Wish I could see the future (aka Newbie making a choice)

[texasnightowl]

Funny...just after I posted the above about screens, I was reading a teleread entry about the Astaks which had this comment:

http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/07...ate-september/

Screen breakage is indeed an issue for prospective buyers of E Ink machines. Photo shows a Kindle with a screen problem. Very unscientific TeleRead polls so far show that breakage rates are eight percent for the Kindle, 14 percent for the Sony Reader, and 13 percent for the Cybook. The Kindle did not become easily available until this spring, one possible reason why its rate appears to be less than for the others. Many and perhaps most of the screen breaks in the three machines may have been the fault of users—you can’t protect an E Ink machine against the slam of a car door.

Just the same, what’s the definition of "fault" here? How about more marginal cases? And so if Astak and other vendors are able to address the breakage issue, especially through new technology, that will be to the advantage of us consumers—including the masses buying at Walmart. I can’t wait for rugged, flexible E Ink displays.

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by texasnightowl

OK, one more question...this one on the Cybook (it seems to be dropping to my 3rd choice right now)...it seems like there are more posts about broken screens with it as opposed to Sony/Kindle. Is this true? Or just there are more posts about it?

The Cybook/Sony/Kindle all use the same screen but the Cybook is wrapped in a thinner lighter plastic shell so my personal opinion is that it's more likely to break. The current results on the Teleread for broken screens are:
Kindle 8%
Cybook 13%
Sony PRS505 14%

Whichever you decide on you should handle them with appropriate care. They're not eggshells but they are a $250 piece of glass. I'm hoping the next generation of e-ink is less fragile.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by texasnightowl

OK, one more question...this one on the Cybook (it seems to be dropping to my 3rd choice right now)...it seems like there are more posts about broken screens with it as opposed to Sony/Kindle. Is this true? Or just there are more posts about it?

The Sony has a heavier case but it's suffering about the same breakage. The Kindle is doing better, but I wouldn't buy one. I'm biased enough to say buy the Cybook. But then, who knows how Sony, Amazon and Bookeen will re-design their next-gen models?

Derek

[RickyMaveety]

Do not .... I repeat ... do NOT purchase a Kindle. Keep in mind that you do not like the way it looks. Anything that you think has aesthetics that "suck" should not be on your list of things to purchase. Screen breakage rates aside. If it's not going to be something you love, then there is no way it's worth $360 to you ... unless you throw that sort of money out with the trash every day ... in which case, knock yourself out.

However, assuming that price is important, and given that you really hate the way the Kindle looks ... I'd suggest a Sony. Just be careful with it ....

[seajewel]

there is somethign listed as titanium e-caddy on amazon and ebay that is made or sold for the Sony Reader. I use it and it is wonderful. Think of an oversized altoid tin, as someone else described it.. I feel very safe with it. It's like tin-ish material on the outside (won't survive being run over by a truck i imagine) and is lined with foam on the inside. fits Sony reader like a glove with cover on.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by seajewel

there is somethign listed as titanium e-caddy on amazon and ebay that is made or sold for the Sony Reader. I use it and it is wonderful. Think of an oversized altoid tin, as someone else described it.. I feel very safe with it. It's like tin-ish material on the outside (won't survive being run over by a truck i imagine) and is lined with foam on the inside. fits Sony reader like a glove with cover on.

Is it really made of titanium? As well as being awfully expensive, it's a very difficult metal to make things out of - very hard to weld.

[igorsk]

There's a small disclaimer in description:

Titanium colored metal case - not made of Titanium.

[pshrynk]

Anyone have a linky to that? Searching for titanium e-caddy doesn't yield anything.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Anyone have a linky to that? Searching for titanium e-caddy doesn't yield anything.

You're searching for the wrong thing. It's "eCaddy", not "e-caddy". And if you want to narrow it down, add in either "ebook" or "Sony".

Derek

[igorsk]

Here it is on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010W3JQO

[mickitaz]

Hi guys.. sorry for the late post and joining with this discussion. I am with Seajewel right now. I am really uncertain as to the type of reader I want. Since the main feature (backlit screen) isn't available on any of the readers, I am leaning towards the Sony. Two of my friends have them, and love them to peices. I buy all of my electronic stuff from Sony, and have yet to be disappointed.

I would like to add a comment to the screen breakage issue. While I never even considered this to be an issue (til now), my one friend who had the Sony bought it for her 13 year old son. As far as to my knowledge, it hasn't broken. Soooooo... it can't be too flimsy.

[lala412]

Originally Posted by texasnightowl

FWIW, I am a re-reader. I'm only in my mid 30's, but I have some books with me that I've had since I was in middle school. They've been thru multiple moves in at least 5 states. And I recently helped my parents move. They have boxes and boxes of books too...ebooks would have been much easier on the back!

I am exactly like you - my book collection goes back to before grade school, and I do re-read. I have no idea how many boxes of books I have... My family gets really irritated every time they help me move!

Right now, everything I own is in storage in Dallas because I'm traveling for work. I had to spend $15 to buy new copies of To Kill A Mockingbird and Slaughterhouse Five about a year ago because, since my employer pays all my bills, I didn't qualify for a library card where I was staying (you have to have a bill with a local address!) and there was no decent used book store, and I wanted to take the books to work with me to read. I definitely need an eReader of some sort! I was going to use my Palm for the time being, but I apparently fried the battery (I need to figure out how to get that fixed). Like you, I'm hesitant to commit to a reader because I don't want it to be obsolete ten minutes from now... and I do NOT want to commit to proprietary files in an iPod/iTunes type arrangement - there's a reason I have a Creative Zen Vision...

[lala412]

Originally Posted by iterati

Anyway, it's great to plan 30 years ahead if it's about for example a house but for such a device better focus to present (in 30 years we'll probably have true AI and computing will change a lot).

30 yrs from now, I plan to have a 3P0-like unit telling me stories. :-)

Not that I wouldn't want to still read, I suppose. Holographic books? Okay, maybe not in only 30 years...

[DDHarriman]

Ha.. no need...

You can have that now: you can have your car telling you stories, or your walking audio player companion doing it also in a more discrete way.

They are called audiobooks and, for several years, all my alone driving (and not just that) is made listening to them!

[HarryT]

Likewise - I too am a huge fan of audiobooks. I'm currently working my way through Elizabeth Peters' wonderful series of detective stories featuring a late 19th century archeologist.