Close to buying a Sony

[cartz]

I initially got a taste for ebooks with my Psion 5mx. Then a number of months ago I bought 3 Palm M125s from ebay that have been serving my family very well (the screen being better than the Psion for reading, despite being smaller).

I keep putting off an e-ink device in the hope that one closer to my ideal will materialize. But I'm now of the opinion that I'm probably best to buy a Sony now, but I have the following concerns:

1. How cold does the device get on a cold night in bed? Reading paper books in winter I'll be swapping hands as it gets pretty cold outside the bed covers. Is the metal finish on the Sony going to make this a greater problem for me?

2. I live in the country and enjoy reading on the veranda, with bugs, flies and smoke from the BBQ swirling around. Is the Sony only a device for sterile cities or should it survive out here?

3. A step further - I love to go hiking. Could the Sony survive in a backpack on a camping trip? What if the screen has rain fall on it?

4. Does anyone have an idea of how many years we can expect to get from the battery in the Sony? Historically I've loved the Psion 5mx and now the Palm M125s partly because they can use rechargeable AA and AAA batteries respectively. There's every chance those devices will still be going strong for years and years simply because the batteries are always replaceable. My ideal ebook reader would run on AAA or AA batteries but the way things are now it seems I could be waiting forever for such a device. Then again, maybe the question is a bit redundant - I don't know how long the e-ink screens are going to last anyway.

I'm interested in your thoughts.

Thanks,

cartz.

[NatCh]

I'll have a go at those, but understand that my answers apply to the 500 mode, not the 505.

1. The display is temperature sensitive, and gets pretty sluggish at around 40°F, so if you're talking that cold, you'll have other problems.
   
   I don't find mine gets particularly cold, and I'm pretty much cold-blooded. I like to lay mine on the mattress beside my pillow so that I can see it an push the button through the sheet. Keeps my digits all toasty.
   
   
2. Should be fine there -- cities are not nearly as "sterile" as you seem to believe, I bet you don't have ozone alerts where you live! I'm currently living in Jackson, TN, which isn't exactly Houston, TX (where I moved from recently) and I've used mine outside in both places with no issues in the least. It's also been to Palo Duro Canyon, and to a topaz hunting (digging) site outside of Mason, TX -- that's pretty remote.
   
3. I wouldn't hesitate to take mine hiking/camping, but I'd put it in some sort of hard case inside my pack. It's not particularly water resistant, and has lots of small openings, so a drybag is definitely in order.
   
   
4. The battery life is a good question. I've had mine for something like 14 months and I've only just started thinking it might be losing some capacity (it looses a block on the battery meter in 6.5 days, instead of 7).
   
   My best guess is that since it doesn't get warm during use or charging (that I've ever noticed), the LIon battery ought to retain capacity longer than its peers in more power hungry applications. Then there's the fact that it only has to be recharged every 3~4 weeks to begin with. If it has even a measly 500 cycle life, then at only 3 weeks per charge it logically ought to last more than 3 years, but we won't really know 'till they start failing.
   
   Odds are, somebody will have a replacement for the batteries, and the new devices will be cheaper than they are now (and the lastgen ones even more so on e-bay ).

Hope that helps.

Are those your only questions? No concerns about content availability, formats, or if you can read 11"X17" PDF files on the rascal?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by cartz

2. I live in the country and enjoy reading on the veranda, with bugs, flies and smoke from the BBQ swirling around. Is the Sony only a device for sterile cities or should it survive out here?

I have noticed that dust and small particles on my readers screen is very annoying and since they do not disappear when you turn page as in a paper book you have to do someting about it. I assume bugs on the screen would be irritating to.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tompe

I have noticed that dust and small particles on my readers screen is very annoying and since they do not disappear when you turn page as in a paper book you have to do something about it. I assume bugs on the screen would be irritating to.

I use a microfiber cloth to clean my 505. That would also work on any other eink device.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I use a microfiber cloth to clean my 505. That would also work on any other eink device.

Of course it works but if you have to do it 20 times for a book it destroys the book reading experience.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tompe

Of course it works but if you have to do it 20 times for a book it destroys the book reading experience.

I would think there's a major issue if you have to wipe down the reader that often during a reading session.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would think there's a major issue if you have to wipe down the reader that often during a reading session.

Do you read what people writes before answering?

I said that dust and particles are much more visible on a reader screen than in a book so if you read in a dust environemnt of if you get particles from you hair or from other places it is irritating. It is easy to remove using a finger so why you suddenly started talking about wiping the whole screen is beyond me.

[cartz]

Thanks NatCh. That answers my questions brilliantly........ time to place an order.