Bad experience with Aura HD

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is not the same glass. It's just more of the same since it now holds more liquid. It's not the smaller glass converted to hold more liquid. The glass that holds more liquid is using more physical glass.

...

Could you be a little more specific? IANAME, but it seems to me that just "using more physical glass" doesn't mean the new glass would be as strong as the old glass.

[robko]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Take a drinking glass that holds 6oz of liquid. Now take that the same glass and make it so it holds 10oz. Is the glass any more fragile? Nope. It's the same glass. Just more of it.

A drinking glass is a bad comparison in this case. In the 6" vs 6.8" comparison it's not actually about the glass, it's the fact that you have a larger width/height and therefore greater LEVERAGE to exert pressure onto the glass.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is not the same glass. It's just more of the same since it now holds more liquid. It's not the smaller glass converted to hold more liquid. The glass that holds more liquid is using more physical glass.

Even so. If you keep the same thickness, the glass will be more fragile. Not intrinsically, because the material is the same, but the whole object is easier to break. Take it to the extreme, make the glass 5 miles tall, with the same wall thickness, it won't last very long.

Even if you also increase the thickness in proportion, the scale matters, that's (one of the reasons) why elephant-sized ants are not physically possible. The weight increases with the cube of the size, but the resistance increases only with the square, because it's related to the cross-section area.

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

FWIW, I've had my Aura HD for over two years now. I take it everywhere. I am careful with it, but not super cautious. It's still in perfect working order.
A few weeks ago I thought I'd killed it because I dropped it onto a concrete floor from a height of about one meter. But I was lucky. It landed flat on its back and is still working perfectly fine. Not exactly poor workmanship I'd say.

Kobo customer service, though... Don't get me started.

I dropped both PW1 and Cybook Opus like that (in their respective cases) and both landed on their backs with a loud thud from 1-1,5 m (I didn't know Cybook could do pirouettes in the air) on hard floor/concrete. Both are working still today. I am using H2O these days and love it, the nicest screen I've seen so far, really feels like a book. Hope it won't die on me any time soon. Doesn't squeak either and I personally think it is well made.

[voracious71]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

For ANY Reader, I always say to use a good case and to treat it gently. I've never had a broken screen and I've had/have six different Readers.

Sony Reader PRS-500
Sony Reader PRS-505
Sony Reader-PRS-650
Sony Reader PRS-T1
Barnes & Nobel nook STR
Kobo Aura H2O

Not a broken screen in the lot. The 500 I sold. The 505 the screen controller failed and I managed to get Sony to give me credit towards the 650. The T1 I got when the battery of the 650 wasn't lasting long enough. The nook STR I got as a spare Reader because it was only about $20 on clearance from Roadi Shack. The Kobo Aura H2O I bought because I wanted the front light, the Carta screen, and the larger screen.

I have had the same experience, except I have a few Kindles thrown into that mix. Never had a cracked screen. All of my ereaders are in a case and they have all ended up in my work bag at one time or another.
I do not leave any electronics in a hot or freezing car ever.

[Rizla]

I do believe substrates can crack without user intervention. It's quite possible the flaw was created in the production process. It must be extremely annoying to a careful user who has suffered this misfortune to be told that they must have caused it.

I also doubt that Kobo is any more prone to this issue than any other reader, though its possible. There are no stats. It's all anecdotal. So who knows? I own two Kobos (both used) and I haven't suffered any problems.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Jellby

Even so. If you keep the same thickness, the glass will be more fragile. Not intrinsically, because the material is the same, but the whole object is easier to break. Take it to the extreme, make the glass 5 miles tall, with the same wall thickness, it won't last very long.

Even if you also increase the thickness in proportion, the scale matters, that's (one of the reasons) why elephant-sized ants are not physically possible. The weight increases with the cube of the size, but the resistance increases only with the square, because it's related to the cross-section area.

It is quite possible the H20 is not as fragile as the Voyage or PW3. The reason being that the H2O is thicker and that might protect the screen better. This is however a guess.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is quite possible the H20 is not as fragile as the Voyage or PW3. The reason being that the H2O is thicker and that might protect the screen better. This is however a guess.

I can't speak for the H2O, but as I pointed out before, the Kobo Aura HD is thicker and has a smaller screen than the Kindle DXG.

Yet I have not had a screen issue with any on the Kindle DX and DXG units I've had (a total of four), while out of four Aura HDs, three have had screen issues.

As I also pointed out earlier, the Kindle DXG is noticeably better built than the Aura HD and it has almost no flex. The Voyage definitely looks considerably better built than the Aura HD, too.

Thickness matters little, if the fit is poor.

Add to this the poor support from Kobo and for me, there is no contest between the Kindle and Kobo.

If only Kindle made a 7" or 8" reader.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It is quite possible the H20 is not as fragile as the Voyage or PW3. The reason being that the H2O is thicker and that might protect the screen better. This is however a guess.

It is quite possible the H20 is more fragile than the Voyage. After all the Voyage has Gorilla Glass. Also doesn't the Voyage have some sort of metal/alloy/magnesium frame.

[howyoudoin]

Once again it bears repeating that kindles are not necessarily better built. Devices do not need to feel more 'solid'. Flex and give in extremely important in saving your devices from the impact of a fall, and you need a 'poorer' build quality to accomplish that.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by John F

It is quite possible the H20 is more fragile than the Voyage. After all the Voyage has Gorilla Glass. Also doesn't the Voyage have some sort of metal/alloy/magnesium frame.

Where are specs that say the Voyage uses gorilla glass? That's the first I've heard of it, and I thought all e-ink screens still are made by one company.

[frostschutz]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

I thought all e-ink screens still are made by one company.

They're talking about two different layers of glass here, the gorilla glass will be in the front of the display (the part you see and touch), unrelated to the glass substrate of the eInk display's backside (which you don't see). When eInk cracks you see the display noise caused by those cracks, not the actual cracks as those are on the back.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

Where are specs that say the Voyage uses gorilla glass? That's the first I've heard of it, and I thought all e-ink screens still are made by one company.

I read it here (MR).

Some links:

http://www.geek.com/chips/amazon-ann...paper-1604744/

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/15...hard-cover.htm

I was loose with my language (I think). I believe the Gorilla Glass isn't used on the eink screen itself (the substrate?), but is another layer on top of the eink screen.

[Ripplinger]

One of the articles also says the display is the gorilla glass, but I'm sure it would only be a top layer as said. And ok, that I can see, and it's possible an extra layer of gorilla glass would add some strength to the reader making it a bit harder to flex. Although I'd rather see some specs direct from Amazon.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by John F

I read it here (MR).

Some links:

http://www.geek.com/chips/amazon-ann...paper-1604744/

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/15...hard-cover.htm

I was loose with my language (I think). I believe the Gorilla Glass isn't used on the eink screen itself (the substrate?), but is another layer on top of the eink screen.

Other than in some (not all) third party reviews, I could find no mention of gorilla glass being used for the Voyage. Microetched, yes, gorilla no. One third party review stated gorilla glass was being used for the the Kindle without a backlight and the Kindle Voyage that were introduced around the same time.