[SwerveAM]

just noticed this as i was using the playbook in the sun. while wearing my polarized sunglasses, the portrait mode is useless as the screen is all black.

anyone else get this?

[leo1055]

just noticed this as i was using the playbook in the sun. while wearing my polarized sunglasses, the portrait mode is useless as the screen is all black.

anyone else get this?

yes! how weird but kinda interesting too

[porsche944]

yup, just drove 8 hrs today....noticed it too.

[bighap]

Exact reason why I skipped polarized lenses on my last pair of sunglasses. Polarized = bad for gadget junkies.

[leo1055]

yup, just drove 8 hrs today....noticed it too.

you were driving and using your playbook? bad combo lol!

[SwerveAM]

well so much for reading at the dog park...

[leo1055]

well so much for reading at the dog park...

just read in landscape mode!

[my_handle]

Exact reason why I skipped polarized lenses on my last pair of sunglasses. Polarized = bad for gadget junkies.

I'm a gadget junkie according to my friends and family but polarized glasses are a must for me as I'm a driver by profession. True junkie learns to adjust

[egranlund]

just read in landscape mode!

...or get a kindle :P better for your eyes anyway

[leo1055]

...or get a kindle :P better for your eyes anyway

or an actual book

[ceroberts75]

my nokia n900 can be seen from any angle in any direction with polorized lenses....a must have for us outside majority of time.

pb is nice...but will be a long while before it takes over my maemo device.


lol....driving while mistyping in portrait mode with polorized glasses in traffic or at 80mph.....

[eds817]

Why does that happen?

[mark_rivers19]

that's why i have a Kindle, even though i can read the same book on my Macbook Pro or on my iPad and iPad Touch.
same reason why i own a DSLR camera and a point and shoot one. I prefer to bring them when i know i'll be shooting pictures for that event.

if you're like me who reads 2-4 hours a day, whether it's work related or the latest novel, then BUY a Kindle..
As the advertising goes, your Polarized sunglasses probably cost more than the Kindle.

[therapyreject174]

Something like 5 years back I ran into this problem. I had just gotten new prescription eyeglasses, but with tinted lenses, polarized, and Armani frames. Needless to say, they were very expensive. I loved the drive home, but when I sat at my desk and my screen was mostly black, I got confused. I was so pissed when I finally figured out what was happening. So for the next few years, I cranked up the brightness on my screens, sat with my head tilted slightly to the left, and made the best of it.

Happens because LCD displays have polarizing filters. Its just part of the way they work.

[mark_rivers19]

Why does that happen?

polarized sunglasses + polarizing filters on the LCD screen = Blur

[mssca]

Why does that happen?

The simple answer to the question is that it happens because the light from the screen deform or cannot pass through the face cover and the sunglasses.

The science side of this would be... It has to do with visible light wavelength and the refraction gradient index of the glass(and/or other materials) of the cover plate. If two polarizing surfaces has same or similar properties, at 90 degree angle, the visible light spectrum cannot pass through it. This is why when you place two polarized sunglasses on top of each other at 90 degrees, you cannot see anything across it. So.... I guess that on portrait mode it is at 90 degrees with most of the polarized sunglasses.

Now... when you turn the PB the other way, the lines related to refraction gradient index do not cross at 90 but may be at 180 or some other angle. So, now you can see the screen with the polarized glasses.

This issues can happen if you place a protective cover for your PB or iPad as well.

I don't know if I am wrong here or not... but I think that's what going on here.... let me know if I am wrong.
Hope this helps.

EDIT: here is more info on "refractive index":Refractive index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[my_handle]

As the advertising goes, your Polarized sunglasses probably cost more than the Kindle.

Not really, I have a cheap set of Polarized sunglasses that work awesome. I know they aren't the best but they work more than adequate. Like I mentioned before I'm a driver (city bus driver) in Houston so I'd know if they weren't any good.

[Jean-luc_Picard]

A tip for those with OCD: if you look at your PlayBook in portrait mode with polarized sunglasses, you only see black for the screen, but the dirt and dust glows white! Awesome for checking to see that your PlayBook is perfectly clean!

[espresso1967]

wearing my Oakley's and was wondering what the heck. so i look this up and found your thread, took off my glasses and looked ok.thanks

[JustAnotherBeerbot]

just rotate your glasses as well :P

[asherwiin]

Why does that happen?

One reason might be that the Playbook is '3D' ready - that would be cool!

[iosephus]

Just experiencing this with my new polarized sunglasses (Oakley Fuel Cell) while trying to use the PlayBook as GPS navigator. I checked my Bold 9790 and it's the same as the PlayBook.

This effect is not negligible since polarized sunglasses are much better than non-polarized ones for driving, you can always limit usage of the device to the orientation that works but it's better to be able to use whatever orientation you like for your GPS.

I then checked my girlfriend's laptop and discovered something curious: Things get black at 45 degrees: Even if neither of the two main orientations give maximal brightness, both are usable.

[goku_vegeta]

Solution: Photochromic lenses, eg. Transitions

[Harryl6134]

^^^

So that's why my tinted lenses don't blank out the screen...they're Transitions.

[goku_vegeta]

^^^

So that's why my tinted lenses don't blank out the screen...they're Transitions.

Yep as long as they change to clear indoors