We're fans of front-lit E Ink readers like the Kindle Paperwhite and the Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight — just check our reviews — and now The New York Times has published a digestible diagram showcasing what makes up Amazon's $119 e-reader. The tech is all familiar: similarly to the Nook, Amazon uses four LEDs on the bottom edge of the screen and a guide that covers the entire surface to disperse and light the E Ink display. The diagram also illustrates how E Ink displays use spheres with positive (white) and negative (black) charges as "pixels," and it depicts all of the other goodies stuffed into the reader's case as well.
Source:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/27/3809456/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-diagramed-in-full-detail