Kindle Voyage now available has better screen

[crouton]

I'm holding out for the Voyage 2 maybe. I've tried unsuccessfully to change from the K3 Keyboard to paperwhite and such but the paperwhite just always hurt my eyes (i know i know).

But i'm a hoarder and keep over 2k books on my kindle and it's starting to bog down the K3 especially on a reboot.

[JSWolf]

Actually, the topic here is incorrect. It's not a better screen. It's a better front-light.

[Penforhire]

Flybor, yes, direct from Amazon.

[Tarana]

I was looking forward to ordering my Voyage with the bonus and gift card from 3 kindles in the buy back program, but they just raised the price $20. Not so sure now. I'll have to call Customer Service and see what they can do about it after I have my bonus credits.

My Voyage has the best screen of any of the light-layered versions of eInk readers I've ever owned. But big whoop, that isn't saying much. My Voyage does NOT have any color blotches, but it still has murky, shadowy areas on the screen. It is like a dim, dirty smudge. As a photography enthusiasts I know fully well that placing more glass in front of a lens is an incredibly stupid thing to do. It might not degrade the image noticeably, but it most likely will degrade more than help out, and in many cases the degradation will be very noticeable. Pro photographers know to avoid using filters on the front of their lenses. As long as eInk readers have a light layer on top of the eInk layer, it will be a degraded screen. Many will choose to ignore or deny that, but it is the nature of adding layers. There is NO such thing as a perfect light layer. There is also no such thing as an eInk screen (light-layered or not) with as crisp and dark of text as a high quality tablet screen. You can put as much lipstick on a pig as you want to, but it is still just a pig. You can put as many bells and whistles on an eInk reader as you want to such as waterproofing and light layers, but it is still an outdated technology that will never again see a major improvement in text quality.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by jswinden

My Voyage has the best screen of any of the light-layered versions of eInk readers I've ever owned. But big whoop, that isn't saying much. My Voyage does NOT have any color blotches, but it still has murky, shadowy areas on the screen. It is like a dim, dirty smudge. As a photography enthusiasts I know fully well that placing more glass in front of a lens is an incredibly stupid thing to do. It might not degrade the image noticeably, but it most likely will degrade more than help out, and in many cases the degradation will be very noticeable. Pro photographers know to avoid using filters on the front of their lenses. As long as eInk readers have a light layer on top of the eInk layer, it will be a degraded screen. Many will choose to ignore or deny that, but it is the nature of adding layers. There is NO such thing as a perfect light layer. There is also no such thing as an eInk screen (light-layered or not) with as crisp and dark of text as a high quality tablet screen. You can put as much lipstick on a pig as you want to, but it is still just a pig. You can put as many bells and whistles on an eInk reader as you want to such as waterproofing and light layers, but it is still an outdated technology that will never again see a major improvement in text quality.

Then why do you keep buying e-ink screens?

Shari

[leaston]

Originally Posted by shalym

Then why do you keep buying e-ink screens?

Shari

For me, it's because there's no viable alternative to a real book for comfortable reading with decent battery life. Tablet screens just don't cut it and the battery life sucks.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by leaston

For me, it's because there's no viable alternative to a real book for comfortable reading with decent battery life. Tablet screens just don't cut it and the battery life sucks.

And this, I understand. The person I was quoting, though, said "There is also no such thing as an eInk screen (light-layered or not) with as crisp and dark of text as a high quality tablet screen." I"m just curious why someone who obviously believes that a tablet screen is better would continue buying e-ink devices.

Shari

[leaston]

Originally Posted by shalym

And this, I understand. The person I was quoting, though, said "There is also no such thing as an eInk screen (light-layered or not) with as crisp and dark of text as a high quality tablet screen." I"m just curious why someone who obviously believes that a tablet screen is better would continue buying e-ink devices.

Shari

Sorry Shari, I jumped in there didn't I? Apologies for hijacking

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by jswinden

You can put as many bells and whistles on an eInk reader as you want to such as waterproofing and light layers, but it is still an outdated technology that will never again see a major improvement in text quality.

I enjoy reading on my kindle and would buy another if it broke, but I am also doubtful about the long-term viability of e-ink reading devices. I think that we may be near the limit of what the technology is capable of providing and don't expect any further major improvements to e-ink quality. Something like OLED may provide a better trade-off between power efficiency and screen quality for the future. I believe that e-ink in consumer devices will eventually go the way of the plasma TV.

ETA: I expect the battery life and screen quality of main-stream phones and tables to improve over time, making special purpose e-readers a smaller and smaller niche, which will likely eventually disappear entirely.

[Penforhire]

I spend more time with my Kindle than I do with my 'retina' iPad. It is my personal preference to read on the Kindle.

I have read study results proving no real difference in reading speed between a good LCD and E-Ink. But I see better contrast (easier to read text) on my Kindle. It is also lighter in my hand, has a battery I don't have to worry about, and would cost me less if lost/stolen/damaged when using it everywhere in the world.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by jhowell

ETA: I expect the battery life and screen quality of main-stream phones and tables to improve over time, making special purpose e-readers a smaller and smaller niche, which will likely eventually disappear entirely.

I predict--or maybe the better word is 'hope'--that even if there aren't enough vocal e-ink-preferring readers to sway development of display tech, there are enough other uses for a sun-light-readable, reflective, non-self-illuminated display that can maintain an image with no power applied, that displays will eventually evolve to a technology that does it all as well as we all want.

[Martyd]

If e-ink is at its final stage of development, that's fine with me. I find it just what I need for reading. My Kindle is always the first device I go to for reading. I have a tablet, and that's the backup.

[kobayashi]

I wonder if the color gradient problem was fixed for good.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by kobayashi

I wonder if the color gradient problem was fixed for good.