On the longevity of devices.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by heeby

Only ONE portable drive back up? Are you insane? My Calibre library is saved on two hard drives and two USB drives...and I STILL wonder if that is enough. But I have been accused of having a "problem"

What? No off-site storage? I keep a safety deposit box just for annual back-ups....

[sabredog]

When I did a course of motor mechanics at school, some 33 years go, back in my first year of high school, my teacher told the class.

"ALWAYS use the right tool for the job, never use butchers tools" By butchers tools he meant multipurpose.

Even well over a quarter of a century after he said those words, they still ring true. I use proper, dedicated, single purpose tools and devices.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by sabredog

When I did a course of motor mechanics at school, some 33 years go, back in my first year of high school, my teacher told the class.

"ALWAYS use the right tool for the job, never use butchers tools" By butchers tools he meant multipurpose.

Even well over a quarter of a century after he said those words, they still ring true. I use proper, dedicated, single purpose tools and devices.

Absolutely true. However, in this day and age, many people don't even want to learn how to use the butcher tools. They just want to open their mouths and have the food popped in, all while thinking they are great mechanics...

They can get that done, in this day and age, for a price. A price they keep paying for the rest of their lives.

And when they get old, they wonder why they have no money...

(I'm a geezer nowadays, amusing myself watching the fools...)

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

Im not too worried about it. I have an ereader, with all my books backed up on my pc & a separate portable drive. I seriously doubt that all of them will fail at the same time. At some point I am going to get a tablet as well. I will always choose machines that allow me the greatest number of options since I refuse to get trapped into just one ecosystem like Apple, Amazon or BN!

I have my entire library on my kindle and also backed up in Calibre on my laptop. A couple of months back, my laptop refused to turn on. I was out of town, and it took me a week to diagnose it and get it fixed. It could have been a Hard disk drive failure, for all I knew.

I have never been as careful and delicate with my kindle as I was during that week, seeing as it held probably the only copy of my library at that point

[Barty]

Originally Posted by theducks

Ages:
Main speakers: 50 years old, 40 years old (2 systems)
Amplifiers: 10, 20, 30 years old ( 2 systems, 1 was Quad)
Truck: 18 years old
Car: 11 years old
Computers: average 8 years old (many parts reused )
DSL: Replaced 10 year old ISP (and their slow Modem)
TV: Last update to accept DTV broadcasts. Previous 10 years old
e-reader: Passed on the original 3 year old one, using the Spare PEz
Mobile: recently replaced 4 year old with a broken antenna/weak battery


Most get replaced because they finally stop working and the repair would be half the price of a new system with a fresh life expectancy.

Longevity is important to me.

You know you're killing the economy, right? Just saying

[QuantumIguana]

I disagree that paper books are anywhere near obsolete, but that wasn't the central theme of the post.

There's room for everyone. Single-function cell phones aren't obsolete, and it isn't likely that they will become obsolete in the forseeable future. Some people like the functionality that a smart phone gives, other people just want to make phone calls. I use a pre-paid cell phone that is just for calls, a smart phone would be fun, but the pre-paid phone is much cheaper. Stand-alone cameras aren't going away either.

It's the same thing with readers, some people are going to want the tablet, and some are going to want the stand-alone reader. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I prefer reading on e-ink, and I like that I don't have to plug the e-reader in so often.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by afv011

Given that you can buy them for $79 and less refurb now, I think $50 eReaders are much closer than 3 years; maybe this next Xmas season.

Bought a brand-new iRiver Story HD for $50 (granted, it was on clearance sale at Target). Refurbs regularly go for less than $50. I remember seeing a sale for refurb Kobo (or was it Nook?) for $29 or $39 last week.

As for device longevity, that's why I bought back-ups for my PRS-350 (running PRS+). It's the only e-ink reader I like. If all my PRS-350s die (hopefully not, knock on wood), I reckon I'd go back to just reading on my smartphone.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

I have my entire library on my kindle and also backed up in Calibre on my laptop. A couple of months back, my laptop refused to turn on. I was out of town, and it took me a week to diagnose it and get it fixed. It could have been a Hard disk drive failure, for all I knew.

I have never been as careful and delicate with my kindle as I was during that week, seeing as it held probably the only copy of my library at that point

Back up, back up, back up.

I have my library on a Sony reader and a spare. It is in Calibre on my desktop and my laptop. And backed up on at least one external hard drive.

NO way I want to have to recreate it.

[plib]

Originally Posted by theducks

Ages:
Main speakers: 50 years old, 40 years old (2 systems)
Amplifiers: 10, 20, 30 years old ( 2 systems, 1 was Quad)
Truck: 18 years old
Car: 11 years old
Computers: average 8 years old (many parts reused )
DSL: Replaced 10 year old ISP (and their slow Modem)
TV: Last update to accept DTV broadcasts. Previous 10 years old
e-reader: Passed on the original 3 year old one, using the Spare PEz
Mobile: recently replaced 4 year old with a broken antenna/weak battery


Most get replaced because they finally stop working and the repair would be half the price of a new system with a fresh life expectancy.

Longevity is important to me.

Your Silicon Valley residence permit has been revoked.

Notification is in the mail - as it appears your systems may not be capable receiving the latest version of "rich format email".

[CazMar]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

Bought a brand-new iRiver Story HD for $50 (granted, it was on clearance sale at Target). Refurbs regularly go for less than $50. I remember seeing a sale for refurb Kobo (or was it Nook?) for $29 or $39 last week.

As for device longevity, that's why I bought back-ups for my PRS-350 (running PRS+). It's the only e-ink reader I like. If all my PRS-350s die (hopefully not, knock on wood), I reckon I'd go back to just reading on my smartphone.

I must say the iRiver Story HD was a good buy - I spotted them on sale a while ago and as I was just about to have a birthday I threw out the hint! It has been so good and with the latest firmware update it just about does everything.
But I admit my phone (Galaxy Nexus) is starting to take over. The biggest sufferer is the MP3 player and "casual" photography. Who needs to get out the digital SLR and fiddle with lenses just to take a picture of your friends at a party?
As for other devices, I am just about to buy a new car to replace my 1989 model! Even I have to admit that it has probably seen its day, but does still perform so well. And I still have my 1995 Cassiopeia, the forerunner to today's netbooks and tablets. And if you stick a battery in it it still works!

[heeby]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

What? No off-site storage? I keep a safety deposit box just for annual back-ups....

Off-site backups are supposed to be a secret :P

[EowynCarter]

I used to have an Mp3 player. Until i got a smart phone, with the right app, it's more than a match.

My phone's screen is too small, and LCD. Tablet, LCD again, and I haven't found an app that equals the cybook's ePub rendering.

Finally, I read enough to justify a dedicated device. I use my e-reader more than I do any other portable device, cellphone included.