Screen Contrast

[DrDk]

Hello,

I am looking to buy an e- book reader.
I have seen an Irivers story,
I am worried that I will not be able to put up with the low contrast of E ink.
Is the Jetbook a better option?
I mainly read in bed and need to read a larger than normal font size. I am running out of large print options at my local library.
I am thinking that the 5 " Jetbook in landscape mode may give a "brihter" contrast than e-ink.
Any thoughts?

Thanks DrDK

[theducks]

Low Contrast?
OK, compared to Laser toner black on Brite White (90+ grade), e-Ink probably won't pass.
But, neither would my dead tree paperbacks

I equate the e-Ink display with a 10 year old paperback page color.
Cheap paper turns yellow-ish. That is about the contrast you get.
I love reading on a screen without a back light. My eyes do not tire like they do when staring at my monitor.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by DrDk

Hello,

I am looking to buy an e- book reader.
I have seen an Irivers story,
I am worried that I will not be able to put up with the low contrast of E ink.
Is the Jetbook a better option?
I mainly read in bed and need to read a larger than normal font size. I am running out of large print options at my local library.
I am thinking that the 5 " Jetbook in landscape mode may give a "brihter" contrast than e-ink.
Any thoughts?

Thanks DrDK

Dear Dr.DK:

There are SO many benefits to E-Ink:

1, 8,000 pages to a single charge (roughly 2 novels). If you read 2 hours every day it should last you a week at least.
2. No eye strain. Ever sat at a computer? It tires your eyes and they start to water after a while. You do not get this with E-Ink. Your eyes remain refreshed and feeling fine after long reading,.
3. Contrast is a subjective thing. To me, the 5 inch Pocket PRO has excellent contrast and you can chage the font styles as well. Also, when reading PDF or EPUB, you have NINE font sizes at your beck and call.

Plus, buying an eBook Reader Light is very inexpensive and easy. We are planning at Astak to run our "free reader light with every Pocket PRO purchased" again soon.

PLEASE, do not make the mistake of thinking a back-lit screen is good.

[Acreo Aeneas]

Originally Posted by Robertb

Dear Dr.DK:

There are SO many benefits to E-Ink:

1, 8,000 pages to a single charge (roughly 2 novels). If you read 2 hours every day it should last you a week at least.

Given a average paperback is about 600 pages long, a full charge could last you anywhere from about 4 novels to around 13 novels worth of reading. 4 novels if you are going to read at the x-large or xx-large text size. Most of us use medium text size, so, a full charge should last about 8 average novels or roughly 2 4-book series.

(Right now, I'm on my 6th novel with 50% battery life left.)

As for Rob, I don't know what novels you read, but 2,000 pages per novel... (4,000 page turns, with each page being two page turns).

[omro]

Honestly, I find the PP very readable in rooms with good light or sunlight. In dimmer light the slightly lighter text is an issue.

[wallcraft]

In dim light, one option is to increase the font size. If there is enough light to easily read a paperback there is probably enough for EInk.

The jetBook uses a reflective LCD technology, so it also needs external light to work. Some people say it is more readable than EInk, but I'm not sure the difference is huge. It has lower resolution and shorter battery life, but it is a viable option (fast page turns help with zooming PDFs for example). Note that the jetBook supports eReader DRM (encryption), rather than Adobe ePub/PDF.

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

Given a average paperback is about 600 pages long, a full charge could last you anywhere from about 4 novels to around 13 novels worth of reading. 4 novels if you are going to read at the x-large or xx-large text size. Most of us use medium text size, so, a full charge should last about 8 average novels or roughly 2 4-book series.

(Right now, I'm on my 6th novel with 50% battery life left.)

As for Rob, I don't know what novels you read, but 2,000 pages per novel... (4,000 page turns, with each page being two page turns).

Dear Acreo:

Yes, I know you can get more than two average novels on a single charge. The problem is that every time I try to break it down in simple terms (such as novels per charge) someone in a booming post yells and screams. Also, people occasionally tend to pin my butt to the wall for the least things... so I am always on the conservative side. Being the "spokesperson" for a company is never easy and many people seem to hang on one word. Recently I was kidding about Griffey and his famous chocolate sauce and if he was there "he would barf chocolate sauce on a thread". It was meant as a joke but taken as an insult (not by Griffey). I drove away a good poster on that frivolous and meant-well statement.

So, I TRY now to not go overboard with any statements... even meant in jest!

[kdf9511]

Originally Posted by Acreo Aeneas

Given a average paperback is about 600 pages long, a full charge could last you anywhere from about 4 novels to around 13 novels worth of reading. 4 novels if you are going to read at the x-large or xx-large text size. Most of us use medium text size, so, a full charge should last about 8 average novels or roughly 2 4-book series.

That is one thing I have been trying to play with while setting up my reading library to migrate to the PP. I want to find a font and size that will allow me to read at the original size but have the text be at about the medium zoom level. That would at least make the page numbers correct.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Robertb

2. No eye strain. Ever sat at a computer? It tires your eyes and they start to water after a while. You do not get this with E-Ink. Your eyes remain refreshed and feeling fine after long reading,.

PLEASE, do not make the mistake of thinking a back-lit screen is good.

Just to keep it real here... while the Jetbook does have an LCD screen it is NOT back lit. The contrast on the Jetbook screen is similar to eink. I actually think the jetbook screen is a bit sharper... and the page turns are lighting fast. Of course, you pay the price in battery usage... the Jetbook will run about 18 hours on a single charge... so you will probably be charging it every day or two depending on your usage.

BOb

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Just to keep it real here... while the Jetbook does have an LCD screen it is NOT back lit. The contrast on the Jetbook screen is similar to eink. I actually think the jetbook screen is a bit sharper... and the page turns are lighting fast. Of course, you pay the price in battery usage... the Jetbook will run about 18 hours on a single charge... so you will probably be charging it every day or two depending on your usage.

BOb

Who read 9-18 hours nonstop everyday? I read 3-4 hours per day and charge my jetBook one time per week.

P.S. Yes, jetBook screen is much sharper and page turns much faster

[Kris777]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

In dim light, one option is to increase the font size. If there is enough light to easily read a paperback there is probably enough for EInk.

The jetBook uses a reflective LCD technology, so it also needs external light to work. Some people say it is more readable than EInk, but I'm not sure the difference is huge. It has lower resolution and shorter battery life, but it is a viable option (fast page turns help with zooming PDFs for example). Note that the jetBook supports eReader DRM (encryption), rather than Adobe ePub/PDF.

jetBook-Lite has support for eReader DRM. jetBook don't have it yet.

[kdf9511]

Originally Posted by Kris777

Who read 9-18 hours nonstop everyday?

I can easily. When I get into a good book I loose all track of time. The first week I had my PP I was reading 8-10 hrs a night. I finally had to start setting a timer to cut me off at about 4 hrs.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Kris777

Who read 9-18 hours nonstop everyday? I read 3-4 hours per day and charge my jetBook one time per week.

I do, part of what you can do being semi-retired.

At least 1 or 2 days every week reach those numbers, not quite non-stop.
There is cats to pet and food to take care of

My PEz makes it well over a week on a chargw.

I don't know exact page turns, because I sometimes jump books during the day.