Oyster is tackling the problem of how light from our tablet screens affect both eye health and our ability to sleep. A lot has been written about the effect the blue light from our tablet screens impacts the ability to fall asleep. Once I swore it didn’t make a difference to me, but then I started experimenting with reading on an eInk device, starting about an hour before bed. I think it makes a difference compared to reading or playing Solitaire on a tablet.
Oyster’s way of dealing with the problem is to add a new mode to their mobile apps, Lumin. By allowing the Oyster app access to your location, it automatically adjusts the amount of blue light being emitted, based on time of day. When it’s dark, the screen is more orange, and it shifts to more white as the day progresses, moving back to orange in the evening.
Here’s a .gif to illustrate
By the way, when I say “orange,” I mean it. They gave me a beta version of the app to test, and I’ve been playing with it for a couple of days now. Oyster refers to it as “amber,” but that’s not the word I’d use. While I agree there’s less eyestrain with Lumin, I don’t find the color particularly appealing. Plus, it reminds me of orange sherbet and makes me hungry. 😉
If you don’t like it, it’s an optional feature and can be disabled.
Quibbles about exact color aside, it’s a nice feature, and it does distinguish Oyster from competitor Scribd. It’s probably less of an issue for Kindle Unlimited users who have access to eInk Kindles, which I still think are the best devices to use close to bedtime.
Any Oyster subscribers want to chime in? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent to it?
I’ve tried similar filters on my PC, but I didn’t like it.
@Nate, I’m not surprised. While I found the concept interesting, the color turned me off. I’d rather just use night mode. Scribd gives the option for gradations of black, and that works well for me. A pure black is too much. I like a very dark gray.
Crazy! Allows the app to know my location, so that they can track me? Is this a way for Oyster to get more information from its users?
Kudos to Oyster for addressing the only real objection I have to reading ebooks before bed. Reading is my preferred way to wind down at the end of the day, and using a tablet obviates the time-honored marital disagreement over when the lights should be turned off.
“Night Mode” has always been available on Oyster, as it is for Kindle and iBooks for tablets; however, I have always found the white text on black just as jarring.
The introduction of Lumin is the first real competitive advantage to one eBook service over another when it comes to the experience of reading before bed. I just wish I could buy it as a stand-alone app and use it with my other eBooks! I think they’re onto something…