Paperwhite Second Gen: First Impressions

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by xendula

Left to right: new PW2, original PW2, PW1

I'm sure that some people are pickier/more sensitive than others, but these photos go to show how much variance there is IN THE SAME MODEL. I would have hoped that Amazon, after having such consistency problems in the PW1, would have more consistency in the PW2.

eP

[civiliza]

Finally decided that a PW2 would compliment my K3 as a twilight reading device, so following this thread with interest while waiting for UK PW2's to appear.

It seems that artifacts like pinpricks, discolouration and trapped dust particles would be easiest to detect with a test card document. While waiting for my pre-ordered PW2, I think I'll create a test card document, but does anyone know the best picture size to use? 600 x 800 perhaps or something else? Also would a GIF work better or a JPEG?

At a minimum I can forsee having an all black page, an all white page, plus a variety of checker / line patterns at different resolutions up to max, hence the question about max resolution (as well as ratio of course, since that might force rescaling).

[slantybard]

Originally Posted by civiliza

] I think I'll create a test card document, but does anyone know the best picture size to use? 600 x 800 perhaps or something else? Also would a GIF work better or a JPEG?

758 x 1024 png

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

these photos go to show how much variance there is IN THE SAME MODEL. I would have hoped that Amazon, after having such consistency problems in the PW1, would have more consistency in the PW2.

Indeed. Surely someone, somewhere at amazon must be aware of the inconsistencies this time round too and it was decided again to just send pretty much everything and anything out anyway. I find this disappointing really, making the same mistake two releases in a row is a bit much.

So expecting the worst and hoping for the best for my PW2 delivery in a few days.

[civiliza]

Originally Posted by slantybard

758 x 1024 png

Thank you, 1024 lines sounds like a lot of hard work, but I guess it will keep me occupied while waiting.

[allowingtoo]

How do you think they manged to get the more evenly lit screen this time? Is it the glass substrate? And they (are) just put the old LED's in there?

I looked but I can't find the video of Bezo waving around the new improved PW. His looked awfully white. Of course he must of had a test version.

But when I complained about the yellow screen on my first PW2 - they listened and replaced mine. So it makes me think they DO know that there is a problem, they're just not talking about it.

So now I'm wondering if the next version(s) are going to have better LED's or something to combat this. I'm still not WOW about mine. It's OK. The screen is evenly lit - I'll give you that. I guess I'll hang onto to it and maybe use it as a trade in several months down the road if they come up with a New Improved version with a whiter screen.

Originally Posted by xendula

My replacement came in today, and the screen is evenly colored, no pink or green. Yay.
Alas, it is evenly YELOW - when I hold it next to the first PW2 I received and the old PW1, it is exteremly apparent. This impacts the contrast.

There are also dust particles aplenty beneath the screen, it remains to be seen if they bother me when reading. They are either bright or black dots that are always there, and I wiped the screen well, before you ask. This screen looks like a starry sky at night. The is even a whole galaxy above the lower bezel!

I'll put it through its paces and do some serious reading tomorrow.

Galaxy is in the second stage light from the right.

You can definitely see the color blotches in the PW1. I think your newest PW2 has jaundice! Yuk. I like the middle one best, but of course we cannot see the pin holes and dust in small photos, so maybe that makes it worse to you. What a difference people are getting between units! TBH, I think I could put up with a bit of color blobs and shadows if the text was TRULY dark and thick. To me that kills the eInk screens these days--that is, text that is not dark enough and thick enough to overcome the eInk screens natural issues. Pin holes and dust are a deal killer though!

Originally Posted by Yolina

Indeed. Surely someone, somewhere at amazon must be aware of the inconsistencies this time round too and it was decided again to just send pretty much everything and anything out anyway. I find this disappointing really, making the same mistake two releases in a row is a bit much.

So expecting the worst and hoping for the best for my PW2 delivery in a few days.

I hope you get a good one.

I think Amazon is counting on all the people, like many in this thread, who will refuse to see imperfections even if they are obvious. Every major company seems to have its base of fans who think whatever that company produces is perfect, even when they are told it works but that they are not holding it right! "Can you here me now, I just put a $30 rubber band around it? Hello? Hello?"

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

You're right. The possibility that everyone who got a bad kindle last year also had the same bad luck this year is a far more likely possibility than those people having unrealistic expectations. I'm not implying that anyone is imagining anything. I'm implying that some people will never be satisfied no matter what they get.

You are entitled to your opinion, but I don't really understand your point in saying it? Are you saying you think we should be satisfied with color hues, pin holes, and dust specks under the screen? To me it sounds like you are saying those things are perfectly acceptable and not being satisfied with those issues present makes us unrealistic.

I guess that shows the difference in people because you think our standards are unrealistically high, while to me, going by what you said, your standard of satisfaction is quite low. No disrespect meant, that is how I genuinely see it.

And I think saying we will never be satisfied with anything we get is a bit dramatic. For the record, I have 2 previous e-ink Kindles and 1 Kindle Fire and I was perfectly satisfied with all 3 of them. Thrilled, in fact.

I have seen color hues, pinholes and dust specks on the Kindle Paperwhites I've had. Some people find this acceptable, some don't. It's really as simple as that. There's no need to knock either group.

[xendula]

Aceflor, Sparklemotion, l_macd and jswinden (sorry for packing you all up into one post)
what drives me mad more than anything about the middle one (first PW2 they sent) is the green and pink, however slight they are. It probably would not bother me as much as it does, weren't it for the color blobs I have been dealing with for the past year on my PW1, the pinhole, which is not visible in the pics, but is right on top of the black line that goes across the bottom in each book (think book border), and the light bleed in the left corner, which, when I read in bed in complete darkness, are red smack in my face - again, not visible in the pics, but stuff that drives me nuts. I think I can deal with the dust specks.

I have to see if I can read with the yellow one without too much eye strain... Sigh....

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by xendula

Aceflor and Sparklemotion, what drives me mad about the middle one (first PW2 they sent) is the green and pink, however slight they are. It probably would not bother me as much as it does, weren't it for the color blobs I have been dealing with for the past year on my PW1, the pinhole, which is not visible in the pics, but is right on top of the black line that goes across the bottom in each book (think book border), and the light bleed in the left corner, which, when I read in bed in complete darkness, are red smack in my face - again, not visible in the pics, but stuff that drives me nuts.
I have to see if I can read with the yellow one without too much eye strain...

Totally understandable. I know it's so frustrating. Hopefully you can read with the yellow one without straining your eyes. That was one of the problems I had with the PW2's. On mine it almost looked like a haze was over the screen and washing out the fonts. I ended up preferring my PW1.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by xendula

Aceflor, Sparklemotion, l_macd and jswinden (sorry for packing you all up into one post)
what drives me mad more than anything about the middle one (first PW2 they sent) is the green and pink, however slight they are. It probably would not bother me as much as it does, weren't it for the color blobs I have been dealing with for the past year on my PW1, the pinhole, which is not visible in the pics, but is right on top of the black line that goes across the bottom in each book (think book border), and the light bleed in the left corner, which, when I read in bed in complete darkness, are red smack in my face - again, not visible in the pics, but stuff that drives me nuts. I think I can deal with the dust specks.

I have to see if I can read with the yellow one without too much eye strain... Sigh....

I personally prefer the cooler tone of the PW1 to the warmer PW2. But, no color blobs is much easier on my eyes than color blobs. Try reading on the yellow one for awhile and don't put it near the other models to try to forget the comparison and see if you get used to it. Good luck!

[xendula]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

You are entitled to your opinion, but I don't really understand your point in saying it? Are you saying you think we should be satisfied with color hues, pin holes, and dust specks under the screen? To me it sounds like you are saying those things are perfectly acceptable and not being satisfied with those issues present makes us unrealistic.

I guess that shows the difference in people because you think our standards are unrealistically high, while to me, going by what you said, your standard of satisfaction is quite low. No disrespect meant, that is how I genuinely see it.

And I think saying we will never be satisfied with anything we get is a bit dramatic. For the record, I have 2 previous e-ink Kindles and 1 Kindle Fire and I was perfectly satisfied with all 3 of them. Thrilled, in fact.

I have seen color hues, pinholes and dust specks on the Kindle Paperwhites I've had. Some people find this acceptable, some don't. It's really as simple as that. There's no need to knock either group.

I couldn't have said it any better.
Canuk and Sirmaru: Your comments and sarcasm are getting rather old. Just accept that different people have different standards - good for Amazon that there are people like Sirmaru (Canuk, as jswinden mentioned, you don't seem to own a single Kindle device) who can't see their device's defects and who can ignore them if they do.

Never have I had to put up with so many problems in a single new device, and I am a gadget freak and early adopter. I love Amazon despite these problems, but I am also disappointed, as I have learned to expect only the best from them. And, Sirmaru, owning Apple products does not automatically make one an Apple fanboy/girl and Amazon critic/hater. It is quite possible to own and like both Amazon and Apple devices.

I've also never had any issues with any of Amazon's pre-PW devices.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

You are entitled to your opinion, but I don't really understand your point in saying it? Are you saying you think we should be satisfied with color hues, pin holes, and dust specks under the screen? To me it sounds like you are saying those things are perfectly acceptable and not being satisfied with those issues present makes us unrealistic.

I guess that shows the difference in people because you think our standards are unrealistically high, while to me, going by what you said, your standard of satisfaction is quite low. No disrespect meant, that is how I genuinely see it.

And I think saying we will never be satisfied with anything we get is a bit dramatic. For the record, I have 2 previous e-ink Kindles and 1 Kindle Fire and I was perfectly satisfied with all 3 of them. Thrilled, in fact.

I have seen color hues, pinholes and dust specks on the Kindle Paperwhites I've had. Some people find this acceptable, some don't. It's really as simple as that. There's no need to knock either group.

Some of the posters here are kobo users too, and some MR members on that sub-forum have been known to try to silence the critical voices on the kobo sub-forum too. Any "too critical" opinion is rapidly dismissed as being non-relevant, in a very sarcastic and unpleasant tone, and many of us unsatisfied customer are not anymore visiting the kobo sub-forum for exactly this reason.

I am very happy it is a whole different feeling here, and that there is a real and open debate on the quality of the products. I have never had the feeling that there was any attempt at astroturfing in the kindle sub-forum, but I have very often had that feeling in the kobo sub-forum.

Amazon also appears to be much more open to critics, besides it being just galaxies away in terms of Customer Service, and probably glad to read our comments and critics BEFORE the s..t hits the fan big time.

[xendula]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I personally prefer the cooler tone of the PW1 to the warmer PW2. But, no color blobs is much easier on my eyes than color blobs. Try reading on the yellow one for awhile and don't put it near the other models to try to forget the comparison and see if you get used to it. Good luck!

I agree. If it there weren't color blobs on my PW1, this would be an easy decision. The yellow was apparent when I took it out of the box, and putting it next to the other two just confirmed I wasn't imagining things. I 'll have to do some reading on it today.