how fragile are readers?

Janette55 · 04-12-2011, 12:55 PM

I am considering buying my grandson a Sony ereader. Not an expensive one, one that is "cheap", around $100-$125 (not that that is really cheap, but compared to $300 or more).

What I am concerned about is how fragile it or other readers can be. He has a netbook and a Nintend DSL, and seems to be responsible with them, but I am not sure how different an ereader is, in sensitivity of electronics, handling temperature changes and such.

He is 10 years old, and is ADHD (poor kid was double whamied, his mom and dad are both ADHD). I know he won't be rough with it, but I do worry he will be reading it while out, get distracted, lay t down and leave it out exposed to the weather. Middle one left his Nintendo on the ground all night. If seems fine, but still . . .
I know he won't just toss it around, be intenionally careless, but if he was to put it in his backpack and then leave it in the van, or even outside, would that hurt it? Would it hurt it if he tosses his backpack in the van? Are there covers that will protect it? Those are my worries.

Asawi · 04-12-2011, 03:27 PM

I really can't say how fragile they are. I haven't had mine go through much rough treatment yet. A good cover is a must though if he's going to have it in his backpack that might be thrown around like it be for any 10-year-old.
The Sony can be a bit expensive, but right now the PRS-350 is $119 at Best Buy. It's of good build quality and although it of course can't be handled really rough, it is pretty sturdy. "Bending" (there's probably a better word for it, but I can't think of one right now) can be an issue for devices like this, and because the Sony's small dimension I woudl say that risk is realtively small.

Joykins · 04-12-2011, 03:44 PM

With a good protective cover and maybe a filmy screen cover if available (to prevent scratching, I think it would stand up to a lot more jostling than it would unprotected. I mean, you don't want to drop the thing on concrete or allow something to scratch the screen. But it should handle normal backpack handling with a cover. There are some good covers out there, some zip up and have built in lights and everything.

FF2 · 04-12-2011, 04:04 PM

Rain or sprinklers will not be good for any electronic device.

ZombieEatsYou · 04-12-2011, 04:21 PM

Sony's are cased in metal, so with a good cover, he should be fine. I had a heavy BA degree case fall 3 feet and the corner of the degree hit the Sony dead on about a half inch away from the screen. Put a teeny dent in the sony but otherwise not damaged at all.

faithbw · 04-12-2011, 04:58 PM

I think as long as he has a good cover, his e-reader should be fine. If he's carrying it in his backpack, I would just pack it carefully enough where it won't get smashed by other books (if he carries a lot of books). I would stress though never to leave it unattended. When I worked at a school, some children would bring electronics and use them during recess but then would want to play with the other children during recess. Most of them would leave the electronic device with a teacher but some would leave on a bench. Fortunately, there weren't any accidents but still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

kjk · 04-12-2011, 05:43 PM

My Sony 505 felt about as solid as a piece of electronics with a big display could feel...had no worries letting my then 12 year old son use it with abandon.

Poppaea · 04-12-2011, 05:49 PM

Cat just walked over the display. Cat does look fine. So does reader.

Filark · 04-13-2011, 06:11 AM

lol, Poppaea! I had that happen yesterday with my eDGe. Same result -- both cat and reader just fine!

As for the Sony, mine is in an m-edge case (with a light, but doesn't have to have that) and it is very well protected. The case adds some weight and heft, but it opens and closes easily (I have their "executive" case) and would keep the device safe in a backpack or outdoors (barring rain) as long as it's closed. Also, a screen protector is a must, in my opinion.

Nice gift!

Oops, and gosh darn! M-edge doesn't make the executive jacket for PRS-350.

But perhaps this: http://www.medgestore.com/products/p...?device=prs350 is just as good or better. And I'm sure you'll let him choose a skin for his device, too, which is protection from scratches and will make it truly his own.

Poppaea · 04-13-2011, 07:11 AM

I should have said it was the very first time cat walked on the naked screen not on the closed cover. But no problem. Those admirably soft paws left no mark and cat is more on the porky side of silhoutes

We strongly dislike skins and a screen protector is not needed with the x50's.

jbcohen · 04-13-2011, 07:43 AM

Two stories to tell that will shed some light on this subject matter at hand:

1) I had and still have an Aluratek Libra Pro that I dropped onto cement sidewalk from waist high and it sustained a cracked screen from the fall. Needed to repalce the reader.

2) My blackberry Storm is my electronic reader at the moment, let's put aside critisisms of this approach to foucs on the issue at hand. I acidently dropped the blackberry from a second story window, ran down to get it, brushed it off and it recovered fine, would not know that anything happened to it.

WillAdams · 04-13-2011, 07:52 AM

I'm w/ everyone on this, but esp. jbcohen --- the reader bodies and cases are sturdy, but the screens are incredibly fragile.

If the child can be trusted not to drop it (and you can trust yourself not to over-react when it is) and to be carried carefully so that the screen is always protected, it may be okay for you and yours --- for my part, I gave my son an old spare Fujitsu Stylistic which I wouldn't mind if he broke.

William

ProfCrash · 04-13-2011, 12:29 PM

I have dropped my Kindle in its Oberon cover from four feet and had no problems using it.

Mostly it depends on if the case is in a cover and the angle that the device lands. The screens are fragile, I treat my screen the same way I would a laptop or netbook screen.

And as someone who is an Adult with ADHD (my Dr says I am the poster child, that makes me proud for some strange reason) I can say that with proper behavior modification, love, support, and advocacy at school (they really can try and screw over kids with learning disabilities and ADD) that your Grandson should do very well in life. There are no limits. If anything, he is likely to be more creative and look at problems differently then others. If he can harness that he will thrive because people like working with folks who view problems in a different fashion, many times their view helps to identify a way of dealing with said problem.

grumpy3b · 04-13-2011, 12:40 PM

odds are the small 5" reader is a better bet as the slightly smaller screen should have less flex in it and be more resistant to the torquing force that is the usual killer of these screens. Add a nice rigid cover of some sort, maybe even with a book-light built in as being ADHD he might wake up often at night so reading might help him fall back asleep.

he'll love ya for the reader.

04-12-2011, 12:55 PM	#1
Janette55 Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 2056 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ohio Device: Sony 900	how fragile are readers? I am considering buying my grandson a Sony ereader. Not an expensive one, one that is "cheap", around $100-$125 (not that that is really cheap, but compared to $300 or more). What I am concerned about is how fragile it or other readers can be. He has a netbook and a Nintend DSL, and seems to be responsible with them, but I am not sure how different an ereader is, in sensitivity of electronics, handling temperature changes and such. He is 10 years old, and is ADHD (poor kid was double whamied, his mom and dad are both ADHD). I know he won't be rough with it, but I do worry he will be reading it while out, get distracted, lay t down and leave it out exposed to the weather. Middle one left his Nintendo on the ground all night. If seems fine, but still . . . I know he won't just toss it around, be intenionally careless, but if he was to put it in his backpack and then leave it in the van, or even outside, would that hurt it? Would it hurt it if he tosses his backpack in the van? Are there covers that will protect it? Those are my worries.

04-13-2011, 06:11 AM	#9
Filark Armed with a smile :) Posts: 1,421 Karma: 2463560 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: California, USA Device: enTourage eDGe & Pocket eDGe, Samsung Galaxy Note II	lol, Poppaea! I had that happen yesterday with my eDGe. Same result -- both cat and reader just fine! As for the Sony, mine is in an m-edge case (with a light, but doesn't have to have that) and it is very well protected. The case adds some weight and heft, but it opens and closes easily (I have their "executive" case) and would keep the device safe in a backpack or outdoors (barring rain) as long as it's closed. Also, a screen protector is a must, in my opinion. Nice gift! Oops, and gosh darn! M-edge doesn't make the executive jacket for PRS-350. But perhaps this: http://www.medgestore.com/products/p...?device=prs350 is just as good or better. And I'm sure you'll let him choose a skin for his device, too, which is protection from scratches and will make it truly his own. Last edited by Filark; 04-13-2011 at 06:27 AM. Reason: Added info from m-edge

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04-12-2011, 03:27 PM	#2
Asawi Gadgetoholic Posts: 1,462 Karma: 2731820 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Sweden Device: Kobo Libra2, Tolino Vision 6	I really can't say how fragile they are. I haven't had mine go through much rough treatment yet. A good cover is a must though if he's going to have it in his backpack that might be thrown around like it be for any 10-year-old. The Sony can be a bit expensive, but right now the PRS-350 is $119 at Best Buy. It's of good build quality and although it of course can't be handled really rough, it is pretty sturdy. "Bending" (there's probably a better word for it, but I can't think of one right now) can be an issue for devices like this, and because the Sony's small dimension I woudl say that risk is realtively small.

04-12-2011, 03:44 PM	#3
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,601 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	With a good protective cover and maybe a filmy screen cover if available (to prevent scratching, I think it would stand up to a lot more jostling than it would unprotected. I mean, you don't want to drop the thing on concrete or allow something to scratch the screen. But it should handle normal backpack handling with a cover. There are some good covers out there, some zip up and have built in lights and everything.

04-12-2011, 04:04 PM	#4
FF2 Wizard Posts: 1,105 Karma: 1025784 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: WiFi Kindle3	Rain or sprinklers will not be good for any electronic device.

04-12-2011, 04:21 PM	#5
ZombieEatsYou Groupie Posts: 176 Karma: 1001283 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Barricaded on the 2nd floor Device: Kindle Fire HD 7" & 8.9"/Sony PRS 950/Entourage eDGe/Acer A500	Sony's are cased in metal, so with a good cover, he should be fine. I had a heavy BA degree case fall 3 feet and the corner of the degree hit the Sony dead on about a half inch away from the screen. Put a teeny dent in the sony but otherwise not damaged at all.

04-12-2011, 04:58 PM	#6
faithbw Guru Posts: 618 Karma: 1526148 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: A place where the sun always shines Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Mini 2	I think as long as he has a good cover, his e-reader should be fine. If he's carrying it in his backpack, I would just pack it carefully enough where it won't get smashed by other books (if he carries a lot of books). I would stress though never to leave it unattended. When I worked at a school, some children would bring electronics and use them during recess but then would want to play with the other children during recess. Most of them would leave the electronic device with a teacher but some would leave on a bench. Fortunately, there weren't any accidents but still, it's better to be safe than sorry.

04-12-2011, 05:43 PM	#7
kjk . Posts: 3,408 Karma: 5647231 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: never enough	My Sony 505 felt about as solid as a piece of electronics with a big display could feel...had no worries letting my then 12 year old son use it with abandon.

04-12-2011, 05:49 PM	#8
Poppaea Lucifer's Bat Posts: 2,536 Karma: 19491715 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Earth/Berlin Device: Kobo Libra 2	Cat just walked over the display. Cat does look fine. So does reader.

04-13-2011, 07:11 AM	#10
Poppaea Lucifer's Bat Posts: 2,536 Karma: 19491715 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Earth/Berlin Device: Kobo Libra 2	I should have said it was the very first time cat walked on the naked screen not on the closed cover. But no problem. Those admirably soft paws left no mark and cat is more on the porky side of silhoutes We strongly dislike skins and a screen protector is not needed with the x50's.

04-13-2011, 07:43 AM	#11
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Two stories to tell that will shed some light on this subject matter at hand: 1) I had and still have an Aluratek Libra Pro that I dropped onto cement sidewalk from waist high and it sustained a cracked screen from the fall. Needed to repalce the reader. 2) My blackberry Storm is my electronic reader at the moment, let's put aside critisisms of this approach to foucs on the issue at hand. I acidently dropped the blackberry from a second story window, ran down to get it, brushed it off and it recovered fine, would not know that anything happened to it.

04-13-2011, 07:52 AM	#12
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,234 Karma: 3350652 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	I'm w/ everyone on this, but esp. jbcohen --- the reader bodies and cases are sturdy, but the screens are incredibly fragile. If the child can be trusted not to drop it (and you can trust yourself not to over-react when it is) and to be carried carefully so that the screen is always protected, it may be okay for you and yours --- for my part, I gave my son an old spare Fujitsu Stylistic which I wouldn't mind if he broke. William

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04-13-2011, 12:29 PM	#13
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I have dropped my Kindle in its Oberon cover from four feet and had no problems using it. Mostly it depends on if the case is in a cover and the angle that the device lands. The screens are fragile, I treat my screen the same way I would a laptop or netbook screen. And as someone who is an Adult with ADHD (my Dr says I am the poster child, that makes me proud for some strange reason) I can say that with proper behavior modification, love, support, and advocacy at school (they really can try and screw over kids with learning disabilities and ADD) that your Grandson should do very well in life. There are no limits. If anything, he is likely to be more creative and look at problems differently then others. If he can harness that he will thrive because people like working with folks who view problems in a different fashion, many times their view helps to identify a way of dealing with said problem.

04-13-2011, 12:40 PM	#14
grumpy3b Banned Posts: 246 Karma: 14967 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 2 (x2), Kindle 1, a couple old PDAs	odds are the small 5" reader is a better bet as the slightly smaller screen should have less flex in it and be more resistant to the torquing force that is the usual killer of these screens. Add a nice rigid cover of some sort, maybe even with a book-light built in as being ADHD he might wake up often at night so reading might help him fall back asleep. he'll love ya for the reader.