- The reader is really horrible for glare. I have to hold it at about a 30-degree angle in order to use it without reflecting everything above, behind and around me.
I think the problem with the Sony is the plastic overlay that provides for the touch screen feature. In comparison the Kindle has a soft-etched glass screen which doesn't seem to my taste to have reflection problems.
- The contrast is very low and milky. Picture reading a book while it is pressed flat against the outside of your driver-side window. It's worse than that.
Again, I think the Sony has the plastic overlay touch screen, which I think reduces the contrast and makes things darker. But, even the Kindle's version of the e-ink technology is darker and has lower contrast that a paperback book -- similar to reading a European newspaper. The Kindle's e-ink technology is very responsive to how much light you put on it -- more so than paper -- try to read it in the dark, and it will look very dark. Read it in sunlight or a well-lit room and it looks great, almost like paper. I have an Ottlight dedicated reading light that I use to read the Kindle (and paperback books) late at night. Also the e-ink technology is less responsive if the temperatures are cold or if the battery is almost exhausted. My understanding (although I haven't seen it yet) is that the B&N e-reader has a touch screen only on a lower auxiliary screen below the reading screen. The lower auxiliary screen is for navigation and color display of book covers -- which seems silly to my taste, but oh well. I think you can turn off the auxiliary screen when you are reading so it will not distract you.