Average use of an ebook reader

erzebet · 05-31-2011, 02:33 PM

Hello all,

I have a Prestigio ebook reader since August last year - it was changed one time and now I can't recharge it anymore because some switch is not soldered anymore. This time, my warranty got canceled, as they considered it a mechanical defect - that's unfair. It was well attended (it was covered by a case and a screen protection) - never scratched it, never felt, never broke it, but I got all these problems with it.

What is the average use of an ebook reader? I use it at least 4 hours per day and during the weekend 8-9 hours.

I am thinking of switching to a new ebook reader - a sturdier one hopefully...

EowynCarter · 05-31-2011, 02:44 PM

I had the bad surprise to find my screen broken. Marks on the case make it pretty obvious the reader was badly hit. And i can't remember when or how that happened. That to say, maybe you reader did took a hit and you didn’t noticed.

Still, if that where the case, screen breakage would be way more likely than a broken soldiering. That's just not good... Soldiering don't break unless badly done or seriously manhandled.

khalleron · 05-31-2011, 02:47 PM

I've had my Sony PRS-505 for more than two years now - still runs like almost new (the battery has a bit less life than before, but I still get roughly 3 weeks per charge with heavy usage).

It's been dropped on concrete with only minor damage. I have various cases, but have never used a screen protector on it. I even read in the bathtub with a M-edge Leisure case.

There are people here who are still using a Kindle 1. I think some even still have PRS-500s and even a few eBookwises.

In other words, an ebook reader should last far longer than yours did.

Fiacha · 05-31-2011, 03:00 PM

There are weeks when I mostly read dead tree books. There are weeks when I only use my PRS-505. Thus the ranges.

From an hour and a half a day on three days during the week (while pedalling away at the gym) to 10 hours a day (when I get lost in a book that I HAVE to finish right away).

Average over the last three years is probably around 2 hours a day. I'm still using the the original device that I bought used on Ebay.

RainingLemur · 05-31-2011, 04:57 PM

I probably use mine about 3 hours a day. Some for a couple audio files I put on there throughout the day and the rest for reading on breaks and/or before bed.

benham · 05-31-2011, 10:00 PM

Same as KH with my Sony 505.

sassanik · 05-31-2011, 11:09 PM

I am perhaps not the best person to ask about it... no problems with my EB1150, but I managed to break my Cool-er 2 times while it was under warranty (to be fair they were software bugs) and then my PB360 1 time while under warranty.

For me? I would say they last about a year and a half before I manage to break them?

Amy

astra · 06-01-2011, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khalleron

(the battery has a bit less life than before, but I still get roughly 3 weeks per charge with heavy usage)

I had 2 weeks at most with very modest (no more than 2h per day) usage from the day one...
After 3 years it is 6-7 days.

About 2 hours weekdays and 2-4 hours weekends.

Hellmark · 06-01-2011, 07:05 PM

My 505 is 2 years old, but I still go weeks between charges, and read multiple books in that time. I do notice that some books drain the battery faster than others. For instance, if the book has just one huge HTML file, instead of being broken up into smaller ones for chapters and the like, it drains the battery much faster (I guess because it has to calculate more for formatting of the pages, I know it has to stop more often to format the pages). On the last charge, I read all three of the Hunger Games books, and half of the Game of Thrones. I still probably could have eeked more out of the battery (it was on one of 4 bars of battery life), but figured that was good enough and put it on my charger as I went to sleep.

As far as holding up, I carry mine with my every day, pretty much everywhere I go in my netbook bag. I've dropped the bag once, and even dropped the reader itself a couple times, and other than a few dings, it is fine (The metal construction was a large part of why I went Sony). It has actually faired better than my netbook (which has developed some stress cracks).

On yours, a broken solder joint is actually pretty easy to repair for someone who is good with an iron, so fear not. It just is sad that they won't stand behind their product. I mean, a mechanical defect is not the same as abuse. Calling it a defect means that there was something inherently weak or wrong with it from the point of manufacturer.

crich70 · 06-01-2011, 11:23 PM

If it is a bad solder joint it could be a cold solder joint in that it wasn't soldered properly during the manufacturing process. Such joints often work for a while then fail. I agree it aught to be an easy fix if you are careful with the solder iron. I once managed to fix a broken circuit board for a friend with little trouble. He'd wanted to put a larger antenna on a scanner box and rather than take the case off to drill the hole he did it with the case still in place so that when the bit went through it cracked the board. Cold solder joints are even easier than that to fix though. You just have to warm the joint up and reapply the solder carefully so that the solder flows over the joint and is solid rather than a bead of solder which is what happened at the factory.

khalleron · 06-01-2011, 11:30 PM

See, now if a CS person told me it was a mechanical defect, I would say, 'Yes, it is. So you should fix it.'

Admitting it's a defect and *then* claiming it's not under warranty is not kosher. It may also be against the law depending on where you are.

erzebet · 06-03-2011, 02:25 PM

Thanks for your answers - for the time being, my ebook reader is repaired, but when time will come, I won't bother to pay for a new one just for the warranty - and I doubt I will do this for other gadgets as well

Still, I may go for a Sony or a Kindle

Hellmark · 06-03-2011, 02:59 PM

If you do go new, go for a company that has a better customer service record. Many companies that make readers are not as bad as the one you have experienced.

samuelarnold · 06-04-2011, 06:19 AM

The Kindle DX is the closest you'll find with regard to screen size, but no color. No eBook reader exists that has everything you want.

aktarian · 06-04-2011, 06:53 AM

I have same one as you.

I use it 8-9 hours/day on some days, some days it simply lies on the table.

OT question: did you get the feeling that reader comsumes more power when reading .pdf files than .epub? (that is battery empties sooner)

05-31-2011, 02:33 PM	#1
erzebet Book Author Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Bucharest,Romania Device: Prestigio PER3162B - busted; Kindle 3G - still working!	Average use of an ebook reader Hello all, I have a Prestigio ebook reader since August last year - it was changed one time and now I can't recharge it anymore because some switch is not soldered anymore. This time, my warranty got canceled, as they considered it a mechanical defect - that's unfair. It was well attended (it was covered by a case and a screen protection) - never scratched it, never felt, never broke it, but I got all these problems with it. What is the average use of an ebook reader? I use it at least 4 hours per day and during the weekend 8-9 hours. I am thinking of switching to a new ebook reader - a sturdier one hopefully...

05-31-2011, 11:09 PM	#7
sassanik Guru Posts: 774 Karma: 1211741 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Oregon Device: EB1150, iPhone, Cool-er Purple, Pocketbook 360, Kindle Fire	well... I am perhaps not the best person to ask about it... no problems with my EB1150, but I managed to break my Cool-er 2 times while it was under warranty (to be fair they were software bugs) and then my PB360 1 time while under warranty. For me? I would say they last about a year and a half before I manage to break them? Amy

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05-31-2011, 02:44 PM	#2
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,337 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	I had the bad surprise to find my screen broken. Marks on the case make it pretty obvious the reader was badly hit. And i can't remember when or how that happened. That to say, maybe you reader did took a hit and you didn’t noticed. Still, if that where the case, screen breakage would be way more likely than a broken soldiering. That's just not good... Soldiering don't break unless badly done or seriously manhandled.

05-31-2011, 02:47 PM	#3
khalleron Kate Posts: 1,700 Karma: 3605799 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oregon, United States Device: MeeBook, Kobo Libra Colour	I've had my Sony PRS-505 for more than two years now - still runs like almost new (the battery has a bit less life than before, but I still get roughly 3 weeks per charge with heavy usage). It's been dropped on concrete with only minor damage. I have various cases, but have never used a screen protector on it. I even read in the bathtub with a M-edge Leisure case. There are people here who are still using a Kindle 1. I think some even still have PRS-500s and even a few eBookwises. In other words, an ebook reader should last far longer than yours did.

05-31-2011, 03:00 PM	#4
Fiacha Enthusiast Posts: 31 Karma: 376 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pacific NorthWest Device: Kobo H20, Nook Glowlight 3	There are weeks when I mostly read dead tree books. There are weeks when I only use my PRS-505. Thus the ranges. From an hour and a half a day on three days during the week (while pedalling away at the gym) to 10 hours a day (when I get lost in a book that I HAVE to finish right away). Average over the last three years is probably around 2 hours a day. I'm still using the the original device that I bought used on Ebay.

05-31-2011, 04:57 PM	#5
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	I probably use mine about 3 hours a day. Some for a couple audio files I put on there throughout the day and the rest for reading on breaks and/or before bed.

05-31-2011, 10:00 PM	#6
benham Guru Posts: 882 Karma: 5565888 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Townsend, WI Device: Palm TX, PRS-505 (BLUE)	Same as KH with my Sony 505.

06-01-2011, 07:05 PM	#9
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,590 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	My 505 is 2 years old, but I still go weeks between charges, and read multiple books in that time. I do notice that some books drain the battery faster than others. For instance, if the book has just one huge HTML file, instead of being broken up into smaller ones for chapters and the like, it drains the battery much faster (I guess because it has to calculate more for formatting of the pages, I know it has to stop more often to format the pages). On the last charge, I read all three of the Hunger Games books, and half of the Game of Thrones. I still probably could have eeked more out of the battery (it was on one of 4 bars of battery life), but figured that was good enough and put it on my charger as I went to sleep. As far as holding up, I carry mine with my every day, pretty much everywhere I go in my netbook bag. I've dropped the bag once, and even dropped the reader itself a couple times, and other than a few dings, it is fine (The metal construction was a large part of why I went Sony). It has actually faired better than my netbook (which has developed some stress cracks). On yours, a broken solder joint is actually pretty easy to repair for someone who is good with an iron, so fear not. It just is sad that they won't stand behind their product. I mean, a mechanical defect is not the same as abuse. Calling it a defect means that there was something inherently weak or wrong with it from the point of manufacturer.

06-01-2011, 11:23 PM	#10
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	If it is a bad solder joint it could be a cold solder joint in that it wasn't soldered properly during the manufacturing process. Such joints often work for a while then fail. I agree it aught to be an easy fix if you are careful with the solder iron. I once managed to fix a broken circuit board for a friend with little trouble. He'd wanted to put a larger antenna on a scanner box and rather than take the case off to drill the hole he did it with the case still in place so that when the bit went through it cracked the board. Cold solder joints are even easier than that to fix though. You just have to warm the joint up and reapply the solder carefully so that the solder flows over the joint and is solid rather than a bead of solder which is what happened at the factory.

06-01-2011, 11:30 PM	#11
khalleron Kate Posts: 1,700 Karma: 3605799 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oregon, United States Device: MeeBook, Kobo Libra Colour	See, now if a CS person told me it was a mechanical defect, I would say, 'Yes, it is. So you should fix it.' Admitting it's a defect and then claiming it's not under warranty is not kosher. It may also be against the law depending on where you are.

06-03-2011, 02:25 PM	#12
erzebet Book Author Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Bucharest,Romania Device: Prestigio PER3162B - busted; Kindle 3G - still working!	Thanks for your answers - for the time being, my ebook reader is repaired, but when time will come, I won't bother to pay for a new one just for the warranty - and I doubt I will do this for other gadgets as well Still, I may go for a Sony or a Kindle

06-03-2011, 02:59 PM	#13
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,590 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	If you do go new, go for a company that has a better customer service record. Many companies that make readers are not as bad as the one you have experienced.

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06-04-2011, 06:19 AM	#14
samuelarnold Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: none	The Kindle DX is the closest you'll find with regard to screen size, but no color. No eBook reader exists that has everything you want.

06-04-2011, 06:53 AM	#15
aktarian Member Posts: 17 Karma: 3456 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Prestigio PER3162b	I have same one as you. I use it 8-9 hours/day on some days, some days it simply lies on the table. OT question: did you get the feeling that reader comsumes more power when reading .pdf files than .epub? (that is battery empties sooner)