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Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze
See above. My point was that, according to the WSJ and certain early adopters here, the new PRS-T2's screen is markedly whiter than that of the devices which preceded it.
Here's how this is relevant to the new Kindle:
Either Amazon has developed a new kind of e-ink screen or all e-ink devices going forward will likely show the same improvement, though perhaps not Amazon's flair for marketing it.
It matters because an overall improvement would not be an incentive to buy a particular model by a particular brand unless the consumer were married to the Amazon format, ecosystem and/or customer experience.
But in order to know, we'll have to wait until more information is available. I'm looking forward to a screen comparison between the T2 and the new Kindle. (Isn't a new Nook about to make an appearance as well?)
However, even if it turns out the new whiter screen will be adopted by other companies, there is still the specific combination of features to consider. If you were looking for the glow light of the ST combined with the whiter screen of the Kindle, PRS-T2 and/or other next-gen e-ink e-readers, then for now, the new Kindle might well be the e-ink device to buy. It becomes especially attractive if you're partial to the Amazon store and if Amazon has managed to improve the front-lighting.
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I'll be very interested to see the new device.
It's interesting to me that Sony's material for the T2 doesn't mention the whiter screen, and not all reviews mention it, either (i.e., the All Things D review on the WSJ). According to the specs, it's just a pearl screen.
On the other hand, Amazon is *calling the thing* Paperwhite; so obviously they think the increased whiteness is a big deal. It is possible, of course, that Amazon has a new screen technology that is noticeably whiter. This is possible, although I'm kind of skeptical, since Amazon doesn't develop its own screens and I haven't heard anything about e-ink coming up with something better. (And current e-ink is a long way from the background being close to paper white). ON the other hand, I think Amazon was the first company with access to the pearl screen, so maybe they are the first with access to some new screen.
But what I really suspect is that the screen looks really white *when the light is used*. It's already the case that pearl screen in sunlight look noticeably whiter than they do under a reading light less bright than the sun, so my theory is that there is some aspect of the frontlighting that brings out the whiteness of the screen and maybe enhances the contrast as well.
I guess we'll know soon enough.