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NatCh · 01-10-2008, 01:12 AM

I'll have a go at those, but understand that my answers apply to the 500 mode, not the 505.

The display is temperature sensitive, and gets pretty sluggish at around 40°F, so if you're talking that cold, you'll have other problems.

I don't find mine gets particularly cold, and I'm pretty much cold-blooded. I like to lay mine on the mattress beside my pillow so that I can see it an push the button through the sheet. Keeps my digits all toasty.
Should be fine there -- cities are not nearly as "sterile" as you seem to believe, I bet you don't have ozone alerts where you live! I'm currently living in Jackson, TN, which isn't exactly Houston, TX (where I moved from recently) and I've used mine outside in both places with no issues in the least. It's also been to Palo Duro Canyon, and to a topaz hunting (digging) site outside of Mason, TX -- that's pretty remote.
I wouldn't hesitate to take mine hiking/camping, but I'd put it in some sort of hard case inside my pack. It's not particularly water resistant, and has lots of small openings, so a drybag is definitely in order.
The battery life is a good question. I've had mine for something like 14 months and I've only just started thinking it might be losing some capacity (it looses a block on the battery meter in 6.5 days, instead of 7).

My best guess is that since it doesn't get warm during use or charging (that I've ever noticed), the LIon battery ought to retain capacity longer than its peers in more power hungry applications. Then there's the fact that it only has to be recharged every 3~4 weeks to begin with. If it has even a measly 500 cycle life, then at only 3 weeks per charge it logically ought to last more than 3 years, but we won't really know 'till they start failing.

Odds are, somebody will have a replacement for the batteries, and the new devices will be cheaper than they are now (and the lastgen ones even more so on e-bay ).

Hope that helps.

Are those your only questions? No concerns about content availability, formats, or if you can read 11"X17" PDF files on the rascal?

01-10-2008, 01:12 AM	#2
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'll have a go at those, but understand that my answers apply to the 500 mode, not the 505. The display is temperature sensitive, and gets pretty sluggish at around 40°F, so if you're talking that cold, you'll have other problems. I don't find mine gets particularly cold, and I'm pretty much cold-blooded. I like to lay mine on the mattress beside my pillow so that I can see it an push the button through the sheet. Keeps my digits all toasty. Should be fine there -- cities are not nearly as "sterile" as you seem to believe, I bet you don't have ozone alerts where you live! I'm currently living in Jackson, TN, which isn't exactly Houston, TX (where I moved from recently) and I've used mine outside in both places with no issues in the least. It's also been to Palo Duro Canyon, and to a topaz hunting (digging) site outside of Mason, TX -- that's pretty remote. I wouldn't hesitate to take mine hiking/camping, but I'd put it in some sort of hard case inside my pack. It's not particularly water resistant, and has lots of small openings, so a drybag is definitely in order. The battery life is a good question. I've had mine for something like 14 months and I've only just started thinking it might be losing some capacity (it looses a block on the battery meter in 6.5 days, instead of 7). My best guess is that since it doesn't get warm during use or charging (that I've ever noticed), the LIon battery ought to retain capacity longer than its peers in more power hungry applications. Then there's the fact that it only has to be recharged every 3~4 weeks to begin with. If it has even a measly 500 cycle life, then at only 3 weeks per charge it logically ought to last more than 3 years, but we won't really know 'till they start failing. Odds are, somebody will have a replacement for the batteries, and the new devices will be cheaper than they are now (and the lastgen ones even more so on e-bay ). Hope that helps. Are those your only questions? No concerns about content availability, formats, or if you can read 11"X17" PDF files on the rascal?