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Ask Slashdot: Rugged E-book Reader?
First time accepted submitter Augury writes "I'm about to undertake a lengthy trip involving travel through dusty, damp and drop-inducing environments. When it comes to packing for such a trip, reading is a fundamental need, to help while away the inevitable hours spent in transit lounges, at bus stops and on beaches. The weight and bulk of the dead tree approach makes it impractical, so an e-book reader seems ideal — does anyone have any experience with ruggedising an e-book reader for such conditions?"
If you get a proper hard case, and a waterproof bag (there are plenty out there intended for tablets, ebook readers and the like), then you can probably choose any ereader, while being protected against impact while travelling, and dirt/moisture when using it on the beach.
I've had a couple of Kindle screens die on me simply from being bent slightly while in my rucksack to/from work. They were in a case too, but it wasn't the sturdiest of cases. I have a 10" tablet anyway, so now I use that for reading when I travel. Obviously the battery life is nowhere near as good, but it's fine if you're able to recharge every day or two.
which is totally what she said
Just pack the kindle, kobo or whatever with your camera gear in a hard case.
I loved my Amazon Kindle. For about 3 weeks, after which it broke. It wasn't abused; I just wasn't willing to spend another 30% of the purchase price for a cover. I replaced it with a smartphone and haven't missed the Kindle since.
http://www.otterbox.com/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-Defender-Series-Case/AMZ2-FIRE1,default,pd.html
Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
I think it would likely be easier to find a ruggedized case for a popular cell phone than an eReader, and then you could load the eReader app of all the popular sites onto it. (Amazon, B&N, and Kobo all have Smartphone apps that work with their services)
I'm actually quite fond of reading on my cell phone. I carry it with me everywhere anyway, so any time I have a few seconds to read, I've got it out with a book open.
Thomas A. Knight
Author of The Time Weaver
I use a ziploc bag to read on the beach. Simple, cheap and efficient.
Personally, I'd only take a smartphone with a protective case. I really enjoy reading books on the kindle app for iPhone and Andriod. This saves you the trouble of caring around yet another unnecessary bit of hardware. Virtually all phones have cases you can get that ruggedize them.
Advantages:
* Cheap (dispensable), $90 on eBay as a refurb. If anything happens you just take your microSD out and put it into a replacement.
* Rubberized case is easy to hold with one hand
* Lots of case options (neoprene, hard front to protect the screen, etc)
* Next/Back buttons are part of the skin, not individual keys that take in dust.
* Screen is inset from frame, adding some protection
* Roots easily so you can add more options (RSS readers, customize screen refresh options, dictionaries, PDF and other ereaders).
* No other ports/connectors other than micro-usb, If you're really worried, you could hack together a micro-usb plug to close off the port.
Cons
* On/off is handled using a push button on the back of the case.
I've had good luck with my PocketBook e-reader. I've traveled a lot with it and it has taken a lot of abuse.
Dish towel and a large ziplock bag. You're welcome.
It seems to me an eInk display is a good idea here because of its performance under open sunlight.
The Nook is rootable, fits in a cargo pants pocket, and has incredible battery life.
There's waterproof cases to be had on eBay, but I prefer a pleather booklet cover. The Nook's front face seems pretty watertight and I use a drybag for watertight storage.
It's only barely useable for browsing, but it's a beast for ePubs and passable for PDFs.
. We've got computers, we're tapping phone lines, you know that ain't allowed - Talking Heads, "Life During Wartime"
The problem with the kindle is that it is extremely easy to ruin by a backpack with books. I've had 2 die on me that way, so I'm guessing he needs a hard case more than that :\
My first thought (without reading the 'weight and bulk of the dead tree approach' part) was that the paper in books doesn't always take too kindly to water either, and it's easier to keep an e-reader completely enclosed while reading than a book.
I have used this on kayaking trips
http://www.rei.com/product/833250/seattle-sports-dry-doc-kindle-case
It is cheap and does the job
Otterbox appears to make a variety of cases for many different devices. However, they don't come cheap and might be a substantial fraction of the cost of the ereader.
For DIY, if your concern is just while the reader is in transit/packed (ie, not in your hand), have you considered just using (small) bubble wrap? Its light and two or three times around should provide adequate protection against all but a hammer. Seal inside zip lock bag(s) and for good measure toss in a couple of those silicone moisture absorbing packets. If you have a small styrofoam shell from product packaging you might be able to adapt that and close with duct tape.
There's so much to do at Burning Man. Don't read a book, go volunteer at the post office or get into some crazy shit.
Plus ebooks don't burn that nice. Bring a book if you need a break and burn it at the end!
I've traveled a little with my e-ink (B&W) Nook from a few years ago, including a couple week-long road trips on my motorbike. The basic e-ink models are pretty cheap and the battery life is better than the color ones. That's about as "ruggedized" as you're going to find.
You want to be a bit protective of the screen; if poked hard by something else in your bag (such as a corner of a hard object pressed against it), it can damage the layer that changes black-to-white and leave a permanent dark spot. I got a couple of those which aren't too bad, but a little annoying to look at. So I'd recommend fitting a sealable durable freezer bag with a same-size rigid shield of some kind (firm plastic, thick cardboard), and put the Nook in that (with the screen facing the board) for protection, and hope for the best.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Get the basic kindle and invest in a decent case. I have the official amazon case with the built-in light which is very handy for travelling. The light uses the Kindle's battery, which still manages to last for several weeks.
I think it's rugged enough. There's no glass in the screen, and no vents for dust to get in. No, it's not waterproof, but it's only $100. Anything more rugged (if it exists) will be more expensive and just as prone to theft.
"A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
When all you have is a tin foil hat, everything looks like a communist alien mind control ray.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
If it can withstand the brutal torture of a 3 year old, it can withstand anything.
-- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
If you are traveling you may just want to pick up a few paper books. Several reasons for this. 1) cost. Although some paper books can and do cost a lot if you pick something cheap it makes sense. 2)you don't have to worry about power 3) Stealing something valuable. Where ever you go you have to be on your guard since they see you have this high price item and will be thinking you got a lot of cash, time to liberate it for themselves. 4) Safety. See #3. If you have something nice and shiny, depending upon the people around you someone could follow you and want to take it way, putting you in harms way. Although as everyone knows it could just be something else they are looking at like your watch, cloths and so on. On trips I always try to look nondescript so no one thinks I got any cash or valuable stuff on me. In my car I got a lot of trash in the back seats so people think my car is crap and wouldn't want it.
Just my thoughts.
Paul: Father... father, the sleeper has awakened! - Dune
For just storage use a formed hard nylon case then when your using it make sure its in a waterproof case with strap so you can wear it and protect it from falling and water damage.
If you can get around bringing the ebook reader just get some books on tape and put them on a tiny mp3 player or phone. If find this much easier to get my stories while traveling and one less device to lug around with me.
Back in the PDA days I had an awesome rugged case for my compaq, the case was really thick, enough to absorb shock from falls and sealed enough to protect it from a little water. Tried finding something like it for ebooks or tablets but no luck, maybe you can google some more and find something.
The Kindle Non-Touch could be your device.
Background
The shell is metal (titanium? aluminium?) - and can withstand serious knocks.
The device itself is very slim, so easier to slide into the back of backpacks, pockets, etc.
The e-ink display seems to take substantial abuse before it cracks - and if it does crack,amazon replaces the device for free.
Jusitifications
You're asking for something rugged - most people don't abuse their devices.
I've just got back from a 12,400KM trip on motocycle from France to Kazakhstan - my kindle was in the top of the tank case for the entire trip.
It endured being dropped on concrete multiple times ( the shell has chunks missing, but the device marches on ) - and also a small accident when I put the bike down - the tank case ripped off, flew through the air, had a solid impact - and the Kindle marches on. There's a tiny black dot (e-ink equivalent of 'dead pixels', I guess) - where there was significant pressure, but works perfectly.
You can telnet / SSH to the device without modification, you can replace the screensavers, you can download / pirate books if it's your fancy.
It's a pretty damned amazing device, especially for the price of $99.
Anti-DRM = cheap bitchy bastards. Pay for stuff you use or at least write books, music, movies, TV shows or games to contribute to a community of free content. Bitching about DRM and being a leech of content is waste of everybody's time.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
Last year I spent a few months living on a small sailboat. One of the issues I had was that, well, I'm a geek. Solar panels, batteries, laptop, android phone, kindle... it all had to survive. As for my phone I just got a motorola defy, no further protection needed... it's worked great and have taken no end of abuse without a hiccup. As for my ebook reader, I got myself a cheap kindle and a cheap waterproof bag from some dealer on amazon. I think it's called TrendyDigital or some such. It has a neckstrap as well, so I'd just carry my kindle with me, sit around reading, and was able to drop it at a moments notice without worrying about it falling and breaking. I'm not recommending any particular brand here, I'm sure a regular ziploc bag would do the trick, and you could probably add a strap to that as well with some thought to it.
And true, if it had fallen, or slammed against something hard when I bent over, it would have been bye bye kindle. It's not a hardcase... but honestly the kindle is so cheap that it would be a waste of money to protect it with a hardcase. If it breaks I wouldn't even call up the insurance company - the deductible would be the majority of the price of a new one. Just treat it with some care, and if it breaks - get the next model and treat that one with some MORE care.
I regularly read on my Kindle in the bath. I just double-bag with regular ziploc bags, and I've never had any issues.
The problem with the kindle is that it is extremely easy to ruin by a backpack with books. I've had 2 die on me that way, so I'm guessing he needs a hard case more than that :\
Backpack full of books kind of means you aren't using your Kindle right.
True, but while you can dry and probably read a slightly moistened book, slightly moistened Kindles rarely power up again.
And go Cheap. Buy the cheapest Kindle Amazon sells, skip the bulk of a heavy case. As long as it survives most of your trip, call it disposable. If you can find one used, do that. Sometimes rugged is not worth the hassle.
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I can see how that might be handy if you were camping in the back woods for weeks/months at a time, but even with heavy usage an e-reader is unlikely to need to be charged more than once every few weeks, odds are they'll spend half an hour someplace with a free outlet long before they're out of charge.
More to the point - even if you could completely cover it with solar panels a "standard" ~15x12cm e-reader only covers 0.018m2, which gets at most ~30W of solar irradiation if perfectly aligned on a sunny equatorial day, call it 3-6W of electricity, absolute best case, probably closer to 0.5-1W in practice with spliced-on panels and opportunistic sunlight - about on par with charging off a miserly USB port, and a small fraction of what a USB charger delivers. Meanwhile you have to leave your fragile, easily liquidated electronics lying face-down in the hot sun to get that charge. Now if you could get it to charge while reading then maybe you'd be on to something... didn't someone recently announce they had developed visibly transparent solar glass? How about using that for a protective layer on the screen?
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
RUGGED? Like and iPad with a carpet?
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Mah I can see someone having both: textbooks + fun reading on the ereader. Admittedly not an extensive test but I dropped a Kindle 3 from about 6' onto a cement surface screen down, picked it up and not a scratch. Still you'll want a case and if you are actually using the thing in the dust or rain storms than you'll want something like a freezer bag over the screen. I'd vote for bringing a microfiber rag or something to clean the screen too. Don't use your hand or something I've gotten a few minor scratches on my screen from using papertowels or such. I guess it drags the dirt across the surface rather than picking it up properly.
With most of the dry lock bags they start getting scuffed and become fogged and translucent instead of transparent. A quick wipe with Armor All and transparency returns. I use some double tough ziplock freezer bags as well and the Armor All works to clean them up as well.
I was semi-excited when cheap 7" tablets came out. I didn't ever understand the appeal of tablets, but when they dipped under $100 I decided I might
as well get one and see what the fuss is about, and 7" is the right size -- it fits in my pocket so that I will actually have one on me.
Bullshit. It fits in my pocket? No, it breaks in my pocket (cracked screen; still works but it's just a matter of time, now). Whether that's because I bought cheap crap (I did, so it's somewhat possible that's why it cracked, I'll admit) or because of the stresses (particularly when sitting in car, with chorkie on my lap), I'm not sure, but I am pretty sure it wouldn't have happened, if I had used the cheapo case that I bought but never use. The problem is that with the case, it doesn't fit in my pocket anymore, thereby undermining the entire "tablet experiment." (If the best computer is the one you have, then the most useless computer is one you don't have.)
And that's why I've reversed my opinion on 7" tablets -- they're losers too, just as bad as 10" ones. And if you have to use a case and therefore can't pocket it anyway, then 10" isn't really any worse than 7". My next gizmo will be 5" maximum, plus case. And that's for ruggedness reasons, which is why I mention it here.
Use case. Make that part of your spec. Then shop around, within that size-increasing constraint.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Find a lightweight aluminum box at a craft store (try the rubber stamp aisle) that will fit the e-reader, line it with some foam from the same store for a snug but not tight fit, then put the e-reader in a ziplock bag inside the box. That should protect it from just about anything you can throw at it. Should be very inexpensive, also. If it gets broken, you've got bigger problems to worry about.
My wife has used her Kindle in the bathtub inside a ziplock bag without any complaints. A clean ziplock does not obscure the screen enough to really even notice.
Ask the enthusiasts at MobileRead. The Pocketbook 360 Plus has a nifty snap-on cover, good battery life, and survives ocean spray and bathtubs (not sure about underwater though). Or get a reader app for your phone as backup, which you've probably already toughened. Better yet, forget the ereader and visit with whoever's around, explore the surroundings, step away from the digital blue pill and into full spectrum analog life.
Not part of your question -- but you may want to seriously consider the perk of having FREE wireless internet access that works anywhere in the world (if there is cell phone coverage). I took my kindle DXG and it was amazing to be able to check/send gmail from Tanzania, Kenya, and even Amsterdam along the way. I love the DXG and it's been pretty rugged for me over the last year. I think if you are a hacker enough you can SSH from it to EC2 computers.
A Pelican case, and you're protected from just about anything that you could survive. http://www.pelicancases.com/1055CC-p/1055cc.htm
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