of course. Fonts *Defective PW:* Lower contrast (lighter and thinner) than Touch. Letters are mostly washed out at any light level with a lot of variations in contrast and darkness. Lot of eyestrain when reading. *Replacement:* Noticeably higher contrast (darker and thicker) than Touch at all light levels. Still some variations in contrast and darkness and these areas coincide with those on the Defective PW, so I'm thinking firmware issue. Haven't yet read enough to see if there is any eyestrain, but I don't think there will be. Over All Impression The Replacement PW is much better over all with a screen that when adequately lit more closely resembles the marketing ads and the descriptions herein presented by many MR members. There are still some minor font display issues but I suspect that can be cleared up with a firmware upgrade. The Replacement PW delivers a much better reading experience than my Touch. I'm going to read a lot on it then report back on how that went, but preliminary testing looks very good! EDIT: I was able to read a couple of hours on my replacement PW this evening without any eyestrain, so I'm pleased! It is in no way as good as the Amazon marketing ads make it out to be, but it is a lot better than using a clip on light, and better than any other eInk reader I've ever used. But Amazon still needs to work on font rendering to make it darker and heavier. Whenever the light level is turned up high enough to render a really white background, the text starts to look light and thin. Last edited by jswinden; 10-06-2012 at 12:26 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Total catalogue/overview	Len666	Library Management	2	04-20-2012 05:53 AM
History Overview?	Tome Keeper	Reading Recommendations	16	01-27-2012 10:11 AM
overview screen	mon	Kobo Reader	7	01-29-2011 09:24 PM
iLiad Overview?	jls	iRex Developer's Corner	1	01-07-2007 07:55 AM
iLiad's 16 Colours [overview]	yokos	iRex	8	10-10-2006 11:42 AM

10-05-2012, 02:40 PM	#2
Trauma Doll Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 1009108 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: Gave up on PW. Using Kindle Keyboard.	Thanks for taking the time to write this up, gives me some hope for my replacement.

10-05-2012, 02:42 PM	#3
mewmartigan Guru Posts: 852 Karma: 8242060 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Kindle Oasis (2019)	jswinden, Glad to hear it! and seems they got you a replacement quick. I think the new PW is fantastic and I am glad you've got yourself a keeper this time.

10-05-2012, 02:46 PM	#4
sparklemotion dangerous when cornered Posts: 1,855 Karma: 22891237 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA Device: Kobo H2O, Kindle Paperwhite	Nice! Thanks for the review. I'm glad you got a better one!

10-05-2012, 02:54 PM	#5
iJn Member Posts: 23 Karma: 6610 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kindle Touch	I appreciate you taking the time to compare. As someone that's still on the fence about getting one, I was initially discouraged after reading some of the more negative reviews. I'll be particularly interested in your long-term opinion after you've used it for a while as it seems you have high standards and are thorough.

10-05-2012, 02:58 PM	#6
Helgetus Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 172 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Germany Device: PW1, PW2, KB3G, Sony PRS-T3	Thanks for this detailed description. I am happy for you! It gives me hope that when the KPW eventually is available in Germany via Amazon.de it is a much more improved unit and probably at an advanced firmware status.

10-05-2012, 03:15 PM	#7
sirmaru Wizard Posts: 2,426 Karma: 6561538 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: Kindle PW 2013, HDX 2013, Galaxy S5 2014	Great review. Good luck with the new 3G unit. However, my unit recieved has no color hues on the screen at all. It a perfect white matching the white on my LCD screens. I cannot detect any shading anywhere and all the fonts are uniformly thick and black. I have noticed that the fonts in different ebooks have a slightly different thickness. However, they are uniform for each ebook.

10-05-2012, 04:27 PM	#9
JoeC Addict Posts: 375 Karma: 2257942 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: Kindle Oasis 2 and 3, Scribe, reMarkable Pro	jswinden - When you have the brightness turned all the way up do you see the shading/bleeding on the bottom of your replacement unit?

10-05-2012, 04:42 PM	#11
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	Happy to hear the replacement is better. Now tell me when you read in the dark does the page flash bother you? This is my only real concern at the moment. I don't need him bickering at me for something new. Right now I'm on the fence between the PW or the KFHD.

Advert

Advert