do all ereaders die when the battery does?

djrocs88 · 01-07-2011, 06:19 PM

I bought my daughter the kobo wifi ereader for xmas and this is our first one. Now after seeing hers I think that just maybe its time for dad to put the book down and carry an ereader. After reading in her info i seen that after the battery wont take a charge the ereader is done and its time for another one.... are they all like that? Is there any of them that the battery can be replaced? Just seems scarey you buy a bunch of books and then it dies and they are gone. thanks

soondai · 01-07-2011, 06:34 PM

no they don't just die. some have user replaceable batteries (nook), others allow you to send it in (kindle, iPad). and others you can DIY unofficially.

you have hit in one of my big pet peeves. still can't believe 100 dollar devices are virtually considered disposable by their makers, and that we consumers accept it. I expect anything I pay $100 for to still work in 5 years, even if it is out of date.

Though there are ways to replace batteries on almost all of them, it is not cheap or easy for most and the assumption is you'll buy a new one

as for the books, back them up (and I recommend stripping the DRM)

wallcraft · 01-07-2011, 06:34 PM

Some vendors have user-replaceable batteries (Hanlin and PocketBook for example), although the recent trend has been for vendor replaceable batteries (e.g. Amazon and I think Sony). I have never heard of a non-replaceable battery, so perhaps Kobo will replace it for a fee. Sometimes it costs a significant fraction of the selling price to send the device back for battery replacement.

JeremyR · 01-07-2011, 06:40 PM

It depends on the device. Some have user replaceable batteries that just snap in and out, while some you have to open it up and replace it.

I'm not sure any are soldered in or anything that makes it almost impossible to remove, and so not truly replaceable, but to be honest, I dunno.

And bear in mind, in theory, if you buy a book you should always be able to download it from that seller. And you can always back them up to your computer (and then on a dvd or whatever).

GA Russell · 01-07-2011, 11:00 PM

djrocs, don't forget the jetBook Lite, which runs on four AA flashlight batteries.

Everybody gets eight rechargeable batteries and a charger, so that your new set is ready to go when the current set runs out.

If after a couple of years the batteries die, they are easily replaced.

speedlever · 01-08-2011, 08:16 PM

Here's the DIY battery replacement process for the K3.

djrocs88 · 01-09-2011, 10:27 PM

thanks very much for the answers everyone... i was also wondering how they can possibly sell something for 100 bucks and make it disposable with the battery life..... seemed like a immick to me as there has got to be a way to replace those batteries.

bhartman36 · 01-09-2011, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedlever

Here's the DIY battery replacement process for the K3.

Has anyone here actually tried this? I could feel my warranty being voided half-way through the video, so I just wanted to make sure the clips on the Kindle weren't easily broken or something. (That's the fear I'd have with this. Everything else about it looks fairly basic.)

FF2 · 01-10-2011, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhartman36

Has anyone here actually tried this? I could feel my warranty being voided half-way through the video, so I just wanted to make sure the clips on the Kindle weren't easily broken or something. (That's the fear I'd have with this. Everything else about it looks fairly basic.)

If the battery dies during the warranty period, I believe that you would still have a warranty for a new battery and no reason to dissect it anyway. After the warranty period, play to your heart's content.

speedlever · 01-10-2011, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FF2

If the battery dies during the warranty period, I believe that you would still have a warranty for a new battery and no reason to dissect it anyway. After the warranty period, play to your heart's content.

My thoughts exactly! And if you buy with some cards (AMEX comes to mind) you get another year warranty on top of the factory warranty.

alg2468 · 03-08-2012, 02:04 PM

On Aluratek's Facebook page, someone wrote about the battery on her Libre being weak and needing replacement. Aluratek stated that the battery is not consumer replaceable but can be replaced when you send the reader it back to Aluratek. I know some manufacturers have the battery attached with glue inside the unit.

speakingtohe · 03-08-2012, 03:58 PM

Soldering is not difficult but glue may be.

Most batteries seem to last a few years or expire quickly. If your battery is still good in a year it will probably be good in another year. (famous last words, now mine will all die tomorrow)

The credit card purchase AMEX/MC/Visa is usually an automatic 2 year warrentee. In store additional coverage is typically 1/2 the purchase price and not worth it IMO. The product will be obsolete/cheaper before the warentee expires.

Rechargable batteries are much bulkier, making for a heavier product and a pain in the butt IMO.

No guarentees, but lots of people still using 3-5 year old ereaders with no battery problems.

Helen

ProfCrash · 03-09-2012, 01:09 PM

The Nook Classic and Kindle 1 had replaceable batteries. I do not believe that the Nook Touch has a replaceable battery.

For the most part, the batteries last more then long enough. By the time the battery dies you are likely going to be looking at devices that have been updated 2-3 times, maybe more. I know people are still using the K1 (I sat next to a woman using a K1 in the airport just this month) and she is on her original battery. The Kindle has had four new iterations since the K1 was released.

ie You are more likely to want to upgrade before your e-readers battery dies.

hermano · 03-11-2012, 06:08 AM

I'm four and a half years into my Cybook gen 3. Was about to 'invest' in new battery, as reader would not work unless over 80% charge. Then tried my wife's old cool-er (broken) reader's battery, now works perfect.

tym · 03-12-2012, 01:11 PM

While I could be wrong. It seems if you take apart almost any ebook reader to replace the battery it can mess them up. Of course not all the time. Kinda a hit and miss kinda thing. Like taking a gamble.

Before I purchased my first ebook reader, I kinda got the idea, once the battery dies, it will have to be replaced. You can only recharge them so many times. How many times that is, i simply don't know.

So the first investment I made was a program to read ebooks on my computer. It was 100 bucks, but its lifetime updates. Amazing program. Icebook reader pro. You can get a trial version and the only difference between paid and free is you get a pop up every 10 or 15 min reminding its shareware. It will even read the book to you and make audio books.

Now that I had a back up program for reading, Then I invested in a nook touch. If it dies or whatever I can still read. I am simply like most you guys LOVE to read. Have lots of ebooks, I just set it up so no matter what happens, I can still read.

01-07-2011, 06:19 PM	#1
djrocs88 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: kobo	do all ereaders die when the battery does? I bought my daughter the kobo wifi ereader for xmas and this is our first one. Now after seeing hers I think that just maybe its time for dad to put the book down and carry an ereader. After reading in her info i seen that after the battery wont take a charge the ereader is done and its time for another one.... are they all like that? Is there any of them that the battery can be replaced? Just seems scarey you buy a bunch of books and then it dies and they are gone. thanks

03-08-2012, 02:04 PM	#11
alg2468 Member Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: RI, USA Device: Aluratek Libre, Velocity Cruz T301, EZReader, Iview 435TPC, Wikireader	Aluratek Libre Pro battery On Aluratek's Facebook page, someone wrote about the battery on her Libre being weak and needing replacement. Aluratek stated that the battery is not consumer replaceable but can be replaced when you send the reader it back to Aluratek. I know some manufacturers have the battery attached with glue inside the unit.

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01-07-2011, 06:34 PM	#2
soondai Guru Posts: 672 Karma: 1109784 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Paperwhite	no they don't just die. some have user replaceable batteries (nook), others allow you to send it in (kindle, iPad). and others you can DIY unofficially. you have hit in one of my big pet peeves. still can't believe 100 dollar devices are virtually considered disposable by their makers, and that we consumers accept it. I expect anything I pay $100 for to still work in 5 years, even if it is out of date. Though there are ways to replace batteries on almost all of them, it is not cheap or easy for most and the assumption is you'll buy a new one as for the books, back them up (and I recommend stripping the DRM)

01-07-2011, 06:34 PM	#3
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	Some vendors have user-replaceable batteries (Hanlin and PocketBook for example), although the recent trend has been for vendor replaceable batteries (e.g. Amazon and I think Sony). I have never heard of a non-replaceable battery, so perhaps Kobo will replace it for a fee. Sometimes it costs a significant fraction of the selling price to send the device back for battery replacement.

01-07-2011, 06:40 PM	#4
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	It depends on the device. Some have user replaceable batteries that just snap in and out, while some you have to open it up and replace it. I'm not sure any are soldered in or anything that makes it almost impossible to remove, and so not truly replaceable, but to be honest, I dunno. And bear in mind, in theory, if you buy a book you should always be able to download it from that seller. And you can always back them up to your computer (and then on a dvd or whatever).

01-07-2011, 11:00 PM	#5
GA Russell Argos win Grey Cup! Posts: 7,679 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	djrocs, don't forget the jetBook Lite, which runs on four AA flashlight batteries. Everybody gets eight rechargeable batteries and a charger, so that your new set is ready to go when the current set runs out. If after a couple of years the batteries die, they are easily replaced.

01-08-2011, 08:16 PM	#6
speedlever Fanatic Posts: 592 Karma: 138200 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: NC, USA Device: PW2014, PW2012, iPad Pro	Here's the DIY battery replacement process for the K3.

01-09-2011, 10:27 PM	#7
djrocs88 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: kobo	thanks very much for the answers everyone... i was also wondering how they can possibly sell something for 100 bucks and make it disposable with the battery life..... seemed like a immick to me as there has got to be a way to replace those batteries.

03-08-2012, 03:58 PM	#12
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	Soldering is not difficult but glue may be. Most batteries seem to last a few years or expire quickly. If your battery is still good in a year it will probably be good in another year. (famous last words, now mine will all die tomorrow) The credit card purchase AMEX/MC/Visa is usually an automatic 2 year warrentee. In store additional coverage is typically 1/2 the purchase price and not worth it IMO. The product will be obsolete/cheaper before the warentee expires. Rechargable batteries are much bulkier, making for a heavier product and a pain in the butt IMO. No guarentees, but lots of people still using 3-5 year old ereaders with no battery problems. Helen

03-09-2012, 01:09 PM	#13
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	The Nook Classic and Kindle 1 had replaceable batteries. I do not believe that the Nook Touch has a replaceable battery. For the most part, the batteries last more then long enough. By the time the battery dies you are likely going to be looking at devices that have been updated 2-3 times, maybe more. I know people are still using the K1 (I sat next to a woman using a K1 in the airport just this month) and she is on her original battery. The Kindle has had four new iterations since the K1 was released. ie You are more likely to want to upgrade before your e-readers battery dies.

03-11-2012, 06:08 AM	#14
hermano Connoisseur Posts: 66 Karma: 14 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: cybook gen 3	I'm four and a half years into my Cybook gen 3. Was about to 'invest' in new battery, as reader would not work unless over 80% charge. Then tried my wife's old cool-er (broken) reader's battery, now works perfect.

03-12-2012, 01:11 PM	#15
tym Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 37732 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: nook touch	While I could be wrong. It seems if you take apart almost any ebook reader to replace the battery it can mess them up. Of course not all the time. Kinda a hit and miss kinda thing. Like taking a gamble. Before I purchased my first ebook reader, I kinda got the idea, once the battery dies, it will have to be replaced. You can only recharge them so many times. How many times that is, i simply don't know. So the first investment I made was a program to read ebooks on my computer. It was 100 bucks, but its lifetime updates. Amazing program. Icebook reader pro. You can get a trial version and the only difference between paid and free is you get a pop up every 10 or 15 min reminding its shareware. It will even read the book to you and make audio books. Now that I had a back up program for reading, Then I invested in a nook touch. If it dies or whatever I can still read. I am simply like most you guys LOVE to read. Have lots of ebooks, I just set it up so no matter what happens, I can still read.

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