Black or White Ebook Reader

[Lutraa]

Originally Posted by krapo

It's true that it is subjective, as FizzyWater said, however it's just how the brain works so one has to deal with it

Actually, I think it's possible that it's not just the way your brain, but how your eyes work, that tends to make reading on a black device easier. Your pupils dilate or contract depending on the intensity of light entering your eyes. White objects reflect more light that black ones do, making your pupils contract more when viewing a white object under the same ambient lighting conditions. I think it's a bit harder to read the e-ink images next to a white bezel for the same reason that it's harder to see any images with less-than-optimal contrast in a bright room, e.g. images on your TV or computer screen. Your pupils are not letting in enough light for the fainter images to be easily distinguished.

Also, white plastic is going to get grubby looking.

[medard]

Even worse: White is glossy on the T2. Black is normal.

[simplyparticular]

I've owned both. And other than the contrast issue, the white devices tend to look a little more worn/dirty faster. The parts of my T1 that are exposed are grungy looking, especially the rubbery back.

And no e-Ink reader should be made of Glossy material. Bad Sony, bad.

I ended up buying a matte skin for the T1 and the T2. Hoping the T3 is matte AND has the backlight.

[tubemonkey]

Black is always better, except for bananas; they gotta be golden yellow

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by Lutraa

Also, white plastic is going to get grubby looking.

This right here sells it for me... finger oils attract dirt, no matter how clean of a person you are. Not having to carry a "magic eraser" pad around to keep my device clean is a big plus.

That, and the contrast discussion...

[Katsunami]

any black device having a glossy finish will also be dirty in no-time.

Matte black or very dark grey such as anthracite is best, IMHO.

[Xanthe]

Mine:
911 - black
Libre - white
350 - brushed silver
T1 - glossy red
HD & HD+ - black

Any glossy or shiny finish can cause distraction due to reflections. But having said that, I've found that once I'm into a book, I don't pay attention to what's framing the screen. White tends to show dirt more; e-ink screens tend to look darker with them only because, IMO, your eye is making a comparison between the white of the frame and the so-called "white" of the screen, and the screen loses in that comparison. Non-glossy black doesn't cause any reflections and doesn't show grime, but it's as boring as hell.

Go to stores and handle various ereaders to see which color you like. It's all really purely subjective.

[Katsunami]

I like laptops such as the Lenovo Thinkpads, and retro-looking camera's such as the Leica M9 and Fuji X-series. Equipment must be black and plain, or else I don't want it.

Everything in my computer room is plain as hell. Even my laser printer is (almost) a black cube.

Call me odd, but I like boring equipment.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I like laptops such as the Lenovo Thinkpads, and retro-looking camera's such as the Leica M9 and Fuji X-series. Equipment must be black and plain, or else I don't want it.

Everything in my computer room is plain as hell. Even my laser printer is (almost) a black cube.

Call me odd, but I like boring equipment.

Right on

[rkomar]

The one plus for a white reader is that you can picture the frame as the margin around the text. In contrast, I find that things look too crowded if I push the text out to the limits of my black T1's display. As many have said before, it's best to try both and see which feels more natural to you. If one was clearly better for everyone, they wouldn't produce the other.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by rkomar

If one was clearly better for everyone, they wouldn't produce the other.

Never underestimate women.

Color trumps brand, specs, ease of use and features, always.

(Yeah, I love to generalise. Makes life easy, sometimes )

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Never underestimate women.

Color trumps brand, specs, ease of use and features, always.

(Yeah, I love to generalise. Makes life easy, sometimes )

If you have two devices, of the same brand, same specs, same ease of use and same features, yes, in those cases colour trumps it


Another point (for me) against white: white plastic tends to become yellow. Because of the influence of light and finger grease.

[alicepattinson]

I like WHITE

[samhy]

I bought red, then white, then black (in that order) but there was no other choice for the last one.
I tend to be tired of everything being black, hence the red one and my smartphone is blue. A black ereader will have a better contrast, if it has no front light, but at least with Kobo it also is a fingerprints magnet. Those fingerprints are less noticeable on a white bezel.
However, I bought a black Mini for my brother's birthday (I hope he'll like it which is far from sure).

[teija]

I have a white Mini and like it because having the white bezel feels like an extension of the page margins - so I usually set my text pretty far to the edge. For me, there was no contest - the white Kobo just appealed much more to me, and would look better with the coloured snapbacks. I have a white iPhone as well, but a black tablet. I find that the black tablets/iPhone bezels actually help make the screens look bigger, whereas white does the opposite.

Having said that, I've just purchased a black Kobo Mini for my mother for her birthday because I couldn't get hold of a white one for the same deal. I'm hoping it will be easier on her eyes. It definitely does look different, even if it's just a trick of the eye!

Originally Posted by samhy

However, I bought a black Mini for my brother's birthday (I hope he'll like it which is far from sure).

Also in the same boat, samhy: Hope my mom likes the Mini!