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Next Kindle Expected To Have a Front-Lit Display

Posted by timothy on from the complicated-tradeoffs dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Amazon doesn't show off prototypes unless it is pretty confident about the tech, so you may be surprised to find the next Kindle is probably going to have a front-lit display. The lighting tech comes from a company they purchased back in 2010 called Oy Modilis. It specialized in such lighting and has patents related to whatever Amazon decided to use. The display is meant to be lit in a blue-white glow, and if it's anything like Flex lighting probably won't impact battery life too much. The question is, does anyone really want or need a light for their Kindle?"

3 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Most people want a light for their Kindle. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I read in bed most nights... not very practical without a light. I have the case with a built-in light. Yes I could use a tablet but e-ink is the way to go for long fiction books. Plus the Kindle is the best investment in history if all you want to do is read, you can leave wi-fi off if you have DRM psychological problems and the battery lasts for weeks and load it up with classics from project gutenberg. That's why nobody cares about rooting their e-ink kindle, it only does one thing well but does it perfectly.

    1. Re:Most people want a light for their Kindle. by arkhan_jg · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Into their 2nd biggest market after the US 7 months after the US - september 28th 2011 in the US, April 27 2012 in the UK. And there will probably shortages making it even longer before general availability. They withdrew the kindle keyboard without 3G (the model I had) leaving only the kindle basic @ £89, or the kindle keyboard @ £149.

      Seven months is a long time in consumer electronics. Amazon had the e-ink market pretty much to themselves for the previous couple of generations. We still don't have the kindle fire or any projection for it. (which to be fair, really involves getting all the rights for the amazon app store, the movie store etc which aren't in the UK either, so I'm not terribly surprised at that).

      But the kindle touch? No extra rights needed there, it's just an e-reader, same as the kindle 3. You can buy a kobo touch, and have been able to for months and months (backed by one of our biggest book/stationary retailers, WH Smith) for less than the kindle basic! Even when the kindle touch comes out, it's going to be £30 or 27% more expensive for what is virtually identical hardware to the kobo. If you want cheap, the kobo basic is almost half the price of the kindle basic, for again very similar hardware. You couldn't even import the touch, unless you went grey market for even more money and no warranty support.

      Amazon don't have the e-ink market to themselves in the UK any more, even if the Nooks aren't available here. For a while, the kindle beat the crap out of the alternatives for both hardware, and better pricing, but that's no longer true. Amazon need to be aware of that now with their pricing and treating us like a captive market that will hang around and wait if they don't want to lose significant share to the competition. They've still got significant mind share - everybody knows about the kindle - but that won't last forever if they keep treating us like marks to be fleeced.

      --
      Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.
  2. Yes. by Xenex · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The question is, does anyone really want or need a light for their Kindle?

    Yes. My Kindle has been gathering dust since purchasing an iPad. I actually prefer a backlit screen; easier in low-light conditions. Shrug.