Help! Mysterious Broken Screen!!

[HarryT]

It's all too easy to put it in a bag with another heavy object. It presses into the screen, and causes a tiny fracture. A month later, there's a temperature change (or any number of other causes) and that tiny fracture spreads right across the screen.

It can and does happen. The user says "I didn't do anything - it just broke!"

Accidents happen. That's why we have insurance policies. Don't know if things are different where you live, but in the UK, that kind of thing is generally covered by our home contents insurance.

[Gerry]

It started about two months ago. I turned the device on, and was horrified to be greeted by lines running across the screen. I flipped the page and the lines moved around but were still there, and I realized that the battery was run down to 50%. I turned it off, crossed my fingers, and charged it. After a full charge it was good as new. Then about two weeks ago it happened again. I turned it on and was greeted by lines. It was fully charged. This time as I changed pages the lines went away, and all was ok. But yesterday it happened again and no amount of charging or page turning is helping. One half of the screen is covered with black lines.

I researched readers before buying, and having seen Harry’s warning about the case being essential, I got the case with the reader and have treated it very, very carefully. It has not left the case except to be charged. It commutes to work with me, but stays in my briefcase when not being used. It has never, ever been dropped or abused in any way.

I’m posting a couple of photos. I’ve looked closely at the screen and can see no sign of any breakage, so I’m hoping it is the controller and will be covered by Bookeen.

I’ll email them with photos to get an RMA, but does anyone have a suggestion for the best (ie cheap, but still safe) way to send it to France? I live in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

Thanks,

Gerry

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I trust Tribble's data that fewer than 1% of the Gen3's that he sells have had problems more than uncorroborated accusations of "design flaws". The overwhelming majority of screen breakages undoubtedly are due to the machine being banged, twisted, having something heavy placed on the screen, etc. That doesn't make the people who do it "retards" - it's very easy to do something like that and not notice it, and the problem does NOT always show up instantly.

Do you really believe that everyone who breaks their screen is mentally retarded?

It is NOT only Gen3 owners who break their screens - I posted a link in my earlier post to a precisely similar thread for the Sony Reader, and if you go to the iLiad and Kindle forums you'll find no shortage of similar reports. Screens break - that doesn't mean either that the design is faulty or that the user is mentally deficient, as you seem to be suggesting.

I too trust Tribble's data. But his data is only based on his sales. And we seem to have enough people here saying that their Gen3's screen did just break with no know excessive force put on it. I don't think everyone who has had a mysteriously broken screen did anything to cause it. Maybe some did, but the numbers we have here can't be as high as they are with this many people breaking the screen without knowing they did so. And people who have broken their screen have admitted it.

Yes, screens break. But from all the reports on MR, Gen3 screens break more.

[JSWolf]

Gerry, I cannot help with shipping, but to me that does not look like a cracked screen. I'm thinking you should be good to go for a warranty repair.

[Gerry]

Thanks Jon. I hope you are correct! I'll let you all know what Bookeen says about the photos. As well as what happens when they get it in hand.

Gerry

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yes, screens break. But from all the reports on MR, Gen3 screens break more.

I disagree, Jon. 12% of the people who answered the poll that you started for the Sony have indicated that their screen (on the Sony) has broken. Of course, that's not a real figure (such polls attract people with problems, for obvious reasons) but it certainly indicates that a significant number of Sony screens break too.

The screens on all eInk devices need to be treated with care, and a small number of owners of all makes do break them.

[dki]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There's a link to the file here

To reflash, unzip the file (it should be called "update_kernel") into the root of the SD card, then reboot the Gen3. As soon as you see the initial "splash screen" press the central button of the navigation control and keep it held in until the screen flashes white. Release the button and the reflash will begin automatically.

Good luck!

Thanks, HarryT,

I will try that, even though I have little hope. I have to get over my Bookeen'd-out state. Right now I just don't want to have anything to do with it. You defend them, and maybe you have your reasons. But, as was mentioned above, this device is just to fragile. Certainly it was in my bag with other objects, but the objects were certainly not heavy (I have pen, compact, lip gloss, things of that nature rather than a sledgehammer in my bag), Cybook was in it's covers, I DO NOT sit on my bag, I do not throw my bag, no accidents happened to the device, it was not even dropped once. If it still cracked under those circumstances, then it is too fragile.

I have no control of temperature changes, and did not buy this device to keep it in a vault with controlled climate. That was computers 30 years ago. That should not be reader today. Bookeen needs to do some work on this, for it serves it purpose very poorly indeed. It is supposed to be PORTABLE device. How is it portable, if it needs to be treated like murano glass sculpture?

Dorota

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by dki

Thanks, HarryT,

I will try that, even though I have little hope. I have to get over my Bookeen'd-out state. Right now I just don't want to have anything to do with it. You defend them, and maybe you have your reasons.

My reasons are quite simple: the fact that one of our long-time members, Tribble, who is the Gen3 retailer for Germany, tells us that fewer than 1% of the machines that he's sold have suffered broken screens. That surely means that it's not a common problem, which is what you're stating.

I'm very sorry that your screen has broken. We have hard facts, however, which tell us that more than 99% of customers do NOT have broken screens. This would appear to indicate that the machine is not a fragile as you're claiming it to be.

[JSWolf]

Would someone mind counting how many mysteriously broken screens are mentioned in this thread? I would do it, but I'm just about off to get ready to go out.

[Gerry]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Would someone mind counting how many mysteriously broken screens are mentioned in this thread? I would do it, but I'm just about off to get ready to go out.

In this thread I count a total of 19 different mentions of broken screens. I got curious and did a quick check in various other threads and found another 14 different mentions of screen breakage with normal usage. Far too high a number in my opinion.

-Gerry

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by Gerry

In this thread I count a total of 19 different mentions of broken screens. I got curious and did a quick check in various other threads and found another 14 different mentions of screen breakage with normal usage. Far too high a number in my opinion.

-Gerry

Perhaps, but as a percentage of Readers sold, how high is it?

I believe that in one of the other threads, there was a discussion on as to how many Gen3's have been sold, and I Think (Don't remember) that the figure that came up was 6-8000. If so you get a very small percentage.

And not to disparage anybody, but at times it may be user error.

We've gotten quiet a few broken Sony screens as well, but that too is I believe not a very high percentage.

[ErwinOtten]

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

Perhaps, but as a percentage of Readers sold, how high is it?

I believe that in one of the other threads, there was a discussion on as to how many Gen3's have been sold, and I Think (Don't remember) that the figure that came up was 6-8000. If so you get a very small percentage.

And not to disparage anybody, but at times it may be user error.

We've gotten quiet a few broken Sony screens as well, but that too is I believe not a very high percentage.

I think you shouldn't look at the total of cybooks sold, but to the number of cybook-owners here on this forum.
When we are here with 200 cybook-owners that means a break-rate of 10% (which is horrible), but when we are here with 2000 cybook-owners then the rate is just 1% (which is obviously very good).
I for myself don't have a clue how many registered readers this forum has and how many of them own a cybook.
All we are doing now is making wild guesses and nobody has a clue to the real numbers...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

We've gotten quiet a few broken Sony screens as well, but that too is I believe not a very high percentage.

We have a poll in the Sony forums which appears to show that about 12% of people with Sony Readers have suffered broken screens.

Of course that's a nonsense figure, and just goes to show that people with broken screens love to tell the world about them, whereas most people who don't have problems remain silent.

All we can say is that some owners of all makes of eInk devices unfortunately do suffer broken screens.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by ErwinOtten

nobody has a clue to the real numbers...

Tribble's "under 1%" figure is a hard fact, not a guess.

[ErwinOtten]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Tribble's "under 1%" figure is a hard fact, not a guess.

That's only true when his selling-figures are large enough. If they only sold 50 pieces in Germany his figures mean nothing.

As long as no vendor is willing to share the real numbers we all are guessing.