Quote:
Originally Posted by Papi
One thing I didn't quite understand : when the backlight is turned off, you get automaticely in black & white / higher resolution mode ?
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On the OLPC, the backlight can be turned on and off independently of setting the screen to the high resolution B&W "e-reader" mode. So, you really end up with four possible combinations...
Backlight ON and reader-mode OFF = full color normal-resolution display (my normal mode for anything but reading.)
Backlight ON and reader-mode ON = monochrome high-resolution display (my normal mode for reading indoors in low to moderate lighting conditions, adjusting the backlight level to the minimum I need for comfortable reading.)
Backlight OFF and reader-mode ON = monochrome high-resolution display (my normal mode for reading outdoors in sunlight or indoors under a lamp.)
Backlight OFF and reader-mode OFF = monochrome normal-resolution display (haven't found a good reason to use it this way, as you can't see colors without the backlight and you could be separating the colored pixels for the high-rez reader mode instead.)
Pixel Qi screens are similar to standard LCDs in that each pixel produces a single color (red, green or blue) which are combined three at a time to produce the desired colors at each point on the display. Pixel Qi screens are unlike standard LCDs in that the "groups" of three pixels that normally work together to produce color combinations can also work independently of each other to produce monochrome pixels at thee-times the color resolution.
Here's what the OLPC Pixel Qi screen looks like under a microscope:
Note that the screen is essentially producing colors through dithering, as each pixel is physically limited to a single color. You've got to put your eye right up next to the display to really see the dithering effect, but it's happening. This is not a perfect color LCD just like it's not a perfect e-reader display. It just happens to be the only display that does a good job at both.
I'm presuming that the new Pixel Qi screens work about the same way, but I haven't had my hands on one yet to verify it.
I have countless hours reading on my OLPC in all conditions and haven't had any headaches or eye problems yet. I spent six months reading almost exclusively on this screen while traveling, up to 8 hours or so at a stretch, and am quite happy to keep reading on Pixel Qi screens.