Why don't E-readers have a Replaceable Battery

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Weird.

Maybe it's been touching it with oily fingers that did my powder boxes in. But I am not the only person experiencing this

Perhaps it's more due to the makeup formulations (a myriad of oils, silicones, alcohols, etc).

My e-readers don't get in frequent contact with makeup. Just normal finger grease (okay, maybe sometimes oil from fried chicken). I think I have some keyboards and mice with similar coating and those are fine as well. At worst, coating might have worn off but they didn't get sticky/tacky.

[Poppaea]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Perhaps it's more due to the makeup formulations (a myriad of oils, silicones, alcohols, etc).

My e-readers don't get in frequent contact with makeup. Just normal finger grease (okay, maybe sometimes oil from fried chicken). I think I have some keyboards and mice with similar coating and those are fine as well. At worst, coating might have worn off but they didn't get sticky/tacky.

Oh, ok then

Good to know my reader will hold up for the time I will likely use it.

Not sure if I'd rather complain though

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Poppaea

Even more disturbing, if you ask me, is the use of the velvety smooth plastic coating. The Inkpad is decked with it allover, the Forma has it, too.

I've bought things with velvety plastic that get sticky and other things with velvety plastic that held up just fine. I'm just guessing but probably the better ones have a surface that feels that way while the bad ones have some kind of coating.

Barry

[mdp]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I mean RIGHT NOW, why don't e-readers have replaceable batteries in the same sense that cell phones have them?

I am absolutely aligned with the spirit. But I think the E-Ink display based devices I have do have replaceable batteries - just not as easily as «in the same sense that cell phones have them». And the - sensible - reason would be that replaceable batteries in telephones are there for frequent quick swap, while the batteries in tablets - especially in EPD e-readers - would be probably changed once every n years. Which makes it more sensible to lean towards the "lean design and harder battery replacement" direction of compromise for e-readers.

In fact, skimming through the thread, I do not seem to have found the actual point (if I missed the single post(s), stochastically this note is still valid). I myself have a telephone with a replaceable battery, and with strict convinction, refusing the alternative as unprofessional. But this is not because the battery wears out - in fact, I am still squeezing an incredible amount of life from the original 6 years old battery (really bewildering, also since it is the one I use during tethering). And it is not just because I normally use those with double capacity - thicker phone with charge lasting double (thank you, batteryupgrade.com). The main reason for having phones with replaceable batteries is that you do not want to be charge-drained at some point in the afternoon in the middle of a call, or looking for your destination as you drive, or whatever it is that you needed to do on your palm computer. To use a power bank is comparatively an unhealthy hack that should only be done in emergencies. The normal practice should be to swap batteries as the active one is low on charge.*

Now, while this practice and need is very understandable for high-use palm computers, especially radio equipped ones (phones etc.), it is not so for readers: if you drain the charge of an e-reader in days, before you spend hours with a power outlet, well I am surprised. Changing batteries against charge drain and changing batteries against hardware wear are different needs. One happens in theory less-than-daily and the other in theory more-than-yearly. When the latter happens, it is hardly critical to have the operation performed in seconds - you can take your time.

Nonetheless, I would like those batteries for tablets to be standardized. I never replaced one, so I am not sure about how easy it is to obtain a replacement.

*Oh, and by experience in our pages (with special regard to debates about displays for the outdoors), yes I know that some of the mates writing here always have spare power outlets in their pockets, and "mobility" to them is a very abstract concept, something you speak of but never live. Well: I know it is quaint, but imagine you are not at home, imagine there are no outlets around, no city really... Some have it exotic.

[leebase]

What? It’s EASIER to plug in an external battery than trying to swap out a battery in the middle of a call. And my battery banks supply juice to all my devices, not just the exact model of phone like days of yore when I did buy extra batteries for my phones.

Of course, when the main battery isn’t healthy enough to run the phone in normal circumstances... you need to replace the battery. Something like every 3 or 4 years. I can handle going to a shop for that rare thing,

But just for “more power” when tethering and the like? An external battery packet is muc preferred. IMHO, of course

[mdp]

Originally Posted by leebase

What? It’s EASIER to plug in an external battery than trying to swap out a battery in the middle of a call. And my battery banks supply juice to all my devices, not just the exact model of phone like days of yore when I did buy extra batteries for my phones.

Of course, when the main battery isn’t healthy enough to run the phone in normal circumstances... you need to replace the battery. Something like every 3 or 4 years. I can handle going to a shop for that rare thing,

But just for “more power” when tethering and the like? An external battery packet is muc preferred. IMHO, of course

Hi L., I may have not be as clear as wanted/needed. What I meant with «To use a power bank is comparatively an unhealthy hack that should only be done in emergencies», is that I suspect that power bank charging may be less healthy for your device's battery than wall charging. Especially if the battery is embedded (some devices pretty surely will drain relatively fast and not exist with quickly replaceable battery - it could be an ultraportable computer or an AR set), you may want to keep it as longeve as possible... Also with particular regard to capacity loss after wear (batteries that initially have, say, 3500 mAh of actual capacity, but that may perform as 3000, 2500, 2000 etc. after some amount of work-hours) - you want to avoid that. To replace an embedded battery is a nuisance and you will want to keep that event distant in time.

Of course it is easier to plug the power bank. I meant I suspect it may be inadvisable, for the above.

This given, I prefer to waste 9½ seconds swapping the batteries (off, remove lid, swap, close, turn on) than go around with a cabled palm device. How is that "fully" practical? Only partially in the car for reasons of re-charge duration, and hardly practical while walking, with those "chemistry set tubes" pocket-to-pocket (or similar).

And again, as written, if the device is shipped with a, say, 4000 mAh, but I can equip it with an 8000 mAh, I do jump on the latter option like a cougar.

I do not understand your note about «just for “more power” when tethering and the like». When I mentioned tethering, I meant that I normally stress the original battery of the Note 4 keeping it frequently under unneeded but forced charge, as it is cable connected to my computer e.g. for tethering, to provide me with an Internet connection - just as I am doing right now in order to post. I must be honestly surprised of the longevity and resistance of these batteries equipped by Samsung. But nonetheless - it is an avoidable impact. You probably meant "the need of extra capacity when wireless tethering" (I instead meant cabled tethering, which charges it, while wireless tethering fast drains it); in this case, I can confirm that my big phone batteries can drain after much less of a day of intensive/extensive use (e.g. when travelling), and I keep each of my radios (from GSM to GPS) off when unneeded. No need to do special tricks, just "normal" (though not "superficial") phone use is enough to make you need more capacity.

If power banks were really that practical, then or Dr. Drib would not have grounds to lament the difficulty of replacing batteries in tablets. The Doctor would happily hang around with a power bank connected e-reader. But for reasons, he does not...

[John F]

Given the battery life of my current phone, I want a phone that a user can replace; it doesn't have to be quick, but I don't want to have to take it to someone to replace; any dumb user should be able to replace it.

I really only want to replace it after a coupe years to get original battery life performance.

Originally Posted by leebase

What? It’s EASIER to plug in an external battery than trying to swap out a battery in the middle of a call. And my battery banks supply juice to all my devices, not just the exact model of phone like days of yore when I did buy extra batteries for my phones.

...

Just to play devil's advocate:

Personally, If I wanted an external battery for my phone, I think I would say "give me a sec I'll call you right back" while I change the battery and startup vs "give me a sec while I connect my external battery" while you fiddle with getting the battery pack and cable.

But you need to carry around an External battery pack and cable vs a single form fitting battery. And what if you want to continue to use your phone after the call: walk around carrying a phone with an external battery and a cable vs a quick battery replacement and you are good for another couple of ours?

But in reality, I'm not going to carry around an external battery pack and chord or a replaceable battery (unless I become one of those people who wears a fanny pack).

[mdp]

Originally Posted by John F

But in reality, I'm not going to carry around an external battery pack and chord or a replaceable battery (unless I become one of those people who wears a fanny pack).

We do, and we do not use fanny packs. There are leather suitcases, hard cases, pockets, duffles, backpacks, purses. It depends - maybe you are wearing a tie, a coat, a windcheater, leather, denim. Pick your solution to match: whatever it is, a replacement battery takes the space of two fingers.

[JSWolf]

The reason Readers don't have a replaceable battery is so that most people will be another Reader when the battery no longer holds a long enough charge.

[theducks]

Some observations:
A power bank is just another source of 5V (USB power). It is no different than a Wall or Car charger (assumes decent quality) The device uses 5V to set/control the charge rate of the battery, It has no sense of what is making the 5V as long as it supplies it at the needed current (some device drop to trickle mode if the source is standard 500ma computer port)

Continuing to(try and) force a charge onto a FAILED (one that won't run the device at all) battery may lead to magic smoke from the device.

[John F]

Originally Posted by mdp

We do, and we do not use fanny packs. There are leather suitcases, hard cases, pockets, duffles, backpacks, purses. It depends - maybe you are wearing a tie, a coat, a windcheater, leather, denim. Pick your solution to match: whatever it is, a replacement battery takes the space of two fingers.

I could carry one (I wear cargo shorts in the summer, and a jacket in the non-summer months), but it would be one additional thing to carry around and keep track of. And the battery battery life would go down due to age. I don't need to carry a spare battery around.

I would like user replaceable battery, but I don't need to replace it on the go.

YMMV

[mdp]

Originally Posted by theducks

A power bank is just another source of 5V (USB power). It is no different than a Wall or Car charger (assumes decent quality) The device uses 5V to set/control the charge rate of the battery, It has no sense of what is making the 5V as long as it supplies it at the needed current (some device drop to trickle mode if the source is standard 500ma computer port)

Not really «just another», and only under the "decent quality" assumption in fact: the voltage is always 5V, by specification (unless something is horribly wrong), but the amperage may vary, and the battery management electronics in the device may behave differently (e.g. some, and only some devices of mine will notice if USB-computer-port-connected instead of wall-charger connected and notify "something's wrong here") and your in-charge battery may not like that.

So, yes, admittedly (I may have been misleading), if the power source is fully "competent" it does not matter if it is portable. But a few of my power banks have not been so.

EDIT: to the interested, I remember Battery University as a good source: batteryuniversity.com/learn/

[theducks]

Totally agree, there is a lot of garbage out there. (Price is only a clue, if it is really cheap. There are expensive garbage, just in fancy, stylish cases).

Both my Samsung an LG devices advise me that I am in Slow charge mode.
I've had wall chargers that could charge 2 devices at once, The problem was, you could not use any wireless device within 20 feet of it due to the EMI it generated.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The reason Readers don't have a replaceable battery is so that most people will be another Reader when the battery no longer holds a long enough charge.

They won't have a choice in the matter because the battery is not replaceable.

[binaryhermit]

i'm with... leebase, I think, in that having the ability to use a power bank is good enough for me