Kindle Fire as a nighttime reader?

[soondai]

The Fire from Wal Mart for the effective price of a refurb Nook Color is hard to resist.

How does it work as a bedtime reader in a pitch black room in night mode? I remember reading here that the default kindle reader was too bright on its lowest settings and people were using various dimmer apps, which can be hit or miss.

Has the reading app been updated so it's dimmer? If not, is there a reliable dimmer app?

How do ePub readers fare with the dimming? I generally use Cool Reader. I know there are plenty of Montano evangalists in these parts-- and I might consider forking out 8 bucks if it really works perfectly.

Not looking to root. I'm only okay with relying on a dimmer app if it works perfectly.

Any feedback is much appreciated. Seems like a great deal at the price, but this would be its primary use for me, so I don't want to compromise in this area.

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by soondai

The Fire from Wal Mart for the effective price of a refurb Nook Color is hard to resist.

How does it work as a bedtime reader in a pitch black room in night mode?

I can't speak to the Kindle Fire in particular (it hasn't been released in Canada yet), but I bought a Kobo Vox which is very similar (same size screen, etc.) tablet-based e-reader. I read in bed for hours every night and absolutely love it. No eye-strain problems, or problems of any kind. However, I do hold the Vox at about a 45 degree angle so that I'm not looking directly into the light; not sure if that's necessary, but it doesn't hurt either (it's screen has very little glare).

[ApK]

My wife has no complaints about the brightness, but your eyes may differ. I find the white on black text option to be especially easy, but I really don't use the fire for books.

[yogibare143]

I also use white on black option. have no problems reading in dark using built in Brightness control.

[GoSharks]

I frequently read at night with no lights on. I also find the white on black to be my favorite. If you find the native brightness too bright as I do, the ScreenDim app is excellent and allows you a simple and much broader control of the brightness levels. (the developer has already provided two updates which have improved the app significantly).

[salsaguy]

I prefer the black on tan for reading and yes i use the great screendim app (paid ver)
The white on black font is way too bright for me.
with screendim you can setup a day setting and night reading setting.
I use the Kindle app as well as Mantano and Adilko

[RainingLemur]

It's good for bedtime reading. But, then again, I also use my little head-lamp and read on the regular Kindle and nobody (my ladyperson) gets upset.

[jduck]

The lowest brightness setting is too much for me too. I use the 'Display Brightness' app (free but not in the Amazon store) which lets me set it lower and the only problem I have with it is sometimes accidentally activating the control, but it can be repositioned to a less-likely-to-hit spot.

[Blossom]

Kindle Fire + Screen Dimm app makes for perfect night time reading. You choose to use the Kindle reading app that is built in or you can install your choice of epub eReader like Mantano.

Screen Dimm is a must for the Fire. I use it even when it's not night time.

[weatherman]

Ditto to what Blossom said; the default is too bright for me even using white on black, but using Screen Dim to get it down to about 2.5% makes it perfect.

Overall using the KF with a backlit screen is easier for me for night reading than an e-ink screen with book light or nightstand lamp. Much better for marital relations as well

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by weatherman

Ditto to what Blossom said; the default is too bright for me even using white on black, but using Screen Dim to get it down to about 2.5% makes it perfect.

Overall using the KF with a backlit screen is easier for me for night reading than an e-ink screen with book light or nightstand lamp. Much better for marital relations as well

It took my hubby awhile to get use to it now he never complains when I am reading with it. I think having Screen Dimm is a big factor in that. I also keep mine a 2.5% I read on Kindle app using Sepia theme and Mantano using a grey background with both fonts being Trebuchet. I found Trebuchet comes with the Nook app so I installed the Nook app and then moved the font over to Mantano using File Expert then uninstalled the Nook app.

[soondai]

thanks for all the info, everyone. Sounds like a winner with the screen dim app.

[jsh1120]

One of the best features of ScreenDim is the independent fine tuning available for brightness and contrast. Worthwhile both for nighttime reading and battery management.

[scrapking]

Originally Posted by salsaguy

I prefer the black on tan for reading and yes i use the great screendim app (paid ver)
The white on black font is way too bright for me.
with screendim you can setup a day setting and night reading setting.
I use the Kindle app as well as Mantano and Adilko

I also like the black on sepia option (which is meant to look like reading the pages of a weathered old book). I read that way in both Kobo and Overdrive.

[Skydog]

+1 for ScreenDim