The background screen is too dark
592116
I'm a first time kindle user and I believe that this would have been a great product, except for the fact that the background screen is DARK GRAY.

I'm not familiar with their technology, but it seems that they could have easily projected the "e-ink" against a much lighter background. Just compare the background to the color of the kindle itself. Better yet, hold up any random book you find, open it up and compare it to the kindle screen; the difference is apalling. There is no reason for the page background to be that dark.

I would LIKE to think that Amazon did not do this purposefully so that they could easily "improve the contrast by 50%" in future generations simply by providing a brighter background. I am not familiar with the tech for this device, so perhaps this is as bright as their tech would allow. I am surprised that, out of all the reviews I've read about the Kindle, this issue was rarely brought up, if at all. Anyway, Target (where i bought it) will not allow any returns, and neither will Amazon. For future reference, do not buy any kindles thru target!
3126855
I wanted a large print, indoor / outdoor temp. clock so I could read it from across the room.  I like the clock but with the background as dark as it is, It is very hard to see from any distance away.  I wish the background color was lighter for more contrast.
1678245
Lower display is partial obscured by the black border.  Its as if the display should have been a little higher. As long as you mostly use the upper display then its not a big issue.
240193
The screen on this is a dark blue.  Just be aware.  If you like using your phone for photos and for watching any type of media it will be a very dark and distorted color due to the dark blue screen cover.  I would not buy this product again.
3571780
Very hard to see, the colors are not dark enough to view
675207
its A LOT darker than it appears in this photo.... if you don't have the means of providing a backlight.... i would encourage you to avoid it... unless  dark and eerie is what you are seeking
2999187
the screen is black if you press the button to light it up you can barley make out the time.  It is not anything like the picture, It is plain black
1555063
The screens are just a little too dark, but otherwise great.  Thanks.
2045220
These shades make it TOO dark. I struggled to see read the digital display on my cars dashboard.
4947571
Kinda dark, I actually ordered this by mistake but my son got a new pc for Christmas and it goes with his room. Wish it was more of a skyline
2584171
So the fabric on this green screen is really thin. If it isn't up against a solid surface any back lighting will easily show though. My solution was to add a second blanket behind it when hanging it up to give it more substance and block out light.

The color is pretty spot on just be mindful about the thin fabric causing the backlighting issue.
1077485
Needs to be really dark with no ambient light to see them
2304263
Not great for black laptops because you can see the background as well as the fighter. If I bought this again, I'd cut it out first.
2860674
The non-transparency makes your keyboard look extremely ugly, and obviously obstructs the keyboard backlight if you need to see letters in dark. Get a transparent one.
1796833
The control doesnt work well.  I have to hit it a littlle bit so that the light can appear on screen.
3630078
The display is too dim. The light feature drown out the display when it on but worth it to send back
2242814
I read the reviews about the blotchy screen and thought it was probably not as bad as stated but I since have had to completely turn off the back light, it is really distracting to have half of the screen in yellow and the other half in blue...I really like everything else but this is really a deal breaker would NOT recommend it if you will use the back light at all.