Oasis shadow smudges at lower light settings?

[pssquirrel]

I was playing with a friend's Oasis and really like the form-factor. I don't even mind the slight color shift. But the edge where the LEDs are have faint "shadow smudges" when the light is set below 12. Above 12, the smudges are gone and the lighting is even, but below 12, it's like the low power to the LEDs is inconsistent, so some are brighter than others.

Are shadow smudges typical of all Oasises when the light is set below 12?

(I know there's a big long thread about Oasis screen issues, but I was hoping to get answers to this one specific question without dredging up all the other stuff.)

Thanks!

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by pssquirrel

I was playing with a friend's Oasis and really like the form-factor. I don't even mind the slight color shift. But the edge where the LEDs are have faint "shadow smudges" when the light is set below 12. Above 12, the smudges are gone and the lighting is even, but below 12, it's like the low power to the LEDs is inconsistent, so some are brighter than others.

Are shadow smudges typical of all Oasises when the light is set below 12?

I think they're universal, but the level at which they are visible depends at the very least on the external light level.

[odamizu]

Ambient light is definitely a factor. I do see shadow/smudges when ambient light and screen light are low (usually 9 or below), but not when there is good ambient light or the screen light is higher than about 12.

[Atunah]

For me its kind of the opposite. I see the cones if I have the light on too high for the ambient light I am in. Say in the evening on the sofa that is not next to a window, or on a very cloudy day. If I go too high, over 11 in that case, the screen starts to glow and I can see the brighter spots. Its how it shows on mine, as a few brighter spots, with one in the middle being the brightest. But I don't read with light that high in darker conditions, so once I put the light back down to 10-11, the cones are gone. If I go higher to say 12-14, they are there.

At night in bed I go down to 8 and see no cones at 8-10. Anything higher would hurt my eyes anyway.

With my light set 80% at the time at 10, I never see the cones. But I do know they are there at higher levels. But since that isn't how I read, its no big deal. My Voyage has no light spots or cones, no matter how high I put the light, but I also only read it up to 11, just like the Oasis.

[odamizu]

@Atunah: That's really interesting. I don't actually see bright spots or cones, I just see faint smudges/shadows. The "clear" areas, where there are no shadows, are all the same brightness as the rest of the screen, even along the edge. Update: Upon further scrutiny, I realize my Oasis does have bright spots if I look for them

Like Atunah, I also read with the light set at 8-10 most of the time. Unfortunately, the shadows are visible at that level. Pushing the light up to 11+ usually clears everything up to a nice, even light — but that's too bright for my eyes.

The smudges are light enough that I don't notice them once I'm immersed in reading, though they are distracting if I start looking for them and thinking about them — which happens if I spend too much time on MobileRead

[disconnected]

Kindle screens seem to be amazingly inconsistent, even within the same model, and reviews aren't terribly helpful if everyone is going to get a different screen.

Shadows/cones/smudges are almost nonexistent on my Voyage and the text is very sharp and black but the distinctly two-toned effect drove me crazy. The text on my Oasis isn't as black and there are faint smudgy areas at side of the screen at some light levels but the color shift is nowhere near as pronounced.

Fortunately for me the slightly less than black text and the small smudges don't bother me at all (I didn't even mind the all-over blotchiness of the PW1) so my Oasis wins by a mile.

But yes, the crapshoot aspect of buying a Kindle sucks a lot of the joy out of the process. I think some evil genius at Amazon must have perfected a formula to maximize profit by balancing allowable tolerance in manufacture against predicted tolerance by customers.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by disconnected

... Shadows/cones/smudges are almost nonexistent on my Voyage and the text is very sharp and black but the distinctly two-toned effect drove me crazy.

Yeah, my Voyage doesn't have any shadows, cones or smudges either, and the text is noticeably sharper and blacker. It's sad that they couldn't replicate this on the Oasis. If it weren't for the ergonomics, I'd stick with the Voyage.

[Kolja]

Originally Posted by odamizu

Yeah, my Voyage doesn't have any shadows, cones or smudges either, and the text is noticeably sharper and blacker. It's sad that they couldn't replicate this on the Oasis. If it weren't for the ergonomics, I'd stick with the Voyage.

I'm sticking with my Voyage because of the better contrast and absence of light cones that both of my returned Oases had. I have a near perfect screen on my Voyage and don't really miss the ergonomics of the Oasis because a lot of my reading is done using the Origami stand. However the Voyage screen is hit and miss also. I returned 3 to get the one I have that I'm happy with. I still read complaints from recent Voyage buyers about the uneven screen tint so the Voyage is still probably luck of the draw as well. I just hope my Voyage has a long life ahead.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Kolja

... I just hope my Voyage has a long life ahead.

I'm hoping for an Oasis 2 with improved screen or a Voyage 2 with better ergonomics

[pssquirrel]

Thanks for all the info, everyone! Looks like a choice between form factor and screen quality

[JoeC]

For what it's worth - I don't notice any shadow smudges at low light settings. I do most of my reading at night and find the Oasis screen slightly better than my old Voyage.

[disconnected]

Originally Posted by pssquirrel

Thanks for all the info, everyone! Looks like a choice between form factor and screen quality

I don't even think it's that straightforward. With either model it's largely the luck of the draw.

[cerem0ny]

I have the shadows, cones, and strange colour scallops at ALL settings! Doesn't surrpise me though, us Aussies always seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel, and paying for it too

[odamizu]

Has anyone had the experience where the screen gets more even after you've read for 15-30 minutes? I noticed this with my Voyage and see it again with my Oasis. When I first turn it on, the shadows and color shift are more noticeable. After 15-30 minutes, they are barely noticeable, even when I look for it.

I'm not sure if it's that my eyes adjust and my brain compensates, or if the LEDs and light guide take a little while to "warm up."

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by odamizu

Has anyone had the experience where the screen gets more even after you've read for 15-30 minutes? I noticed this with my Voyage and see it again with my Oasis. When I first turn it on, the shadows and color shift are more noticeable. After 15-30 minutes, they are barely noticeable, even when I look for it.

I'm not sure if it's that my eyes adjust and my brain compensates, or if the LEDs and light guide take a little while to "warm up."

IT kinda depends on my mood - I might be reading and slowly getting more and more annoyed and frustrated with the background of the text changing rapidly from yellow to blue after ever line, or I could be reading in daylight where the effect is basically indiscernible.
Either way, any light situation other than broad daylight has the effect in its full splendour, in fact I find it much less noticeable when I first turn on the device. But particularly if the part of the book I'm reading is boring, it becomes hard for me not to notice the colour change. Annoying!