Help! Mysterious Broken Screen!!

[weareborg]

Hi all,
Truly mystified and very saddened.
I switched on my cybook this evening to be greated by this broken screen.
I don't know what could have caused it!
Does this look familiar to anyone?
Looks serious to me and this thing has not left my nightstand in over 2 months!
Anyone got any advice?

Cheers in advance.
wab

[HarryT]

Broken screen substrate . Your Gen3 has unquestionably suffered some kind of mechanical impact - the substrate doesn't break spontaneously; it's a physical breakage, not an "electronic" problem. It's not covered by the warranty - Bookeen will charge you €120 to replace the screen.

You can at least look on the bright side that is it repairable. If you did the same thing to a Kindle, you'd have to throw the whole thing in the garbage, because Amazon don't offer a repair service.

Sorry.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Broken screen substrate . Your Gen3 has unquestionably suffered some kind of mechanical impact - the substrate doesn't break spontaneously;

How do you know that? Why can it not be a manufacturing defect and it breaks spontaneously?

[HarryT]

How could a manufacturing defect cause a piece of glass to spontaneously break after several months of everyday use? Sounds extremely improbable to me! If it was "stressed" during manufacture, it's going to break right away, don't you think?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How could a manufacturing defect cause a piece of glass to spontaneously break after several months of everyday use? Sounds extremely improbable to me! If it was "stressed" during manufacture, it's going to break right away, don't you think?

No, I do not think it will break right away. If you put pressure outside the specification on something I would guess it would break some time in the future and that it can take a long time for it to break.

[HarryT]

Of course we don't know for certain, but the simplest explanation - that it's had a knock - is, I think, by far the most likely one, and I very strongly suspect that Bookeen are going to say the same.

If you bought a delicate glass ornament, and several months later took it back to the store where you'd bought it and said "it just broke all on its own", I don't think the shop would be very likely to exchange it free of charge - do you?

Perhaps Bookeen will think differently and swap the screen for free. I don't know, but it's only fair to warn the original poster that this is very unlikely to happen, and that there will be a €120 charge for a screen replacement.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Of course we don't know for certain, but the simplest explanation - that it's had a knock - is, I think, by far the most likely one, and I very strongly suspect that Bookeen are going to say the same.

If you bought a delicate glass ornament, and several months later took it back to the store where you'd bought it and said "it just broke all on its own", I don't think the shop would be very likely to exchange it free of charge - do you?

It is a question of evidence.

But your statement was a factual statement that some specific things do not break spontaneously and I think that statement is wrong.

[montsnmags]

If the question is as to whether a manufacturing-related problem could have caused the problem, then I can perceive (but only in the absence of any specific knowledge) a circumstance whereby torsion might be applied during the layering of the unit's parts (eg. let's say warping of the bed in which the substrate perhaps sits) which, while not causing breakage, might mean that a "knock" or pressure at some time in the future, of far less than that which normally is required or expected, might push the screen past its tolerance to cracking. Unlike the delicate glass ornament, the ebook device undergoes far more handling and varied circumstance.

However, as to whether this is a position that can be successfully argued against the manufacturer/seller of the unit, who would almost certainly suggest from their position of knowledge of said manufacturing process that this is not the case, well, as you say, Harry, I suspect this is "very unlikely to happen".

This does not mean, however, from the original poster's advice of the circumstance of the breakage, that I do not wish them success in their endeavour to claim under warranty.

Cheers,
Marc

[HarryT]

I have never come across spontaneous breakage such as you describe, Tommy. If you have, and you have evidence that it does happen, I'm sure that the original poster would be very grateful if you could supply him with that evidence to give to Bookeen to lend weight to his argument for a warranty repair.

[Sparrow]

It seems to me that the CyBook isn't robust enough for the purpose for which it is sold.
I can't see where the Bookeen site alerts potential customers to the fragility of the device; and they sell it without a cover (suggesting such protection isn't essential).
People aren't breaking their screens deliberately, and yet it seems the device can't withstand a relatively trivial knock.
I haven't had any problems with my CyBook so far, but I treat it far more gingerly than any other mobile device I own. If I'd had the same experinces as some of those reported here, I'd conclude the fault is in the design, and the CyBook isn't really fit for the purpose for which it's sold.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I have never come across spontaneous breakage such as you describe, Tommy. If you have, and you have evidence that it does happen, I'm sure that the original poster would be very grateful if you could supply him with that evidence to give to Bookeen to lend weight to his argument for a warranty repair.

There is even a wikipedia entry for spontaneous breaking of glass:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_glass_breakage

So if it can happen with certain types of glass why rule out that it can happen for an E-ink device?

[Over]

Great! Now everyone with a Cybook will think they might have a time bomb in their hands. Ready to break apart any minute.

[HarryT]

Remember that the Gen3 uses exactly the same screen as the Kindle, Sony, and various other models of eInk Reader. This is NOT a normal occurance. Treat it as you would, say, a laptop PC, and you'll be just fine. Applying pressure to a point on the screen, or a twisting motion to the case, is what breaks the substrate.

[weareborg]

Cheers for all replys guys. interesting debate. Yes it looks to me like broken glass but I'm mystified as to how this could happen.
If I was toting it around regularly it might explain it, but here's the thing...it has not left my drawer on my nightstand for months! Nothing is or was placed on top of it in the drawer. Simple as that really. Thats why I'm mystified as to why it could happen. No one goes near the drawer. I finished reading it a couple of nights ago put it in the drawer, left it there, got into bed the next night, took it out, popped out the SD card and loaded some more books and then popped it back in and switched it on. Only then did I see the broken screen.
Bookeen to their credit have replied promptly, an email was dispatched last night with a reply earlier today and unfortunately it was as Harry T suggested. 120 euro to replace the screen + postage.
My biggest concern now is them shipping it back.
I hope its wrapped in giant bubble wrap in a big box or something...

[HarryT]

It's always fraustrating when you can't figure out HOW something like this happened, isn't it? You don't think there's a possibility that you could have inadvertently put your hand on it while you were sitting up in bed, or anything like that?

Very annoying - you have my sympathy.