[Ironballs]

The Paperwhite isn't a backlit display.

The LEDs in the Paperwhite Kindles do not shine light directly in the eyes: the leds shine from below the screen towards the top end of the screen. As it exits the LEDs, light is reflected inside a light guide from which it exits towards the display from specific holes, much like a leaky fiberoptic cable[1].

The directionality and position of the LEDs, and the existence of the light guide, are precisely the differences which make the Paperwhite unlike a backlit display.

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/26/technology/lig...

[ce4]

That's the same with smartphones and tablets.

For the sake of simplicity and to keep it as thin as possible, they use edge-LED lighting with a diffusor layer to spread the light evenly.

[DrStalker]

Are there any smartphones/tablets that have the light hit the display surface from the front and then bounce off like the kindle does? I thought they all either used a backlight shining through the display from behind or were an array of tiny little light sources (depending on the screen technology used) - either way the light is being broadcast direct from the source to your eyes; not hitting a surface and emitting diffuse light out.