ALL-New Paperwhite announced: 300dpi E-Ink screen

[JSWolf]

So why is it th BPHs get the information on how to enable the new typesetting and the rest of us get to be left in the dark?

[disconnected]

I don't care much about the new font but if Amazon is going to start changing book files do I need to worry about Calibre and Alf being able to cope with them?

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I know a couple developers who have tried to force the issue by reverse engineering the changes and then adding the new css to their ebooks before uploading or sideloading them. It didn't work.

I wonder if it's just a matter of Amazon needing to update KindleGen? Or were these developers using Calibre?

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So why is it th BPHs get the information on how to enable the new typesetting and the rest of us get to be left in the dark?

Do we know for a fact that the BPHs have this info or is Amazon adding the "special sauce" to ebooks after they are received from the publisher, the way they do with DRM. Which leads us to ...

Originally Posted by disconnected

I don't care much about the new font but if Amazon is going to start changing book files do I need to worry about Calibre and Alf being able to cope with them?

+1

[terendel]

Amazon is sending me a PW3 to test, and it's supposed to arrive today.

Happy to test anything you all would like me to test, assuming it's within my technical capabilities.

I need fodder for my TeleRead review.

[pdurrant]

It would be interesting to know how sharp the 300dpi screen is. Would a 300dpi image of alternating black and white lines display as visibly sharp black and white lines on the screen or would it blur into an undulating dark grey/light grey (or indeed, into a uniform grey)?

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by odamizu

Wow. Thanks for this info. I find it astonishing and mystifying that Amazon would do something like this.

Strengthening the walled garden. It matches with the lock-down on hacking the device even to the absurd point of blocking custom fonts. The vast majority of customers are utterly unaware of the ability to do anything other than downloading books directly from Amazon, and reading them as is. They are Amazon's market, not the comparatively very small group who want to do more with their devices. At least, that's the only logic I can see in their very restrictive strategy, and it might sense as a business model. Maybe Amazon will just roll it later for other content.

[terendel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

It would be interesting to know how sharp the 300dpi screen is. Would a 300dpi image of alternating black and white lines display as visibly sharp black and white lines on the screen or would it blur into an undulating dark grey/light grey (or indeed, into a uniform grey)?

Do you have an image you can send me? I'll test it out. I did a quick web search and couldn't find anything better than 120 dpi. Not good enough with graphics to create my own.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by terendel

Do you have an image you can send me? I'll test it out. I did a quick web search and couldn't find anything better than 120 dpi. Not good enough with graphics to create my own.

Here are two 600x600 pixel 300ppi images, one with horizonal strips and one with vertical stripes. (The thumbnails look grey, of course, click on them to see the stripes)

[terendel]

Here it is. It blurs a lot.

[JSWolf]

If you side load a KF8 eBook converted from ePub, do you get hyphenation and the other new typography features?

[LenEdgerly]

Sorry I did not get a new video up in answer to the questions. I confess that the discussion here is beyond my skill set, and it looks as if others will have access to a review unit who will be able to help out better than I can.

[terendel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you side load a KF8 eBook converted from ePub, do you get hyphenation and the other new typography features?

No to hyphenation. The PW3 does display with a subtle difference from the PW2. The kerning is slightly different. At least I think it's kerning and not just the different resolution. Looking at books in Palatino on both devices, the PW3 has a more pleasing character spacing, although, oddly, I'm not seeing the compression that Len noted in his video. Text seems to take up slightly more space on the page on the PW3. It seems like I lose about a line, but it doesn't look bad, and I only notice because I'm comparing so closely.

All in all, I do like the look better on the PW3, and I think, as I use it as my sole reading device, I'm going to find it a better experience, although probably not enough better to justify an upgrade from 2 to 3.

[terendel]

Originally Posted by LenEdgerly

Sorry I did not get a new video up in answer to the questions. I confess that the discussion here is beyond my skill set, and it looks as if others will have access to a review unit who will be able to help out better than I can.

I'll do my best, Len. I suspect they are going to go beyond my abilities as well.

[Sirtel]

Is the text darker on PW2, if you use the same font on both?

[terendel]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Is the text darker on PW2, if you use the same font on both?

Not really. I find that the PW3 has a bit less blue in the screen, which does change the color of the font. I wouldn't call the font darker, though, exactly. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on exactly what's different.

Here's a comparison. PW3 on the left.