Sunday, September 9, 2012

New Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader With 25% Better Contrast, Built-in Light


I just saw Amazon's new Kindle e-reader series announcement.   I recently bought a Kindle Touch which is great, but one of its limitations is the low contrast screen. Unlike an LCD computer, TV, or tablet display, the e-ink screen does not have a back light.  It is designed to be read using an external light source like a paper book, and even though the e-ink technology has improved since the Kindle was first released, the "paper" on this model still appeared gray rather than white.   Having adequate lighting near its reflective surface is an absolute necessity.

Now Amazon has renamed and improved the Touch.  It's now the Kindle Paperwhite. The new e-reader offers 62% more pixels, 25% more contrast, and a touch screen that is covered with a patented built-in light made from a flattened fiber optic cable (not back-lit, but lit from above.)  Even with the light, it has an 8-week battery life. 

From Amazon.com:

Designed for Reading


Unlike a backlit tablet display, Kindle Paperwhite guides light towards the surface of the e-ink display from above so that the light never shines directly towards your eyes, allowing you to read comfortably without eye strain.

Perfectly Balanced Whiteness


We worked on Kindle Paperwhite for over two years to perfect the uniformity of the built-in light, flattening out a fiber optic cable into a sheet, and nanoimprinting to ensure perfectly even distribution of light. Our design uses nanoscale optical diffractive patterns to enable tight control over the direction of the light. Enjoy reading with exceptional lighting uniformity and evenly balanced whiteness across the entire display.

Adjustable Brightness


Your eyes adapt to the amount of light around you, so you'll prefer dimmer light when reading in a dark setting and brighter light when reading in well-lit surroundings. You can adjust the brightness of Kindle Paperwhite across a wide spectrum - from low light to full brightness - so you can read comfortably in any setting.

Power Efficient


Because our patented technology enables fine-grain control over where the light is diffused, Kindle Paperwhite uses low-power LEDs, requiring very little power to evenly illuminate the entire screen.



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