Quote:
Originally Posted by johndoesecond
Hi mgmueller,
Great post, you’ve been so helpful!
You really seem to be the best person around to ask this question.
It's of course essential to compare features and functional characteristics of these devices, but I would like to learn something more about their expected durability, at least from your “senatorial” perspective of a veteran user of e-readers.
How much do they last before they break? How do your champion devices compare on this regard?
And more generally, how fragile/robust these devices and their e-ink screens really are, say, in comparison to standard LCD notebooks and netbooks?
I’m used to keep my notebooks for years, and usually buy new not because the old ones break, but simply for they become sort of obsolete. Can we expect that sort of durability these from e-readers?
I just got myself Kindle DX, so I would appreciate if you can tell me your opinion on that one in comparison to iRexes and Sonies (is that how you form those plurals?), with regard to this specific issue. Kindle DX has a short running history (less than one year since its initial U.S. release), but from what you’ve seen/tried/heard, could I expect it to last for 3-5 years?
Just how much extra care should one put into handling, using and carrying these devices around ? What would your recommended best-practice care be?
Thank you in advance.
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I'm not really worried about durability. 7 of my 13 readers I've ordered from the US, meaning limited/complicated warranty.
If I look back at my other gadgets, it's usually the "mobile/moving parts" that fail. In Notebooks for example it has been the harddisk a few times.
So I don't see too much risk in eBook devices.
Basically, it comes down to 3 risks for me:
- Scratching the screen. Mainly a risk for touch sensitive screens, i.e. Sony 600/700/900. I couldn't bring myself to applying a protector yet. So I only transport them in their cover. For long/bumby trips I additionally pack them into a protective sleeve. While using I carefully check the stylus and am careful in general.
- Breaking the screen. Quite a few members have reported, having broken their screen. I see this as a problem while transporting, not while in usage. When transporting them, I fix them in my bag, so they can't bump into anything and I secure them against torsion.
- Breaking or tearing the buttons, especially the page-turning buttons. This to me seems the biggest risk. I guess I read about 100 ebooks per year. That's probably about 50 000 page turns per year. Looking at the mechanics of some units, that's a bit frightening.
Well, having 13 readers helps - I spread the pages over a few units
. But this can't be the solution of course.
I think, in this issue we've got the biggest difference between the various units.
I'm not so sure about both Kindles. Their clicking does sound quite mechanical. I'm even more worried about the 5-way-button, which seems awfully fragile.
I absolutely don't like Sony 300 for that. You only can turn pages with the 5-way-button, which isn't very ergonomic and seems extremely demanding.
I'm not using the touchscreen gesture on Sony for turning pages, so it's the same stress on them.
My gut feeling for ranking my unit into 3 groups:
Group #1 (seeming most robust):
Sony 505, iRex iLiad, iRex 800, iRex 1000S
[Sony 505 having various ways to turn pages and a "perfect" cover. iRex having WACOM touchscreen = not touch sensitive = robust touchscreen with various options for turning pages]
Group #2 (maybe a bit less robust than group #1):
Sony 600, Sony 700, Sony 900, Kindle DX, Kindle 2
[Sony having touch sensitive screen, which probably is less robust than WACOM. Kindle seeming a bit "mechanic"]
Group #3 (the ones I'm worried the most about):
Sony 300, BeBook, Cybook Gen3, Cybook Opus
[Sony only having a single button for turning pages, as long as you don't use a firmware hack. BeBook seeming very cheap in it's entire design, which applies to the buttons as well - disappointing considering the very advanced OS. Cybook very much focussing on the 5-way-button]
Meaning: Always protect the screen with a cover. When transporting, make sure nothing can slip between cover and screen (for example a pen in your bag). Maybe even use an additional sleeve for traveling.
Personally, I find it preferable to have a reader, which doesn't lay all the functions on a single button, so the stress can be spread over various buttons.
Concerning lifetime: My first iRex iLiad was stolen, my 2nd one is my oldest unit, now about 20 months. So far, I didn't have any problems with any of my units.
But I don't expect 5 years - and quite frankly I'm not aiming for it either.
I'm not calculating any ROI (and I'm not even sure, I'll have savings compared to paper books at all, which you can resell or purchase them used or ...). But I'm estimating the ratio between hardware and content/eBooks.
When reading 100 eBooks per year and mainly using 3 readers, costs per reader for the eBooks will be about
: 100 x $ 10 / 3 = $ 333 per year and reader for the content. If I assume a lifetime of 2 years for every unit and $ 400 on average per reader (some way cheaper, some more expensive), it's $ 200 per year and reader for the hardware.
So, even when spreading my books over 3 readers, costs for books are way higher than costs for the hardware. When using 1 or 2 readers, it's even more extreme.
So my main concern is, which book to buy in which format. Or which format to prefer in general.