Quote:
Originally Posted by texasnightowl
I guess my first question is: is there a device that is not lit that has better contrast (blacker blacks, whiter whites/lighter background) than the K3?
Second question: Of the Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch (non-lit), and Kindle 4th gen black non-touch (K4BNT), which has the better screen in terms of contrast? And how do they compare to the K3?
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I don't have a Kobo Touch (they can be had for $50 refurbished from Kobo, BTW), but I do own the K4BNT and the NST. I used to own a Kindle 3, but I had too many eReaders and sold it. I haven't seen the higher contrast screens, and I don't like the front light -- at least not the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight. I could turn off the light but the screen was murkier than than the non-glowlight version. With the light on, I kept having the urge to monkey with the brightness setting -- it never felt comfortable.
That said, the best screen I've seen -- including the K3 I used to own -- is the K4BNT. It has slightly more contrast than the older K4SNT, and it's slightly clearer than the K3. Additionally, the screen's layout and font is identical to the K3, so you would already be used to it.
The Nook Simple Touch's screen is really close to the K4BNT in quality. It defaults to slightly thicker fonts, but the screen is sharp and clear, with good contrast. It also seems to have a better range of font sizes than the Kindles (any Kindle). And I prefer the wider bezel and the way they've designed the page turn buttons. At $45 for a new one, that's a good deal. Some folks don't like the interface (I switch back and forth between it and the Kindle without issue). They also complain about the memory partition -- I think only 500 Megs of the 2 GBs can be used for side-loaded books, but it does have an SDCard slot, so that issue is mostly moot. (On the newer Nook Glowlight there is no SDCard slot. I wouldn't -- personally -- want one of those.)
The other eReader I like is my Sony PRS-T2. It has page turn buttons, but relatively inconveniently placed at the lower left side. The screen is clear and sharp, however. And, like the Nook, it has a touchscreen. I wouldn't have any trouble using it as my only eReader if I had to, but I have a lot more experience with the NST and K4BNT. I also use a Kindle Touch, especially when reading books where translating phrases is needed. I've never liked the built-in fonts in the Kindle Touch. They seem too light for my taste. That problem has been partly alleviated by using a non-root hack that allows me to load a couple of my own fonts on it. But, for screen contrast (even with the font hack), I still think it takes a back seat to the K4BNT, NST and Sony T2, in that order.
Sorry to ramble. Good luck.
(I should mention, I don't know anything about the more expensive eReaders, which is why I didn't say anything about them.)