Why my next reader will be BLACK not white...

brecklundin · 01-10-2010, 07:45 PM

Having just gotten my K1 back for it's exile to the Pacific North West, btw, I had to buy a K2 to ransom the K1 back. I realized one of my problems with the Kindle, and that is the white body is very hard on the eyes in bright sunlight. And it so happens my preferred place to read is on my back deck which I built to BBQ, read and relax in that order. I use it pretty much at least 250-300 days/yr here in SoCal because, well, I can and it's that nice out there.

Using the K1 outside today reminded me of this. I want my PB360 in black in order to save the eyeballs.

And to be completely candid, either those who complain about LCD backlights straining their eyes don't read outdoors (a major ability of eink panels in my opinion) on their white readers or they are slowly going blind from the reflected light. And no, sunglasses only defeat the advantage gained from the light outside and hardly help with the health benefits of being outdoors in the sun (you know things like vitamin D synthesis due to sunlight through your eyes). Our eyes LIKE sun. Plus who wants to look like a raccoon from wearing sunglasses while spending an hour or more in the sun...???

Anyway, just something to consider if you don't own a reader yet and like to read outside and not always in the shade. I prefer the direct sun as it helps these creaky bones.

People in the PNW and UK and further north, well, since you never see sun unless being punished by the gawds, this probably does not apply to you.

And of course I mean a nice flat-ish black not those gawds awful glossy black frame/cases...why those are so very wrong is a whole different topic of course...

daffy4u · 01-10-2010, 07:58 PM

Skin it. I have a black skin on my K2 now.

brecklundin · 01-10-2010, 08:06 PM

now where is the fun in that? How will I get a new reader if I keep the K1?

Seriously though the K1 has to go for a variety of reasons but the most significant is I simply cannot hold it in my hands while in bed because of the button placement. I have difficulties hold things as it is, the K1 design makes it even more problematic for me. That is my primary reason the K1 is history around here soon as I get the pictures done tonight. A shame really since we also got a nice M-Edge cover for it, though I had no opinion on what was bought so, well, it's green...really, really green.

daffy4u · 01-10-2010, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

now where is the fun in that? How will I get a new reader if I keep the K1?

Seriously though the K1 has to go for a variety of reasons but the most significant is I simply cannot hold it in my hands while in bed because of the button placement. I have difficulties hold things as it is, the K1 design makes it even more problematic for me. That is my primary reason the K1 is history around here soon as I get the pictures done tonight. A shame really since we also got a nice M-Edge cover for it, though I had no opinion on what was bought so, well, it's green...really, really green.

My K2 M-Edge cover is green... really, really green. I think your wife has great taste.

brecklundin · 01-11-2010, 12:42 AM

wife? gawds stop swearing at me!!!??? Better half sure...wife...freaking NEVER. And she agrees!

You can kinda see the green here (not my best shot ever but good enough for listing on eBay...):

poshm · 01-11-2010, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

Seriously though the K1 has to go for a variety of reasons but the most significant is I simply cannot hold it in my hands while in bed because of the button placement. I have difficulties hold things as it is, the K1 design makes it even more problematic for me.:

The PB360 is an excellent choice if you have issues with your hands. I suffer with carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand complaints but the PB is so light to hold with great button placement and rotating screen so you can quickly change from right to left hand if you need to.

brecklundin · 01-11-2010, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poshm

The PB360 is an excellent choice if you have issues with your hands. I suffer with carpal tunnel syndrome and other hand complaints but the PB is so light to hold with great button placement and rotating screen so you can quickly change from right to left hand if you need to.

Thanks so very much for the feedback! I have RA (dx'd at 9) and these days if I could not use a keyboard I would never be able to write anymore...and I am only 48. It is so weird that I have zero problems typing and have been typing every day for nearly 30yrs now. but I always used the best keyboards you could buy...

I am sure you have the same experiences as me in that many things others are fine with, just don't work for me. But then stuff people think I could never use, are just wonderful.

If I was keeping the K1 I would have modded the case with a velcro hand strap. In fact I was going to have one custom made by Tom Bihn bags in Seattle...love their stuff and they have the worlds best shoulder strap, the only one that lets me carry a messenger bag or any other shoulder bag.

If the K1 buttons were like the K2 which the buttons push inward (toward the screen) rather than outward (away from the screen) I probably could manage with it...

And I am with ya about the design of the PB360. It's been on my "hot and bothered" list since I first saw a shot posted here on MR. Plus the people who work for them are professional and helpful as could be when someone has questions.

I promised myself I would wait for two things, first until CES was doone for two weeks, then until I sell the K1. That way if a coller 360 hits the shelves, it's more fun for me!!

HarryT · 01-11-2010, 04:01 AM

I have black readers (Sony PRS-600, Pocketbook 360) and white readers (Kindle 2, CyBook Opus). To be honest, they are the same to me in terms of readability.

brecklundin · 01-11-2010, 04:08 AM

harry,

My comment is from my personal experience in bright direct sun. The white frame reflects waaay too much light for me. I was not saying it affect the panel and it's apparent contrast...we already know about that myth.

And, hey, you're in the UK where sun is a punishment, right? hehehehe...just teasing ya there...but we here in SoCal do get much brighter sun than at your latitude so our sun is much more intense.

Anyway it was just an observation from my use. That can't be incorrect, right?

HarryT · 01-11-2010, 04:12 AM

I was simply giving my personal observation in response to yours. Certainly no "right" or "wrong" in these matters!

brecklundin · 01-11-2010, 04:29 AM

thanks but I have to say your comment comes across as either just needing to be contrary or that your preference is more valid than that of another person.

I am glad you find no difference, but you make no reference to the same reading conditions I explained. In fact unless you have taken the readers on the road south it's likely impossible since you do not have the sun as high in the sky as we do here since you are at about 51-degrees N latitude and we are about 34-degrees. Plus I spend a lot of time in Seattle which while not as north as the UK is about 42-degrees and the difference is very noticeable every visit up there and reading outside one "almost needs a light most days". So, in reality I just do not see how your comment even applies as I never indicated there was a difference under all conditions.

HarryT · 01-11-2010, 05:05 AM

Have you tried a black reader, to see if it really does make a different for you, as a matter of interest? Please don't think that I was "just being contrary" - this is an interesting topic; different people do have very different perceptions of these things. There was another thread recently in which someone was arguing against black devices because they felt that it lowered the screen contrast (which I also don't find to be true, myself).

Ea · 01-11-2010, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

... (you know things like vitamin D synthesis due to sunlight through your eyes).

Skin. It's through your skin.

Back to topic, yes, if you sit outside in tropical latitudes, I can definitely understand you want a dark reader. But.... that brings another potential problem: overheating of the device. At least in direct sunlight. I guess it would be all right if you read in the shade.

Added: I don't know how you can stand the heat of the sun. Sunlight is wonderful but temperatures over 25 C is just too much.

Sweetpea · 01-11-2010, 05:34 AM

This summer I even found the dark gray of my PDA too light at times. Which is also one reason why I only want a dark coloured device.

Sparrow · 01-11-2010, 06:07 AM

The main reason I like black readers is because they don't look as grubby after I've being pawing them for a few days.

01-10-2010, 07:45 PM	#1
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	Why my next reader will be BLACK not white... Having just gotten my K1 back for it's exile to the Pacific North West, btw, I had to buy a K2 to ransom the K1 back. I realized one of my problems with the Kindle, and that is the white body is very hard on the eyes in bright sunlight. And it so happens my preferred place to read is on my back deck which I built to BBQ, read and relax in that order. I use it pretty much at least 250-300 days/yr here in SoCal because, well, I can and it's that nice out there. Using the K1 outside today reminded me of this. I want my PB360 in black in order to save the eyeballs. And to be completely candid, either those who complain about LCD backlights straining their eyes don't read outdoors (a major ability of eink panels in my opinion) on their white readers or they are slowly going blind from the reflected light. And no, sunglasses only defeat the advantage gained from the light outside and hardly help with the health benefits of being outdoors in the sun (you know things like vitamin D synthesis due to sunlight through your eyes). Our eyes LIKE sun. Plus who wants to look like a raccoon from wearing sunglasses while spending an hour or more in the sun...??? Anyway, just something to consider if you don't own a reader yet and like to read outside and not always in the shade. I prefer the direct sun as it helps these creaky bones. People in the PNW and UK and further north, well, since you never see sun unless being punished by the gawds, this probably does not apply to you. And of course I mean a nice flat-ish black not those gawds awful glossy black frame/cases...why those are so very wrong is a whole different topic of course... Last edited by brecklundin; 01-10-2010 at 07:47 PM.

01-11-2010, 05:05 AM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Have you tried a black reader, to see if it really does make a different for you, as a matter of interest? Please don't think that I was "just being contrary" - this is an interesting topic; different people do have very different perceptions of these things. There was another thread recently in which someone was arguing against black devices because they felt that it lowered the screen contrast (which I also don't find to be true, myself). Last edited by HarryT; 01-11-2010 at 05:11 AM. Reason: Typo.

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01-10-2010, 07:58 PM	#2
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	Skin it. I have a black skin on my K2 now.

01-10-2010, 08:06 PM	#3
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	now where is the fun in that? How will I get a new reader if I keep the K1? Seriously though the K1 has to go for a variety of reasons but the most significant is I simply cannot hold it in my hands while in bed because of the button placement. I have difficulties hold things as it is, the K1 design makes it even more problematic for me. That is my primary reason the K1 is history around here soon as I get the pictures done tonight. A shame really since we also got a nice M-Edge cover for it, though I had no opinion on what was bought so, well, it's green...really, really green.

01-11-2010, 12:42 AM	#5
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	wife? gawds stop swearing at me!!!??? Better half sure...wife...freaking NEVER. And she agrees! You can kinda see the green here (not my best shot ever but good enough for listing on eBay...):

01-11-2010, 04:01 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I have black readers (Sony PRS-600, Pocketbook 360) and white readers (Kindle 2, CyBook Opus). To be honest, they are the same to me in terms of readability.

01-11-2010, 04:08 AM	#9
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	harry, My comment is from my personal experience in bright direct sun. The white frame reflects waaay too much light for me. I was not saying it affect the panel and it's apparent contrast...we already know about that myth. And, hey, you're in the UK where sun is a punishment, right? hehehehe...just teasing ya there...but we here in SoCal do get much brighter sun than at your latitude so our sun is much more intense. Anyway it was just an observation from my use. That can't be incorrect, right?

01-11-2010, 04:12 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I was simply giving my personal observation in response to yours. Certainly no "right" or "wrong" in these matters!

01-11-2010, 04:29 AM	#11
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	thanks but I have to say your comment comes across as either just needing to be contrary or that your preference is more valid than that of another person. I am glad you find no difference, but you make no reference to the same reading conditions I explained. In fact unless you have taken the readers on the road south it's likely impossible since you do not have the sun as high in the sky as we do here since you are at about 51-degrees N latitude and we are about 34-degrees. Plus I spend a lot of time in Seattle which while not as north as the UK is about 42-degrees and the difference is very noticeable every visit up there and reading outside one "almost needs a light most days". So, in reality I just do not see how your comment even applies as I never indicated there was a difference under all conditions.

01-11-2010, 05:34 AM	#14
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	This summer I even found the dark gray of my PDA too light at times. Which is also one reason why I only want a dark coloured device.

01-11-2010, 06:07 AM	#15
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	The main reason I like black readers is because they don't look as grubby after I've being pawing them for a few days.

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