Kindle Paperwhite Review

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

I'm left wondering if the author made an assumption about the screen texture or if Amazon specifically told him about it.

That is one of the things that is interesting about that report: Amazon hasn't made an issue of it.

It might very well be a side effect of the design rather than an intentional effort. Amazon has talked about working to reduce glare, to lower the bezel height (by 70%), to improve contrast, to ensure the light diffuser isn't overly fragile... Somewhere along the way they may have specified a glass texture that just happens to be ergonomically pleasing.

It would be somewhat ironic if one of the better features of the KPW turns out to be an emergent feature rather than an intentional one.

Yes, very interesting.
Now I *really* have to get my hands (literally) on one.

[tomsem]

I think mention of the screen texturing was in one of Amazon's Paperwhite videos, maybe even by Bezos himself. At least I was aware of it and hadn't read it in a review.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I think mention of the screen texturing was in one of Amazon's Paperwhite videos, maybe even by Bezos himself. At least I was aware of it and hadn't read it in a review.

Really? That sounds promising. Any details you can recall?
Me, I recall Bezos talking of the nano-etching on the light diffuser layer but nothing about to top surface. I'm curious of their intended effect.

[SeaKing]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Really? That sounds promising. Any details you can recall?
Me, I recall Bezos talking of the nano-etching on the light diffuser layer but nothing about to top surface. I'm curious of their intended effect.

Maybe it cuts down glare.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

Maybe it cuts down glare.

That would be my first guess; matte screens reduce reflections compared to the glossy glass favored by many laptop and monitor vendors. It may simply be that in looking to minimize glare they got a bonus in the form of a pleasing textured surface.
(Of course, it still could be a figment of the reviewer's imagination.)

[elemenoP]

or it channels the light guide?

FWIW, people are mentioning this paper-like texture in the Kobo Glo threads too.

eP

[applesauce]

I have to say it is the only thing to make me drool. I really hate having to clip a light on my touch. It would make me read in bed. I fidget and tend to knock the light off the touch. But that is me as I will not use a cover with light, so it is very easy to knock off the touch.

applesauce

[rkw]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

That would be my first guess; matte screens reduce reflections compared to the glossy glass favored by many laptop and monitor vendors. It may simply be that in looking to minimize glare they got a bonus in the form of a pleasing textured surface.
(Of course, it still could be a figment of the reviewer's imagination.)

Matte finish screens don't reduce reflections really. What happens is the same reflections are there, think about it-they have to be, the matte finish simply diffuses/scatters the reflected light so the image in the reflection is not as apparent. Matte finishes don't usually help when the issue is an intense very bright light source behind you. In such a case there will still be a bright spot on the display which corresponds to that light source. That spot will just look softer and maybe a tad less intense/bright.

That said I prefer matte finish screens and always will because the finish reduces those mirror like reflections enough so it can seem they aren't there. Not all matte finishes are the same either. I am sure most here have used enough laptops or even desktop displays over the decades to have experienced the wide variations of even matte finishes not just across brands but across models within each brand.

So I am hoping the way the KPW is built it's screen finish will help but not interfere with the crisp text we like from the EPD displays.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by rkw

Matte finish screens don't reduce reflections really. What happens is the same reflections are there, think about it-they have to be, the matte finish simply diffuses/scatters the reflected light so the image in the reflection is not as apparent.

Fine: matte finish reduces *visible* reflections.
I'd still like confirmation that it isn't a figment of the TIME reviewer's imagination.

Anybody...? Anybody...? Bueller...?

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Fine: matte finish reduces *visible* reflections.
I'd still like confirmation that it isn't a figment of the TIME reviewer's imagination.

Anybody...? Anybody...? Bueller...?

Um... He's sick

[J. Strnad]

I bought the Paperwhite and love it! Except for some very slight "shadowing" at the bottom of the screen, the lighting is extremely even and pleasant, and there's more than enough of it. I keep my screen turned down a few notches, and notch it down a bit further when reading in the dark.

The "shadowing" isn't really shadowing, but just the areas between the four LEDs as the light begins its trip up the screen. It spreads out quickly but not instantly, leaving ever-so-slight not-fully-illuminated patches at the bottom, down below where any text resides.

It's really, really minor. Overall, the lighting is more even than anything I've ever gotten from an external light.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

The "shadowing" isn't really shadowing, but just the areas between the four LEDs as the light begins its trip up the screen. It spreads out quickly but not instantly, leaving ever-so-slight not-fully-illuminated patches at the bottom, down below where any text resides.

That is what I thought. They probably needed to run the LED-diffuser interface deeper inside the bottom bezel.

Thanks for the report. Any word on the screen having a "pleasing texture"?