07-11-2011, 06:58 PM | #1 |
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Interesting, if useless discover on Nook Color screen
So, a couple of weeks ago, I got polarized prescription sunglasses. Yesterday, I had a bite to eat at a fast food place that was mostly windows, shortly before sunset. In short, it was fairly bright inside. So I tried reading with the sunglasses on. And discovered that the screen on my 1st edition nook color was polarized also, in a way that is incompatible with the sunglasses. At least, in portrait mode. If I turned it to landscape, it was like I wasn't wearing the sunglasses at all. That, in and of itself, was interesting.
It got more interesting when, afterwards, I stopped by the local B&N across the street. When I walked by the nook display by the door, I discovered that the display model was perfectly visible in any orientation with the sunglasses on. Fascinating. There's been some changes to the LCD screen, apparently (mine was bought when the color was just introduced.) |
07-12-2011, 06:41 AM | #2 |
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I've noticed the same thing with my NC, although I hadn't checked a new unit. Nice catch!
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07-12-2011, 06:42 AM | #3 |
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I'd suspect most ebooks, tablets, etc are polarized to try and reduce glare.
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07-12-2011, 10:48 AM | #4 |
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It made sense, certainly, even if it would be more convenient if it were at 90 degrees, or there were a landscape mode to the reader software. But what was really odd was the lack of it on the newer model.
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07-12-2011, 02:53 PM | #5 |
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Polarized glass is part of how LCD screens work - all LCD panels will polarize light to one degree or another. When you rotated the display, you were aligning the polarization from the NC's LCD with the polarization of your sun glasses.
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07-12-2011, 04:15 PM | #6 |
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I have had some devices that are worse than others - i always wear polarized glasses, or i get migraines in bright sunlight. my last phone, an LG Dare, showed very little polarization darkening, no matter which way it was turned.
my new phone, a Samsung Fascinate, is great in portrait - and totally unreadable in landscape. fortunately, i prefer my GPS to be in portrait mode ... my old IBM x41t tablet was great in landscape mode, and pitch black in portrait. i think that had to do with the Wacom digitizer, and the fact that the over-screen was real glass, not polycarbonate. |
07-12-2011, 06:39 PM | #7 |
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Absolutely, and not hard to figure out. But I still can't figure out how the new display unit in the store wasn't the same. It worked fine either way, with no noticable dimming as I turned it.
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07-12-2011, 06:43 PM | #8 |
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It certainly would be dependent on the light under which it was viewed.
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07-12-2011, 07:04 PM | #9 |
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Not with normal polarlizing. What mine does is what one would expect - as you turn it, the brightness changes quite noticably. It is literally the demonstration of poliarziation from high school physics, in fact.
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07-12-2011, 07:28 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
...any you wear your shades indoors? |
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07-13-2011, 06:25 AM | #11 | |
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Quote:
If i run into the gas station, and forget to change from sunglasses to regular glasses, i have to cock my head sideways to read the credit card swipe terminal. |
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07-13-2011, 06:34 AM | #12 | |
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Quote:
But I still want to know if the o.p. wears his sunglasses indoors. Last edited by kennyc; 07-13-2011 at 06:39 AM. |
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07-13-2011, 09:26 AM | #13 |
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07-13-2011, 10:20 AM | #14 |
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Yeah, but....
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07-13-2011, 10:48 AM | #15 |
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On a backlit screen, not so much, really. Or, rather, the light source that matters is the backlight in the screen, not the ambient light (which isn't contributing much to seeing the screen).
As I noted in the original post, I was in a fast food joint with lots of windows at the wrong time of day. So yeah, I was thinking of keeping them on (I'm on medication that makes me light sensitive). Though, in a rare example of good luck for me, the sun went behind the clouds as I was putting the regular glasses back on, and stayed there until I was done, so it wasn't an issue. |
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