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Old 12-04-2008, 10:54 AM   #1
Fractalis
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PRS-505 Care

Good morning everyone,

I picked up a PRS-505 yesterday after doing a lot of research comparing various readers. I opted PRS-505 for its openness towards file formats, its PDF support (which takes in account the variety of tools designed to convert PDFs to LRF format, improve readability, etc..) So far, let me say, I'm absolutely in love with it. Though, worried that I'll be tempted to read too much during work now!

Anyways, I had looked at some of the subforums about accessories, etc... in search of tips and tools designed for the care of the PRS-505. I'm a bit paranoid about damaging my PRS-505 in anyway, considering from what I've read the sheer expense of replacing the screen. So, I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions.

A) How paranoid should I be, that is, how resilient have people found their 505's to be?

B) What things should I keep in mind to minimize damage/wear over time?
C) What accessories are there in terms of hard cases and such that I could easily find in retail stores so I could purchase it immediately? I saw a few posts on Walmarts' Vaultz case but it seems to have been discontinued? Have people who opted to use leather organizer cases gotten a decent sense of security from using it?

I apologize in advance if this has been previously covered, I tried looking around but couldn't find anything. I do appreciate any and all advice that people have, thanks!
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Old 12-04-2008, 11:56 AM   #2
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Welcome to the forum, Fractalis!

I've had my 505 for about a year. I don't use a padded case, but I use a zippered fabric pouch to protect from the Reader from the dust, lint, and other debris in my purse. Sometimes I cringe when my purse topples over (really gotta clean that thing out) or I toss it into the car a little more exuberantly than I should, but the Reader has shown no ill-effects.

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Old 12-04-2008, 03:11 PM   #3
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Don't feel odd for asking. Most of us had the same qualms when we first got them (no matter WHAT brand or model it was).

I believe you will find the reader itself is fairly sturdy. My old PRS-500 is still in use with some friends (with kids) and going strong since the start of the model line. I've dropped it myself several times (thankfully only a few feet and on carpet but still...the panic!) but if you were to read in here you would find examples of people dropping them on sidewalks without any ill effects (other than cosmetic case damage).

The fragile part, as you have already found out by seeing the prices, is the screen. Everything else is pretty much built to hold the screen in place and to keep pressure off of the screen. (In fact, on the old PRS500 to put the folding cover back on, they recommended that you put the reader face down on a hard surface, position the cover over the locking ring and push down hard. And they meant HARD! I thought for sure it would break the reader but it just creaked a little and then snapped in.)

I've carried both the Sony and Cybook in the mesh pocket of a full bag for quite a while with no adverse consequences. The thing to remember is that in most cases keeping pressure off of the screen will insure the readers survival. With me, they always travel in their covers (never used a hard case though I can see where they would be very useful), are always placed in bags with the screen against a large surface (in my case, the back of the laptop or a textbook. This reduces the chance of anything poking the screen with enough pressure to crack or break the glass), never get stored with small and hard loose objects (keys, flashdrives, cryogenically suspended mice) to prevent the chance of something slipping between the screen and something heavy.

A good example of sturdyness: About 8 months ago I had a surprise family visit. The warning was called in at the edge of town that they were coming which gave me roughly, oh, "no time" to clean up. This forced me into bachelor cleaning mode 3 (shoving stuff into the closet and into the wardrobe). After they left (3 days later) I started looking for my reader but could not find it anywhere. Finally I started going though the book pile I stashed in the closet. 10 hardbacks (BIG hardbacks, Tad Williams size) down the stack, I found the blasted thing. Not in it's case, just the reader. For a long weekend it had been under at least 25 pounds of books and wasn't bothered in the slightest. The book resting on top of it had deep indention's from the buttons and actually came out worse than the reader did.

So it basically boils down to "Do what you can to prevent point pressure to the screen" (keep the screen away from hammers and shrapnel) and "Don't let it experience sudden deceleration events" (try not to drop it out of your pocket while skydiving). The screen is glass but it's not particularly fragile glass and the standard cover that goes with it does a very good job in protecting the device.
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Old 12-04-2008, 03:23 PM   #4
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Yeah, I think the PRS-505 is pretty robust, so don't worry too much about it. I don't do anything special to care for mine. I only have the standard issue cover that came with it. The screen doesn't attract dust, but once in a while I use a regular lint-free eyeglass cloth to wipe lint off the screen. So, bottom line is, as long as you don't treat it like a football, and use common sense care, you'll be fine.
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Old 12-04-2008, 03:36 PM   #5
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Thanks

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply! I feel a lot better about the robustness of the device and a lot less paranoid about the general handling of it.
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Old 12-04-2008, 06:16 PM   #6
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I have heard of people cracking the screen when they put it in the airplane seat in front of them and their knee hit it -- so I think localized pressure directly on the screen isn't a great idea.

That being said, I've dropped my PRS-500 more times than I'd have liked, and the worst part it ever got was the odd nick on the dark blue metal. Never had a scratch on the screen in the two years I owned it. I now have a PRS-505 that's dropped face down onto tile from a propped up position. Wasn't thrilled about it but nary a scratch. I think they're pretty sturdy -- I still try my best to handle mine with kid gloves though

On a side note, there was a goofy Sony Reader Revolution guy at the SonyStyle store I went to and he dropped his PRS-505 from waist high, hard. He also tossed it like a frisbee against a wall there, and generally roughhoused it to no ill effect. (Aside from making me cringe when he did it) He also says he's left it on the top of his car and driven off and in Vegas he dropped it from a ten story building.....but those sound like tall tales ;-)
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:51 AM   #7
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The things that will break the screen are applying pressure to a localised area on it, and any force that tries to "twist" it. Either of those are likely to break the delicate glass "substrate" that is underneath the outer plastic screen. Avoid those and you'll be fine.
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Old 12-08-2008, 08:27 AM   #8
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Can anyone provide some available hard case options for my 700, or a universal one? I will be putting it in my backpack regularly, and would rather take the precaution now, then find a cracked screen later.
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Old 12-08-2008, 09:23 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbloudg20 View Post
Can anyone provide some available hard case options for my 700, or a universal one? I will be putting it in my backpack regularly, and would rather take the precaution now, then find a cracked screen later.
If you read my post (number 20) in this thread https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...064#post248064 , you can see the hard case that my husband has been using for months now to protect his reader in his laptop bag. Inside that post, there is a link to another thread that discusses the eCaddy Hardshell Case for the Sony readers. It fits both the PRS-500 and the PRS-505. I've never seen a 700, so I can't say about that one.

The eCaddy is available on Amazon (where I got it) and on eBay.
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