The Kindle e-reader has a number of unique selling points when compared to reading on an LCD. It’s as close to paper as we have got in an electronic device due to the use of an E Ink display. And because it only uses power when the viewable page is changed, battery life is counted in months, not hours.
With the display and battery life being such strong selling points, you may be surprised to hear Amazon is experimenting with adding a light source. In fact, Devin Coldewey of TechCrunch has actually seen a prototype new Kindle in action using a front-lit lighting method.
The result? Apparently the E Ink display is lit very evenly and softly. So this isn’t the same type of light you get from a typical tablet LCD unit. He describes it as a “blue-white glow” which may seem a bit peculiar, but could work when just viewing text and on a display lit from the front.
Amazon didn’t develop this lighting unit itself. It did what all the big tech companies do and bought itself a company that specializes in the area. In this case it is a relatively unknown company by the name of Oy Modilis, which Amazon acquired in 2010. They have patents for lighting, and now it looks like they could be put to good use in a Kindle.
The one issue I have with this is why we need a light in the Kindle at all. If you need light to read your current Kindle you buy a clip on one, or turn on the light in your room. The fact it is readable in most lighting conditions makes the requirement of a light at night time a minor inconvenience. And of course, adding a light means either a bigger battery or reduced battery life. I don’t want my Kindle to get thicker, and I appreciate the weeks between charges.
I doubt Amazon would incorporate a light unit unless it really helped with the reading experience, though. For the moment it remains a prototype, but could well be the major new feature of the next Kindle. Who knows, it may somehow enable the screen to look just like paper, and if the system works anything like the Flex lighting solution it may not hurt battery life too much.
source:http://www.geek.com
