Contrasting contrasts: The Kindle on the right is the new global-wireless model.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)When the Kindle 2 was first released, we reported on the small controversy over how dark the text and images appeared on the screen compared to the original Kindle. Held side by side, the original appeared to have better contrast and the text appeared slightly darker--and slightly easier to read.
Well, when we reviewed the new AT&T-powered version of the Kindle 2, which Amazon calls "Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)," we noticed that the text appeared darker on this model than on the older Sprint-powered Kindle 2. It's not a huge difference but it's definitely noticeable (see photo above).
While that's a good thing, we're not sure when Amazon made the transition to the slightly improved screen. It very well could have showed up on later revs of the Sprint-powered Kindle or it may have appeared with the introduction of the international AT&T-powered version. Alas, repeated e-mails to an Amazon PR spokesperson have gone unanswered, so we haven't been able to get official word from the company on what it did--or didn't do--to the screen.
When the initial controversy flared up, some Kindle owners wondered whether a firmware upgrade would remedy the contrast issue. We still don't know the answer to that, but we're hoping Amazon will clarify the contrast question for us (if it does, we'll update this post), especially with Barnes & Noble's Nook shipping within the month.
In the meantime, you can read our full review of the AT&T-powered Kindle and if you happen to have compared this model with the Sprint-powered Kindle and noticed a difference between the black levels, please post a comment.
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The blogosphere is buzzing with user reports that the text is lighter on the Kindle 2 than the Kindle 1. But is there more to the problem than meets the eye?
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Whenever a next-generation version of a product is launched, inevitably you get comparisons to the previous model--and what the older model did better. Well, in the case of the Kindle 2, the nitpicking is in full swing as several blogs have taken up the debate over whether the Kindle 2's text is lighter than the original Kindle's.
On Joe Wikert's Kindleville blog, one reader lodged the following complaint:
Side-by-side, the K1 text is bolder and jumps out at you. It's as if the low fidelity, dot-matrix-like typeface of the K1 is better suited for the reading experience than the feathered, crisp, 16-shades of gray of the K2. After 30 minutes of reading on the K2, my eyes get tired and I actually experience mild dizziness, headaches. Never experienced that with the K1.
In the Mobileread forums, a reader posted that he had decided to return the Kindle 2 after he noticed "low contrast on text as compared to kindle 1...text on kindle 1 is really good it is dark and somewhat thicker than kindle 2 at the same font size, menu is normal on kindle 2." He said he spoke to a Kindle representative (we assume a customer service person), who said he'd heard complaints from other Kindle 2 users as well.
On Amazon, there's a thread titled, "Amazon: Please make the text darker on Kindle 2!"
The thread's starter, BMK, is calling for an e-mail campaign to encourage Amazon to update the firmware on the Kindle 2 to fix the alleged problem.
"Kindle 2 is capable of producing darker text than the default setting, which is light, thin, and difficult to read for many people. Customer Service has reportedly told at least one person that the standard text could have been a darker shade of gray/black than the one that was chosen."
So, what's the deal? Are people imagining things or is there really an issue?
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