The evolution of e-ink through the eyes of Jeff Atwood
Now all advertising is received by smartphones and tablets, and they deserve it. But if you put the first massively released device on eInk from 2007, the Amazon Kindle , next to the modern model, the evolution of devices on eInk is amazing.
Both devices have a screen diagonal of 6 inches. Everything else is completely different.
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Compared to smartphones, devices are primitive, but this is part of their charm. It's like a scooter compared to a motorcycle. Not so versatile, but as a simple transport it is radically simpler, cheaper and more reliable. This is an example of how you can drop the excess and leave only the essence.
Paradoxically, eInk devices are also pleasant because they are bad for everything except reading. At first it doesn’t look like an object of lust, but then you notice how you read all the time on Twitter, Facebook, Tinder, Snapchat or else where you’re reading. And eInk devices allow you to escape from the world and immerse yourself in reading entirely.
I myself think that electronic devices are cooler than paper books . Of course, we can read on any device that is now with us, and which can show words and paragraphs. And the appearance of “retina” screens made reading more enjoyable on tablets and smartphones.
But the idea of ​​very cheap and common eInk devices replacing the very cheap and common paper books that I absorbed as a child attracted me a lot. I can not refuse it. Reading is the basis of everything .
That's why I will buy, without looking, every new Kindle device on eInk. I had the sense not to buy the first one (you just look at it), but since the third generation from 2010 I have all the models.
I also tracked the cost of the devices to see when they dropped to $ 49 or less. While there is no such thing - the simplest reader , which, compared to the first device from 2007, still looks cool, is now selling for $ 59.
But back to the flagship device, the Kindle Voyage . It is trying to be not cheap, but cool. First, this is the first device with a resolution of 300 PPI (also known as “retina”) from Amazon. If you know how the iPhone 4 changed the world of smartphones, you should already line up.
When you see 300 PPI in eInk, you actually think that you are looking at high-quality printing, and not at a matrix of RGB pixels. Yes, she is still black and white, but awesome. Here are some screenshots from my device.
Due to some vagueness inherent in eInk, the image resolution seems even higher.
Finally, the resolution allows me to choose a thin, not thick, font, namely Caecilia .
The highlight was on the Paperwhite device, and it delivered a lot of toothache. But the third time is magical, and they have achieved a good backlight, which improves the overall contrast and allows you to read at night. Voyage also received a light sensor, so that it automatically adjusts the backlight, whether you are outside on a clear day or in a dark room. It's like auto-tuning the brightness of the headlights - one setting less for manual adjustment.
Also, Voyage returned the page turning buttons, more precisely the touch areas on the case. I admit, it took me a long time to adapt to them, and I already thought that it would not work out - but now I am their follower. The ability to turn the page, almost without moving a finger - just lightly pressing, to which the device responds with a light tactile vibration, adds pleasure to reading. But this had to learn and get used to.
In my experience, eInk devices are more fragile than average tablets and smartphones. Therefore, you will need a case to automatically turn on and off and protect the type of "throw the book into the bag." But unfortunately, the original case is terrible. Do not buy it.
Previous original covers were expensive, but well made. The cover for Voyage is expensive and disgusting. Strangely folded, dangling, destroying the idea of ​​how the book should open. I recommend a simple case for $ 14.99 , which works with automatic shutdown and opens in a normal way.
Well, not all the device has really roses and songs, of course. Problems with formatting the text have not gone away - but I would like to expect more from a huge company that deals with books. And which has a huge budget and a lot of smart people on the salary.
If you have already used devices on eInk, or are waiting for the best device for this, then you can easily recommend Kindle Voyage to you . While this is the best device. I would recommend, I would buy again, and probably buy all the future models on eInk, because I am addicted to them. Addicted to reading. Reading is the basis of everything.
Both devices have a screen diagonal of 6 inches. Everything else is completely different.
| 8 "x 5.3" x 0.8 " 290 gr | 6.4 "x 4.5" x 0.3 " 179 gr |
| 6 "eInk display 167 PPI 4 level greyscale | 6 "eInk display 300 PPI 16 level grayscale backlight |
| 256 MB | 4 GB |
| 400 Mhz CPU | 1 GHz CPU |
| $ 399 | $ 199 |
| battery for 7 days USB | battery for 6 weeks WiFi Cellular |
')
Compared to smartphones, devices are primitive, but this is part of their charm. It's like a scooter compared to a motorcycle. Not so versatile, but as a simple transport it is radically simpler, cheaper and more reliable. This is an example of how you can drop the excess and leave only the essence.
Paradoxically, eInk devices are also pleasant because they are bad for everything except reading. At first it doesn’t look like an object of lust, but then you notice how you read all the time on Twitter, Facebook, Tinder, Snapchat or else where you’re reading. And eInk devices allow you to escape from the world and immerse yourself in reading entirely.
I myself think that electronic devices are cooler than paper books . Of course, we can read on any device that is now with us, and which can show words and paragraphs. And the appearance of “retina” screens made reading more enjoyable on tablets and smartphones.
But the idea of ​​very cheap and common eInk devices replacing the very cheap and common paper books that I absorbed as a child attracted me a lot. I can not refuse it. Reading is the basis of everything .
That's why I will buy, without looking, every new Kindle device on eInk. I had the sense not to buy the first one (you just look at it), but since the third generation from 2010 I have all the models.
I also tracked the cost of the devices to see when they dropped to $ 49 or less. While there is no such thing - the simplest reader , which, compared to the first device from 2007, still looks cool, is now selling for $ 59.
But back to the flagship device, the Kindle Voyage . It is trying to be not cheap, but cool. First, this is the first device with a resolution of 300 PPI (also known as “retina”) from Amazon. If you know how the iPhone 4 changed the world of smartphones, you should already line up.
When you see 300 PPI in eInk, you actually think that you are looking at high-quality printing, and not at a matrix of RGB pixels. Yes, she is still black and white, but awesome. Here are some screenshots from my device.
Due to some vagueness inherent in eInk, the image resolution seems even higher.
Finally, the resolution allows me to choose a thin, not thick, font, namely Caecilia .
The highlight was on the Paperwhite device, and it delivered a lot of toothache. But the third time is magical, and they have achieved a good backlight, which improves the overall contrast and allows you to read at night. Voyage also received a light sensor, so that it automatically adjusts the backlight, whether you are outside on a clear day or in a dark room. It's like auto-tuning the brightness of the headlights - one setting less for manual adjustment.
Also, Voyage returned the page turning buttons, more precisely the touch areas on the case. I admit, it took me a long time to adapt to them, and I already thought that it would not work out - but now I am their follower. The ability to turn the page, almost without moving a finger - just lightly pressing, to which the device responds with a light tactile vibration, adds pleasure to reading. But this had to learn and get used to.
In my experience, eInk devices are more fragile than average tablets and smartphones. Therefore, you will need a case to automatically turn on and off and protect the type of "throw the book into the bag." But unfortunately, the original case is terrible. Do not buy it.
Previous original covers were expensive, but well made. The cover for Voyage is expensive and disgusting. Strangely folded, dangling, destroying the idea of ​​how the book should open. I recommend a simple case for $ 14.99 , which works with automatic shutdown and opens in a normal way.
Well, not all the device has really roses and songs, of course. Problems with formatting the text have not gone away - but I would like to expect more from a huge company that deals with books. And which has a huge budget and a lot of smart people on the salary.
This is what it looks like.
- Justin Van Slembrou ... (@jvanslem) February 6, 2014If you have already used devices on eInk, or are waiting for the best device for this, then you can easily recommend Kindle Voyage to you . While this is the best device. I would recommend, I would buy again, and probably buy all the future models on eInk, because I am addicted to them. Addicted to reading. Reading is the basis of everything.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/364399/
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