Question about the Sony 505

kpfeifle · 11-27-2007, 08:49 AM

Hello All:

Thinking about buying my first reader, I like the Sony, but have one question. How big a deal is it not having a user replaceable battery? Even if Sony were to get out of the market, do you think they (or some third party) would do battery replacements down the line?

Kevin

micomicon · 11-27-2007, 12:59 PM

I've been wondering the same thing myself. (I have a PRS-505 on order.)

However, given some of the troubleshooting reports I've been reading in these forums about the PRS-500 and the Cybook Gen3, I'm expecting the screen is going to be a problem much earlier than the battery will. The screen does not seem to be covered in the warranty even though (or because) it's the most expensive, fragile, and unproven component of the device.

I'll be quite happy if my Reader has a useful life of 18 months. Something better will be out by then and I'll be looking for a replacement at that point. In short, I've stopped worrying about the battery.

cstross · 11-27-2007, 05:59 PM

My experience of the PRS-505 so far suggests that it will take a long time -- 2-3 years minimum, maybe more like 6-8 -- before the battery life drops enough that you need to recharge every couple of hours. LiON cells tend to degrade by 50% over about 24 months. The PRS-505 *seems* to have a lifespan of something in the range 12-24 hours (it may be longer -- it's hard to tell, it drains so slowly!) so after 4 years it *might* be down to 3-6 hours. But then again, it might still be up around the 12 hour mark.

And if you really don't want to buy a new reader in 4-5 years' time, you can always get a mini-USB charger that runs off AA cells and top it off every few hours. They're about a tenner on ebay. Right?

micomicon · 11-28-2007, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cstross

The PRS-505 *seems* to have a lifespan of something in the range 12-24 hours (it may be longer -- it's hard to tell, it drains so slowly!)

cstross, I'm not clear on what you mean by this. Is this 12-24 hours of continuous use? As in playing MP3 files?

DrMoze · 12-02-2007, 02:43 PM

I saw photos on the Sony 500 forum showing how to take it apart. The battery is a standard size, and can be replaced--not as convenient as a removable battery, but possible to do at home.

11-27-2007, 08:49 AM	#1
kpfeifle Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 49 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Device: Sony PRS-300- Kindle 3 (WiFi)	Question about the Sony 505 Hello All: Thinking about buying my first reader, I like the Sony, but have one question. How big a deal is it not having a user replaceable battery? Even if Sony were to get out of the market, do you think they (or some third party) would do battery replacements down the line? Kevin

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11-27-2007, 12:59 PM	#2
micomicon Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 200 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: iPad, Sony PRS-505	I've been wondering the same thing myself. (I have a PRS-505 on order.) However, given some of the troubleshooting reports I've been reading in these forums about the PRS-500 and the Cybook Gen3, I'm expecting the screen is going to be a problem much earlier than the battery will. The screen does not seem to be covered in the warranty even though (or because) it's the most expensive, fragile, and unproven component of the device. I'll be quite happy if my Reader has a useful life of 18 months. Something better will be out by then and I'll be looking for a replacement at that point. In short, I've stopped worrying about the battery.

11-27-2007, 05:59 PM	#3
cstross Cynic Posts: 86 Karma: 514 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Lots, started with a Psion 3 circa 1998	My experience of the PRS-505 so far suggests that it will take a long time -- 2-3 years minimum, maybe more like 6-8 -- before the battery life drops enough that you need to recharge every couple of hours. LiON cells tend to degrade by 50% over about 24 months. The PRS-505 seems to have a lifespan of something in the range 12-24 hours (it may be longer -- it's hard to tell, it drains so slowly!) so after 4 years it might be down to 3-6 hours. But then again, it might still be up around the 12 hour mark. And if you really don't want to buy a new reader in 4-5 years' time, you can always get a mini-USB charger that runs off AA cells and top it off every few hours. They're about a tenner on ebay. Right?

12-02-2007, 02:43 PM	#5
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 858 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	I saw photos on the Sony 500 forum showing how to take it apart. The battery is a standard size, and can be replaced--not as convenient as a removable battery, but possible to do at home.

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