These are informed responses, toddos, and exactly the kind I've been hoping for all along.
I, too, have noticed that greater ppi = less eye strain. But in terms of smartphones, I've only found ppi to be sufficient on the iPhone 4 and greater. My own phone is a first-gen Galaxy S and my eyes definitely become strained if I stare at its screen for too long. I also see negative scotomas afterward due to the prolonged light, which I don't with eInk.
Now that the Nexus Prime and other smartphones have higher-resolution screens, I'm looking forward to testing that reading experience over time. (Feel free to call the experience DEKNAR -- the Display Enhancement Formerly Known As Retina -- even though it only ever should have been called
640 x 960 at 326 ppi.)
As you mention, the iPad's resolution is still gimped, which is one of the many reasons I don't own a tablet currently.
But here's the question: In terms of eye strain, why does resolution matter so much on an LCD screen and so little on an eInk screen? Is it really only a matter of "perfect squares"? And what about the depth distance argument that is sometimes made against LCD screens?
Quote:
Originally Posted by toddos
Nook STR == Simple Touch Reader == e-ink. I assume you meant Nook Color?
And the backlight is not "shining directly in your eyes" any more than the light reflecting off of an eink page is "reflecting directly in your eyes".
Finally, more pixels == smoother letters == easier to read without straining, regardless of backlight or otherwise. Due to the nature of pixels on LCD (perfect squares) vs. eink ( rough-edged squares), LCDs require a higher pixel density to produce as smooth letter forms. A nook color with a 7" 1024x600 screen is still only 170ppi. Try reading on a phone with over 200ppi (or an iPhone with over 300ppi) and see if that makes a difference. |