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Amazon mocks iPad's glossy screen in new Kindle ad - Page 3

post #81 of 123
9/14/10 at 9:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post

16:9 is pretty much good for one thing: HD video. For everything else, it pretty much sucks.

This is not true for very large screens, like the Apple's 27" display/iMac, but only because the sheer size of the monitor allows you to use it as a dual monitor. For anything much smaller, and especially, as you point out, for very small screens, it's a terrible aspect ration in almost all ways.

That's been my argument for years. As much as I missed the 12" PowerBook size I stated back in th day when the 13" MacBook appeared that going 16:10 just wasn't likely for 12" display an noted that even the 12" PB had a taller display than the 13" MB.

When Apple tablet seemed imminent I was worried that they would try to meet half way by going with a display that looked more en vogue but was ultimately poor for reading. I was estatic they went with 4:3.

BTW, why is the Kindle's ratio? Is it close to 4:3, too, or 3:2 like the iPhone? I'm not sure if eInk pixels are equal along the x and y -axis.
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post #82 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by techapocalypse View Post

It's pretty much the only thing that the Kindle is better at. The iPad has so many more features and is hitting way more markets than just eBooks. They should definitely consider a matte screen option tho...

That is one thing that I would also like. Maybe not a full matte screen but something not quite as glossy as the screen currently is. take the gloss down a notch
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post #83 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kento96 View Post

Imagine the same basic ad being made by Apple:

The sunset is great, but now she's having trouble reading her Kindle. In frustration, she pulls out a small flashlight from her purse and struggles to read. He keeps on reading with no problem. Her flashlight starts flickering as it goes into a slow, terrible death. She bangs on it, it flickers a bit, then goes completely dead. She looks over at him, bathed in the gentle glow of his iPad.

Her: "You're still able to read your book?"

Him: "Well, yeah, but now I'm checking my email and then I'm going to see what's on sale at Amazon and then I'll check out a few other sites."

Next shot:

She's walking into an Apple store.

End.

Well, okay, I'd definitely prefer a matte screen, but it's not a deal killer and there are somewhat decent solutions out there.

Nice. To be honest though, all I've ever had to do when reading in direct sunlight on my iPad is turn up the brightness and all is well
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post #84 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post

16:9 is pretty much good for one thing: HD video. For everything else, it pretty much sucks.

I'm reading your post on a 16x9 1080p laptop screen. It seems to work OK.

I have a bar with commonly used apps open on the left, with my web browser taking up the rest of the screen.

I think 16x9 is better for all sorts of stuff, and not just HD video. TV shows, HD movies, web browsing, multiple open apps - pretty much anything I'd use a tablet for. For ebooks, I use the 16x10 screen on my iPhone, which works very well.

But if you like 4x3 devices, you'd be wise to snap them up while they are still available. Their days are numbered.

I have a 36 inch CRT TV with a 4x3 screen that you can have for free. Just pay for the shipping...
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post #85 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:25am
...and with $139 sunglasses, they should be polarized (or you got ripped off), which cancels the glare.
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post #86 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:29am
I can't wait to read a sane poster ripping apart of Newton's above post.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris_CA View Post

...and with $139 sunglasses, they should be polarized (or you got ripped off), which cancels the glare.

How do tinted, Polarized lenses affect the readability of an IPS display?
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post #87 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

I still contend (though with no known testing to back up my point) that reading anything in direct, bright sunlight for extended periods is considerably worse for you than any backlight LCD could ever be.

I agree and I use an iPod with an audio book whenever on the beach for this reason. I would point out those of us lucky enough to know what sunshine is should remember in the UK they can probably read anything just fine at noon most days.
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post #88 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

That's been my argument for years. As much as I missed the 12" PowerBook size I stated back in th day when the 13" MacBook appeared that going 16:10 just wasn't likely for 12" display an noted that even the 12" PB had a taller display than the 13" MB.

When Apple tablet seemed imminent I was worried that they would try to meet half way by going with a display that looked more en vogue but was ultimately poor for reading. I was estatic they went with 4:3.

BTW, why is the Kindle's ratio? Is it close to 4:3, too, or 3:2 like the iPhone? I'm not sure if eInk pixels are equal along the x and y -axis.

I found I had to get a 15"MacBook Pro as I found the wide screen on smaller model lost too much vertical height.
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post #89 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

How do tinted, Polarized lenses affect the readability of an IPS display?

They simply cancel the glare, which may or may not be the only issue affecting readability in sunlight but many here were complaining about glare.
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post #90 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:55am
Where do I read? In my office. In bed at home. In my living room at home. In airplanes. In airport lounges. In hotel rooms while on the road.

Where do I not read? Outside in the sun.

When I'm at the beach I am either in the water or talking with friends. If I feel a desire to read on the beach, I'll bring along one of my magazines that is unavailable electronically.

I have no need for a single-purpose device like a Kindle. The iPad works just fine as a reader for me, and it does so much more.
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post #91 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:55am
Besides all the things listed that the iPad can do, what about the fact that I can read e-books bought at the iBook store, Amazon, and Nook books on my iPad
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post #92 of 123
9/14/10 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pawolverine View Post

Besides all the things listed that the iPad can do, what about the fact that I can read e-books bought at the iBook store, Amazon, and Nook books on my iPad

And, perhaps more importantly, you can read ebooks that you created yourself, without, for example, having to upload them to your Amazon account to load them onto your device.
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post #93 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:02am
Besides this battle between the iPad as a book reader and the Kindle, is there anyone else out there that is disturbed at the current pricing of e-books. Some books being only a dollar or less difference between the e-book and the hardcover. Heck I can make up the difference in tax credit by donating to the library or selling the hardcover at a yard sale. Are we to believe that there is only a dollar difference in cost to produce an e-book versus a hardcover?
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post #94 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

I agree and I use an iPod with an audio book whenever on the beach for this reason. I would point out those of us lucky enough to know what sunshine is should remember in the UK they can probably read anything just fine at noon most days.

Coming to Florida would have been a huge change over the UK? Do you go back often?


Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

I found I had to get a 15"MacBook Pro as I found the wide screen on smaller model lost too much vertical height.

If Apple moves to 16:9 displays on their 13 notebooks Ill be moving to a 15 MBP, but I really dont want that total size and weight.

Remember these?
http://www.allaboutapple.com/museo/p...y_portrait.jpg
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post #95 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

I found I had to get a 15"MacBook Pro as I found the wide screen on smaller model lost too much vertical height.

Exactly, below a certain screen size, you lose too much vertical to be productive on a "wide" screen in landscape. If the screen is tall enough, it's not a problem, and the horizontal space is just more room to work. The smaller the screen, the more this is a problem. I don't actually find the iPhone screen very useful in landscape mode, unless it's an app specifically designed for landscape, or occasionally, a web site where you want the text bigger without having to zoom it off screen, so, these days, I spend most of my time with the screen locked in portrait.
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post #96 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:11am
I read at night ... in bed... sometimes with no light (wife turned off the light).
I also like reading PDFs as they're meant to be read, with colors and all.

I do like the Kindle's weight, though... much easier on the arms.
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post #97 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post

Exactly, below a certain screen size, you lose too much vertical to be productive on a "wide" screen in landscape. If the screen is tall enough, it's not a problem, and the horizontal space is just more room to work. The smaller the screen, the more this is a problem. I don't actually find the iPhone screen very useful in landscape mode, unless it's an app specifically designed for landscape, or occasionally, a web site where you want the text bigger without having to zoom it off screen, so, these days, I spend most of my time with the screen locked in portrait.

I hate reading on my 13 MBP and my iPhone 4 so I just bought one of these new Kindles. I was debating getting a new iPad but with the issue I had before still preset and likely not to change until November with 4.2, which is then only a few months before the new model gets released I decided to wait on a new iPad. The Kindle basically costs me a date night with dinner and a movie.
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post #98 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

Coming to Florida would have been a huge change over the UK? Do you go back often?



If Apple moves to 16:9 displays on their 13” notebooks I’ll be moving to a 15” MBP, but I really don’t want that total size and weight.



Remember these?

•

http://www.allaboutapple.com/museo/p...y_portrait.jpg

Nope, only been back a couple times in 20 years. Even then my trip was; plane -taxi - parents home - taxi - plane - kiss ground at Tampa airport.

The 15" MBP i7 is sweet Not too heavy actually. Lighter than my 12" iBook G4 I think.
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post #99 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

Nope, only been back a couple times in 20 years. Even then my trip was; plane -taxi - parents home - taxi - plane - kiss ground at Tampa airport.

The 15" MBP i7 is sweet Not too heavy actually. Lighter than my 12" iBook G4 I think.

TIA is one of the best all around airports Ive ever been to. Not in terms of it being flashy and futuristic, like some Asian airports, but from an ease-of-use standpoint.
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post #100 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


Remember these?
http://www.allaboutapple.com/museo/p...y_portrait.jpg

I remember the Radius Monitor roughly that shape that swiveled but I confess I don't recall an Apple A4 screen.
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post #101 of 123
9/14/10 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

TIA is one of the best all around airports I’ve ever been to. Not in terms of it being flashy and futuristic, like some Asian airports, but from an ease-of-use standpoint.

Totally agree. I love using it and even better dropping people off there and just being there without having to fly anywhere. JFK, Atlanta are close behind Boston (even new one) as those I am not too fond of. The kiss was for getting home to Florida though rather than TIA
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post #102 of 123
9/14/10 at 1:02pm
Amazon is scared. Just a couple months ago they said they didn't see the iPad as something they were competing against. Now that they see that their sales are being affected, they changed their tune.
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post #103 of 123
9/14/10 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism View Post

I hated reading in sunlight before the Kindle and I still hate it so this doesnt affect my reading habits, but that is a damn good commercial.

Same here. Hurts my eyes from the glare off the page. It doesn't seem to bother women as much though.

Yes, good commercial. But it's too easy for Apple to make a competing one with a couple in bed. One reading easily while the other fumbles with a little mini lamp thingy attached to the Kindle. I doubt they'll bother though. Like I said, too easy.

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post #104 of 123
9/14/10 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by emulator View Post

Good for the call-girl.

That could be my daughter. She's 5'11" and an MD!

Except, she would be reading her iPad!
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post #105 of 123
9/14/10 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sflocal View Post

Truth be told, the e-ink is superior for outdoor reading in direct sunlight...

These e-readers can easily co-exist with products like the iPad because they do one thing (and only one thing) very well. Anything beyond that is pushing it for the device.

Consumers should be THRILLED that Apple forced Amazon to lower their prices (before the iPad they were north of $500 in some cases). I may even get a Kindle for my wife to read with... our iPad 3G is a bit heavy for her... hmm.
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post #106 of 123
9/14/10 at 2:21pm
Kindle is an e-reader. iPad is a multi-functional tablet that has e-reader functionality.

What this ad surmounts to is the equivalent of a camera commercial bashing the quality of photos on a phone. It's easy to do when that single function is all you focus on.

So basically, if I'm considering an iPad, it's for more reasons than the e-reader functionality.

Good ad though, targeted at readers obviously.
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post #107 of 123
9/14/10 at 2:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by H2P View Post

Consumers should be THRILLED that Apple forced Amazon to lower their prices (before the iPad they were north of $500 in some cases). I may even get a Kindle for my wife to read with... our iPad 3G is a bit heavy for her... hmm.

I remember there being a big one that was expensive, then a smaller less expensive one, now an even LESS expensive one. Seems like it was the natural process for this product, just as it was for the iphone (expensive, less expensive, even less expensive lol.)
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post #108 of 123
9/14/10 at 2:29pm
So why is the guy sitting in the sun in the first place with a T-shirt on? Not to get a tan, apparently. Hair on his back? Zits on his shoulders? Might as well sit in the shade, get on with his reading and be done with it. Amazon has set him up as too much of a dweeb to get very far with the girl ... period. That's a netbook owner masquerading as an iPad user.

Afterthought: If the Kindle is a one-trick pony, does that make the gal a one-trick filly?

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post #109 of 123
9/14/10 at 2:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpinDrift View Post

Ironically however, a pair of polarised sunglasses would dramatically help the iPad's cause. So the girl in the advert with the expensive sunglasses, would quite possibly have had no problems reading the iPad!

Great point. Polarized sunglasses and iPad and perhaps a cocktail. Done.
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post #110 of 123
9/14/10 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chronster View Post

I remember there being a big one that was expensive, then a smaller less expensive one, now an even LESS expensive one. Seems like it was the natural process for this product, just as it was for the iphone (expensive, less expensive, even less expensive lol.)

Yes, good point... but if I recall correctly, just before the iPad came out the Kindle DX was released at something like $559 (retail). Bigger screen and more buttons.

My impression was that -- with the release of the iPad -- that they got it (Fully). Single function device with a "cheap" price tag (you still have to buy the books at between 7.99 and 9.99).

So, fast-forward a number of months and the Kindle being advertised is $139. I could be mistaken... Am I wrong on the timeline?
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post #111 of 123
9/14/10 at 2:54pm
Just out of curiosity, does the Kindle sell in disproportionate number to women?

Because the ad is based around a completely unnecessary sexual tension-- slightly dweeby guy is lying next to gorgeous bikini babe, comes off as slightly whiny and clueless as he begs to know the secret of her effortless poolside reading, she's patronizing as she gives him the news, he glances down woefully towards his (clearly inadequate) lap as she turns back to her reading with a triumphant laugh and smirk, and we get one last shot of the guy sort of deflating as he lowers his arms, defeated. Emasculation for the win!

Really? Seems pretty loaded way to make (the perfectly reasonable) point that it's easier to read a Kindle in direct sunlight. Maybe the takeaway is you'll need a Kindle to score with the ladies, whereas having an iPad makes you look sort of stupid?

I just think there are less potentially alienating ways to talk about glare.
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post #112 of 123
9/14/10 at 3:44pm
Even the Kindle and all other Readers are too glossy for me. Prefer books because of this.

iPhone was the first smartphone which I could use in a direct sunlight and still see what was there without creating an artificial shadow, e.g. placing the smartphone under the coat in order to be able to see who is calling.
I am happy with iPhone and its screen/image in bright environment.
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post #113 of 123
9/14/10 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Newtron View Post

Will the Kindle squirt pink unicorns from its butt? No. It is not designed to do that.

The Kindle has a butt?

Interesting.

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post #114 of 123
9/14/10 at 4:15pm
And now for the ad where the fat chick in ratty sweats tries to read her single-purpose, slaved-to-Amazon Kindle in low light, and her potato spouse rants about how many cases of beer he bought with the money he saved getting a yellow legal pad rather than a computer.
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post #115 of 123
9/14/10 at 4:31pm
B&W one trick pony I will consider purchasing after the whore, jeff Bezos drops the price under $100.
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post #116 of 123
9/14/10 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post

Yup, if you want to read outside, the Kindle is the way to go. If you want to:

1. listen to music
2. play games
3. watch video
4. read anywhere other than outside
5. or use any one of thousands of apps...

then the iPad is the way to go.

Life is full of tradeoffs.

I would probably reconsider "watch video" and, to a lesser extend, "play games"... rest is OK.

While iPad is great for watching video it can play, it is still too limited in what it can actually play. Without DivX, XviD, Flash video etc., having netbook or light notebook is still better for people who do require playback of above mentioned formats... which is pretty much everyone in my environment.

Games, well, I guess it is even more personal. I still can't play anything serious (outside of Airport!, Bejewelled etc. league) without hardware controls, but those that don't mind, well, power to them.
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post #117 of 123
9/14/10 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikon133 View Post

I would probably reconsider "watch video" and, to a lesser extend, "play games"... rest is OK.

While iPad is great for watching video it can play, it is still too limited in what it can actually play. Without DivX, XviD, Flash video etc., having netbook or light notebook is still better for people who do require playback of above mentioned formats... which is pretty much everyone in my environment.

Games, well, I guess it is even more personal. I still can't play anything serious (outside of Airport!, Bejewelled etc. league) without hardware controls, but those that don't mind, well, power to them.

CineXPlayer plays XviD files, and VLC player was submitted to the app store. If that is approved, playing any file will be easy.

Once can easily convert to mp4 files if they want to put it on their iPad, or just stream from their computer using Air Video. Watching video on the iPad is not really all that limited.
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post #118 of 123
9/14/10 at 7:50pm
I would pay $50 for a Kindle. That is how much it is worth to me if you consider what my iPad has done for me.
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post #119 of 123
9/14/10 at 7:56pm
[QUOTE=nikon133;1714287]
While iPad is great for watching video it can play, it is still too limited in what it can actually play. Without DivX, XviD, Flash video etc., having netbook or light notebook is still better for people who do require playback of above mentioned formats... which is pretty much everyone in my environment.
/QUOTE]

My iPad is not limited to any video formats if I have a wifi at home, or able to access my server from outside.

If you use Air Video, it can "live convert" all your MKV, AVI etc videos on the fly. On a wifi network at home it takes 2-4 seconds to start reading, convert and buffer, then you can start watching it. Hard to believe right? Just try it yourself. I am still amazed at the performance. I no longer need to place any movies into my iPad and no longer need to convert any files. All my video files are no longer in my iTunes either. There is a accompanying desktop app which you can link to all your video folders. Its super great for tutorial videos like Lynda.com.

For flash, I just use Frash if you jailbroken.

Hope that helps.
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post #120 of 123
9/15/10 at 2:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryanh View Post

And now for the ad where the fat chick in ratty sweats tries to read her single-purpose, slaved-to-Amazon Kindle in low light, and her potato spouse rants about how many cases of beer he bought with the money he saved getting a yellow legal pad rather than a computer.

This just made me laugh pretty hard.
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