Anyone buying back-up Readers?

[sharphamster]

Still really enjoying the 650, and I like how the older firmware lets you access your bookmarks right from the main screen - wish the Tx series still had that.

My 350 went 26 days between charges this time, so I will be getting more life out of my trusty little machine.

[laughingdragons]

Originally Posted by soulfuldog

Maybe just needs a couple of charge/depletion cycles to work properly? *fingers crossed*

This is what I was told on my new battery for my 350. The old one would die after 2 days of reading. The new one after a couple charges/depletions is lasting longer about 5-6 days with a lot of reading.

I got my battery off amazon I forget who the seller was.

[filmo]

These batteries do not have easy to measure voltage curve as battery discharges to see state of charge. More of sharp voltage drop when battery is depleted just before it can't be charged by normal charger. This is reason for multiple charge cycles teaching when new battery is fully charged or depleted to point it must be charged. When battery must be charged, battery manager will not let reader operate from battery power until charged. Battery manager also learns when battery is fully charged.

[beautifulsoup]

Is it possible to get a back up reader at this late date...or do I need to use the Sony Desktop to make it "work?"

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by beautifulsoup

Is it possible to get a back up reader at this late date...or do I need to use the Sony Desktop to make it "work?"

Do you mean a backup for a specific model? It seems like there are several models of refurbished Sony eReaders for sale at various places.

[HarryT]

Seems a complete waste of time to me to buy backup readers. The technology is evolving so quickly that who would want to use obsolete models? The devices I'm reading on now (Kindle PW2 and iPad Retina Mini) are vastly superior to what I was reading on a couple of years ago, and I'm sure that what I'm reading on in another couple of years will be better than what I have now.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Seems a complete waste of time to me to buy backup readers. The technology is evolving so quickly that who would want to use obsolete models? The devices I'm reading on now (Kindle PW2 and iPad Retina Mini) are vastly superior to what I was reading on a couple of years ago, and I'm sure that what I'm reading on in another couple of years will be better than what I have now.

Different people have different tastes. I, for one, got eyestrain when trying to use the backlit e-Ink eReaders. So that rules out the Paperwhites and Glo(wlights) for me. If those are ruled out, you pretty much have the same screen quality for a lot of different e-Ink eReaders, so then it becomes a matter of features and/or device build quality and hardware configuration. The old Sony eReaders had a certain aesthetic appeal to a lot of people. They "feel good" in your hand and aren't made of plastic. I'm still considering picking up a Sony PRS-350 (for its smaller size and build) but I really need another eReader like I need a hole in the head.

As for an LCD, no matter how good, that's not even a consideration as an eReader for me. I may use my Motorola Admiral smartphone for short reading stints, but not for any serious reading.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by rcentros

As for an LCD, no matter how good, that's not even a consideration as an eReader for me. I may use my Android Motorola Admiral for short reading stints, but not for any serious reading.

Are you not reading this on an LCD screen right now?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are you not reading this on an LCD screen right now?

Yep. But there's a very definite difference between reading a book and the activities of browsing, or reading and responding to posts on a computer. With an eReader I spend hours looking down at the same screen, scanning across it line after line, "turning the page" and scanning line after line again, and so on, for page after page after page. I don't sit and read -- line after line -- on a computer for hours. Completely different activities. There's no way I would read books on my computer. Even a long news story can cause eyestrain. For me, at any rate, e-Ink eReaders are vastly superior to LCD screens for reading. For browsing ... that's another story altogether.

[HarryT]

Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you that eInk devices are better for reading on, but "hurting your eyes" generally simply means that you have the backlight set too bright. Think about it for a minute: your brain doesn't care whether the screen is emitting light or reflecting it from another light source - the net result of either is that photons enter your eye and stimulate the optic nerve. There's no physical reason that an LCD screen should be worse for your eyes than an eInk screen.

I read on both eInk (Kindle PW2) and LCD (Apple iPad Mini), and each has pros and cons. The Kindle is lighter to hold, and far more readable in direct sunlight; the iPad has a larger screen and is of course in colour, which can be beneficial for some types of reading material. Both are good reading devices.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you that eInk devices are better for reading on, but "hurting your eyes" generally simply means that you have the backlight set too bright. Think about it for a minute: your brain doesn't care whether the screen is emitting light or reflecting it from another light source - the net result of either is that photons enter your eye and stimulate the optic nerve. There's no physical reason that an LCD screen should be worse for your eyes than an eInk screen.

I read on both eInk (Kindle PW2) and LCD (Apple iPad Mini), and each has pros and cons. The Kindle is lighter to hold, and far more readable in direct sunlight; the iPad has a larger screen and is of course in colour, which can be beneficial for some types of reading material. Both are good reading devices.

You may be right about LCD screens being too bright because, when I used to try to read on them, I was always fidgeting with the LCD's brightness setting, or background color settings. But, for some reason, I could never get it right and it was always an "uncomfortable" reading experience for me. I'm quite willing to believe that not everyone is the same, or has the same experience, but -- for me -- there is no doubt that LCD screens cause eyestrain.

As for "no physical reason why LCD screens are worse ..." there seems to be some debate on that subject. I considered looking up some of the studies, but realize that these are often biased, depending on who commissioned them. I can only go by personal experience. LCD screens simply aren't as comfortable on my eyes as are e-Ink displays.

I'll have to take your word for it on reading with the iPad Mini. I'll never own one ... for several reasons -- for one I just don't have much use for a tablet (any tablet). And then there's the cost and battery life issues (as an eReader, I don't know how the iPad Mini's battery life compares to other tablets). And, there's the fact that Apple patented "rectangles with corners" and used that to try to shut down and/or extort money from other tablet makers. That was pretty much the nail on the iPad coffin for me.

e-Ink readers, on the other hand, I find to be fantastic for reading. I almost exclusively read non-illustrated books (no magazines at all) so there is very little reason for a color eReader, in my case.

[HarryT]

My primary reason for having the iPad is that I'm doing a part-time degree in Egyptology, which involves reading a great many academic PDF, many of which have colour illustrations. The iPad is (for me) the perfect PDF reader. For fiction, however, the Kindle is the clear winner.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

My primary reason for having the iPad is that I'm doing a part-time degree in Egyptology, which involves reading a great many academic PDF, many of which have colour illustrations. The iPad is (for me) the perfect PDF reader. For fiction, however, the Kindle is the clear winner.

I definitely would not want to try to read PDFs (any PDFs, illustrations and charts would make it worse) on a standard eReader. I own an HP TouchPad, which mostly gets "used" once a month when I recharge it, but I do have a PDF Asterisk (VoIP phone switch) manual that displays well on it. If I were still active as a Nortel (now Avaya) PBX tech, I would definitely look into loading my PDF manuals on to a tablet. But, in my case, this would be more like browsing or looking up specific references.

You're right, there is no one solution. Whatever works, works.

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Seems a complete waste of time to me to buy backup readers. The technology is evolving so quickly that who would want to use obsolete models? The devices I'm reading on now (Kindle PW2 and iPad Retina Mini) are vastly superior to what I was reading on a couple of years ago, and I'm sure that what I'm reading on in another couple of years will be better than what I have now.

Harry, I do so agree ...................

But, I don't know, my little old 350 is so handy to travel with, and it still feels so satisfying to hold ............
And my 650 is just so nice to use.......

Somehow, I think I can see me just trying to keep 'em going as long as I can, without taking too heroic measures, sentimental old fool that I am .....

But I can still me succumbing to the lure of the new ....

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Harry, I do so agree ...................

But, I don't know, my little old 350 is so handy to travel with, and it still feels so satisfying to hold ............
And my 650 is just so nice to use.......

Somehow, I think I can see me just trying to keep 'em going as long as I can, without taking too heroic measures, sentimental old fool that I am .....

But I can still me succumbing to the lure of the new ....

I have a PRS350, too, but I honestly wouldn't want to use it these days. The modern devices are so much better.