Durable Reader for 11 year old boy?

[Siwickimom]

Ok, so I am loving my new Sony PRS-505. And my 11 year old has serious e-reader envy. I have no real objection to getting him one, if I can find a reasonably priced option that isn't as fragile. Would like to maybe surprise him with it for Christmas, loaded with many of his favorites and other things I think he'd like. I would much rather him grab a reader on the way out the door than his Nintendo DS Lite.

Suggestions? I'm not opposed to used, either.

[sassanik]

If you don't mind some conversion steps the EB1150 by Ebookwise is VERY sturdy. Bad news? It uses the imp format which means you need to convert most books to make them work on it. Good news? One of the cheapest ereaders out there, don't let the price fool you though it really is a great machine!

Other than the EB1150 I don't get the feeling that many of the ereaders are very sturdy? The e-ink readers are very light weight and spendy. Maybe a iphone or non-phone iphone? You can get insurance for them so if he breaks it you can get a replacement.

Amy

[Amalthia]

I thought my 505 was kind of sturdy it survives hanging out in my purse and has been dropped a few times on carpet. I also second the insurance option.

I think the main question is how does he treat paper books? if he takes good care of them he may take good care of a e-ink device? though obviously accidents do happen.

I also recommend the 500. My husband uses his and stuffs it in his backpack quite often. Not sure how it survived all those trips off shore.

[lilac_jive]

You could also get him an iPod touch. That has ereading capabilities and is quite durable.

[kwjones]

There's a homebrew ebook reader application that has been developed for the DS Lite called DSLibris. That might hold you over until you decide on an ebook reader.

You know your kid better than us. Mine won't be getting an ebook reader until they show sickne...er, appreciation of reading and can demonstrate that they are able to take care of an expensive electronic device.

[slayda]

A paper book!!!

[doreenjoy]

I don't recommend any e-ink device as sturdy. The substrate is too easy to crack IMO. The LCD options suggested are better choices.

[emellaich]

I used to carry a pda (LCD) in my shirt pocket. I was sitting at a table in the library and when I leaned forward my shirt pocket thwocked against the table == cracked screen and no more PDA.

So I don't really think either LCD or e-ink are especially kid-proof as long as they have a glass substrate. I suspect that bigger screens are more breakable, so if you feel you have a really careful 11 yr old (or at least one less clumsy than me) I would consider one of the smaller screen devices like the Etaco Jetbook or the EzReader Pocket Pro.

[Xiaopanda]

I'd second the Ebookwise "EB1150" option, Ebookwise has an option for $109.95 USD + 9.99 shipping........for extra format options I'd be inclinded to Jetbook.....But as mentioned by doreenjoy and emellaich, ALL these have a glass substrate!

[Gaurnim]

Originally Posted by emellaich

I used to carry a pda (LCD) in my shirt pocket. I was sitting at a table in the library and when I leaned forward my shirt pocket thwocked against the table == cracked screen and no more PDA.

I've owned a Palm T5 for many years now, and it's quite sturdy, especially since I carry it with the hardened case.
The T5 is no longer available if I remember well, but I think the TX might still be.

[pdurrant]

Anything with a glass screen is fragile, and that means all current ebook reading devices.

The Plastic Logic looks good, but won't be out in time for this year.

By the end of next year I'd expect there to be several sturdy ebook readers with non-glass displays.

Originally Posted by Siwickimom

Ok, so I am loving my new Sony PRS-505. And my 11 year old has serious e-reader envy. I have no real objection to getting him one, if I can find a reasonably priced option that isn't as fragile. Would like to maybe surprise him with it for Christmas, loaded with many of his favorites and other things I think he'd like. I would much rather him grab a reader on the way out the door than his Nintendo DS Lite.

Suggestions? I'm not opposed to used, either.

[doreenjoy]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Anything with a glass screen is fragile, and that means all current ebook reading devices.

True, but many people have cracked the substrate layer without breaking the glass that's on top of it.

An older Palm Pilot might work well. I used to read E-books on a Palm III back in the day. Very sturdy.

[pdurrant]

By "glass screen", I meant the substrate - it's glass.

I agree that an old Palm OS device might be OK - but my son managed to break one of those. I always like the Sony Clie SJ-20, SJ-22 and SJ-30.

(The SJ-20 is monochrome, but particularly good in bright sunlight).

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

True, but many people have cracked the substrate layer without breaking the glass that's on top of it.

An older Palm Pilot might work well. I used to read E-books on a Palm III back in the day. Very sturdy.

[Faenad]

It's clearly depends on how your son is treating his electronics devices.
An ebook reader would not be more fragile than a PSP, and I see a lot of children carrying them around and taking a decent care of them.

If you are afraid of harsh treatment, you should go with the EB1150 or if you want something smaller, an used PDA like the palm Tx or the HP hx4700 with a good case.
Not enough? If you suspect your son is gonna play soccer with it or throw it in the pool, there are some rugged PDA that would withstand even this kind of use.

[richman]

Originally Posted by Faenad

It's clearly depends on how your son is treating his electronics devices.
An ebook reader would not be more fragile than a PSP, and I see a lot of children carrying them around and taking a decent care of them.

If you are afraid of harsh treatment, you should go with the EB1150 or if you want something smaller, an used PDA like the palm Tx or the HP hx4700 with a good case.
Not enough? If you suspect your son is gonna play soccer with it, there are some hardened PDA that would withstand even this kind of use.

You don't own a psp, I do. And the sony 505 is much ,much, much more fragile. No comparison. The 505 is super thin and the screen is spread out 3 or 4 times over much wider surface. The smaller itouch and other small devices are small and thicker, on the most part. Since itouch and 505 are about same price, I know he would like the itouch a lot more and he can do a lot of more type stuff on it. Maybe a 200 dollar netbook would be best, since he could use it for school too and is cheaper than ereader.