My PRS-505 slipped from my bag and fell about 3 feet. It landed flat on its backside on an area rug over a hard wood floor. It was in its case/cover.

I've dropped all kinds of devices over 20 years, but I think this must be the first device that was rendered completely useless in what appeared to be an inconsequential fall.

Looks like I'm back to paper.

Here's a post mortem pic for those that want to see the remains.

http://www.brianscottrogers.com/Tumblelog/images/reader.jpg

Wow -- I am so sorry that happened to you. I've dropped my 500 in similar conditions (inside its default case) and not had any negative results.

Is your unit under warranty? It shouldn't have broken on such a fall.

oh, my condolences. i would be really upset if that happened to me. hopefully sony will replace it.

Bummer bigscotty, lets pray Sony comes thru for you

bigscotty, sorry about the loss. I've dropped mine a time or two but not with such disastrous consequences. Be sure and let us know how Sony responds.

I'm a few days out from the incident, and my girlfriend is looking for the receipt since this was a gift. It's not looking hopeful that she will find it. With that, I've not contacted Sony just yet. In the meantime, I've noticed a few things that I haven't missed since the loss.

I haven't missed shopping on the Sony Store.
I haven't missed unplugging it from the USB port to find that it failed to charge.
I haven't missed picking it up to use it and finding the battery depleted after three days of non-use.
I haven't missed babying it trying to protect it from harm (only to lose that battle in its first knee-scrape).

I loved reading on the 505. It was everything else I had to do with it that was a pain.

Has anyone had success getting help from Sony without a receipt?

Scott

Scott--
I haven't had to get a hold of Sony Support--good luck with that! I sure hope you can get a replacement unit...

With the other problems you describe (except for shopping on the Sony Store), it sounds like you had a bum unit to begin with. I've never had problems with my 505 charging via USB--and you should be getting far better battery life than three days! Something like two to three weeks is what you should be able to expect.

I hope you're able to get a replacement that fixes both your screen and your battery issues. It sounds to me like you probably got a lemon of a unit and that could well be why the screen broke after a seemingly inconsequential fall.

Good luck!
dordale :)

Good luck, but I seriously doubt that Sony will fix it under warranty. Dropping it a metre onto a hard floor doesn't count as "normal use".

Good luck, but I seriously doubt that Sony will fix it under warranty. Dropping it a metre onto a hard floor doesn't count as "normal use".

Agreed. However, it's the first device I've dropped in 15 years that was rendered completely useless. I guess the leather case makes a suitable mousepad.

The glass substrate under the screen is very thin and fragile. If you catch it at the wrong angle, it will, unfortunately, easily fracture. That's true of any such screen - including any laptop. Would you expect a laptop to survive such a fall?

I broke my iliad screen. Even if I haven't broken my Sony Reader screen I can tell you that e-ink screens are more easily broken than any devices I've had before.

I think HarryT is a little bit protective about the eink devices. I had the same fall type with my Asus EEE laptop. No problem so far ... ergo: the laptop LCD screens are far more robust.

The glass substrate under the screen is very thin and fragile. If you catch it at the wrong angle, it will, unfortunately, easily fracture. That's true of any such screen - including any laptop. Would you expect a laptop to survive such a fall?

Expect it to survive? Not necessarily. Have I seen laptops and other devices survive such falls (or worse) on film sets? Yes, regularly.

That doesn't change the fact that my reader "failed its saving throw versus crushing blow." :)

I know what it's like. I have a camera backpack (meaning very well padded), and all I had in the compartment with the ereader was a supersoft leather small bible. No fall from the backpack...but a screen that was cracked and no longer useful. I wanted to cry. But then I looked at the bright side, decided to upgrade, and got a like new prs-505 for $175. Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to budget for it...

Expect it to survive? Not necessarily. Have I seen laptops and other devices survive such falls (or worse) on film sets? Yes, regularly.

That doesn't change the fact that my reader "failed its saving throw versus crushing blow." :)

I once dropped a Compaq laptop (the 386i, I think the model was called) with only the fabric slip cover for protection, down a flight of metal stairs (a full flight, 30ft), bouncy bounce all the way to the concrete floor.

The plastic corners were crushed, but the machine booted and ran fine, and no damage to the screen.

They just don't build 'em like they used to.

From the stories that I have heard of others who have "dropped" their Sony Readers, Sony does not replace broken screens under warranty -- not even the extra extended warranty. On the other hand, I dropped my PRS-500 in just the default cover over a year ago on to hard concrete. It worked fine afterward. The only damage was a little crinkle in the corner of the case.

Good luck with Sony repair.

I'm a few days out from the incident, and my girlfriend is looking for the receipt since this was a gift. It's not looking hopeful that she will find it. With that, I've not contacted Sony just yet. In the meantime, I've noticed a few things that I haven't missed since the loss.

I haven't missed shopping on the Sony Store.
I haven't missed unplugging it from the USB port to find that it failed to charge.
I haven't missed picking it up to use it and finding the battery depleted after three days of non-use.
I haven't missed babying it trying to protect it from harm (only to lose that battle in its first knee-scrape).

I loved reading on the 505. It was everything else I had to do with it that was a pain.

Has anyone had success getting help from Sony without a receipt?

Scott

If you had charged it with a PSP charger, it would've taken care of #2 and #3.

Sony does have a you break it we'll replace it warranty for the 505. But it's a one use only warranty.

My departed 500 also broke after a fall, but it is true on how they fall. I put my 500 in my packsack and something put a big dent right in the middle of the screen. It was visible turned on and off but the screen still worked fine. The drop killed it.

I am paranoid of my 505, especially after the 500 fall. My 505 would not turn on a few weeks ago, which freaked me out, but I took it apart to find that the power switch had come unhooked. I put it back together and it worked fine. Whew.

If you had charged it with a PSP charger, it would've taken care of #2 and #3.

Hmmm.....isn't that a small concession that Sony is getting it wrong? If the device can't be successfully/completely charged with the equipment that ships with the reader, what does that say about the reader or the charger or Sony?

I have three other devices that charge from the same USB port, two of which exceed the battery performance published by the manufacturer. The third is an iPhone which barely meets them, but that's a thread for another forum.

Don't get me wrong, I loved reading on the 505. I didn't love some the issues reading on the 505 presented.

So I've jumped ship, and I'm using a Kindle. It helped me mourn the loss od the 505.

Cheers.

From the stories that I have heard of others who have "dropped" their Sony Readers, Sony does not replace broken screens under warranty -- not even the extra extended warranty. On the other hand, I dropped my PRS-500 in just the default cover over a year ago on to hard concrete. It worked fine afterward. The only damage was a little crinkle in the corner of the case.
Were you the guy who did the above thing off of a car? If so, please re-tell that story.