Would you ever buy a non front-lit e-ink reader?

[markom]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thank you - I had it in my mind that you could turn it all the way off; I'm obviously mistaken.

You can turn it almost off.

In iPad 3 and 4 we can turn it almost all the way off in Main Settings itself but in iPad 1 we can do that only with additional help of readers like PerfectReader that have got real brightness control.

But as already mentioned it is not just about brightness but contrast also, so we can use low brightness in dark room but not to low for comfortable contrast, because there is no separate contrast and gamma control button like with laptops/pc graphic cards.

I use good anti-glare matte protector and PerfectReader for PDFs on iPad 1 and can read on low brightness whole night/day long without problem, but if we use same protector on new iPads it will reduce its resolution considerably to the level of iPad 1, so if unhappy about that we should try crystal clear anti-glare protector instead or no anti-glare at all.

Although reading experience indoors and outdoors on e-ink is better I would still use iPad indoors more frequently.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

consumism never stops, does it?

I have now an e-ink reader for outside reading. when in bed, I read on my smartphone

haha, now I got the PW and can read with lights off

(and BTW, even at a minimum it shines on the walls about the same as my smartphone does)

that said, I have no use for its light aside from the dark before sleep... this state-of-the-art eink screen and the bold fonts are enough for quality reading under even a bare lamp... (though I noticed it only really turns off the light completely during screen lock)

so, it's a nice plus, but not really needed. In any case, now I'll only buy another eink device when color eink is here for real. though I wonder how illustrated magazines and comic books shall cope with a small screen and font resize...

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by gamba66

Even if you turn it all the way down, you can't turn the backlighting completely off and if you could, you wouldn't see anything.

To see how bright an iPad is (doesnt matter if ipad 1 or 4) just turn the backlight all the way down and then go into a completely darkroom, it will still shine pretty bright.

haha, I made just that for the PW

[crossi]

I might be tempted by a paperwhite except that it has half the onboard memory as the kindle keyboard. Memory size is of much greater importance to me since I prefer to have all my media and software locally stored rather than in the cloud. If it had more memory or a SD slot then I might consider it. Hell I even load my books via the usb cord instead of downloading them directly. I'd be fine with them eliminating Wi-Fi and 3G entirely and using the space for more memory. I never turn on whispernet anyway.

[Tarana]

I wouldn't SOLELY because I have excellent lighting where I do 95% of my reading. I think the light is just a little harder on my eyes (I have vision damage). If you have iffy lighting, you are far better off getting something that glows IMHO. I bought a Paperwhite for my 79 year old mom and she loves it, but now that she has a better lamp, that increased light isn't really helping her.

[Bertolt]

I like to keep things simple and cheap.
Simple because the fewer whistles and buttons the ereader has the less there is to go wrong.
Cheap because, if it does go wrong, I can just replace it quite cheaply.
When they bring out a paperwhite with a 10 year guarantee, I'll think about buying it but mainly because I like gadgets, not for its usefulness. And, because I like gadgets, I already have enough of them - A K4, A kobo mini, 2 android tablets and that't not counting the devices I have given to my partner, so I could justify the purchase of another gadget.
I like to have a lot of table lamps in a room, it gives a more relaxing light, so there is always a light close to me. I find trains, planes, cinemas, restaurants etc. too distracting to read in - I end up reading the same page 3 times. I like to save reading for at home, where I can more often guarantee an appropriate environment.

[WT Sharpe]

I never thought I'd care that much for the new front-lit readers, but now that I've had my Paperwhite since they first came out, I can't see going back. It's wonderful to be able to read in the dark, but the light is also good in well-lit situations in that it makes the page look much whiter than the older model Kindles. In other words, it makes reading in the dark possible and reading in the light better.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

t makes reading in the dark possible and reading in the light better.

I totally agree. I prefer to use the PW in the light but it works great in the dark too.

[HansTWN]

To sum up my feelings: just for having a light you don't throw away a perfectly good reader and buy a new one. But if your old one breaks down it makes no sense getting a new reader without front light.