Has anybody lost their e-book reader while travelling? - Page 3

BookCat · 08-14-2017, 12:33 PM

This may seem strange, but my Kindle (PW2) NEVER leaves the house (and garden). Many years ago, I had my handbag snatched while walking along the street. This was before I had an ereader, but did lose a mobile and quite a lot of money, plus some meds and my house keys. (Luckily a friend had a spare set so the police didn't have to get a locksmith to break in.) This led to SO much hassle: time spent with the police, trauma - having new locks fitted (my address was in my handbag) and cancelling cards etc - that I no longer take anything valuable with me when I go out.

However, one tip I got from the police: mark your goods with a UV pen (which only shows up under a UV light) with your post code and house number - if the stuff ends up with the police or someone honest, it can be returned. With laptops, the best thing you can do is make them very distinctive: paint them in crazy patterns or put de-cals on them.

And always cross the road if anyone is walking behind you. Keep a secure hand on your bag; it's easy to rip them from your shoulder.
Carrying an attack alarm helps. Set it off, throw it (they go for the alarm, to switch it off) then run. The gas ones are loudest.

Here endeth the lesson!

Cinisajoy · 08-14-2017, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookCat

This may seem strange, but my Kindle (PW2) NEVER leaves the house (and garden). Many years ago, I had my handbag snatched while walking along the street. This was before I had an ereader, but did lose a mobile and quite a lot of money, plus some meds and my house keys. (Luckily a friend had a spare set so the police didn't have to get a locksmith to break in.) This led to SO much hassle: time spent with the police, trauma - having new locks fitted (my address was in my handbag) and cancelling cards etc - that I no longer take anything valuable with me when I go out.

However, one tip I got from the police: mark your goods with a UV pen (which only shows up under a UV light) with your post code and house number - if the stuff ends up with the police or someone honest, it can be returned. With laptops, the best thing you can do is make them very distinctive: paint them in crazy patterns or put de-cals on them.

And always cross the road if anyone is walking behind you. Keep a secure hand on your bag; it's easy to rip them from your shoulder.
Carrying an attack alarm helps. Set it off, throw it (they go for the alarm, to switch it off) then run. The gas ones are loudest.

Here endeth the lesson!

If you are walking and you think someone is following you in a car, turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Then turn on the next street. Use pockets not a purse.
Lesson 2, do not leave your purse/handbag open in the top of your shopping cart. I can't count the number of wallets I have seen hanging out of purses like that.
Get a purse with double handles not a shoulder strap.
Biggest lesson, pay attention to your surroundings.

BookCat · 08-14-2017, 01:23 PM

It's also amazingly hard to descibe people: do they have tattoos? How were they dressed? I was asked for all kinds of details I wasn't normally aware of. That changed afterwards. Awareness is a very important weapon.
On that particular occassion, I was just trundling along in my own little world.

Oh, and if you travel or walk in crowded places beware of the "bump into you" technique often used by pickpockets. If your ereader is sticking out of your pocket or bag this is one method they'll use to relieve you of it.

Tarana · 08-14-2017, 01:51 PM

Most of the purse snatchings around here is grabbing a woman's purse that is sitting in the shopping cart OR the fast smash the sidewindow and grab whatever is on the seat. Men are still pretty easy pickings for wallet snatching. As you mention, don't carry a lot of valuables with you because it could get lost. When I had a car accident and had to go by ambulance, they couldn't find my purse. It sat in my unlocked vehicle in the impound lot for several days. Fortunately, nobody bothered it.

I wouldn't go anywhere without an ereader and take my cheap ereaders with me. A $50 Kindle Basic isn't going to break my bank - but I bring family member to doctor's appointments that can last a couple of hours not to mention the ER. I could not be without an ereader then or I'd go nuts. The Voyager stays home - it doesn't even go with me to housesit for my sister (100 miles away) because it would be a month or more before I got it if I forgot it.

QuantumIguana · 08-14-2017, 05:11 PM

I went to a baseball game in Iowa and lost my Paperwhite. I went back to a Kindle Keyboard. I also have a Fire tablet. I like reading from e-ink better than LCD, but sometimes I read from the tablet because I don't feel like getting up to turn off the light.

Cinisajoy · 08-14-2017, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I went to a baseball game in Iowa and lost my Paperwhite. I went back to a Kindle Keyboard. I also have a Fire tablet. I like reading from e-ink better than LCD, but sometimes I read from the tablet because I don't feel like getting up to turn off the light.

Do you mean turning on the light?
I think a kindle keyboard requires a light.
Or do you mean you don't want to turn a light on, and when you get finished get back up to turn off the light?

Hemmi · 08-14-2017, 07:35 PM

I always have a purse that zips completely across the top. It has a short strap and goes over my shoulder and sits right under my armpit.

I carry my T2 with me mostly. I'm covered in case anything happens to it, I have 11 or so other ereaders to choose from. I've never left an ereader anywhere or lost one.

DNSB · 08-14-2017, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I went to a baseball game in Iowa and lost my Paperwhite. I went back to a Kindle Keyboard. I also have a Fire tablet. I like reading from e-ink better than LCD, but sometimes I read from the tablet because I don't feel like getting up to turn off the light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Do you mean turning on the light?
I think a kindle keyboard requires a light.
Or do you mean you don't want to turn a light on, and when you get finished get back up to turn off the light?

Before frontlit eInk screens, I used to read my tablet in bed to save me from having to get out of my comfortable nest to turn off the light. This kept the wife much happier until I started chortling over a passage.

BookCat · 08-15-2017, 08:50 AM

Hemmi: that's the type of bag I had snatched, he just ripped it from my shoulder, breaking the strap (I'm not sure if he cut it, the whole thing was done so quickly).

Tarana: for doctor's appointments etc I take an old paperback with me - I used to buy them from car boot sales and still have many unread (for those in the US, think garage sale). I got rid of all the classics when I moved house, preferring to read those on my ereaders.
Lose a book or lose my kindle? No contest.

Unlike many MR peeps, I don't collect ereaders and have just two. The old Sony can't be off charge for long because the battery's done for. The paperwhite excellently compensates for the bad lighting I currently have in the house.

11 readers? Why? You can't read them all at once.

ZodWallop · 08-15-2017, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookCat

11 readers? Why? You can't read them all at once.

I'd guess they bought new readers that looked new or interesting and never dumped their old ones.

As for me, I only have one reader (well, two if you count the old Nook STG that has screen tear issues) and I take my reader with me everywhere.

I have a Timbuk2 satchel and I carry my reader, phone, tablet, wallet and car keys in it. But the strap is designed to not be cut easily and the bag closes with a combination of Velcro and clips. I'm more likely to leave it sitting somewhere than I am to have it stolen. But it's a risk I'm willing to take since day-to-day I get the benefit of living how I want to.

Also, I don't buy top of the line devices. Losing my $50 Aura, $200 Lenovo tablet and old Nexus 6 would suck. But they could all be replaced.

Cinisajoy · 08-15-2017, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I'd guess they bought new readers that looked new or interesting and never dumped their old ones.

As for me, I only have one reader (well, two if you count the old Nook STG that has screen tear issues) and I take my reader with me everywhere.

I have a Timbuk2 satchel and I carry my reader, phone, tablet, wallet and car keys in it. But the strap is designed to not be cut easily and the bag closes with a combination of Velcro and clips. I'm more likely to leave it sitting somewhere than I am to have it stolen. But it's a risk I'm willing to take since day-to-day I get the benefit of living how I want to.

Also, I don't buy top of the line devices. Losing my $50 Aura, $200 Lenovo tablet and old Nexus 6 would suck. But they could all be replaced.

I love you thanks. You gave me an idea.

Hemmi · 08-15-2017, 07:24 PM

Why 11 readers? Well, they don't make the Sonys anymore and I love them. Been picking them up really cheap. Someday I'll have the complete collection!

The Kobo Mini was just too cute and the price too good to resist. Nook STG, I wanted to try a lighted ereader (other than the Sony 700 which is a horrible light) and I have a ton of Nook books. Oh, and it was cheap. The Nook HD I bought at a really good sale and the HD+ was, well, pretty cheap.

HarryT · 08-16-2017, 03:34 AM

I stick to one reader (Kindle Voyage) and one tablet (iPad Pro), which get used for different tasks. I don't like to chop and change all the time. I see that the Voyage is coming up to 3 years old now, which is the longest I've owned any reader for; it's close to the perfect device for me personally.

seanyyz · 08-18-2017, 04:44 AM

Left Kindle Oasis in an Uber. Uber contacted me and arranged to get it to me.

crich70 · 08-19-2017, 11:28 PM

I have 3. My Kindle paperwhite, my old kindle keyboard and my Kindle Fire. I got a KF for my mom not long ago. Not so much for books though I can put some on for her if she wants, but for a visual aid to her hearing. KF can take voice and turn it into text which is useful as she has very bad hearing. And if she wants to read a book with the different sizes of font it aught to be a lot easier for her at age 74.

08-14-2017, 01:23 PM	#33
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	It's also amazingly hard to descibe people: do they have tattoos? How were they dressed? I was asked for all kinds of details I wasn't normally aware of. That changed afterwards. Awareness is a very important weapon. On that particular occassion, I was just trundling along in my own little world. Oh, and if you travel or walk in crowded places beware of the "bump into you" technique often used by pickpockets. If your ereader is sticking out of your pocket or bag this is one method they'll use to relieve you of it. Last edited by BookCat; 08-14-2017 at 01:28 PM.

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08-14-2017, 12:33 PM	#31
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	This may seem strange, but my Kindle (PW2) NEVER leaves the house (and garden). Many years ago, I had my handbag snatched while walking along the street. This was before I had an ereader, but did lose a mobile and quite a lot of money, plus some meds and my house keys. (Luckily a friend had a spare set so the police didn't have to get a locksmith to break in.) This led to SO much hassle: time spent with the police, trauma - having new locks fitted (my address was in my handbag) and cancelling cards etc - that I no longer take anything valuable with me when I go out. However, one tip I got from the police: mark your goods with a UV pen (which only shows up under a UV light) with your post code and house number - if the stuff ends up with the police or someone honest, it can be returned. With laptops, the best thing you can do is make them very distinctive: paint them in crazy patterns or put de-cals on them. And always cross the road if anyone is walking behind you. Keep a secure hand on your bag; it's easy to rip them from your shoulder. Carrying an attack alarm helps. Set it off, throw it (they go for the alarm, to switch it off) then run. The gas ones are loudest. Here endeth the lesson!

08-14-2017, 01:51 PM	#34
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,978 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	Most of the purse snatchings around here is grabbing a woman's purse that is sitting in the shopping cart OR the fast smash the sidewindow and grab whatever is on the seat. Men are still pretty easy pickings for wallet snatching. As you mention, don't carry a lot of valuables with you because it could get lost. When I had a car accident and had to go by ambulance, they couldn't find my purse. It sat in my unlocked vehicle in the impound lot for several days. Fortunately, nobody bothered it. I wouldn't go anywhere without an ereader and take my cheap ereaders with me. A $50 Kindle Basic isn't going to break my bank - but I bring family member to doctor's appointments that can last a couple of hours not to mention the ER. I could not be without an ereader then or I'd go nuts. The Voyager stays home - it doesn't even go with me to housesit for my sister (100 miles away) because it would be a month or more before I got it if I forgot it.

08-14-2017, 05:11 PM	#35
QuantumIguana Philosopher Posts: 2,034 Karma: 18736532 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch	I went to a baseball game in Iowa and lost my Paperwhite. I went back to a Kindle Keyboard. I also have a Fire tablet. I like reading from e-ink better than LCD, but sometimes I read from the tablet because I don't feel like getting up to turn off the light.

08-14-2017, 07:35 PM	#37
Hemmi Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,366 Karma: 15987608 Join Date: Apr 2015 Device: Sonys, Nooks, Kobo Libra, Forma, Mini, Paperwhite	I always have a purse that zips completely across the top. It has a short strap and goes over my shoulder and sits right under my armpit. I carry my T2 with me mostly. I'm covered in case anything happens to it, I have 11 or so other ereaders to choose from. I've never left an ereader anywhere or lost one.

08-15-2017, 08:50 AM	#39
BookCat C L J Posts: 2,912 Karma: 21115458 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Birmingham UK Device: Sony e-reader 505, Kindle PW2, Kindle PW3, Kobo Libra2	Hemmi: that's the type of bag I had snatched, he just ripped it from my shoulder, breaking the strap (I'm not sure if he cut it, the whole thing was done so quickly). Tarana: for doctor's appointments etc I take an old paperback with me - I used to buy them from car boot sales and still have many unread (for those in the US, think garage sale). I got rid of all the classics when I moved house, preferring to read those on my ereaders. Lose a book or lose my kindle? No contest. Unlike many MR peeps, I don't collect ereaders and have just two. The old Sony can't be off charge for long because the battery's done for. The paperwhite excellently compensates for the bad lighting I currently have in the house. 11 readers? Why? You can't read them all at once.

08-15-2017, 07:24 PM	#42
Hemmi Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,366 Karma: 15987608 Join Date: Apr 2015 Device: Sonys, Nooks, Kobo Libra, Forma, Mini, Paperwhite	Why 11 readers? Well, they don't make the Sonys anymore and I love them. Been picking them up really cheap. Someday I'll have the complete collection! The Kobo Mini was just too cute and the price too good to resist. Nook STG, I wanted to try a lighted ereader (other than the Sony 700 which is a horrible light) and I have a ton of Nook books. Oh, and it was cheap. The Nook HD I bought at a really good sale and the HD+ was, well, pretty cheap.

08-16-2017, 03:34 AM	#43
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I stick to one reader (Kindle Voyage) and one tablet (iPad Pro), which get used for different tasks. I don't like to chop and change all the time. I see that the Voyage is coming up to 3 years old now, which is the longest I've owned any reader for; it's close to the perfect device for me personally.

08-18-2017, 04:44 AM	#44
seanyyz Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 2068472 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Kindle Oasis	Left Kindle Oasis in an Uber. Uber contacted me and arranged to get it to me.

08-19-2017, 11:28 PM	#45
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,305 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I have 3. My Kindle paperwhite, my old kindle keyboard and my Kindle Fire. I got a KF for my mom not long ago. Not so much for books though I can put some on for her if she wants, but for a visual aid to her hearing. KF can take voice and turn it into text which is useful as she has very bad hearing. And if she wants to read a book with the different sizes of font it aught to be a lot easier for her at age 74.

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