From: New York Times ~ Do E-Readers Cause Eye Strain?
“Sitting close to a television, or computer screen, isn’t bad for our eyes. It’s a variety of other factors that can cause physical fatigue.”
E Ink has a very low contrast ratio. Although it can offer an excellent reading experience in bright sunlight, the screens can become uncomfortable to use in dark settings because of the lack of contrast and backlighting on the screen.
LCD screens, meanwhile, have long struggled to offer good viewing angles for reading. Apple’s latest IPS LCD screens include extremely wide viewing angles, but the reflective glass on the screen could be a hindrance in brightly lit situations.
So basically there never was any documented evidence or proof about how bad LCD screens are for you and how eInk is sooo much better blah blah blah. It’s just more bogus hype.
I never understood it anyway. eInk is not black letters on a white background and it never was so the whole idea of it being like paper never worked for me. It’s dark gray on a light silver background which to me is no better than newspaper print. Have you ever really looked at the screen contrast at a Target store with all those florescent lights? It’s not all that.
I have been working with laptops 16 hours a day for years now. I continually read huge documents and manuals and instruction guides with lots of diagrams and little fonts on them daily. There is nothing different between that and reading a freaking eBook on a laptop. If it kills you get a bigger screen so you can have bigger fonts no big secret there.
So the iPad has an LCD backlit screen so what?
At least with LCD screen color I can see my pretty eBook covers while reading my eBooks and answer my eMail and enjoy the other applications like maps and the internet without having to switch devices.
Tags: eBook Commentary
LVLM wrote,
My eyes are getting bad. I totally love the backlight feature of my eBookwise. It’s not bright like an LCD (normal computer?). The greenish color of it is easy on the eyes and the ability to change the contrast makes up for any issues of being in sunlight. Frankly, I hardly ever read in sunlight.
I read in bed a lot and I need that light and like that I don’t need to have an external, which I was using to read PB.
I’ve looked a eInk readers and frankly, I have a hard time looking at them. Like I can’t quite see the lettering clearly or it’s a bit fuzzy. Plus, it’s so dull that again, hard to see. And as you say, the glare from lights is awful on them. I think I would go nuts with elnk
I wish I could get a eBookwise in a thinner form and with more readable formats. That would be my ultimate. But LCD is preferable to me than elnk.
Link | February 13th, 2010 at 7:29 am
kirsten saell wrote,
I can’t speak for e-ink screens other than the Sony 505′s, but I have no problem with glare. But the glare issue is why I chose the 505 rather than the newere model–I’d read reviews that complained the touchscreen was too shiny.
I do read in full sun on occasion, and the 505 is great for that–unilke, say, my mom’s cell phone’s LCD display. It’s also good for me in the dark. I have extremely accute night vision once my eyes are accustomed (I often forget to use my highbeams at night), and I can read by a single candle set three feet away during a power outage. But that great night vision means that my eyes are supersensitive to looking directly at light while surrounded by darkness–oncoming headlights hurt, and my laptop screen will get annoying very quickly if there are no external lights on, especially since it only adjusts down to a certain dimness and then stops.
You’re right–e-ink isn’t a high-contrast black on white. It is more like newsprint, but I’ve never had a problem reading the paper, either in sun or in dim light. Some people will prefer it and some won’t.
I’d rather read on my 505 than on anything else I’ve tried thus far–including actual paper. Color doesn’t matter to me–especially when half the ebooks I have don’t have covers in the files (NY, WTF?). Weight, screen size, battery life, font size and readability in various lighting conditions is more important to me than color. And a backlight? I’d rather have none than one I can’t turn off.
Link | February 13th, 2010 at 11:15 am