The perfect ereader

[Apache]

Personally I like reading in the dark. It allows me to read without disturbing my wife.
Apache

[JSWolf]

I do read in the dark and sometimes in low light. So the front light is very useful to have. I've had a light for my Reader since Sony came out with a light case.

[Sirtel]

I never read in the dark or even in very low light, but I have to agree with HarryT. The screens of my Voyage and Oasis look a lot better with the frontlight on (usually at the level 8-9) than the screens of my basic Kindles which have no frontlight.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The buttons aren't really buttons but rather short levers that rotate when you press down on them. That is unlike typical paging buttons that move up and down along a vertical axis. It is what allowed such thin buttons to have a measurable travel.

And I looked it up it: it was the K3.

Here's a pic:

https://marco.org/media/2011/10/79-k...comparison.jpg

The k3 buttons are my favorites. I know some didn't like them because of accidental presses, but they were perfect for me, just the right amount of stiffness, clickiness, and feedback.

I don't like the buttons on the k4 onward, and I can't see/feel where the haptic buttons on the Voyage are.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A frontlight dramatically improves screen contrast in pretty much any lighting conditions short of direct sunlight. It's not only for reading in the dark.

Agreed! I also don't read in the dark. At present all my ereaders have front lights but when they didn't I had to be concerned about sitting where the light was very good. With my Voyage or the others I can sit where I like. I don't need a lamp over my shoulder. I can sit in a corner that's bright enough to read in (as is all of my living room) and instead of being able to manage reading in that light it's very nearly perfect. I can go sit under the lamp and the lighting stays the same. I can go outside and it's perfect. I can read as I walk toward the bedroom, passing areas that are somewhat dim, and just keep reading.

And, as you say, there's a huge difference in contrast. My former unlit Kindles and my Kobo Mini were okay for reading but far from perfect. Their contrast wasn't as good as paper with text. The contrast on the Voyage is as good or better than with any paper book, always, regardless of lighting conditions.

I don't really think reading in the dark was one of the design points of front-lit ereaders. I'm sure it gets some consideration but I suspect it's a pretty minor issue. It's about a better reading experience.

Barry

[Salgueiros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A frontlight dramatically improves screen contrast in pretty much any lighting conditions short of direct sunlight. It's not only for reading in the dark.

not for me. The frontlight makes me feel like i am reading on a computer screen. The sharpness decreases due to the added layer. When i read on my sony, i almost feel i am reading a paper book, but on a kobo with lights on that feeling disappears.

Plus the light is not evenly distributed. But even if it was, i think the light of my cover is better.

[barryem]

I'm not completely sure I'm right about this but I'm sure enough that I'd bet on the outcome if there was a way to prove it. Anyway, I suspect that a 300 dpi e-ink screen with a front light gives sharper text than most paper books.

Paper is a very uneven surface and as the ink soaks in it conforms to the shapes on the surface. I've been an amateur artist most of my life and that's something all artists consider when selecting paper. Very slick paper generally, not always, has fewer variations on the surface. Course paper has more and it's preferred by a lot of artists using brush, pencil and charcoal. The paper in a book is sometimes slick but that's the exception. Often it's fairly rough. I would say fairly rough was the norm.

So I would guess that my Voyage has much sharper text than most paper books.

Barry

[grumbles]

My perfect (sort of) would be a Sony T3 with the PRS650 software.

I have never seen a front lit screen that looked good to me. I would rather drop the e-ink display and have an amoled display. Much as I like the long battery life inherent with e-ink devices, I find a front lit e-ink display to be a poor compromise for low light situations.

[barryem]

I generally read in a normally lighted room or in a well lighted situation. The front light isn't about replacing room light to me. It's about increasing the contrast. It does that beautifully.

The only times I read in low light situations are when walking from room to room. The front light works fine for that but I'm always glad to get into better light. I often read as I walk to the other room to do something.

I also read sometimes at night sitting on the front porch with the light out so as to not attract mosquitoes. Then I'm reading in very low light, often pretty dark. I'm okay with doing that. It's nice to be outside and reading but I'd prefer to have better light.

I suspect that when the Kindle (and other) designers were designing the low light it didn't have much to do with reading in the dark. I would guess it surprised them that people thought that and tried it. I am just guessing but it seems to me that everything about the light was to increase contrast. Not to compete with floor lamps.

Barry

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by grumbles

My perfect (sort of) would be a Sony T3 with the PRS650 software.

I have never seen a front lit screen that looked good to me. I would rather drop the e-ink display and have an amoled display. Much as I like the long battery life inherent with e-ink devices, I find a front lit e-ink display to be a poor compromise for low light situations.

if you were to see a Kobo Aura H2O screen, I do think you would really like it. I have a 650 and a T1 and the H2O screen is just that much nicer. The front light works very well and is nice and even. Even with the light off, the screen(of the H2O) is nicer than those used on a Sony Reader. If you've seen a PW3 screen/font light, the H2O is better.

[grumbles]

I have seen the H2O. I have an Indigo store just up the street from me. I remain unimpressed. The fact that it's Kobo makes me even more unimpressed.

There isn't a current e-ink reader that I would buy. I expect that my next reader will be a tablet with an amoled screen. Not ideal but probably the best that I can do. I would miss the low power consumption of e-ink but amoled is much more efficient than LCD with far better contrast. And I will get a colour display as a bonus.

But nobody is going to make a tablet the size of the T3 so I will continue to use my T3 until is finally fails. I see nothing currently available that interests me.

[spindlegirl]

My perfect e-reader is the Kindle 7th gen that I have. I love it a lot.
When I am next needing/wanting/able to buy a kindle I may go for the paperwhite. I hesitated to buy it when it first came out because I wanted to see how other people fared with it.

It (the PW models) now seems to have improved, and has me wishing I had bought the paperwhite instead, when I bought the Kindle 7th gen. But for daytime reading and on the go, it's perfect. At night I use my phone or tablet, so it's all good.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by Barty

The k3 buttons are my favorites. I know some didn't like them because of accidental presses, but they were perfect for me, just the right amount of stiffness, clickiness, and feedback.

I don't like the buttons on the k4 onward, and I can't see/feel where the haptic buttons on the Voyage are.

Agree completely.

[frquixote]

Originally Posted by grumbles

My perfect (sort of) would be a Sony T3 with the PRS650 software.

Here, here!

[Greg Anos]

My trusty old Hanlin (BeBook/Asztak) 6" with a modern screen. . .

It has buttons, sd chip reader, and user replaceable battery.