Quote:
Originally Posted by Kore
Would you mind specifying where exactly is that "Advanced Exchange"? I am interested.
Also, a little question: When I change screens on my PRS-600, I can slightly see the previous on the background of my current one (if I try). Even when I press Continue Reading and it loads a book page, I can see the Continue Reading box, icon and caption text very dimly. It all disappears once I go forward or backward in the book since the whole screen refreshes, though. Is this normal?
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As I understand it, units purchased in the U.S. within the first 90 days of the warranty qualify for "Advanced Exchange". I didn't have to "sign up" for it. It is not an extended warranty. The PRS-600 warranty is 90 days parts and labor, and then the remainder of the year, Sony pays for the parts, the customer pays for labor and shipping.
You can read the details of this warranty online or download the pdf - which also includes support telephone numbers for the US and Canada.
The "after-image" behavior you are describing is called "ghosting" and can happen with e-ink devices. Most e-ink e-readers do some version of a "wipe" between screen changes, such as reversing all the previous characters, or making the entire screen "black", then "white" before rendering the next page. It seems the PRS-600 does the latter. My current PRS-600 doesn't show any ghosting at all; I don't recall if this occurred with the previous, defective screen...
In any case, it sounds like you could do with a replacement. But if you are outside the first 90 days from date of purchase, it might be a gamble. With the advanced replacement program they ship you a replacement unit, along with a UPS label to send back your original--so you have the opportunity to compare them side-by-side. From what I've heard, after 90 days are past, you have to ship your old unit, wait until they send it back "repaired" or "replaced" - and then hope that the screen doesn't have the same problem.
People have complained that Sony will not check units before sending them out for this problem - it was against their "procedure" as of a month or two ago. Maybe if they get enough complaints about the screen issue, they'll be more proactive about it. But I suspect a lot of folks either don't notice until it's too late to do anything (easily) about it, they believe the Sony customer support person that tells them "this is normal" (this apparently happens), or they just live with it.
I love my PRS-600, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others--with a few caveats. The screen doesn't have the "whiteness" of some other e-readers, and this bugs some people. This can be overcome with the right lighting (even the right color LED book lamp can make a huge improvement in this regard). Plus, one gets used to it...at least I did.
The touch-screen adds a lot of extra functionality to the device, but this causes the power to drain more quickly. Not a big deal for me--but some people expect e-readers to last two weeks on a single charge, and they need to understand how the touch screen factors into this equation.
The touch-screen layer also adds the infamous "glare" problem - but this is pretty easily worked around. There are some reading circumstances that are more challenging than others, but one gets used to automatically tilting it for best readability.
BUT--the one thing I would recommend to anyone purchasing a PRS-600 is to take it out into bright sunlight ASAP and test the screen for fading. Most stores have a 30 day return policy that might be a bit simpler than dealing with Sony.