New PocketBook 7.8" Color E-Ink Reader

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by kandwo

For instance, some claim that programs that filter blue light (f.lux, redshift, etc.) help with eye strain and sleep issues, while others are adamant it makes no difference whatever. Same thing with frontlight vs backlight. But even assuming that the light is equal in effect at the same amount, your experiment here shows that at perceived levels of equal light the quantity of light emitted from a frontlight would be smaller.

Oddly, one conclusion from many of those tests is that the effects vary wildly. One person can look at a display with 80Hz PWM while another gets eye strain and headaches from 400Hz PWM. The other conclusion from several studies is that if you tell someone they are looking at a PWM display, ~30% will complain about headaches and eyestrain even if the display is not PWM or uses PWM at 1000Hz or higher.

My personal experience is that I find a frontlit eInk display allows me to read for hours while a backlit LCD or intrinsically lit AMOLED display causes my eyes to start feeling itchy after an hour of reading. Is the effect real? To my eyes, yes and they're the only eyes I use.

[psbernitz]

hi something I also wanted to know is if the background has a white or grey color and how contrast performs to normal eink when reading books?

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

A light pointed in your eyes is the same as a light from behind you pointed at a mirror at half the distance as the original source.

But the EInk surface is not a mirror - and that's the big difference.

Photons either enter your eyes or they don't.

But some frequencies / speeds are more harmful than others.

In addition: if you look at a tablet in ambient light, then you see a reflection of yourself, if you look at an EInk screen, you see the text.
I prefer the latter - that's why I use my Boox Note Air as a tablet / computer in a bright environment.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by psbernitz

hi something I also wanted to know is if the background has a white or grey color and how contrast performs to normal eink when reading books?

Stronger incident light is reflected more strongly on a light background than on a dark one.
This means that the contrast increases.

[kyôdai]

There is a video-review / advertisement of the new Inkpad Color from GoodEreader on Youtube.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Which makes no actual difference at all, but both sides of this conversation have been hashed out to death.
A light pointed in your eyes is the same as a light from behind you pointed at a mirror at half the distance as the original source.
Photons either enter your eyes or they don't.

Which is why everyone reads books on LCD, and no one buys e-ink devices.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by kyôdai

There is a video-review / advertisement of the new Inkpad Color from GoodEreader on Youtube.

Yeah, looks nice. I'll wait awhile, but I expect to go color in the future. Practical for comics, and just nice to have for other stuff. I like the light colors too.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Which is why everyone reads books on LCD, and no one buys e-ink devices.

Even though I read books on e-ink in part because that is significantly "easier on my eyes", I have yet to see a plausible explanation of "direct" light being more harmful than reflected light, especially since reflection involves photons being absorbed, then emitted.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DNSB

My personal experience is that I find a frontlit eInk display allows me to read for hours while a backlit LCD or intrinsically lit AMOLED display causes my eyes to start feeling itchy after an hour of reading. Is the effect real? To my eyes, yes and they're the only eyes I use.

Real to my eyes also. And the suggestion to turn the LCD way down, only results in a screen without enough contrast — so I strain to try read a font that is too light. I fully realize that others don't have these issues with LCD but it appears that many do. And these are real issues, not ones made up for some inexplicable reason.

[Quoth]

Maybe the LCD or OLED screens are too shiny, so far toothpaste hasn't interfered with touch and gradually takes the shine off. Don't use a gel (no abrasive) or Pearl Drops or tooth powder (too abrasive). Reflections and the unconscious refocusing on them is a real and serious source of eyestrain.

Many more laptops are shiny screen than 20 years ago because it's cheaper and looks good in a showroom.

But I much prefer eink. Big advantage is battery life.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Even though I read books on e-ink in part because that is significantly "easier on my eyes", I have yet to see a plausible explanation of "direct" light being more harmful than reflected light, especially since reflection involves photons being absorbed, then emitted.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that seeing EInk corresponds to natural vision (through reflection) - as one sees everything normally - while seeing LCD has the effect of a church window.
EInk viewing works without extra lighting, LCD viewing does not.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Which is why everyone reads books on LCD, and no one buys e-ink devices.

I doubt it. I think it is just because they can. They hear about ebooks, they have a tablet or a larger phone, they read. It works for them and they keep using the tablet. Others will look at the costs of the dedicated ereader and a general purpose tablet and decide to buy one device that does everything. This delayed me buying an ereader for a while. Luckily someone I worked with bought a cheap tablet and that demonstrated that, for me at least, the ereader was worth it. To get a tablet that satisfied me, I would have had to spend a lot more money.

My assumption has been that when e-ink ereaders came out, they were better/easier on the eyes than an LCD tablet. But, LCD screens have come a long way since then. I would expect that current LCD screens, at least on mid- to high-end tablets, to not suffer from the same problems as the older screens. Whether there are other issues that give other reasons for not using them, I do not know.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by davidfor

My assumption has been that when e-ink ereaders came out, they were better/easier on the eyes than an LCD tablet. But, LCD screens have come a long way since then. I would expect that current LCD screens, at least on mid- to high-end tablets, to not suffer from the same problems as the older screens. Whether there are other issues that give other reasons for not using them, I do not know.

In any case, I use LCD almost only to watch TV / video - for other things (e.g. workstation monitor, notebook - Boox Note Air + BT keyboard) I have decided to use EInk.
This tires my eyes a lot less than the LCD screens used to do.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by b0rsuk

I noticed a few more technical differences:
- Linux kernel upgrade from 3.0.35 to 3.10.65

Wow, that is a Kernel from 2015. Why don't they use a more recent one?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that seeing EInk corresponds to natural vision (through reflection) - as one sees everything normally - while seeing LCD has the effect of a church window.
EInk viewing works without extra lighting, LCD viewing does not.

It is all speculation until it is resolved scientifically.

Most of the speculation I have seen on this matter has been nonsense.