[John Bailey]

Wasn't there one manufacturer that dispensed with the glass component of the display, and made an e-ink display that they demonstrated being hit by a shoe? Plastic Logic I think.. When these displays come out, there will be a truly pocket friendly e-ink display.

With my limited engineering knowledge, even I know that glass doesn't flex very well, so anything that may lead to flexing is a thing to avoid when considering a very thin device with very little extra rigidity. My Cybook is a few mil thick, and has only a plastic case and a circuit board to support the screen. Not a heavy steel chassis. I can remember having credit card style pocket calculators years ago and I cracked the display when they got squeezed against the sides of my filofax, so I can imagine very little flexing being needed to break the glass layer of current e-ink display. A little pressure on the screen, or a twist to the frame and game over.

My Cybook lives in it's case all the time. The only time it is taken out is when I have to reset it for any reason, which is not often, and put straight back in. I know WH Smith has a very accommodating warranty policy, but I wouldn't take advantage of their generosity by returning the device under warranty for something that happened due to my carelessness.

In this case, my money is on the whole device being subjected to shearing forces, which even though light, were enough to stress the glass and snap it.