Kindle Voyage - First Impressions

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DSpider

I see it. This is your Voyage, right? The top half is darker than the bottom half. It's there.

Yes, nobody's saying it's not there. It's ALSO there on my Kobo H2O, which is the device at the left of the picture.

For $200 it better damn well be even, because for that kind of money... that's tablet territory.

If you can come up with a lighting system whereby the portion of the screen that's furthest away from the light source has the same level of illumination as the portion that's closest to it, I'm sure that Amazon would love to hear from you.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, nobody's saying it's not there. It's ALSO there on my Kobo H2O, which is the device at the left of the picture.



If you can come up with a lighting system whereby the portion of the screen that's furthest away from the light source has the same level of illumination as the portion that's closest to it, I'm sure that Amazon would love to hear from you.

And yet Kobo are more able to _consistently_ produce a light with less of a gradient or blotching / discoloration. I'm sure Amazon have popped open a Kobo or two to see what they are doing differently. But Amazon has evidently also stuck to their existing lighting method. Why? Investment, I guess.

[judith009]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, nobody's saying it's not there. It's ALSO there on my Kobo H2O, which is the device at the left of the picture.



If you can come up with a lighting system whereby the portion of the screen that's furthest away from the light source has the same level of illumination as the portion that's closest to it, I'm sure that Amazon would love to hear from you.

It's pretty obvious that many people here are wishing the KV had the even lighting of the PW V2. We're not talking about gaining new technology. We're talking about Amazon making the lighting at least as good as the previous, cheaper model.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, I "grasp" it just fine. There has always been wide variation in individual eInk screens.

If I recall correctly, you were one of the posters here who seemed unable to perceive the now universally acknowledged defects that existed in the PW1 light.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by judith009

It's pretty obvious that many people here are wishing the KV had the even lighting of the PW V2. We're not talking about gaining new technology. We're talking about Amazon making the lighting at least as good as the previous, cheaper model.

A result of implementing a flush-bezel and maybe a higher-def screen. Kobo did have some issues with the 6" Aura light, though I think it was pin-holes, not gradient or blotching. Again, the Kobo lighting system seemed easier to manufacture without issues. I've yet to see a tech breakdown of what's different between the Kobo and Amazon lighting system. I'd like to read one.

[judith009]

Originally Posted by Rizla

A result of implementing a flush-bezel and maybe a higher-def screen. Kobo did have some issues with the 6" Aura light, though I think it was pin-holes, not gradient or blotching. Again, the Kobo lighting system seemed easier to manufacture without issues. I've yet to see a tech breakdown of what's different between the Kobo and Amazon lighting system. I'd like to read one.

Also I think the KV was the first Kindle to have a glass screen. Maybe it could have something to do with the glass screen and the matte finish they put on it.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Rizla

If I recall correctly, you were one of the posters here who seemed unable to perceive the now universally acknowledged defects that existed in the PW1 light.

If you mean that I had a PW1 that seemed absolutely fine, then yes, you're right. The majority of other users were also happy with it. Don't let the fact that a small minority of users were sensitive to colour discolourations fool you into thinking that it was a "universally acknowledged defect".

Look at the reviews of the Voyage at "amazon.co.uk". Do you see even one review there that mentions any lighting or colour variations? I don't. This is not an issue that the majority (or even a significant minority) of users in the "real world" appear to care about, or even be aware of.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Look at the reviews of the Voyage at "amazon.co.uk". Do you see even one review there that mentions any lighting or colour variations? I don't. This is not an issue that the majority (or even a significant minority) of users in the "real world" appear to care about, or even be aware of.

The top rated 2 star review, dated Nov 8.

Does seems to be much less common than on the US site.

[judith009]

I wonder if they're using different batches.

Under the comments for the top-rated review, someone asked him this:

I have a PW1. The light is very mottled at the bottom of the screen, which I don't like.

Has the PW2 or the Voyage cured this "feature"?

The response was this:

The PW2 cured it and the Voyage is even better.

I know that the PW1 was heavily criticised for the mottled lighting at the bottom of the screen. It's a good example of how people can end up upgrading far earlier than they ever anticipated (because something starts to irritate them, so when it is rectified...).

Of course, for some people the mottling wasn't a problem - they just loved having a light, and are still happy with their PW1. I do respect people who resist the urge to upgrade.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

The top rated 2 star review, dated Nov 8.

Does seems to be much less common than on the US site.

Thanks - I overlooked that one. So 1 review out of 64 mentions it. So either colour gradations are less common in the UK than the US, or the majority of users either don't see it, or aren't bothered by it.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by judith009

I wonder if they're using different batches.

I suspect not, given that various people have commented that they clearly see brightness and colour variations in my UK-bought KV (although less so than in some of the pictures that other people have uploaded).

[PatrickNSF]

Originally Posted by judith009

It's pretty obvious that many people here are wishing the KV had the even lighting of the PW V2. We're not talking about gaining new technology. We're talking about Amazon making the lighting at least as good as the previous, cheaper model.

I'm not. We tried two PW2 (20014 edition, with 4GB) and both had similar gradients to the two "better" KVs we tried (one of which I kept). Maybe we just had terrible luck.

The tempting part of the PW2 for me was that it was only $99 w/o special offers with a deal I found at Staples. But side by side with the KV, I much preferred the KV over the PW2. I also much referred the lighting of the KV, which in two of our units was more white than the PW2 (which has, to my eyes, a bit of an unpleasant yellow tone).

I assume it's all just a matter of personal preference. The big sticking point for me was that I assumed the KV would be closer to "perfect" than it turned out to be given the stellar reviews and premium price. I found it to be superior to the PW2 for my needs, but far from perfect. And the variance among the three units I saw – one in particular – was inexcusable.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by PatrickNSF

I'm not. We tried two PW2 (20014 edition, with 4GB) and both had similar gradients to the two "better" KVs we tried (one of which I kept). Maybe we just had terrible luck.

It seems more likely that you're simply one of the people who are particularly sensitive to such issues. There seems to be a huge variance in personal sensitivity to it.

[PatrickNSF]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It seems more likely that you're simply one of the people who are particularly sensitive to such issues. There seems to be a huge variance in personal sensitivity to it.

I think it's more accurate to say that I had forgotten that, by and large, Amazon makes mediocre hardware and my expectations of the PW2 and especially the KV were too high. Once I reset my expectations, at least as far as the KV is concerned, I learned that I can live with it.

[sparklemotion]

Yes, it's clearly obvious some of us are more sensitive to it. I personally don't believe the batches differ from the US to the UK really. There are also plenty of reviews complaining about the issue on Amazon US. Some people see it, some don't. Simple as that really. Anyone who doesn't see it in the extreme way some of us do, will likely love the voyage. The screen on these devices also vary wildly, and some are no doubt better than others. I happened to get one where it was very obvious to me.

Those that do see it on most pics are probably better off with a different device, such as the Kobo H20 or possibly the Kindle Paperwhite 2 from this year. I'm not saying those 2 devices are perfect, I'm just saying I think one with this sensitivity is probably less likely to see color issues on them. It seems the people who have this sensitivity are generally happier with those two devices over the voyage. Or a reader that isn't lit or possibly a tablet.