
E-reader wars: does the iPad's retina display measure up to e-ink? - iProject
http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2012/04/why-the-new-ipads-retina-display-loses-the-battle-in-the-e-reader-wars.ars
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dpark
> _subpixel rendering is truly the way to improve a display_

Am I crazy or is that an outright falsehood? The entire point of subpixel
rendering is to deal with pixels that are too large. If you make the pixels
smaller, subpixel rendering becomes moot. Smaller pixels improve the display
in every way that subpixel rendering does, and without the fuzziness or
undesired coloring.

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bryanlarsen
Perhaps my greatest concern for e-reading is "how does it affect my ability to
fall asleep when I read in bed?". A 10" iPad puts out way too much light even
at the lowest setting and keeps me awake. An e-ink device works much better
because it uses indirect light. However, I've found that my 4" phone works
best of all. On its lowest setting it puts out very little light. And
surprisingly 4" is also a better form factor for reading novels. The small
screen reduces the amount of eye scan needed, and the small size also allows a
very large variety of comfortable reading positions.

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ccoggins
I haven't tried reading on an iPad, but I have on my 10" Thrive. I agree that
such a large screen makes it more difficult to read due to the amount of eye
movement needed.

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ccoggins
I've never found the lcd vs e-ink to be much of an issue as far as eyestrain
goes. I read several hundred books no problem on my old Palm IIIc which had,
wait for it, 160px by 160px resolution. The e-ink is nice too though, but the
need for an external light makes reading in bed a pain. I wish Amazon would
just make a kindle with an LED built in(like the Sony PRS-700).

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brc
I have an Amazon cover for my Kindle with a built-in led light which makes
reading in the pitch black easy. The led runs off the Kindle battery.

So they do make one, but you've got to plump for the extra cover.

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ccoggins
Yep - I've got one as well. I like the way it works but I really notice the
compromise on the extra size.

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steve19
I love reading technical books on my ipad3, but much prefer novels on my
Kindle 4 or my 4" phone.

