Kindle Ad: A Polarizing Force in E-Readers

Perhaps you've spotted the new and most excellent Amazon Kindle ad showcasing how iPads are glorified mirrors under direct sunlight while the Kindle, with its E Ink display, displays text beautifully. As far as commercials go, it's brilliant. The ad alone will probably sell hundreds of thousands of extra Kindles this holiday season.


Most of the buzz circling about this ad has focused on the outdoor readability of the two devices. What caught my eye on the second viewing was the fact that the woman is wearing sunglasses -- and probably polarized sunglasses in particular. 


As you probably know just from trying to read your phone with sunglasses on, shades and LCD screens don't mix well. This is because the polarized light emerging from the LCD gets partially blocked by the polarized filter on the sunglasses. However, E Ink displays don't use polarization, so they look great no matter what kind of glasses you wear. I wear prescription sunglasses and am more sensitive than most to bright light, so this is a huge selling point for me. Why we haven't seen this aspect of E Ink-enabled readers publicized yet is beyond me, but it shouldn't be ignored.