Display - Touch vs NT vs Keyboard

AintLDS · 03-08-2012, 10:23 PM

We've gone a bit eReader crazy here lately with the kids so I'm in the position of being able to compare three (actually four) eReaders and am wondering if any of you have noticed the same:

The Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Touch displays are virtually identical. The non-Touch Kindle has a darker gray background so it had less contrast than the other two. Have any of you noticed this or do I have a less-than-perfect NT?

I also got nostalgic for my old PRS-505 so I found one in blue that was NIB. I loved the design of the Sony but the screen is nowhere near as nice as the Kindles.

I actually prefer the NT Kindle to the Touch except for the display. I find that the touchscreen interferes with the whole "disappears in your hand" thing. The Sony had that down pat with the page-turn button in the lower left of the device.

Now if I could only get a pearl display in the Sony . . .

Rizla · 03-08-2012, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AintLDS

Now if I could only get a pearl display in the Sony . . .

The x50's and the T1 have pearl screens.

I also thought the NT screen was darker than the KK. I have never seen a Touch.

Blossom · 03-09-2012, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AintLDS

We've gone a bit eReader crazy here lately with the kids so I'm in the position of being able to compare three (actually four) eReaders and am wondering if any of you have noticed the same:

The Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Touch displays are virtually identical. The non-Touch Kindle has a darker gray background so it had less contrast than the other two. Have any of you noticed this or do I have a less-than-perfect NT?

I also got nostalgic for my old PRS-505 so I found one in blue that was NIB. I loved the design of the Sony but the screen is nowhere near as nice as the Kindles.

I actually prefer the NT Kindle to the Touch except for the display. I find that the touchscreen interferes with the whole "disappears in your hand" thing. The Sony had that down pat with the page-turn button in the lower left of the device.

Now if I could only get a pearl display in the Sony . . .

There's a whole thread here on the K4 having contrasts issues.

Sony's T1 may be the reader you want. It has pearl and alot of nice features.

HarryT · 03-09-2012, 03:21 AM

There is only one 6" "Pearl" screen made. All device that use it use the exact same screen. All you're seeing is the variation that can occur from one eInk panel to another. There is no systematic variation based on device model.

soulfuldog · 03-09-2012, 10:31 AM

There should be no real difference in the screens, but going by the anecdotal evidence in these forums alone, there does seem to be some variation with the Kindle NT.

The Sony PRS-T1 has the advantage of having page turn buttons in addition to the touch-screen, but they are situated on the front, so IMHO not in a great position compared to where they are on the Kindle.

AintLDS · 03-12-2012, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

There's a whole thread here on the K4 having contrasts issues.

Sony's T1 may be the reader you want. It has pearl and alot of nice features.

Thanks for the link, Blossom. Looks like there something is to this. I'll call Amazon and see if they will replace the NT.

I went out and bought a Sony PRS-T1 at Best Buy to try out. I do like the software and the fact that it has page turn buttons even though they are thin. But overall the T1 feels cheap and I don't care for the glossy border. Compared to the Kindle Touch the build quality just isn't anywhere near as solid. I will be returning it but I'm glad I tried it and appreciate the suggestion.

I'm starting to warm up more and more to the Kindle Touch. I've been A-B'ing the Touch and the NT with the same books. It's close but the Touch just nudges out the NT. An ideal reader would be a combination of both: a Touch with the exact form factor of the NT, remove the lever-style page turn buttons on the sides, and put page turn, home, menu, and return buttons on the bottom bezel. Add a little more style a la Apple or Sony (aluminum in different colors?) and you have the perfect reader IMO.

UPDATE: New NT on the way - should be interesting to see if it has a better screen.

Martyd · 03-12-2012, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AintLDS

Thanks for the link, Blossom. Looks like there something is to this. I'll call Amazon and see if they will replace the NT.

I went out and bought a Sony PRS-T1 at Best Buy to try out. I do like the software and the fact that it has page turn buttons even though they are thin. But overall the T1 feels cheap and I don't care for the glossy border. Compared to the Kindle Touch the build quality just isn't anywhere near as solid. I will be returning it but I'm glad I tried it and appreciate the suggestion.

I'm starting to warm up more and more to the Kindle Touch. I've been A-B'ing the Touch and the NT with the same books. It's close but the Touch just nudges out the NT. An ideal reader would be a combination of both: a Touch with the exact form factor of the NT, remove the lever-style page turn buttons on the sides, and put page turn, home, menu, and return buttons on the bottom bezel. Add a little more style a la Apple or Sony (aluminum in different colors?) and you have the perfect reader IMO.

You should work for Amazon. I like your prototype.

Anyway I think Amazon will replace your NT, but don't get too excited. I went through two and gave up. My theory on this is Amazon didn't give enough room for a proper battery on the NT and had to cut back on drive power. Why does this Kindle NT have the lowest battery life on the Amazon Kindle page? Why do the touch and 3G touch have double the battery life. I find this very strange. I find it hard to believe that most of the faulty panels wound up in the NT's.
Sorry, here we go again.

AintLDS · 03-15-2012, 08:12 PM

So the new NT arrived yesterday and I've been testing in different light. The conclusion is that the replacement definitely has a better screen with a slightly lighter gray background and sharper definition of text. It's very close now to the Touch but the Touch is just a bit better. Martyd, you are probably on to something - for the price they probably took a few shortcuts.

I still really like the NT form factor and lighter weight so it's difficult to choose between it and the Touch. Now that the screen is a bit nicer I may be favoring the NT. Both are nice units, though - you really can't go wrong. I think Amazon has done a very good job improving the product since the original.

Blossom · 03-15-2012, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AintLDS

So the new NT arrived yesterday and I've been testing in different light. The conclusion is that the replacement definitely has a better screen with a slightly lighter gray background and sharper definition of text. It's very close now to the Touch but the Touch is just a bit better. Martyd, you are probably on to something - for the price they probably took a few shortcuts.

I still really like the NT form factor and lighter weight so it's difficult to choose between it and the Touch. Now that the screen is a bit nicer I may be favoring the NT. Both are nice units, though - you really can't go wrong. I think Amazon has done a very good job improving the product since the original.

One big bonus is the Collections Plugin for Calibre will work for the K4. You can change things like Fonts, Margins and have Full Justification. I use a different font on my K4 and it makes all the difference.

Talldog · 03-16-2012, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AintLDS

I find that the touchscreen interferes with the whole "disappears in your hand" thing.

Interesting that you should say that because I find with my new Touch, I swipe the screen rather than tapping, and that seems to feel more like turning the pages of a real book to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

There is only one 6" "Pearl" screen made. All device that use it use the exact same screen. All you're seeing is the variation that can occur from one eInk panel to another. There is no systematic variation based on device model.

I've seen speculation (maybe on CNET?) that Amazon is "binning" the screens, where the lesser quality ones get put into a different bin and used on the cheaper reader.

Martyd · 03-16-2012, 08:02 PM

Wow, never heard of binning but it make some sense for the low end readers. Here's one report I found that is interesting.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ty,3078-4.html

What I find hard to believe is that Amazon would accept a subpar screen. There has to be some kind of a spec as to what the minimum quality is. Where the screen goes is the luck of the draw. For now I'll stick with a design error (or on purpose) with the NT.

geoffwood · 03-16-2012, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

There is only one 6" "Pearl" screen made. All device that use it use the exact same screen.

Isn't the iRiver Story HD using a 768 × 1024 display as opposed to the 800 x 600 the others use?

howyoudoin · 03-17-2012, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoffwood

Isn't the iRiver Story HD using a 768 × 1024 display as opposed to the 800 x 600 the others use?

I thought that wasn't a Pearl screen?

Edit: Didn't mean to answer a question with a question. Just came out that way.

howyoudoin · 03-17-2012, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martyd

What I find hard to believe is that Amazon would accept a subpar screen. There has to be some kind of a spec as to what the minimum quality is. Where the screen goes is the luck of the draw. For now I'll stick with a design error (or on purpose) with the NT.

The NT doesn't have to be a subpar screen. Maybe Amazon accepts screens above a minimum standard like everyone else, and the lower quality ones among those go into the NT, and the KT gets the better ones?

TimW · 03-17-2012, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

I thought that wasn't a Pearl screen?

Edit: Didn't mean to answer a question with a question. Just came out that way.

You're correct...the iRiver Story has a Vizplex screen.

03-08-2012, 10:23 PM	#1
AintLDS No soliciting Posts: 55 Karma: 505122 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Utah Device: Kindle Voyage and iPhone 8 Plus	Display - Touch vs NT vs Keyboard We've gone a bit eReader crazy here lately with the kids so I'm in the position of being able to compare three (actually four) eReaders and am wondering if any of you have noticed the same: The Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Touch displays are virtually identical. The non-Touch Kindle has a darker gray background so it had less contrast than the other two. Have any of you noticed this or do I have a less-than-perfect NT? I also got nostalgic for my old PRS-505 so I found one in blue that was NIB. I loved the design of the Sony but the screen is nowhere near as nice as the Kindles. I actually prefer the NT Kindle to the Touch except for the display. I find that the touchscreen interferes with the whole "disappears in your hand" thing. The Sony had that down pat with the page-turn button in the lower left of the device. Now if I could only get a pearl display in the Sony . . .

03-15-2012, 08:12 PM	#8
AintLDS No soliciting Posts: 55 Karma: 505122 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Utah Device: Kindle Voyage and iPhone 8 Plus	So the new NT arrived yesterday and I've been testing in different light. The conclusion is that the replacement definitely has a better screen with a slightly lighter gray background and sharper definition of text. It's very close now to the Touch but the Touch is just a bit better. Martyd, you are probably on to something - for the price they probably took a few shortcuts. I still really like the NT form factor and lighter weight so it's difficult to choose between it and the Touch. Now that the screen is a bit nicer I may be favoring the NT. Both are nice units, though - you really can't go wrong. I think Amazon has done a very good job improving the product since the original. Last edited by AintLDS; 03-15-2012 at 08:15 PM.

03-16-2012, 08:02 PM	#11
Martyd Zealot Posts: 117 Karma: 774868 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle Keyboard,nexus 7,Kindle Voyage	Wow, never heard of binning but it make some sense for the low end readers. Here's one report I found that is interesting. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ty,3078-4.html What I find hard to believe is that Amazon would accept a subpar screen. There has to be some kind of a spec as to what the minimum quality is. Where the screen goes is the luck of the draw. For now I'll stick with a design error (or on purpose) with the NT. Last edited by Martyd; 03-16-2012 at 08:34 PM.

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03-09-2012, 03:21 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	There is only one 6" "Pearl" screen made. All device that use it use the exact same screen. All you're seeing is the variation that can occur from one eInk panel to another. There is no systematic variation based on device model.

03-09-2012, 10:31 AM	#5
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	There should be no real difference in the screens, but going by the anecdotal evidence in these forums alone, there does seem to be some variation with the Kindle NT. The Sony PRS-T1 has the advantage of having page turn buttons in addition to the touch-screen, but they are situated on the front, so IMHO not in a great position compared to where they are on the Kindle.