The Death of E-Readers Is All Your Fault

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

No.
There are two parts to the eink display; the eink film itself which is (techically) very high res, and the TFT backplane (LCD-derived tech) with the matrix of transistors that drives the actual pixels which is what determines the resolution of the panel. *That* is what determines the panel's resolution.

So there is a genuine generational difference between the SVGA pearl panels and the new XGA panels that goes beyond the frontlight/capacitance touch laminate.

Judging by how it works, I'm not sure if the pixel size can ever go below the thickness of the film (otherwise, I can't see the black/white gel being able to rotate over and back). So, finer pixels would mean a thinner layer of pigment, which would probably impact the contrast. I don't know how close the pixel size is to the film thickness, but I would suspect it's pretty close to it already.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Judging by how it works, I'm not sure if the pixel size can ever go below the thickness of the film (otherwise, I can't see the black/white gel being able to rotate over and back). So, finer pixels would mean a thinner layer of pigment, which would probably impact the contrast. I don't know how close the pixel size is to the film thickness, but I would suspect it's pretty close to it already.

I'm not sure about the film thickness but the individual pixel capsules are 0.04mm in diameter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper
That works out to a maximum 625 dpi resolution if the pixels were defined as one capsule each. That is just beyond LCD bleeding-edge tech so that kind of backplane is still years away. SVGA 6in panels run 166 dpi or about 14 capsules per pixel, XGA panels 221dpi or about 8 capsules per pixel. Going much higher will probably degrade contrast long before thickness becomes an issue.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

I'm not sure about the film thickness but the individual pixel capsules are 0.04mm in diameter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper
That works out to a maximum 625 dpi resolution if the pixels were defined as one capsule each. That is just beyond LCD bleeding-edge tech so that kind of backplane is still years away. SVGA 6in panels run 166 dpi or about 14 capsules per pixel, XGA panels 221dpi or about 8 capsules per pixel. Going much higher will probably degrade contrast long before thickness becomes an issue.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper

Thanks, very informative!

[sabredog]

I am seeing far more ereaders on public transport post Christmas than before. That would make sense, as in my family alone Christmas 2012 saw 2 ereaders given as gifts.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by HarryT

As has been said before, it doesn't have to be an "either/or" decision. Many people own both a tablet AND an eInk reader. The eInk device will always be much more comfortable to read on for me, and the weeks-long battery life means that I don't have to recharge it every day.

Same here Harry. Have both a tablet (iPad2) and an ereader, both of which are used for different purposes and both are equally enjoyed.

[cromag]

My folks are getting on in years and I've been spending more time in doctor's office waiting rooms lately. I first saw someone reading on a Nook in a waiting room about a year ago, and I've been seeing more and more as the year passed. Interestingly, I've only seen Nooks (Dad has a Kindle, but he never takes it out of the house). I've never seen anyone reading on an Ipad in a waiting room (my wife has an Ipad, but doesn't do much reading on it) -- or any kind of tablet or smartphone.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by cromag

I've never seen anyone reading on an Ipad in a waiting room (my wife has an Ipad, but doesn't do much reading on it) -- or any kind of tablet or smartphone.

I rarely see people using tablets whilst I catch the train and bus, but that may well change as tablet sales were high here over the Christmas period. Perhaps commuters are finding tablets too inconvenient to use whilst in transit?

e-ink ereaders are the reader of choice in transit, it seems.

Go into a cafe though and more and more people can be seen using tablets and ultrathins, which they can place on a table, taking advantage of free wifi.

[JSWolf]

The problem with KF8 on an eInk Kindle is that the line height is too large by default and you can only go larger. The KF8 code ignores line-height in the CSS if it's trying to make the line height any smaller. Some find this larger line height distracting. Mobi does not have this issue. But it's an obsolete format. It doesn't even do a proper blockquote.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Mobi does not have this issue. But it's an obsolete format. It doesn't even do a proper blockquote.

Wow...!! I seemed to have missed that memo. When was mobi obsoleted? Cause you know I've bought a couple of books in the last week and Amazon served up mobi files to my DX. Who would have guessed.

[Edward M. Grant]

Originally Posted by sabredog

e-ink ereaders are the reader of choice in transit, it seems.

Unless your vehicle has power outlets, odds are your tablet battery will be flat well before you reach your destination. An e-reader, on the other hand, can probably handle the travel and a week's vacation before it needs charging.

[jbcohen]

I think that if I ever see an episode of Honey Boo Boo I will puke. I have played Angry Birds, not the Star Wars episodes, however I think I will go watch the latest episode of Nightly Business Report right after CNN's Situation Room gets done, my eight year old and I love Situation Room.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Edward M. Grant

Unless your vehicle has power outlets, odds are your tablet battery will be flat well before you reach your destination. An e-reader, on the other hand, can probably handle the travel and a week's vacation before it needs charging.

Absolutely

I take my ereader away with me every holiday with no need to recharge. I have to recharge my tablet every day when it is being used.

But a one hour train/bus ride ought not to create significant drain on a tablets battery life. Personally, like a good number of people, they might find the tablet weight being the main issue. I would hate to have to hold my iPad2 in a reading position for an hour, a feat most easily achieved with a ereader.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Edward M. Grant

Unless your vehicle has power outlets, odds are your tablet battery will be flat well before you reach your destination. An e-reader, on the other hand, can probably handle the travel and a week's vacation before it needs charging.

Well a) most cars do have power outlets (cigarette lighters), and b) how often do you driving more more than 10 hours before reaching your destination?

Reality is that a plain non-Touch, non-Paperwhite Kindle is advertised as 1 months use (*at half an hour a day, with wifi off). That is 15 hours of use, plus whatever natural battery loss you would expect in 30 days. Call it 20 hours of use.

That is twice the battery life of an iPad. Twice is good, but it isn't an order of magnitiude good. It isn't 'a tablet won't last the drive, but a Kindle will last the whole vacation' good.

The Paperwhite seems to have a much better battery, and works out something like 3-4 times as long as an iPad. Again, clearly better, but not orders of magnitude better.

eInk readers will last longer on one charge than tablets will, but not by the massive amounts that most people seem to think.
(Encouraged by deliberately misleading graphs like this from Amazon:

I note that they have cut that section out of the Paperwhite information on the UK site. I wonder if UK advertising standards have more teeth than US ones)

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by sabredog

I am seeing far more ereaders on public transport post Christmas than before.

Yes. I'm one of the many braving the frequent recorded messages about device theft on the Philadelphia subways.

[dakini]

having just got back a week ago from a caribbean cruise, i can say that e-ink readers were the most common form of reading device out on the adults-only sundeck. there were some ipads and there were a few paper books, but probably 75% of the people reading were doing so in the bright sunlight on their e-ink readers.

interestingly, ereader use seemed to not be a function of age at all. you saw adults of all ages with them.