miBook E-Reader/Cooking/Photo Frame/Multimedia PDA

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Here is an interesting article on eye-strain from the optical experts.

http://www.aoa.org/x5253.xml

It looks like the real problem may be habits of the user and vanity in not wearing glasses is a contributer (reading between the lines). Neither backlight or refresh seem to be a factor except when refresh and florescent lights clash.

Dale

Hmmm. Given that the optometrists produced that report, I'm not surprised that glasses are the solution. I *have* glasses, faithfully updated every two years or so ..... and I just couldn't continue reading books on my Palm pdas. My Kindle is much easier on my eyes. Whatever the actual cause is, the e-ink *is* a big help.

[Greg Anos]

Well, somebody had to step up to the plate, so I have ordered one. I will provide a review once I get it, get it charged, and have a change to play with it a bit.....Maybe, next Tuesday, if the creek don't rise....

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Hmmm. Given that the optometrists produced that report, I'm not surprised that glasses are the solution. I *have* glasses, faithfully updated every two years or so ..... and I just couldn't continue reading books on my Palm pdas. My Kindle is much easier on my eyes. Whatever the actual cause is, the e-ink *is* a big help.

They don't report that glasses are the cure exactly. They report that blur due to low resolution text, low contrast, body position to compensate for poor monitor placement, lighting are all factors. I do not expect that they are just trying to sell more glasses but vanity is a factor since many people refuse to wear them.

Dale

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I'm surprised they don't mention the difference that can be caused by different types of monitors, eg, CRT vs LCD, size, display technology, settings, etc. For instance, a CRT generally has a thick glass in front, which forces the eye to refocus from the front to the back of the glass constantly, contributing to eyestrain. LCD monitors have less of a boundary between LCD pixels and the front of the screen, causing the eye to work less to focus. Settings can also be adjusted to combat contrast and glare issues, for example.

That's the least they could mention here... other aspects of display technologies also affect vision, but it's obviously just a summation.

[Shaggy]

Isn't this basically just a digital picture frame?

I guess you could convert each page of a book into a JPEG image and do a slideshow, but that's not what I would really call an E-Reader.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

More of a digital video player. Yeah, as-is you'd be talking about turning e-books into images, but possibly new apps could be added to it for more efficient static-page reading (Acrobat, at least, or maybe a Flash-based app like Zinio).

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I'm surprised they don't mention the difference that can be caused by different types of monitors, eg, CRT vs LCD, size, display technology, settings, etc. For instance, a CRT generally has a thick glass in front, which forces the eye to refocus from the front to the back of the glass constantly, contributing to eyestrain. LCD monitors have less of a boundary between LCD pixels and the front of the screen, causing the eye to work less to focus. Settings can also be adjusted to combat contrast and glare issues, for example.

That's the least they could mention here... other aspects of display technologies also affect vision, but it's obviously just a summation.

Interesting. I see a wiki page developing where we might be able to collect data on this sort of thing as it impacts e-reading.

Dale

edit: I have created a wiki page CVS to collect data on this topic.

DD

[chef]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I am not sure that backlights are the source of eye strain. Some people don't get it at all but those that do seem to get it from refresh flicker rather than backlight.

Dale

Ther is no flicker really with an LCD. Its just constantly blasting a bright light in your eyes. Can't get eye strain from E Ink if there is no backlight or flicker.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by chef

Ther is no flicker really with an LCD. Its just constantly blasting a bright light in your eyes. Can't get eye strain from E Ink if there is no backlight or flicker.

Why blasting? I always keep any backlights to a minimum. Blasting is good for a flashlight but eats batteries. I do not suffer from this problem but there is no indication that I have found so far that shows backlights as being a cause. There are LCD displays that do not use a backlight at all (reflective LCD in the wiki). Some people still complain of eye-fatigue which leads me to believe it is more complicated than you seem to think. I do think e-Ink is better but people still seem to indicate that they need more front light to read without fatigue.

Dale

[imaredr]

This device looks just like the Kodak 7" portable digital photo frame. It was sold from about 2 years ago up to earlier this year. I always felt that it was just too big to carry around in my purse. You could buy a rechargeable battery for it as well as a carrying/wallet case. I remember thinking that if it read text it would be perfect.

Ellen

Edit: I found the photo

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Well, somebody had to step up to the plate, so I have ordered one. I will provide a review once I get it, get it charged, and have a change to play with it a bit.....Maybe, next Tuesday, if the creek don't rise....

So did I. Fortunately, QVC has a 30 day refund policy.

Mine will be arriving on Monday.

[Eddie]

There's a podcast at http://podcast.tech-talk-with-craig-...er-photoco.mp3 about it. Haven't listened to it yet, sorry...

[Donnageddon]

Look forward to Nate and Ralph Sir Edward's reviews. The picture provided by nrapallo indicates it displays "text". Just wonder what format it uses.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Eddie

There's a podcast at http://podcast.tech-talk-with-craig-...er-photoco.mp3 about it. Haven't listened to it yet, sorry...

The podcast is about 7 minutes long, and is basically an ad for the MiBook. It is interesting, though.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by imaredr

This device looks just like the Kodak 7" portable digital photo frame. It was sold from about 2 years ago up to earlier this year. I always felt that it was just too big to carry around in my purse. You could buy a rechargeable battery for it as well as a carrying/wallet case. I remember thinking that if it read text it would be perfect.

Ellen

Edit: I found the photo

You're right. They do look darn similar. You have a good eye.