Kindle Paper White review : Mobileread users

[linnx88]

Just got a replacement order for mine, they'll only ship it mid to end of Oct, so I'm stuck using the splotchy one for now...

[wynand32]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Here is a photo I showed earlier of my PW set to a screen brightness of 14/24. However, I adjusted the exposure and contrast levels to exaggerate the shadows. With the shadows exaggerated you can clearly see the tan/pink shadows and the areas of the screen where blotchiness occurs. This is clearly not a good screen nor is it anywhere near a uniform lighting.

Oh, and I thought there were 5 LEDs but this clearly indicates there are only 3 LEDs.

Ah, but, here's what's deceiving: there ARE four LEDs (you can see them shining if you hold the Kindle at an extreme angle looking down at the bottom of the screen), only the shadows are where the LEDs are placed, NOT the lit areas. I think it's an artifact of how the light is diffused through the matrix, but it can be seen pretty easily if you look at the screen from the right angle.

Yep, the replacement units won't ship until Oct 20+, so it isn't worth waiting for. I'm not sure what the return date is, but I certainly wouldn't want to approach that and wind up with another bad unit I just have to eat. I'm really glad most people are getting good ones though.

[wynand32]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Yep, the replacement units won't ship until Oct 20+, so it isn't worth waiting for. I'm not sure what the return date is, but I certainly wouldn't want to approach that and wind up with another bad unit I just have to eat. I'm really glad most people are getting good ones though.

Honestly, I have a feeling most people are NOT getting better ones. I think this is one of those things where the issues are very obvious to some folks, and not so much to others. I think what we're seeing is pretty much the way the screen is designed, and while some people will be fine with it, some others will not be.

That said, I'll certainly hold out hope that later units will be improved, and if I see that's the case I'll definitely swap mine out prior to my 30 day return window.

[wynand32]

Originally Posted by Mickey330

The only thing that is not working as expected is the sync function, as others have said. I rely on sync to transfer between my iPhone and the PW. I hope it gets sorted out soon - or that I can get it sorted out. But, for now, no matter what I do (to include de-registering both the iPhone and the PW), it won't sync. It's rather annoying, but until it's fixed, I'll just learn to remember locations.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with the sync issue. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with Amazon support, and my case was forwarded to the developers, so they're now officially aware of the issue. Hopefully it's a simple fix and they'll issue a quick update for this problem at least.

Oh I see the 4 LEDs now. That was a bit deceiving!

BTW, I tested Whispersync between my PW and Touch. It worked fine, though it took a bit of fiddling with. You have to be sure to manually sync on both units. It works better if you actually close the book on the currently reading K and then open it on the next one and manually sync. Amazon needs to work on that and make it more automatic.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by wynand32

Honestly, I have a feeling most people are NOT getting better ones. I think this is one of those things where the issues are very obvious to some folks, and not so much to others. I think what we're seeing is pretty much the way the screen is designed, and while some people will be fine with it, some others will not be.

This is my feeling as well.

No, I've seen photos of a good one next to a bad one. It is not in our damn heads, it is the crappy lack of Chinese QC! There ARE bad and good units being shipped.

[jocampo]

Got mine . .

I like it.

It is true you can see where the light is coming from, bottom, but it's not distracting, at least not to me.

The light looks even on the rest of the screen.

It feels more solid, less cheap. But edges are too narrow in my opinion. And I have very thin thumbs.

Gonna start reading and using it right away, but I'm happy with it.

Here is a picture I took with my Galaxy SII ...

[wynand32]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Oh I see the 4 LEDs now. That was a bit deceiving!

BTW, I tested Whispersync between my PW and Touch. It worked fine, though it took a bit of fiddling with. You have to be sure to manually sync on both units. It works better if you actually close the book on the currently reading K and then open it on the next one and manually sync. Amazon needs to work on that and make it more automatic.

I have tried EVERYTHING to get the Kindle to sync with my other devices, which include an Android tablet, and Android smartphone, and an iPad. Absolutely NOTHING has worked (including every combination of manual syncing I can think of). Maybe it works better with another Kindle device, but as far as the apps go, the Kindle is in a world of its own. Since the apps sync perfectly between them, I'm laying this 100% on the Kindle PW.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by wynand32

I have tried EVERYTHING to get the Kindle to sync with my other devices, which include an Android tablet, and Android smartphone, and an iPad. Absolutely NOTHING has worked (including every combination of manual syncing I can think of). Maybe it works better with another Kindle device, but as far as the apps go, the Kindle is in a world of its own. Since the apps sync perfectly between them, I'm laying this 100% on the Kindle PW.

I would not worry to much. That's clearly a software or network glitch, not hardware. Easy fix.

I'm sure it will be fix, if many report it as a problem.

[wynand32]

Originally Posted by jswinden

No, I've seen photos of a good one next to a bad one. It is not in our damn heads, it is the crappy lack of Chinese QC! There ARE bad and good units being shipped.

Okay, would love to see the comparison. I don't want to get stuck with a bad one either...

Incidentally, nothing surprises me at this point. I've went through the same sort of thing with many tablets and smartphones over the last couple of years, and each and every one has had distinct variation in screen quality. I went through four new iPads to get one without an ugly yellow tint, and seven (yes, 7!) Nexus 7 tablets to get one without dead pixels, yellow tint, and terrible contrast.

So, it wouldn't surprise me at all that not only are there good and bad screens, but there could very well be a pretty wide spectrum from perfect to really bad. Yours sounds really bad, mine sounds mostly okay but not perfect, and there might be a handful out there that actually have no problems.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it!

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by jswinden

No, I've seen photos of a good one next to a bad one. It is not in our damn heads, it is the crappy lack of Chinese QC! There ARE bad and good units being shipped.

I agree. The photos of the bad units don't compare to what I'm seeing.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by jswinden

No, I've seen photos of a good one next to a bad one. It is not in our damn heads, it is the crappy lack of Chinese QC! There ARE bad and good units being shipped.

I'm sure that Amazon is well aware of the problem by now since others have contacted CS for replacements. If the problem can be corrected in future lots, I'm sure it will. In fact it may have been detected before your unit was even shipped.

Maybe the reason replacements have to wait until the end of October is to give the factories time to re-tool to make the correction.

If my PW is defective when it arrives on Oct 11, I will definitely call for a replacement. I had to do that 2 years ago on my Kindle Kbd WiFi.

[jocampo]

I'll enjoy mine for now.

Yes, I can see where the light is coming from, but does not affect reading experience.

If too bad or I can confirm there are others in better condition, I may order a replacement.