Why don kindles have backlights

The Oasis style of lighting, with the LEDs on the side rather than the bottom, seems to be a better system.

The light has less distance to travel, less falloff, so the overall effect is more even. I just read it. The reason I own an e-reader is because of the front lighting! I use my smartphone minimally for this reason. Very grateful for e-readers! It does take a while to charge, though, and will need four hours to go from flat to full. If you have yet to try an e-reader and want to do so for relatively little outlay, this new Kindle should deliver a perfectly acceptable experience.

However, it could also be worth looking at what's available second-hand. I found Paperwhites available for a similar price, and these models have that all-important backlight. Doogee S80 hands-on: A waterproof, rugged walkie-talkie phone. You agree to receive updates, promotions, and alerts from ZDNet.

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Editors' rating. Not yet rated. Images: Amazon I found this really debilitating. HP Compaq Presario V 0. Dell PowerEdge 8. My Profile Log Out. See our ethics statement. It comes down to one big flaw: screen resolution.

While the Kindle and the Paperwhite both feature 6-inch displays, the base model Kindle displays text at a far lower resolution, with a ppi pixel density. The Paperwhite pushes more pixels, at ppi, and the difference is huge. Reading on the new Kindle feels like reading on an old computer screen. Reading on the Paperwhite just feels like reading. To put that difference in another technological perspective, the differences in pixel density between the Kindle and the Paperwhite is similar to that between the iPhone 3GS ppi and the iPhone 4 ppi.

No one who used an iPhone 4 was clamoring to get a 3GS back, and the jump between what text looks like on a Paperwhite and on a regular Kindle is as significant. Your eyes will thank you. Subscribe to get the best Verge-approved tech deals of the week. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.