[hack_edu]

Why don't they make the 'Papergold' or 'Paperpale?'

An e-ink reader is supposed to be easy on your eyes, yet a stark white background honestly creates just as much stress as reading against a screen. And High-Contrast mode is even worse for most people.

[gambiting]

I imagine you have never seen one then? The backlight on the paperwhite is actually a frontlight, so it doesn't strain the eyes, I find it a lot better than any old Kindle, or frankly - than reading an actual book.

[alok-g]

Why should it matter for eye strain whether it is a frontlight or a backlight? In both cases, it is some amount of light reaching your eyes. What should matter would be just the brightness/contrast and uniformity of it.

[sliverstorm]

In my eyes, it's called the "paperwhite" because when the light is on, the page is much closer to white than the unlit Kindles, which have more of a grey background. Not because the background is #FFFFFF and the brightness of the sun.

[grandalf]

It's quite readable, not quite pure white actually. Contrast is very much like reading newsprint, and the lighting is also easy on the eyes.

[riffraff]

this is only a data point, but I own a kindle 3 and a paperwhite, and I used to read on my iPhone before that.

The paperwhite is amazingly readable, and not at all comparable to a computer screen white.