Paperwhite Second Gen: First Impressions

[fearindex]

Originally Posted by ixtab

I guess that nobody would be upset if every Kindle was perfectly lit, had perfect contrast, etc. But for the time being, the technology just doesn't seem to be 100% perfect, and there are some small irregularities. I simply fail to understand the huge buzz around those. It seems like some people are simply unable to live with a 99.5% good device, but need at least 101%.

Then again, that's just it. Regular e-ink readers - regular Kindles other than PWs - are pretty much perfect (aside perhaps from historical faulty units with fade issues, but those were easy to see and rectify). They don't exhibit any of the multitude of issues frontlit models have.

That said, I do think one has to accept some level of variance in frontlit e-ink readers, just like one has to accept some level of light leakage and perhaps a dead pixel or two in LCD displays - the technology making these things at acceptable levels requires certain allowances. In this sense those saying they can accept a pinhole or other imperfections in PW2 are right in my view, you probably have to accept some of that if you want to have a frontlit reader at this time. The technology just isn't any better yet.

But if you want a perfect e-ink screen, forget about models with frontlight, you'll find truly a perfect - as in no anomalies - screen much easier that way. $69 Kindle is an excellent reader for those worried about screen anomalies.

Originally Posted by Chi Cygni

With all due respect to everyone I start to notice a worrying tendency "I have a perfect unit, only one pin hole" it is NOT how it is supposed to be, right?

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

I was thinking the exact same thing!

I think the bar has been lowered for Kindle Paperwhite expectations.

[sparklemotion]

Can someone who is knowledgeable about the lighting technology please explain to me how the pin holes occur and why it seems to be fairly common? It seems some of you don't see it as a quality control issue, but more something to be expected since the lighting technology is still new. Would that be correct?

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I think the bar has been lowered for Kindle Paperwhite expectations.

Indeed.

[sparklemotion]

For those you don't have pinholes, and are curious what they look like, I took pics when I had my last PW2 which was literally riddled with them. Many of which fell right on top of the text. They also look worse in person and are more obvious/annoying when reading at night.

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

For those you don't have pinholes, and are curious what they look like, I took pics when I had my last PW2 which was literally riddled with them. Many of which fell right on top of the text. They also look worse in person and are more obvious/annoying when reading at night.

Wow, that was lot of pin holes! I would have definitely sent that one back in a hurry.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Wow, that was lot of pin holes! I would have definitely sent that one back in a hurry.

Yeah, and that wasn't even all of them. A couple of them were really bright too. It was hard to capture in a photo though.

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I think the bar has been lowered for Kindle Paperwhite expectations.

What originally happened expectations were raised too high with PW1 in the first place. Then issues appeared and since then people have been suspicious.
Btw your PW2 looks perfect to me.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

For those you don't have pinholes, and are curious what they look like, I took pics when I had my last PW2 which was literally riddled with them. Many of which fell right on top of the text. They also look worse in person and are more obvious/annoying when reading at night.

I looked at your two images and didn't see any pin holes. Now I know its my vision and probably the vision of most others just not able to see pin holes.

Most people have less than perfect vision.

Edit: I looked again and spotted one very faint pin hole in the lower left of the second image. I believe that the Chinese kids doing the QC simply have vision like me and all these units are getting through. We Asians do have worse vision then Westerners for the most part.

Originally Posted by Chi Cygni

What originally happened expectations were raised too high with PW1 in the first place. Then issues appeared and since then people have been suspicious.
Btw your PW2 looks perfect to me.

Mine isn't too bad screen-wise as it doesn't have pin holes, dust, or any of the blotches I encountered with my PW1s. The only complaint is that I have to make the text bold in my books in order to read without eyestrain for long periods. I did rate it on Amazon.com and gave it a 3 star rating. A 1 or 2 star rating and I would have returned it. 3 stars to me means it gets the job done, but just marginally. The PW2 screen light system still needs a lot of improvement. And quality control definitely needs to be greatly improved.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

I looked at your two images and didn't see any pin holes. Now I now its my vision and probably the vision of most others just not able to see pin holes.

Most people have less than perfect vision.

I'm surprised you can't see them. My vision is also far from perfect. I wear contacts. However, even without contacts/glasses I can still see them as they glow. It's especially distracting in a dark or low lit room.

[stickybuns]

Dang it, people. I just finished explaining that no one would disparage me for liking a slightly less than perfect PW2!

Amazon is charging at-cost prices, isn't it? The trade off of a low price is variations in screen quality. Far tighter tolerances on quality controls would inevitably raise prices. Would Amazon be as competitive if it raised the price? Would I be willing to pay an extra $20 if it would guarantee a device that's 100% perfect verses 99.8% perfect? No, I'd rather save the money.

For the record, here is my pinhole. It's a teeny bit bigger than a speck of dust. To me, that's "good enough."

Originally Posted by stickybuns

For the record, here is my pinhole. It's a teeny bit bigger than a speck of dust. To me, that's "good enough."

Your attachment causes an error then disappears. Wrong image format?

[stickybuns]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Your attachment causes an error then disappears. Wrong image format?

I was trying to attach more than one image. Please excuse the little black flecks on the screen... bread crumbs from my morning toast!

[stickybuns]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

Yeah, and that wasn't even all of them. A couple of them were really bright too. It was hard to capture in a photo though.

Oh, you're not kidding about them being tough to photograph! Even the slightest amount of camera shake will ruin the shot.

I can see why you returned yours!