Life expectancy of ereaders in general

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

I have a launch Kindle 3 Keyboard with fairly heavy use. Still works, but the battery is noticeably worse. Lasts about half as long as it used to, and it seems like it takes longer to charge

K3 battery is replaceable.

[cromag]

I have two ereaders; both have been criticized (legitimately, I'd say) for being "cheap."

My Pandigital Novel is a little more than 2 years old. It's my preferred reader for PDFs and I'd say it gets light-duty use. It works no worse than the day I got it, except the battery charge is down to about 75% of what it used to be. Perfectly acceptable (to me).

My JetBook Lite is almost 2.5 years old. It's my preferred reader for almost everything and I'd say it gets heavy (maybe very heavy) use. Batteries are not an issue for this model. Everything else works as well as the day I got it. I still regard it as one of my best purchases ever.

Evaluate your risk factors. If electronics are going to fail they usually do very quickly. Tactile controls or buttons may wear out over time. Where will you take it, and how often do you drop things or bang around your luggage? I didn't need an extended warranty, but some people do. But if the cost of the warranty will cost a substantial fraction of the cost of a new ereader, you might prefer to gamble a bit.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by ereaders

If this is true then I will buy the cheapest model that I can get in the market.

That's not a terrible idea.

The cheapest current Kindle model has an apparently impossible to replace battery. For that reason, I'm against it in principle. But from a practical standpoint, the costs of dedicated eReaders is liable to decline faster than the cost of specialized replacement batteries.

My recommendation for the frugal American is to search on Ebay for the vendor who is selling Kindles by the hundreds. I don't see any stupendous deals today on my favorite model, the Kindle Keyboard, but they have original Kindles for $24.99. That's about what you will pay for a new battery.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by ereaders

I am planning to buy an ereader within this week.
Looked at Kobo, Kindle and Sony.
I went to a retail store today and spoke with the Sales/Tech. He told me that nearly all of his customers used ereader would give him the same feedback.
"They only last for about a year. after the first year either the battery or the display performance will drop."
If this is true then I will buy the cheapest model that I can get in the market.
Buy another one once my first one die.
Do you agree?

I don't believe those statements.

e-readers might not SURVIVE careless use for over a year.
The better designs have a body the resists twisting. Twisting is the other reason for cracked screens. Can you blame the device when you sit on it? Drop something on it? Cram something next to its unprotected screen?

Always transport within in a STIFF cover to protect the screen.

Batteries abhor being used COLD (derate's capacity), left in a deep-discharged state. The typical rechargeable should last about 5000 cycles. Since a e-ink display reader runs for weeks on a charge, 5-10 years should not be deemed unusual

[BelleZora]

They last much longer than a year with care and a protective cover. I would be more concerned with an ereader I really enjoyed using. I've liked my front-lit ereaders so much that I find the outside lights on the others annoying and no longer use them.

[Ken Maltby]

Much like "cromag", I've had my jetBook Lite (JBL) for a little over three years now and
I use mine a lot. In fact, I think there is a advantage for the JBL, with those who will be
using it daily. It can use rechargeable AA batteries, and a recharged set will easily retain
its charge long enough to be ready to go, when the set you have in the JBL runs out. If
you only read a few hours a week, you could try the "low self discharge" AA batteries.

With the above you can always have a charged set ready to replace those in your reader
and be reading again in a few minuets, instead of waiting for an internal battery to recharge.

The reading experience with the JBL has remained everything I could ask for in a reader,
used for novels. For PDFs and other interactive or fixed size documents, I have a 10.1"
tablet.

What the actual life expectancy of my JBL will be, is still a question after 3 years and
counting.

Luck;
Ken

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...7CNfvu7Py6hvhw

$57 but then you would want a couple sets of AA rechargeables and a charger.

[JLeighs]

I had a K3 that I purchased in October of 2010. It performed very well for me except for a slightly slower response time (I wondered if I just had too many books on it) in the last 3-4 months.

[Ripplinger]

Over 2 years for my original Sony PRS350s and they're both still perfect. I've even dropped them quite a few times on concrete from about 3' height and nothing happened to them. I hold my breath each time that happens expecting the worst while I check it out. I have them in the Sony covers, one with and one without the light, so they have some protection.

I originally bought an extra 3 year warranty on the first PRS-350 when I got it including accidental damage expecting it to be super fragile. But I've been extremely happy with the sturdiness and life of this reader.

[Fat Abe]

I must be lucky. None of my readers has developed a problem yet (four Sony's, one Irex, a Nook, two Kindles, two Ipads, Ipod, Droid phone, iPhone). Just stay away from models with bad reps, and you'll be safe.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Same here, on my Sony T1. Totally worth the peace of mind. I rarely drop things, but I do sometimes sit on things.

But I really dislike the "techniques" that sales staff often use to sell add-on products and services. Probably why I buy most things online. Just tell me if a warranty is available, how much it costs, and let me say yes or no. I was at a store (Best Buy? I don't remember) buying a router once when I was living in Florida. I lost track of the stuff they tried to sell me. I came really close to just canceling the transaction and leaving, but I really needed it because our router had just failed.

Ah, the old American "hard sell". I sure don't miss those pushy salesmen, they can really get on your nerves. Probably a cultural thing.

[usuallee]

Congrats on your ereader purchase & welcome to mobilreads! I think the biggest danger is just to avoid accidents. I've gone through 3 Kindle threes from the screen breaking since I got mine in Sept 2010. Even with a case, Kindles are a fragile breed in my experience. Amazon happily sold me a replacement for $65 each time. I'm not aware of a screen's image quality deteriorating over time as you were told.

That said, I have been salivating over the Kindle Paperwhite. I'd get that if I were you.

[faithbw]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Ah, the old American "hard sell". I sure don't miss those pushy salesmen, they can really get on your nerves. Probably a cultural thing.

To be fair, I think this salesman was probably a little desperate. When I go to a place like Best Buy, they do try to persuade me to get warranties but they don't come up with stories about gadgets breaking in a year. If a salesperson told me that, it would make me not want to buy the item in question. I'm not sure what that salesperson was thinking.

I expect to have warranties suggested to me. Honestly, I end up buying them most of the time just because it gives me peace of mind. So it doesn't bother me.

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by ereaders

I am planning to buy an ereader within this week.
Looked at Kobo, Kindle and Sony.
I went to a retail store today and spoke with the Sales/Tech. He told me that nearly all of his customers used ereader would give him the same feedback.
"They only last for about a year. after the first year either the battery or the display performance will drop."
If this is true then I will buy the cheapest model that I can get in the market.
Buy another one once my first one die.
Do you agree?

I am still using the Sony-PRS505 that I bought shortly after I registered here at MobileRead. I have a Kindle K3 (keyboard) that my husband bought me for no real reason; after some thought, I decided to it just for Kindle freebies and my Sony is still my main reader.

I liked my Sony so much, that I bought a Sony PRS-T1 when they were being clearanced from Target, just in case my 505 needed to be replaced. (It doesn't.) I love the wi-fi features of it, but am still using the older one more often because it is still my favorite.

I don't understand why someone would tell you that a product only lasts a year and then try to sell you a warranty. If something isn't going to last a year, I'm not going to get another warranty -- I'd put it toward getting the new one in a year that has all the latest features!

[Apache]

The reason stores sell warranties is the fact that they can be one of their most profitable items. The majority of people who purchase in store warranties never use them. And the stores that are warranting the product themselves, are selling a product that does not cost them anything up front. It is a win win situation for retailers.
Apache

[LovesMacs]

My experience is limited because my first ereader, a Kindle Touch, is not quite one and a half years old and still working fine.

I would love to know just how cold or hot it can get without harming your e-ink ereader. It's currently winter in the northern hemisphere and I don't use my Kindle outside when it is below freezing. I do however carry it inside a slipcase stored inside a shoulder bag.