Kindle DX vs Kindle DX Graphite - My Observations

ivanz · 07-14-2010, 08:29 AM

I received my Kindle DX Graphite on Monday and thought it might be useful for others to know how it compares to the Kindle DX (which I also own).

The Kindle DX was my very first ebook Reader and I was very excited to hold it in my hands. However after a few days I started to get disappointed. After a while I simply had to admit to myself that reading on the Kindle DX is great only in perfect lighting conditions - a sunny day when outdoors or a very bright room when indoors. In other conditions the screen is simply too dark, the text contrast is poor and the worse part is that the white body/frame accentuates that.

The Kindle DX Graphite solves all of those problems for me. The screen is only slightly whiter, but the text contrast is much much better - the letters are solid black, bolder and stand out. The black frame unlike the white frame doesn't emphasize the darkness of the screen - quite the opposite - it definitely enhances the overall experience. Reading in mediocre lighting conditions is now enjoyable. One thing I am worried about though is how will the black body deal with sunlight in the heat, but it is something I will find out in 10 days when reading at the swimming pool.

Hope this info is useful to others.

advocate2 · 07-14-2010, 10:12 AM

I have owned the Sony 505, 600, 900 and the original Kindle DX. I just received the DXG yesterday. Although I prefer the touch screens of the Sonys for navigation and looking up words (as well as the ability to read library ebooks), the reading experience on the DXG is the best I have yet enjoyed.

Latinandgreek · 07-14-2010, 01:28 PM

Thanks for sharing your observations, Ivan. I've been looking into getting a large-screen e-book reader for a while now, and I just might bite the bullet and go for the Kindle DX Graphite.

avlad · 07-14-2010, 03:18 PM

Thanks for your observations.
Since I have the white DX I wasn't satisfied by the read experience in a low light ambient.

Osiyo · 07-14-2010, 05:58 PM

I dunno if the bigger screen has made me notice it more or what, but with my new DXG I am noticing a lot more "ghosting" than I did on the K2. For example, on the home screen, more often than not I can see that the long black bar that you move up and down to select books leaves behind a light whitish "shadow" after you move onto another book. Is this normal?

ivanz · 07-14-2010, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osiyo

I dunno if the bigger screen has made me notice it more or what, but with my new DXG I am noticing a lot more "ghosting" than I did on the K2. For example, on the home screen, more often than not I can see that the long black bar that you move up and down to select books leaves behind a light whitish "shadow" after you move onto another book. Is this normal?

I think it's normal. I've seen it and it doesn't bother me at all. I also think the flashes when turning pages are exactly so that the screen is fully refreshed and possibly to avoid those ghost stuff.

Osiyo · 07-14-2010, 06:18 PM

Yeah it doesn't bother me that much, but I am noticing more than I did on the smaller Kindle, so I figured I would ask. I even saw a bit of ghosting on one of the screensaver images once, which I've never seen before. Needless to say, as soon as the screen is refreshed the ghosting goes away obviously, so it's not a huge deal.

EDIT: Okay I pretty much notice it every time I leave the kindle on the menu screen for more than a couple minutes. As soon as I start moving the black bar, it leaves behind a white ghost bar. Pretty noticeable against the off-white screen. Can anyone confirm this happens to their Kindle too? It seems pretty consistent.

Osiyo · 07-14-2010, 09:05 PM

I took some (bad quality) webcam shots of the issue...it's low res but you can still make out the white lines/shadows/imprints from the black selector bar:

I assume no one else is experiencing this because I haven't been able to track down any mention of this anywhere on the net. Figures I am the one who gets stuck with the first "defective" Kindle DXG!

Skydog · 07-14-2010, 09:47 PM

Your Kindle is not defective - the ghosting is more noticeable on the DXG than the previous generation. My guess is that it is related to the new technology of the Pearl e-ink and the significant improvement in the contrast.

It doesn't bother me in the least - just press Alt+G to refresh your display.

Osiyo · 07-14-2010, 09:50 PM

Haha...well if it's not just me, then I guess I'm okay with it. I was just worried I was the only one experiencing this. Thanks for the reply...anyone else notice this?

pendragginp · 07-14-2010, 11:15 PM

For those of us who can't (or don't choose to) get the new Graphite just now, the darker font hack for the KDX does make the print much darker and clearer.

I got mine here: https://sites.google.com/a/etccreati...kindlev23fonts

pboss · 07-15-2010, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog

Your Kindle is not defective - the ghosting is more noticeable on the DXG than the previous generation. My guess is that it is related to the new technology of the Pearl e-ink and the significant improvement in the contrast.

It doesn't bother me in the least - just press Alt+G to refresh your display.

A good trade-off in my book. Still curious, anyone with the same problem?

avlad · 07-15-2010, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pendragginp

For those of us who can't (or don't choose to) get the new Graphite just now, the darker font hack for the KDX does make the print much darker and clearer.

I got mine here: https://sites.google.com/a/etccreati...kindlev23fonts

I have tried to install the darker font hack but I was unsuccessful. I have 2.5 version. Do you have a link with instructions?

pendragginp · 07-16-2010, 08:34 PM

Mine is still 2.3 and that link worked for me....hmm.

pendragginp · 07-17-2010, 07:15 AM

This link gives instructions on how to install a font hack for the DX.

https://sites.google.com/a/etccreati...works/dx-fonts

It also includes several fonts, but I didn't see a dark or bold font listed, unless I missed it.

ETA: Link to this discussion on the Kindleboards - I meant to include that, duh.

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php?topic=11043.0

07-14-2010, 08:29 AM	#1
ivanz Member Posts: 11 Karma: 15 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Amazon Kindle DX Graphite	Kindle DX vs Kindle DX Graphite - My Observations I received my Kindle DX Graphite on Monday and thought it might be useful for others to know how it compares to the Kindle DX (which I also own). The Kindle DX was my very first ebook Reader and I was very excited to hold it in my hands. However after a few days I started to get disappointed. After a while I simply had to admit to myself that reading on the Kindle DX is great only in perfect lighting conditions - a sunny day when outdoors or a very bright room when indoors. In other conditions the screen is simply too dark, the text contrast is poor and the worse part is that the white body/frame accentuates that. The Kindle DX Graphite solves all of those problems for me. The screen is only slightly whiter, but the text contrast is much much better - the letters are solid black, bolder and stand out. The black frame unlike the white frame doesn't emphasize the darkness of the screen - quite the opposite - it definitely enhances the overall experience. Reading in mediocre lighting conditions is now enjoyable. One thing I am worried about though is how will the black body deal with sunlight in the heat, but it is something I will find out in 10 days when reading at the swimming pool. Hope this info is useful to others. Last edited by ivanz; 07-14-2010 at 03:21 PM.

07-14-2010, 06:18 PM	#7
Osiyo Member Posts: 17 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle DX Graphite	Yeah it doesn't bother me that much, but I am noticing more than I did on the smaller Kindle, so I figured I would ask. I even saw a bit of ghosting on one of the screensaver images once, which I've never seen before. Needless to say, as soon as the screen is refreshed the ghosting goes away obviously, so it's not a huge deal. EDIT: Okay I pretty much notice it every time I leave the kindle on the menu screen for more than a couple minutes. As soon as I start moving the black bar, it leaves behind a white ghost bar. Pretty noticeable against the off-white screen. Can anyone confirm this happens to their Kindle too? It seems pretty consistent. Last edited by Osiyo; 07-14-2010 at 06:36 PM.

07-17-2010, 07:15 AM	#15
pendragginp Guru Posts: 985 Karma: 4567263 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The End Of The Earth Device: Several	This link gives instructions on how to install a font hack for the DX. https://sites.google.com/a/etccreati...works/dx-fonts It also includes several fonts, but I didn't see a dark or bold font listed, unless I missed it. ETA: Link to this discussion on the Kindleboards - I meant to include that, duh. http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php?topic=11043.0 Last edited by pendragginp; 07-17-2010 at 07:21 AM.

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07-14-2010, 10:12 AM	#2
advocate2 My Kingdom for Karma Posts: 430 Karma: 7125 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Las Vegas Device: Sony 350, 650, 950, Nook Color	I have owned the Sony 505, 600, 900 and the original Kindle DX. I just received the DXG yesterday. Although I prefer the touch screens of the Sonys for navigation and looking up words (as well as the ability to read library ebooks), the reading experience on the DXG is the best I have yet enjoyed.

07-14-2010, 01:28 PM	#3
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	Thanks for sharing your observations, Ivan. I've been looking into getting a large-screen e-book reader for a while now, and I just might bite the bullet and go for the Kindle DX Graphite.

07-14-2010, 03:18 PM	#4
avlad Member Posts: 24 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Device: PRS-505, DX, DXG	Thanks for your observations. Since I have the white DX I wasn't satisfied by the read experience in a low light ambient.

07-14-2010, 05:58 PM	#5
Osiyo Member Posts: 17 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle DX Graphite	I dunno if the bigger screen has made me notice it more or what, but with my new DXG I am noticing a lot more "ghosting" than I did on the K2. For example, on the home screen, more often than not I can see that the long black bar that you move up and down to select books leaves behind a light whitish "shadow" after you move onto another book. Is this normal?

07-14-2010, 09:05 PM	#8
Osiyo Member Posts: 17 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle DX Graphite	I took some (bad quality) webcam shots of the issue...it's low res but you can still make out the white lines/shadows/imprints from the black selector bar: I assume no one else is experiencing this because I haven't been able to track down any mention of this anywhere on the net. Figures I am the one who gets stuck with the first "defective" Kindle DXG!

07-14-2010, 09:47 PM	#9
Skydog Wizard Posts: 2,286 Karma: 7409537 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Circling Earth @ Mach .83 Device: Elipsa 2E, Sage, Libra Colour, Libra 2, Clara 2E, Oasis3, Voyage	Your Kindle is not defective - the ghosting is more noticeable on the DXG than the previous generation. My guess is that it is related to the new technology of the Pearl e-ink and the significant improvement in the contrast. It doesn't bother me in the least - just press Alt+G to refresh your display.

07-14-2010, 09:50 PM	#10
Osiyo Member Posts: 17 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle DX Graphite	Haha...well if it's not just me, then I guess I'm okay with it. I was just worried I was the only one experiencing this. Thanks for the reply...anyone else notice this?

07-14-2010, 11:15 PM	#11
pendragginp Guru Posts: 985 Karma: 4567263 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The End Of The Earth Device: Several	For those of us who can't (or don't choose to) get the new Graphite just now, the darker font hack for the KDX does make the print much darker and clearer. I got mine here: https://sites.google.com/a/etccreati...kindlev23fonts

07-16-2010, 08:34 PM	#14
pendragginp Guru Posts: 985 Karma: 4567263 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The End Of The Earth Device: Several	Mine is still 2.3 and that link worked for me....hmm.

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