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Originally Posted by dancalli
If you don't mind not going the e-ink path, you can get an all-weather android phone, e.g. Sony Xperia Active or Motorola Defy+. Disadvantages are, of course, smaller screens, glare, battery life (get a solar charger), but you can read in the dark and get useful apps like maps and gps.
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That might work camping, but it won't work backpacking. Battery life is way too short and those solar chargers are slow and only work in the sun (which might be okay for a desert hike, though, but not hiking through the woods. Also, if you need a gps for hiking, you should get a real outdoors one - like a Garmin GPSmap 60 - one that is actually submersible, not just "water resistant".
Quote:
Originally Posted by NicholasV
What do you mean "backpacking"? If you mean in the wilderness, hiking on difficult terrain, exposed to the elements, obviously paper books are still king, because eventually you will fall a few times and there are not gonna be military spec e-readers for a long time that can handle that abuse.
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The problem with paper books is that they are heavy and you might need several to be safe if you're out for a week or so in bad weather. I don't think I've ever fallen backpacking...although I have watched people's packs take some pretty big falls when then set them too close to a cliff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksilver
I expect to be doing some extreme activities during my travels, including rock climbing etc...but I wouldn't be carrying my e-book reader with me!
The reason why my old reader broke is because the cover for it was flexible and, because my backpack is always fully packed, the screen flexed and shattered.
I don't really need my device to be water-proof since I have waterproof bags for these sort of things. I'm more worried about the screen breaking.
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Something I started doing a few years ago is taking a small mp3 player loaded with audiobooks with me. The weight can't be beat, it's easy to protect (put it in a plastic soap carrier inside a ziploc bag), and I find it more relaxing to lie in my tent at night in the dark listening to a book than I do with my headlight on inside the tent.