Quote:
Originally Posted by schmolch
@TallMomof2
i want everyone to read comfortably, but ask yourself what is the difference between Backlights and reflected Sunlight.
If its not the "Nature" of the light, then it must be something else, and the only differences i can see are these:
- Reflected Light can not gain Intensity (-> lower Brightness)
- E-Readers are much closer to the eyes than typical LCDs (-> adjust distance)
- avoid additional eye-strain (muscle-fatigue) from other Light-Sources (tightening the iris is additional muscle-work for the eye, thus the muscles get tired even quicker)
It would be interesting to know if those who suffer from eye-strain also dislike too much sunlight. I do.
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I read for many years on Palm Pilots and their clones. I held my Palm at the same distance as I would physical books. I've turned down the light on the display, adjusted contrast, tried many different color schemes and tried different fonts and font sizes and reading off the handheld devices was inferior to eInk. The main reason I stuck with the Palm for so long is because I liked the portability and my arthritis makes it difficult to hold paper books for long periods. The reading experience was subpar to paper for my eyes but as long as I kept my reading sessions short I didn't develop headaches. I didn't buy the first versions of the Sony reader because the hand feel was all wrong for me even though I liked the screen.
I've never read much off of the computer monitors because the old CRT's gave me headaches, always debugged on paper printouts rather than trying to read code off the screen. The newer LCD monitors are slightly better but I still detect significant flicker no matter how I adjust my monitor and room lighting. It's fine for internet surfing and reading/writing in forums and video consumption just not for activities like reading.
My vision is poor, my eyes are 20/950 uncorrected, and with middle age I have to use bifocals, actually progressive lenses, which definitely affects how long I can read.
For me reading off eInk is almost the same as paper. If the contrast were to improve a bit more it would be the same. Reading off of handheld backlit LCD devices is inferior for me. Plus, reading off backlit LCDs in natural light (sunlight) is very difficult because then the environment is too bright for the LCD to compensate. eInk doesn't have that issue and I can read outside which is my preference. I can take my Kindle to the beach or the pool and read even in deep shade without a problem.
I am sensitive to backlit displays and it's probably because of my poor vision.