Monday, April 13, 2009

E-Ink takes heat for Amazon’s Kindle 2 display

By Efrain Viscarolasaga

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While the second version of Amazon’s Kindle electronic book reader — the Kindle 2 — boasts a slimmer profile and lighter package, its reproduction of text leaves something to be desired, according to some users, and flexible display maker E-Ink Corp. of Cambridge is taking heat for it, at least in the blogosphere.

According to blog posts today from Wired and others, Kindle 2 owners are expressing dissatisfaction with the core competency of the reader - making type clear in the electronic realm. The reader has font-smoothing algorithms and a larger spectrum of gray than its predecessor, which makes text thinner, but it also appears to reduce the contrast, making it difficult for some readers, particularly at smaller fonts.

One blogger has gone to lengths to explain the problem but offers the simple solution of bolding text in smaller fonts. Still, discussions have mounted in the Amazon chat rooms.

Neither Amazon nor E-Ink have released an official response to the complaints, and E-Ink did not respond to a phone call Monday afternoon.

The original Kindle was launched in 2007, with the Kindle 2 hitting the market in early February of this year. Early reviews of the device from the likes of CNET, Engadget and Wired did not mention the issue back in February.