What is the best color ereader tat is not crazy expensive?

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But not all light is bad.

Correct: E.g. light reflected from non-reflecting objects - EInk lighting

[Quoth]

Eink screens are reflective or a "front light" wouldn't work.

The outer surface of ANY display screen technology can be reflective or matte (glass, sapphire or plastic). A high resolution matte surface is more expensive.

An eink is only superior to a matte outer surface LED or OLED (that's adjusted properly) if the reflectance of the "white" is good enough for reading in ambient light. That only applies to colour eink in sunlight. Also, physics, all colour filters to make mono LCD or eink be in colour reduce the contrast ratio, because with same brightness of white the black will not be quite so dark.

Personally I'd only briefly use any screen in direct sunlight, a thing I avoid.

An eink front light doesn't at all be the same as ambient light. It's good when there isn't enough ambient light, so even with my mono eink I have enough ambient light to read any old paperback book which is plenty for mono ink with front light off. Physics says a perfect filter for colour on eink would reduce brightness to about 1/6th (R, G or B is 1/3rd, but light passes twice unlike LCD), but real primary colour filters are much worse. That's why Kaliedo 3 uses poor pastel shades, so the approximately 4000 shades (only 14 true grey, near white and black) are brighter but much more washed out than Triton, a filter for mono eink like an LCD filter, which as a result is very dark indeed.

[cellaris]

I find your physics lesson very enlightening, but I am still unable to enjoy reading on a tablet. On the other hand, I have no problem using light on my e-readers (with or without colour). Sorry, it must be because of my special chemistry or a psychological issue. So I will never read on a tablet (or a smartphone). But if I enjoyed reading on these devices, I wouldn't buy an e-reader because it wouldn't bring me anything special.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Also, physics, all colour filters to make mono LCD or eink be in colour reduce the contrast ratio, because with same brightness of white the black will not be quite so dark.

So far so good - I have a device where I can't remove the filter (Boox Tab Mini) and another device without a filter (Tolino Epos 3) - so the comparison isn't entirely accurate.
But both have Carta 1200 as a screen basis.
What is interesting is that if I set both to the same background brightness (measured), then the black of the Boox is darker than that of the Tolino (measured) - although the edges are a little less sharp.

The main difference between the two lies in the different controls

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by cellaris

but I am still unable to enjoy reading on a tablet. On the other hand, I have no problem using light on my e-readers (with or without colour). Sorry, it must be because of my special chemistry or a psychological issue.

This can, but does not have to be the case - in any case there are physically different light conditions.

[Quoth]

What are you using to measure? A suitable lab instrument?
What you say isn't physically or mathematically possible.

You can ONLY get more contrast with a top (daylight filter) and increased internal display brightness (eink front light, lcd back light, CRT, plasma, OLED etc) and when there is daylight. Such a filter slightly reduces contrast in the dark and can reduce sharpness.

You can't remove the colour filter on eink or lcd non-destructively.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Quoth

What are you using to measure? A suitable lab instrument?

I measured with the Erichson Tint Tester 527.

What you say isn't physically or mathematically possible.

There are other possibilities, because I could not test on the same device -
as you write:

You can't remove the colour filter on eink or lcd non-destructively.

I only had one device with the same basic screen (Carta 1200) available, but it was controlled completely differently.

[cellaris]

To me, these theoretical controversies add very little.

To give a practical view, this is what it looks like when you're under an umbrella on the beach and the sun is shining on the Tab Mini C (with the e-reader's lighting off, obviously). And when I'm at home I turn on the Tab Mini C's illumination, as I do with any other e-reader (and at similar levels), and it looks great.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that the Tab Mini C is a good device (in my opinion it's very good), but I find it curious that someone who doesn't have this device should explain to me how it looks or doesn't look.

[Sweetpea]

I'm looking at the Inkpad Color 2 from Pocketbook, it uses the Kaleido Plus color screen instead of the 3, but it's also a lot cheaper... (the Onyx is 500 euro, the Color 2 320 euro...) The Onyx has more features, but I'm not sure I'd use those (I mostly want an ereader, not an Android tablet, I have one of those already).

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Sandra2000

There are a few good options under $400 like the new Nook you mentioned.

I couldn't find anything about that

Some other ones to check out are the Likebook series

They do not exist anymore

or the PocketBook Color.

Outdated Technology

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm looking at the Inkpad Color 2 from Pocketbook, it uses the Kaleido Plus color screen instead of the 3,

100 vs 150 dpi - clearly visible, the base sw screen is Carta vs Carta 1200

but it's also a lot cheaper... (the Onyx is 500 euro, the Color 2 320 euro...)

The price difference is not in the screen but in the Super Refresh Technology and the additional, much more powerful hardware

The Onyx has more features, but I'm not sure I'd use those

Of course everyone has to decide for themselves.

I have decided for myself not to bother with inferior, outdated hardware.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ottischwenk

Correct: E.g. light reflected from non-reflecting objects - EInk lighting

I can easily turn up the light on my Libra 2 to be too bright. I can turn up an iPad to also be too bright. But, I can turn the lighting down on both to not be to bright.

My Libra 2 can be a bother if the light is too bright. It can be worse then a properly adjusted iPad.

So please don't say that the eInk front light is always better then an iPad because it's not always better. It just depends on the settings and the light source outside of the devices.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by cellaris

To me, these theoretical controversies add very little.

To give a practical view, this is what it looks like when you're under an umbrella on the beach and the sun is shining on the Tab Mini C (with the e-reader's lighting off, obviously). And when I'm at home I turn on the Tab Mini C's illumination, as I do with any other e-reader (and at similar levels), and it looks great.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that the Tab Mini C is a good device (in my opinion it's very good), but I find it curious that someone who doesn't have this device should explain to me how it looks or doesn't look.

But according to the OP, it's too expensive and it really is.

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But according to the OP, it's too expensive and it really is.

A Question

Anny recommendations ?? are there any good ones under $400.

I don't see it as an absolute upper limit.
BTW: I don't know any EInk color devices under $400 that I would call GOOD.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HLS

I am thinking of getting myself a color ereader for my birthday. Anny recommendations ?? are there any good ones under $400. Thanks. I may just forget it and get the new nook coming out.

Color eInk is expensive for the current versions of color eInk and nook is meh!