Pollen - should I worry?

[Kumabjorn]

Summer having arrived I spend a few hours on my patio reading. I put the Kindle down on the table to get me some coffee and when I picked it up again there was this yellow fine powdery mist attached to it. Pollen, mainly from birch is my guess, had gathered on the table and transferred to the Kindle's back. Obviously they are flying around in the air and will attach while reading outdoors.

Can something like that enter the inside and create havoc with the electronics? Amazon's commercials tends towards beach scenes, no pollen there. I'm probably just being a tad paranoid, right?

[VaporPunk]

I honestly have no idea Kumabjorn. Here in Belgium, we had the same issue for about three weeks last year. Yellow pollen everywhere, car windows needed to be windexed like every 2-3 days. Maybe, just to be safe, keep the kindle indoors for a while? Enjoy the weather though, if you're having the same sunny temps up there as we are down here. My reading time has dropped to almost nil, the weather has been incredibly nice, I needs to get my biking/walking fix in! And then terrasjes in the evening!

[Belfaborac]

Pollen gets everywhere and into everything, so I should think there is a risk. How large a risk will depend on how much time you spend reading outside during the worst of the pollen season and how bad it gets, but from your description I would maybe suggest your porch reading time should be spent with a paperback or hard cover instead.

Then again it also depends on how long you like to keep your devices: if you upgrade every year then you're worrying over nothing, while if you like to keep them for as long as possible, precautions may be in order.

[frostschutz]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Can something like that enter the inside and create havoc with the electronics? Amazon's commercials tends towards beach scenes, no pollen there. I'm probably just being a tad paranoid, right?

Ereaders don't usually have fans or fan openings, it'd be probably more of a problem with laptops which suck the stuff in outright. and even for laptops I think the biggest risk would be stuff clogging the coolers and cooling no longer be sufficient as a result. which is again a problem that ereaders do not have... so pollen should be harmless.

If you're looking for small, near invisible particles that seriously mess with electronics, try graphite dust. Available as sprays, usually used as a lubricant for locks and the like, it kills electronics outright as it puts a sheet of electric conductivity over them if it gets inside. Some people try to use graphite as a lubricant for their computer fans and the result usually is that you can buy a new computer because each and every component in the old one is contaminated...

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Summer having arrived I spend a few hours on my patio reading. I put the Kindle down on the table to get me some coffee and when I picked it up again there was this yellow fine powdery mist attached to it. Pollen, mainly from birch is my guess, had gathered on the table and transferred to the Kindle's back. Obviously they are flying around in the air and will attach while reading outdoors.

Can something like that enter the inside and create havoc with the electronics? Amazon's commercials tends towards beach scenes, no pollen there. I'm probably just being a tad paranoid, right?

Aha, so that is why my balcony table was so dirty... When reading at the balcony yesterday I spillt beer on my Nook Simple Touch and it seems to have survived that so I think all the pollen will not matter in any way then making me sneeze a lot and disturbing the reading that way.

[wizwor]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Can something like that enter the inside and create havoc with the electronics? Amazon's commercials tends towards beach scenes, no pollen there. I'm probably just being a tad paranoid, right?

Fear not. e-readers without active cooling will not likely be impacted by pollen. For the most part, pollen drifts to the ground from the trees and settles on anything in between. Simply clean the surface according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I'd expect the salty ocean air to be a bigger problem.

[fjtorres]

Ebook readers are built with cellphone tech.
So, is polllen an issue with Cellphones?
If not, you're home free.

[David Munch]

No, unless you don't like your eReader getting a bit discolored.

[plib]

If you're very concerned you can always stick it in a ziplock bag or wrap it in clingfilm before you hit the patio, or one of those vacuum sealers if you have one. That would probably be a wise idea before the beach too, I'd figure salt air is more damaging than pollen, but I think any of them are pretty unlikely to cause a problem.

[Kumabjorn]

Thanks for all the input, especially the confirmation that, yes, I'm probably a tad paranoid. But hey, if it was your "partner" for several hours everyday you'd be concerned too

[sabredog]

Down under, pollen does damage car duco, so I would be keeping that Kindle indoors for now.

I hate pollen, hayfever is something I suffer all year round.

[kennyc]

I wouldn't worry about it unless the Kindle starts sneezing. Then apply Allegra(tm).

[Kumabjorn]

Kindles seem to respond better to Clarityn (tm)

[sabredog]

I would recommend Telfast 180. It is non drowsy so the Kindle would not go into sleep mode so quickly or run its battery down.

[Kumabjorn]

That must be a domestic drug for Aussies, they probably need help not to fall asleep.