Help! Mysterious Broken Screen!!

[ErwinOtten]

Originally Posted by darex

I would love to hear from more users who have had good experiences with the Cybook. I.e. normal useage carrying it around in a bag as you would a mobile phone and it not breaking.

I have my Cybook since august 2008, that's half a year now. I take it to work every day in a backpack. The only precaution I take is that I put it between my lunchbox and a writing-pad so it can't get flexed (and it's in his cover ofcourse).
No problems what so ever, only my (non leather) cover is getting some use-marks.

Am I satisfied with my cybook? Yes, 120%

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you mean "October 2007", Jon? It's more than 5 months old, isn't it? Or did you buy another one?

Yes, I did mean 2007. Typo. So it's almost 1 year 5 month old.

[darex]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There have been plenty of reports of broken screens in the Sony forum. Given that the two machines use an identical screen, it's just as likely to break as a CyBook's screen if you do something silly like sit on it.

Do you want a Sony or do you want a CyBook? It's like asking "should I buy an apple or an orange?". They are different machines with different capabilities. The Sony is undoubtedly better engineered; the CyBook is equally undoubtedly (IMHO) streets ahead when it comes to software, with Mobi support, dictionary lookup, the ability to load any font you wish onto the machine, and also in some hardware features, such as having a user-replaceable battery.

Both machines are good - but different. What features are you looking for in an eBook reader?

Thanks people for the responses.

Harry - I would like the machine in order to read text files that I have created from internet pages and also from word docs. I.e. cutting and pasting text from various sources

Eventually I would like to be able to browse the internet using an e-ink device as my eyes get very sore quickly using conventional screens - however at the moment this seems to be in its infancy with only one version of the iRex digital reader having a basic browser and that is too expensive for me at this point for something that is still in its infancy.

[HarryT]

Given your requirements, I suspect that the Sony Reader would suit you better than the CyBook. It will display RTF files, which the CyBook won't.

[anahid]

I use cybook to read my own created doc files, converted with mobipocket reader, as I make my own resumees from my text books, and it works perfectly well, although usually the mobipocket reader does not import all the formatting. Also pdf documents are perfectñy converted with the mobipocket reader.

anahid

[EowynCarter]

Well, e-readers screens are fragile, cybook or not it seams.

I had the bad surprise to find my screen loking like that :
image


Bokeen told me "the screen has hit there". I don't know when or how, but traces on the case and screen had told me so. I had to pay for the replacement, but, i was glad of the fact the reader spent only one week out of my hands
I learned the lesson, e-reader in bag front pocket + bumping said bag everywhere = BAD !
i now put the reader inside the bag, screen in my direction. So any shok would hit the back of the reader, rather than the screen.

That one looked like to me it was hit too.
image

Same, a brocken Irex screen looked more like this.

These images where the screen became partly blank, still showing part of the letters, for no apparent reason, make me thing it's someting else. But what. That i can't figure out.

[discourse]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Well, e-readers screens are fragile, cybook or not it seams.

I had the bad surprise to find my screen loking like that :
image


Bokeen told me "the screen has hit there". I don't know when or how, but traces on the case and screen had told me so. I had to pay for the replacement, but, i was glad of the fact the reader spent only one week out of my hands
I learned the lesson, e-reader in bag front pocket + bumping said bag everywhere = BAD !
i now put the reader inside the bag, screen in my direction. So any shok would hit the back of the reader, rather than the screen.

That one looked like to me it was hit too.
image

Same, a brocken Irex screen looked more like this.

These images where the screen became partly blank, still showing part of the letters, for no apparent reason, make me thing it's someting else. But what. That i can't figure out.

Is there any way of getting a replacement screen from anyone other than Bookeen in order to do a diy repair?

[Godzil]

As far as I know, no it's not possible, changing the screen is not just "I remove the bad one, and put a new one" it need some technician manipulation on the device to change some parameters due to the new screen and Bookeen is the only one able to do this on their Cybook, and it's true for all eInk devices.

[EowynCarter]

As far as I know, no it's not possible, changing the screen is not just "I remove the bad one, and put a new one"

Given the time needed by bookeen, it seams pretty easy, and not requiering that much tools.
However, even if you can get a screen from bookeen or netronix, you'll still have to pay for it.
Plus, doing that yourself will very probably void the warrenty.
I'll definitifly ship the reader to bookeen. And don't hesitate to put money so your pakage is properly done, and get some warrenty on it.

[HarryT]

The price of a screen replacement (€120) appears to be pretty much what PVI (the screen manufacturer) do actually charge for the replacement unit. I don't think that they are "profiting" from screen repairs, and you probably wouldn't save any money by replacing it yourself.

[Vesper]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The price of a screen replacement (€120) appears to be pretty much what PVI (the screen manufacturer) do actually charge for the replacement unit. I don't think that they are "profiting" from screen repairs, and you probably wouldn't save any money by replacing it yourself.

Not to mention the problem of importing the screen and wrestling with customs

DrS

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Godzil

As far as I know, no it's not possible, changing the screen is not just "I remove the bad one, and put a new one" it need some technician manipulation on the device to change some parameters due to the new screen and Bookeen is the only one able to do this on their Cybook, and it's true for all eInk devices.

I do not think they replace the screen at all. I have seen no reports of people getting a unit with replaces screens. Everybody seems to get a totally new unit instead.

[Godzil]

What I know (from discution with Bookeen and some other device producer) is that eInk screen need to be set to work correctly (ghosting and some more parameters) and it's not an easy task.

Tompe: maybe at some time they didn't change the screen but they do actualy, it happen to me for mine Gen3

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by tompe

I do not think they replace the screen at all. I have seen no reports of people getting a unit with replaces screens. Everybody seems to get a totally new unit instead.

I certainly got the same one back

[Ortep]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

I certainly got the same one back

I didn't

I had an old 64 kb one and I got a brand new 512 kb back.