Ilead v1 screen worth fixing?

[Marysart]

Hello everyone, I have here in my posession an Ilead v1 with a broken screen.
I've been doing some research on these boards and it seems that there are a lot of ilead v1's with broken screens. I also read in the Wiki that they changed the design of the v2, to reduce torx on the screen.
How well is this working?
I'm afraid if I get the screen fixed on my v1 Ilead it will just spontaneously break again, as it did when it was with te previous owner. (And I believe this guy)

Are there any people here who have gotten their screens fixed and how has your ILead been afterwards?

Just looking for some input from others I guess as I'm mulling this decision over...

[Shaggy]

All of the iLiad screens are fairly fragile. You want to be really careful to protect them from any impact or heavy weight. Usually the covers you get for them have a hard shell in the front to protect the screen. They don't "spontaneously" break, but you do need to be careful with them.

I wouldn't be too worried about having a v1 design versus a v2. However, what you may want to consider is that it is very expensive to have the screen repaired. The cost is something like half the price of a brand new iLiad. It might be a better idea to buy a new one just so that you have a 1 year warranty on it going forward. Otherwise you'll pay a lot of money to get your v1 repaired, and still not have a warranty if anything happens again.

Did the person who sold the v1 iLiad to you make you aware that it had a broken screen and that it would be very expensive to fix? Unless you got it for really cheap it sounds like you got ripped off.

[Marysart]

Did the person who sold the v1 iLiad to you make you aware that it had a broken screen and that it would be very expensive to fix? Unless you got it for really cheap it sounds like you got ripped off.

Yes, I got it from ebay, with pictures and everyting and what it would cost me to fix the reader, namely 275 euros.
If I get it fixed I will have payed 325 euros for it, wich is about what they go for secondhand here in Holland.
It also came with the executive cover chargers all the original packiging and receit.
I have read on these boards though that something in the design of the executive cover might also be causing the screen breakage.
Maybe that's how his got broken in the first place? Who knows.

The thing is I really have a lot of study material and technical texts in pdf format and not the money for a new Ilead or the new a4 reader..

Ok shaggy, so I get that all the screens are fragile and no warranty if i get it fixed.

Thank you for your input

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Marysart

I have read on these boards though that something in the design of the executive cover might also be causing the screen breakage.
Maybe that's how his got broken in the first place? Who knows.

The executive cover works really well, that's the one I have. The only thing you need to watch out for is that the clasp does not get folded inside the cover when you close it. I've read of one or two people who accidentally closed the cover with the clasp on the inside, which forced the metal snap against the screen and broke it. I don't get the impression that it's a common problem though. Under normal conditions that shouldn't happen. Just make sure you close it correctly.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Marysart

If I get it fixed I will have payed 325 euros for it, wich is about what they go for secondhand here in Holland.

The difference is that after 325 euros you still won't have a warranty. If you get a new one (the Book Edition is 499 euros) then you've got a 1 year warranty.

It is worth noting that physically breaking the screen is not covered under warranty anyway. However any other defects or things like the battery needing replacement, etc, are covered.

[tesa]

Marysart,
I had broken my v1 Iliad's screen and it was entirely my fault so I am not blaming the design. (I actually stepped on it 9 months ago)
The new screen's contrast and clarity was/is a pleasant surprise. I have the device almost 3 years (6 months with the new screen) and if I hadn't cracked the screen myself I don't think there would be any problem. I am carrying it with me and I am not treating it very gently. On the other hand I keep it inside the leather cover and I am not treating it very roughly. (apart from when I am stepping on it that is ) What I am saying is that if you are reasonably careful the new screen will last and will be much better than the original one. Mind you irex may be slow in fixing it and the price is comparable to a new Sony/Kindle/other device.

[Marysart]

Originally Posted by tesa

Marysart,
I had broken my v1 Iliad's screen and it was entirely my fault so I am not blaming the design. (I actually stepped on it 9 months ago)

Ouch! Stepped on it!.

What I am saying is that if you are reasonably careful the new screen will last and will be much better than the original one. Mind you irex may be slow in fixing it and the price is comparable to a new Sony/Kindle/other device.

So they actually put in a better screen? That sounds good.
Hmm, I actually almost bought a sony prs-505 already. I am very tempted to buy the Sony as it looks solid, hardware wise. Also, I'm not to keen on the short batterylife of the iliad v1. How long did it take Irex to fix yours? Descicions, descisions...

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Marysart

So they actually put in a better screen? That sounds good.

Well, sort of...

They switched to using vizplex screens a while ago on the v2s. I would assume if you get a replacement screen for a v1 it would also be a vizplex, although v1s didn't come with that originally. It's not a huge difference though. iRex didn't even advertise the fact that they switched to using vizplex screens, they said that there wasn't a significant enough difference to make a big deal about it.

I think the biggest difference tesa saw was that new eInk screens are always a little better than old ones. The contrast tends to fade a bit during the first few weeks of use. That's a normal part of eInk, and you don't notice it much since it happens slowly. However, when you get a brand new screen again the difference is more noticeable.

[Mr. Goodbar]

The other thing you could do is follow the battery upgrade process as outlined here on the forum. I've upgraded to the 2800mah batteries and this thing just runs forever now.

[-Thomas-]

I wonder if the new Vizplex screens work with the same waveform and the same delta chip as the old screens. Screen refreshes look slightly different, so I doubt they only change the screen hardware but also upload a new waveform to the delta chip.

Nothing to worry about, just wondering...

[Shaggy]

I'm pretty sure it's the same. Vizplex and non-vizplex iLiads all run the same firmware, which is where the waveform is loaded.

[axel77]

Originally Posted by Marysart

Yes, I got it from ebay, with pictures and everyting and what it would cost me to fix the reader, namely 275 euros.
If I get it fixed I will have payed 325 euros for it, wich is about what they go for secondhand here in Holland.
It also came with the executive cover chargers all the original packiging and receit.
I have read on these boards though that something in the design of the executive cover might also be causing the screen breakage.
Maybe that's how his got broken in the first place? Who knows.

The executive cover is a pretty good protection! However I'd advice against the shoulder bag you got for a time when buying an iLiad, this thing is the real death trap. At least all reports of "spontanous unexplained" screen breaks I've read were when taken out of this shoulder bag.

[tesa]

Originally Posted by Marysart

Ouch! Stepped on it!.




So they actually put in a better screen? That sounds good.
Hmm, I actually almost bought a sony prs-505 already. I am very tempted to buy the Sony as it looks solid, hardware wise. Also, I'm not to keen on the short batterylife of the iliad v1. How long did it take Irex to fix yours? Descicions, descisions...

yes they put the new vizplex screen like the one the v2 has. For a few more euros I also had the chance to upgrade the battery. It took 1 and a half months for them to fix mine but that was because I was unlucky and had sent it while they were moving their service from Germany to the Netherlands and I had to wait to get batteries on stock. I guess a 3-4 weeks will be what you should normally expect.

[Marysart]

Hey Tesa, and everyone thank you for answering . I have however decided to sell my broken Ilead on.
The batterylife on these seems to be a problem and the last time I held a soldering iron I was making fantasy animals as a 9 year old in primary school.
Somehow I don't think my "skills" in that area will cross over to replacing the battery
I've also read that Irex doesn't support the Ileads anymore and am thinking of purchasing a sony reader for now and waiting for the competitor 9.7 inch screens.
Again thanks everyone for your input.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Marysart

I've also read that Irex doesn't support the Ileads anymore

They do support them in the sense that they'll honor warranties and do repairs, etc. However, they have stopped developing firmware updates for them. Their software development is now concentrated on the DR1000 series device.