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jswinden · 10-05-2012, 01:36 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.

10-05-2012, 01:36 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; 10-05-2012 at 11:26 PM.