4 ms·

Probably the only useful line in the article: > The light emitted by most e-readers is shining directly into the eyes of the reader, whereas from a printed boo

Probably the only useful line in the article: > The light emitted by most e-readers is shining directly into the eyes of the reader, whereas from a printed book or the original Kindle, the reader is only exposed to reflected light from the pages of the book. So it's talking entirely about brightly backlit tablets, not e-readers with e-ink.

hollerith 12y ago
Since 2012, Amazon's high-end Kindles (the 2012 Paperwhite, the 2013 Paperwhite and the 2014 Voyage) shine light directly into the eyes. It looks just like a backlit display although technically the light and the diffusion panel are in front of an opaque (e-ink) display, not in back of a translucent (LC) display. On my Paperwhite, it is impossible to turn this light off -- only to dim it. Also, I dispute the OP's contention that reflected light on s paper book is any better; certainly, a normal bed-side lamp is worse for the sleep of anyone sharing the room with the reader. EDIT. Although like I just said, an iPad probably has less of a deleterious effect on sleep than a Kindle Paperwhite does, it is probably possible to do better in the current market. Specifically, Samsung makes a tablet (the Tab S, which comes in 10.5- and 8.4-inch versions) with an OLED display, which has the advantage over LCD displays that the portions of the screen that are supposed to be black do not emit any light at all. Especially if used with software that displays red or orange text on a black background (to minimize the blue-ish photons) an OLED display is the best choice in the current smartphone-plus-tablet market AFAICT if protection of sleep is the main consideration. EDIT. Oops, I forgot to include my main reason for preferring the iPad to the Paperwhite: on iOS, Settings > Accessibility > Invert Colors reverses black and white. Combined with the fact that many iOS apps like Safari and iBooks normally present a white field broken only by text and thin lines, the use of "Invert colors" probably results in less light entering the eye than a Paperwhite since (unless they changed it since I last updated the software on my Paperwithe a couple of months ago) you cannot alter the Paperwhite's default color scheme of black text on a white background. I will concede that the Paperwhite's brightness setting goes a lot dimmer than the iPad's does, but I consider that consideration to be trumped by what I just wrote, and, again, neither Paperwhite nor iPad comes close IMHO to an OLED display used with decent software.
- superuser2 12y ago
  The Paperwhite's LEDs front-light the display just like a reading lamp front-lights the pages of your book. It may look just like a backlit display, but the distinction is important.
  - hollerith 12y ago
    Well, we'll just have to disagree on whether the distinction is important in the current conversation about effects on sleep. (Kindle paperwhite owner and frequent iPad user here.) What is it about the photons entering the eye that you imagine makes the "frontlit" display of the Paperwhite better than a backlit LCD display?
    - loco5niner 12y ago
      Rather than the source of the light shining directly into your eyes (iPad), in the Kindle paperwhite the light is directed onto the page, where it is diffused. Check out the "light guide" description here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-reading.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/lig...
- Ironballs 12y ago
  The Paperwhite isn't a backlit display. The LEDs in the Paperwhite Kindles do not shine light directly in the eyes: the leds shine from below the screen towards the top end of the screen. As it exits the LEDs, light is reflected inside a light guide from which it exits towards the display from specific holes, much like a leaky fiberoptic cable[1]. The directionality and position of the LEDs, and the existence of the light guide, are precisely the differences which make the Paperwhite unlike a backlit display. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-reading.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/lig...
  - ce4 12y ago
    That's the same with smartphones and tablets. For the sake of simplicity and to keep it as thin as possible, they use edge-LED lighting with a diffusor layer to spread the light evenly.
raverbashing 12y ago
Also, the point is moot. It's a matter of intensity and spectrum, not if it's reflected or not.

hollerith 12y ago

Since 2012, Amazon's high-end Kindles (the 2012 Paperwhite, the 2013 Paperwhite and the 2014 Voyage) shine light directly into the eyes. It looks just like a backlit display although technically the light and the diffusion panel are in front of an opaque (e-ink) display, not in back of a translucent (LC) display. On my Paperwhite, it is impossible to turn this light off -- only to dim it. Also, I dispute the OP's contention that reflected light on s paper book is any better; certainly, a normal bed-side lamp is worse for the sleep of anyone sharing the room with the reader. EDIT. Although like I just said, an iPad probably has less of a deleterious effect on sleep than a Kindle Paperwhite does, it is probably possible to do better in the current market. Specifically, Samsung makes a tablet (the Tab S, which comes in 10.5- and 8.4-inch versions) with an OLED display, which has the advantage over LCD displays that the portions of the screen that are supposed to be black do not emit any light at all. Especially if used with software that displays red or orange text on a black background (to minimize the blue-ish photons) an OLED display is the best choice in the current smartphone-plus-tablet market AFAICT if protection of sleep is the main consideration. EDIT. Oops, I forgot to include my main reason for preferring the iPad to the Paperwhite: on iOS, Settings > Accessibility > Invert Colors reverses black and white. Combined with the fact that many iOS apps like Safari and iBooks normally present a white field broken only by text and thin lines, the use of "Invert colors" probably results in less light entering the eye than a Paperwhite since (unless they changed it since I last updated the software on my Paperwithe a couple of months ago) you cannot alter the Paperwhite's default color scheme of black text on a white background. I will concede that the Paperwhite's brightness setting goes a lot dimmer than the iPad's does, but I consider that consideration to be trumped by what I just wrote, and, again, neither Paperwhite nor iPad comes close IMHO to an OLED display used with decent software.

superuser2 12y ago
The Paperwhite's LEDs front-light the display just like a reading lamp front-lights the pages of your book. It may look just like a backlit display, but the distinction is important.
- hollerith 12y ago
  Well, we'll just have to disagree on whether the distinction is important in the current conversation about effects on sleep. (Kindle paperwhite owner and frequent iPad user here.) What is it about the photons entering the eye that you imagine makes the "frontlit" display of the Paperwhite better than a backlit LCD display?
  - loco5niner 12y ago
    Rather than the source of the light shining directly into your eyes (iPad), in the Kindle paperwhite the light is directed onto the page, where it is diffused. Check out the "light guide" description here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-reading.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/lig...
Ironballs 12y ago
The Paperwhite isn't a backlit display. The LEDs in the Paperwhite Kindles do not shine light directly in the eyes: the leds shine from below the screen towards the top end of the screen. As it exits the LEDs, light is reflected inside a light guide from which it exits towards the display from specific holes, much like a leaky fiberoptic cable[1]. The directionality and position of the LEDs, and the existence of the light guide, are precisely the differences which make the Paperwhite unlike a backlit display. [1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/light-reading.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/lig...
- ce4 12y ago
  That's the same with smartphones and tablets. For the sake of simplicity and to keep it as thin as possible, they use edge-LED lighting with a diffusor layer to spread the light evenly.

raverbashing 12y ago

Also, the point is moot. It's a matter of intensity and spectrum, not if it's reflected or not.