Why did Kobo abandon the capacative touch flat screen?

[koboy]

Originally Posted by Desdinova

My existing point stands. The fact that no mainstream manufacturer makes a large capacity e-reader with a replacement battery suggests that market research does not reveal a need for one.

Its the simple economics of business. Put a removable battery and people will buy replacement batteries rather than replacement e-readers.

Not optimal for us perhaps, but thats the business case.

hi, not optimal for us now that's definitely an understatement, but i do appreciate the points you make, although i principally disagree with them i also realise that kobo are not the only company to do this practice, as i have stated in an earlier post it's not in their interests to provide the customer with a user changeable battery and im equally as sure we would all agree that it is long overdue to draw a line in the sand on this particular topic, thanks to all for your responses.

best wishes koboy.

[koboy]

hi, if anyone does manage to replace the battery of a kobo aura without completely breaking it i would appreciate it very much if you would please let me know? thanks.

best wishes koboy.

[dickloraine]

I have to say I don't know anything about batteries. What is the price for batteries inside eReader? How long do they last? I am all for user replaceable batteries, if they make sense. But it could very well be, that at the time a modern battery fails, the value of the device is very low and it may make more sense to just buy a new one (I could see this more in the tablet market).
But of course it is also questionable for device makers to build devices with one component that will automatically fail sometime. Imagine you couldn't switch brakes in your car and have to buy a new one when they fail.
But as said above, markets and products are different and it could very well be, that replaceable batteries don't make much sense in the tech market as it is now.

[Ripplinger]

I know the batteries for the Sony PRS-350 are between $13.50 and $23.95, depending where you get them, and around $5 shipping. I don't consider that too high and I'd definitely swap batteries in a reader (provided I still loved the reader and there was nothing else wrong with it).

[PeterT]

I don't intend to get into the "debate" on batteries but came across this

http://www.cnet.com/news/its-time-to...ttery-goodbye/

Hart added that the unibody design made possible by the embedded battery makes the phone "seamless," "extremely rigid," and "free from split lines that disrupt the feel in hand and the visual purity of the design."

Slimness is absolutely part of the equation, since phones without the small grooves, nooks, and air pockets needed to make it so you can open a back cover and pull out a battery have the potential to be thinner.

In fact, when you don't have to design a product around popping out its battery, you have far more options. Engineers can use batteries in shapes, sizes, and configurations that deliver the requisite charge but are impractical to remove. That, in turn, can allow the industrial designer to create phones with creative contours.

Embedded batteries are also harder to lose and less likely to sustain damage, since there's usually no door to pop off when you drop the phone. More than that, sealing the back cover means you're protecting the internals from the elements, which could make the phone more rugged.

[Ripplinger]

For lower end phones (and I mean under $150) I wouldn't mind an embedded battery. But when you're paying $500+ for a phone, I wouldn't consider a phone where I couldn't replace the battery if it dies. I tend to keep my phones for a long time, especially the pricier phones.

[JSWolf]

It really isn't fair to rely on a $10 (i would guess in bulk) battery for a device that can cost anywhere from $100 on up. This includes Phones, Readers, portable music players, and more. Some portable music players can cost close to $1000 and in some cases more than for a device that relies in a battery that's not replaceable.

This is unacceptable and should be rectified.

[elemes]

I have an Aura H2O. I assume they choose the IR touchscreen in this model because they can handle water droplets droplets more easily. (I also have a water-resistant mobile phone with capacitive multi-touch screen - completely unusable with water droplets on screen. I could take underwater photos, however as there is a physical button for that).

This hypothesis however does not explain the other (non water resistant) model.

Anyway, I have no problem with the IR touch detector.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It really isn't fair to rely on a $10 (i would guess in bulk) battery for a device that can cost anywhere from $100 on up. This includes Phones, Readers, portable music players, and more. Some portable music players can cost close to $1000 and in some cases more than for a device that relies in a battery that's not replaceable.

This is unacceptable and should be rectified.

hi, my thoughts entirely, it's an excellent point which you have made so much better than i did, thank you.

best wishes koboy.

[MGlitch]

Your argument assumes that the battery for your device will fail before the technology advances in more modern devices make it more logical to upgrade. Granted ereaders haven't made huge leaps and bounds, but I would think that most of us could agree the screen from say the first Kindle compared to the Kobo Glo HD would leave most users drooling over the Glo HD and squinting at the Kindle's screen. Even going forward to the Kobo Mini and comparing the screen to the Glo HD you'd get a similar reaction.

Of course if you still feel so passionate about devices having user replaceable batteries, simply don't buy electronics which don't offer them. If enough people agree with you and do the same it will become economically beneficial for companies to invest in adding that feature. However if most consumers don't care, or don't care enough to not purchase new devices those businesses wont change. Based on the replies here it would seem likely that we'll be living on the Moon before those businesses will change.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

Your argument assumes that the battery for your device will fail before the technology advances in more modern devices make it more logical to upgrade. Granted ereaders haven't made huge leaps and bounds, but I would think that most of us could agree the screen from say the first Kindle compared to the Kobo Glo HD would leave most users drooling over the Glo HD and squinting at the Kindle's screen. Even going forward to the Kobo Mini and comparing the screen to the Glo HD you'd get a similar reaction.

Of course if you still feel so passionate about devices having user replaceable batteries, simply don't buy electronics which don't offer them. If enough people agree with you and do the same it will become economically beneficial for companies to invest in adding that feature. However if most consumers don't care, or don't care enough to not purchase new devices those businesses wont change. Based on the replies here it would seem likely that we'll be living on the Moon before those businesses will change.

hi , i don't have an argument what i was pointing out is that just because some people like to change there e-reader every time a new model becomes available just like they hopefully change there clothes is absolutely absurd and ridiculous in my opinion, but if that's what they want to do with there money then fair enough it's there money so it's up to them just like it's up to me only to buy another e-reader when i want to or have no choice because the battery as failed which it will do eventually, also as im sure you know the flavour of the month at the moment in koboland is the glo hd i wonder what it will be next month or 6 months from now? this all as a all too familiar ring to me every time kobo bring out a new e-reader we had it with the aura hd then the aura (for once i agreed) then we had the h20 and now the glo hd is suppose to be soooooo much better than the last well SORRY FOLKS GUESS WHAT IT'S NOT as far as this e- reader user is concerned all you get is the same old thing minus the sd slot with a slightly better screen SO WHAT im afraid that's not good enough for me to part with my money, sorry for my long rant but by now i would have thought the people commenting that don't agree with me about having a replacement battery would have realised let's agree to disagree BUT PLEASE DON'T TRY AND CONVINCE ME THAT I'M WRONG BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT, thanks for your response.

best wishes koboy.

[PeterT]

Dear Koboy; could you do me (and I think many others) a BIG favour; use some punctuation marks, especially PERIODS, maybe a capital letter to start a sentence, and even break your posts up into paragraphs?

I find your large blocks of text quite challenging to read, and this makes your incessant ranting even more annoying.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Dear Koboy; could you do me (and I think many others) a BIG favour; use some punctuation marks, especially PERIODS, maybe a capital letter to start a sentence, and even break your posts up into paragraphs?

I find your large blocks of text quite challenging to read, and this makes your incessant ranting even more annoying.

hi, fair enough, don't read it then, that's easily solved isn't it, and if people like yourself didn't feel the need to comment back then their wouldn't be any large blocks of text would there, short enough for you, thanks for your off point response.

best wishes koboy.

[PeterT]

Koboy; I hate to say it but if you want people to pay attention to you and your opinions, an attempt to follow the norms employed by the majority of people would go a very long way to that goal.

As it is your repeated posts are not worth the electrons that make them up.

Have a nice time here.

Bye from me.

[koboy]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Koboy; I hate to say it but if you want people to pay attention to you and your opinions, an attempt to follow the norms employed by the majority of people would go a very long way to that goal.

As it is your repeated posts are not worth the electrons that make them up.

Have a nice time here.

Bye from me.

hi, the only reason i have to keep repeating myself over and over again is because it is ignorant not to respond when someone comments regardless if i agree with them or not, i will always reply, if you read one of my comments from yesterday i did try and draw a line in the sand on this topic those where my exact words, but unfortunately people like you have to keep drawing it out by offering your opinions and while ever you do i will keep on with the LARGE BLOCKS OF TEXT, btw if you hate to say it then you wouldn't have done so, thank you and goodbye.

best wishes koboy.