Kindle PW front light...

[Illyria]

Okay, I've tried another charger and do not have the touchscreen going haywire with it, nor when I plug it into the computer. So that's good. With the other charger the kindle automatically goes crazy, I don't even have to touch it.

However, now that I was able to test it without daylight (with two lamps giving the room a nice soft lighting) I notice that my PW has the same issue as is visible in the OP post by freezer2k: a bright LED along the bottom left. I did not notice it in daylight but now I find it to be rather distracting and am thinking of returning it... Such a shame, at first I thought I was so lucky to get a screen with uniform lighting. I guess I will decide tomorrow. I mean, I did not plan to use the PW much during the day to begin with.

[Katsunami]

My Kindle PW has a tiny bit of bleed (about 7mm long) at the lower left too which leaves a somewhat brighter spot on the screen. It's only visible when I'd use it in a very dark room; a room dark enough to make the Kindle easily look like an LCD-screen even on lower settings. I never do that, so I don't ever see this problem (if you can even call it that), and therefore it doesn't bother me.

You have to remember that the Kindle, or any other front-lit reader, do not have an LCD-screen; they'll never be perfectly even at this point in time. Maybe the KPW2 will be somewhat better on an average basis, but I assume that we'll still be seeing the same complaints, allthough maybe a bit less. It's inherent in the front-lit technology, as bad viewing angles in TN LCD-screens are inherent to them.

If you swap this Kindle for another one, or even for a different front-lit reader, just be aware of the fact that you may just be exchanging one problem for another.

[Illyria]

So is that bleed-through along the left side normal? The posts on page 1 by Josieb1 and Chi Cygni (posts #7 & #12) made me think it's not. I did some research of pictures and youtube videos and about half of the screens had it and the other half did not. But if the great majority does have this bright light at the bottom, I don't see much sense in trying to get a better unit. The normal shadows along the bottom don't bother me at all but my eyes constantly wander to the bright spot on the left. The Kobo and Cybook do not have this issue but as their lighting is much too bright for me, I may sell them soon.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

If you swap this Kindle for another one, or even for a different front-lit reader, just be aware of the fact that you may just be exchanging one problem for another.

That's what I'm afraid of. Since otherwise the lighting is perfect I'm afraid to get an even worse one.

I'm too tired tonight to make a decision and will see how I feel tomorrow. Amazon.de lists the now old PW model as available in a few days again but I'm pretty sure most of these will be the kindles that others bought over the last 30 days and are now returning because of the new one. Many on the German amazon.de forum have already said they have done or will do so. I don't know, I'm not too crazy about getting one of those either. If I do return it, I might wait for the next model as well, but will want to see video comparisons between PW1 and PW2 first. If the lighting of PW2 is brighter than on the current PW, it's not for me either.

[detayls]

Originally Posted by Illyria

Okay, I've tried another charger and do not have the touchscreen going haywire with it, nor when I plug it into the computer. So that's good. With the other charger the kindle automatically goes crazy, I don't even have to touch it.

Please would you mind telling us where you obtained that charger and what brand it is?

Please also tell me that you have stopped using it.

[Illyria]

Originally Posted by detayls

Please would you mind telling us where you obtained that charger and what brand it is?

Please also tell me that you have stopped using it.

Here is the link: http://www.amazon.de/DURAGADGET-Schu...ler+duragadget

I bought a cover for my Kindle 4 and the charger came along with it. It does not say what brand it is. You can see it on the picture. It works without problems with my Kindle Keyboard, Kindle 4, my other three epub readers, and my mp3- player. Do you think it's safe to keep using it with these? Of course I have stopped using it with the PW!

[detayls]

Originally Posted by Illyria

I bought a cover for my Kindle 4 and the charger came along with it. It does not say what brand it is.

Stop using ALL copies of this and all similar chargers. Buy a decent charger from Amazon and get on with your life, while you still have one!

http://www.computerworld.com/s/artic...l_and_discount

Amazon and Apple will sell you safe chargers. These cheap and cheesy ones are literally death traps. Free, for heaven's sake. That means they paid less than a Euro for it. Do you really trust an electrical gadget that costs less than a cup of coffee?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Illyria

So is that bleed-through along the left side normal?

I don't know if it's normal, but every Paperwhite I personally looked at had it to some extent, some worse than others, but none were so bad that I would consider them unusable, except when in a pitch black room and the light set quite bright.

With a normal light setting and at least a bit of ambient light around, they were all fine. (At least, to me.)

My Kindle is one of those with so little bleeding that one step down from that would be considered as having no bleeding at all.

[Illyria]

Originally Posted by detayls

Stop using ALL copies of this and all similar chargers. Buy a decent charger from Amazon and get on with your life, while you still have one!

http://www.computerworld.com/s/artic...l_and_discount

Amazon and Apple will sell you safe chargers. These cheap and cheesy ones are literally death traps. Free, for heaven's sake. That means they paid less than a Euro for it. Do you really trust an electrical gadget that costs less than a cup of coffee?

Yes, you're right. I have been using that charger for all of my ereaders for 10 months without problems (although it does get warm) but looking what it does to my PW it's better to be safe than sorry. Into the trash it goes!

[Chi Cygni]

Well I guess I was lucky because I do remember bright light bleed on pictures and mine really REALLY cannot be called that. And believe me, as a gadget freak I'd gladly find a fault to return mine (I still can) for the new one but there is no reason. I wish I had darker fonts of course but I remember even for K3 they did an OTA upgrade and fonts became crisper. I don't have Amazon in Belgium so for me it is not so easy to return anyway. Where I come from we have a saying that somebody exchanged an axe for a stick. For me it would be too much hassle to return to US, they wouldn't pay me back the import fees deposit and then there is another roulette of "will I get a good one" If it ain't broken don't fix it.

Illyria, at least you saw for yourself if you might like it or not. A bright light bleed drawing my eyes and being in my face while I read would sure drive me crazy. I think you should return it, you're not happy and there's no point in keeping it. And return in Germany won't cost you an arm and a leg.

[soulfuldog]

If you personally are not completely happy with it, and find your eyes drawn to however slight a fault, then you are probably just as well returning it, and accept the cost of doing so. If it was me, I'd return it and instead put in a pre-order for the new Paperwhite.

[Chi Cygni]

This is my screen at maximum setting in the dark and daylight. I really cannot find a reason to return it even if I try. Pictures taken with mobile phone, font is crisp in the dark.

[Katsunami]

Look closely. You have a tiny bit of light bleed on the left. From the lower left corner, up to about 25% of the screen, there's a strip of about 1 to 2mm that is a little bit brighter than the rest of the screen.

Actually, I have a perfectly calibrated and profiled monitor over here. Your monitor may actually not show any of it. If that's the case you probably think I'm teasing again. This time, I'm not however. (I think. Hehe.)

My KWP screen is similar to yours.

I think your screen is about as perfect as you can get on a KPW1.

[freezer2k]

oh my god

Not sure if this was the right decision,
but i returned mine today.

Partly because the PW2 will now be available in a month here in Germany.
I pre-ordered the PW2 now.

I like to be able to read in the dark when there's no other light source. And in this environment it still looked not very nice.

I hope the PW2 marketing is not as much away from the truth
I will wait for a few reviews out of the US, if they are bad i might cancel the preorder.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by freezer2k

I like to be able to read in the dark when there's no other light source. And in this environment it still looked not very nice.

Yak. Good luck; this is the one environment I don't like to use the KPW in. Same goes for tablets. I have to have *some* ambient light, be it daylight or lamps. Reading on a tablet or lit e-reader in a pitch black room just makes the screen look all weird to me, and it actually hurts, no matter how low I set the lighting.

High lighting = strain because of too much light.
Low lighting = strain because of problems with focusing (not enough light).

There actually isn't a way in between for me

[freezer2k]

i agree,
it strains a little bit.

But at low setting it's still way better than looking at a tablet screen in the dark.