[barryem]

While this sounds reasonable enough, as someone who does have an Oasis, and who has always preferred to read my devices with a cover, in practice it doesn't work so well to read with the cover on all the time. When reading with the cover on all the time (this is how I read for the first few days I owned the Oasis), the cover battery is constantly recharging the device battery

I'm fairly sure I read somewhere that when the Oasis is in it's cover it doesn't use it's internal battery but uses only the battery of the cover, so when the cover is on there shouldn't be any wear on the device's battery. That's assuming I read what I think I read. I'm not 100% sure.

So if I'm right the battery of the Oasis that's used inside it's cover most or all of the time should last as long as any other Kindle battery. The Oasis that's read mostly without it's cover probably isn't going to last too long.

The website linked below disassembled an Oasis and claims it's internal battery is 245 mAh and the Paperwhite's battery is 1420 mAh, meaning the Paperwhite has a 6 times larger battery. Probably with the cover on the Oasis and cover combined are larger than that since it gets a bit more battery life. But that means that the Oasis without the cover should only last 1/6 as long as the Paperwhite before it's battery becomes useless.

http://www.teleread.com/kindle-oasis-teardown-reveals-freescale-chip-samsung-memory-245-mah-battery/

If I'm wrong about what I read and the Oasis in it's cover still uses it's internal battery and lets the cover keep it charged then the situation is much worse: the Oasis with or without the cover is going to die an early death.

I'm not claiming to know enough facts to be sure I'm right about this and I'm certainly no battery expert but I have done some reading about batteries over the years because I want to maximize the life of the devices I use and based on what I know I think this could turn out to be a real problem. I hope I'm wrong but I'm not going to bet a few hundred dollars that I am. I'm not trying to be an alarmist but I do hope that turns out to be what I am. This is kind of scary. I have a lot of confidence in Amazon so my hope is one of the many areas where I'm not an expert contains the reason I'm wrong.

If anyone reading reviews and technical information about the Oasis comes across the statement that it doesn't use it's internal battery when in the cover could you link to it? I'm fairly sure I read that but I don't remember where or if it was based on a guess or actual knowledge. I think it will be good to know.

Barry

 

[nikkidog]

I own a Voyage and love it.  I also bought the Oasis.  Sadly I returned the Oasis today.  I liked it ok, but I missed the automatic brightness and actually the weight of the voyage.  The oasis is very light weight but I found it kind of slippery to hold with one hand without the cover.  It also made my hand cramp with extended use and I was not completely satisfied with the lighting, if I put the brightness above 10 or 11.  Maybe it's my age, but sometimes I just wanted the screen a little brighter.    I had the 3G w/o so and just could not justify $400, when I found myself actually reading more on my Voyage.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

<relevant part bold>

While you're absolutely correct that the warnings start, I don't have a problem continuing to read with the cover on. Because the warnings only show when you first wake it up. So it's not like you keep getting the warnings every few minutes while you're reading. Of course, if you tend to get interrupted more, it could be more annoying, because then every time you wake it up, you'll see the warning. For me, though, it's not a big deal and it's easy to dismiss the warning, and I am much more comfortable reading with it in the cover.

I keep trying to decide if it would be better if it was the cover that plugged in vs the device. . . .

Yes, you said that earlier in the thread when I mentioned the warning. . My point in my latest post, which I guess I made poorly, is that the cover battery is going to go down first, and one will get the warning, and if one keeps reading after getting that, the cover will flatline. Maybe that's of concern, maybe it's not, but I thought people reading this thread should be aware.

I'm fairly sure I read somewhere that when the Oasis is in it's cover it doesn't use it's internal battery but uses only the battery of the cover, so when the cover is on there shouldn't be any wear on the device's battery. That's assuming I read what I think I read. I'm not 100% sure.

So if I'm right the battery of the Oasis that's used inside it's cover most or all of the time should last as long as any other Kindle battery. The Oasis that's read mostly without it's cover probably isn't going to last too long.

The website linked below disassembled an Oasis and claims it's internal battery is 245 mAh and the Paperwhite's battery is 1420 mAh, meaning the Paperwhite has a 6 times larger battery. Probably with the cover on the Oasis and cover combined are larger than that since it gets a bit more battery life. But that means that the Oasis without the cover should only last 1/6 as long as the Paperwhite before it's battery becomes useless.

http://www.teleread.com/kindle-oasis-teardown-reveals-freescale-chip-samsung-memory-245-mah-battery/

If I'm wrong about what I read and the Oasis in it's cover still uses it's internal battery and lets the cover keep it charged then the situation is much worse: the Oasis with or without the cover is going to die an early death.

I'm not claiming to know enough facts to be sure I'm right about this and I'm certainly no battery expert but I have done some reading about batteries over the years because I want to maximize the life of the devices I use and based on what I know I think this could turn out to be a real problem. I hope I'm wrong but I'm not going to bet a few hundred dollars that I am. I'm not trying to be an alarmist but I do hope that turns out to be what I am. This is kind of scary. I have a lot of confidence in Amazon so my hope is one of the many areas where I'm not an expert contains the reason I'm wrong.

If anyone reading reviews and technical information about the Oasis comes across the statement that it doesn't use it's internal battery when in the cover could you link to it? I'm fairly sure I read that but I don't remember where or if it was based on a guess or actual knowledge. I think it will be good to know.

Barry

I can only tell you what I saw happen when I checked the battery levels in my device as I used it. There are pics of various levels that I took in the battery life thread.

Betsy

 

[Meemo]

I can't speak to the Voyage vs Oasis issue, because never had a Voyage. I upgraded to the Oasis from a second generation Paperwhite.

However, I did want to point out that Amazon makes it pretty painless to return a Kindle with their 30-day return policy.  I know it's that initial decision about which to order that's put you into analysis paralysis, but you can at least rest easy knowing that whichever one you order, you have 30 days to decide whether you made the right decision.  Personally, as soon as I saw the videos of the Oasis I knew I wanted to give it a try.  The price made me twitch a little, but I used Amazon's 5-month payment plan (for the first time ever) to make it at least feel a little less painful.  And I don't regret it a bit.  But that's me comparing it to a Paperwhite 2 (the Voyage never really tempted me) - it was the ergonomics of the Oasis that intrigued me, and I'm very happy with that and pretty much all other aspects of it.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Yes, you said that earlier in the thread when I mentioned the warning. . My point in my latest post, which I guess I made poorly, is that the cover battery is going to go down first, and one will get the warning, and if one keeps reading after getting that, the cover will flatline. Maybe that's of concern, maybe it's not, but I thought people reading this thread should be aware.

Sorry! Lost track of what thread I was in!

I guess I've never worried much about devices running to flat periodically. In my experience, the cover went as low as 1%, but not below. The device was still at 7%. Next time I'll let it go until it turns itself off.

The device doesn't always pull from the cover first, though. Because I have, more than once, opened it and checked the levels and the device was NOT at 100%. This even after it sitting over night. If the cover always depletes first, you'd think that I'd wake it up to a 100% kindle every morning. But that's not happening. In fact, just now, I woke it up and the Kindle was at 92% with the device at 72%. After a couple of minutes of manipulation -- opening the paper, paging through articles, periodically checking the power level -- the device is at 89% and the cover is still at 72%.

Sometimes when the Oasis is below 100%, it says 'charging' -- clearly from the cover -- and sometimes it doesn't. Clearly there's some kind of power management thing happening in the background. But at this point I've exhausted my curiosity.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Sorry! Lost track of what thread I was in!

I guess I've never worried much about devices running to flat periodically. In my experience, the cover went as low as 1%, but not below. The device was still at 7%. Next time I'll let it go until it turns itself off.

No, I've never worried about it either. But apparently there are those who do.

The device doesn't always pull from the cover first, though. Because I have, more than once, opened it and checked the levels and the device was NOT at 100%. This even after it sitting over night. If the cover always depletes first, you'd think that I'd wake it up to a 100% kindle every morning. But that's not happening. In fact, just now, I woke it up and the Kindle was at 92% with the device at 72%. After a couple of minutes of manipulation -- opening the paper, paging through articles, periodically checking the power level -- the device is at 89% and the cover is still at 72%.

Exactly my experience also.

Sometimes when the Oasis is below 100%, it says 'charging' -- clearly from the cover -- and sometimes it doesn't. Clearly there's some kind of power management thing happening in the background. But at this point I've exhausted my curiosity.

You and me both.

Betsy

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

If anyone reading reviews and technical information about the Oasis comes across the statement that it doesn't use it's internal battery when in the cover could you link to it? I'm fairly sure I read that but I don't remember where or if it was based on a guess or actual knowledge. I think it will be good to know.

I haven't seen that, but this review in Popular Science presents the same experience that I had as far as battery use of device vs cover (look at the section discussing the cover):

http://www.popsci.com/amazons-kindle-oasis-review-features-price-battery

 

[ShinyTop]

Here's my bottom line.  If either battery fails after hundreds or thousands of charges I have received my money's worth.  The Oasis, for my needs, the way I read, is the best machine I have yet used.  I refuse to worry that in a year  I may need to buy another, so be it.

 

[barryem]

Here's my bottom line. If either battery fails after hundreds or thousands of charges I have received my money's worth. The Oasis, for my needs, the way I read, is the best machine I have yet used. I refuse to worry that in a year I may need to buy another, so be it.

It's kind of hard to argue with that. The first time I bought an expensive device whose battery wasn't replaceable I found myself afraid to use it. It took a couple of months to get past that feeling and decide that I'd better start trying to get my money's worth out of it.

I think that's part of the reason I have so many different devices. As long as I can't replace the battery I don't fully trust it and I want a backup, and that backup needs a backup, which needs a backup. It's hard to stop buying backups.

Barry

 

[reddblick]

Thanks everyone, with a special shout out to ShinyTop. I'm just going to live my life, splurge and indulge myself with an Oasis.  With the Walnut Cover and without special offers, I only have to wait until August 1, which is plenty of time for a person like me to reconsider my reconsiderations.  Hopefully, that will not happen. But, seriously, don't judge me if I later post that I changed my mind.

One of my considerations was that I can either buy the Voyage, which is 20-month old tech that hasn't been updated, for $200, or I can buy the Oasis, which is brand new and still being put through its paces, for $290. Either way, because the former hasn't been updated, I guess I could be viewed as an early adopter?

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Thanks everyone, with a special shout out to ShinyTop. I'm just going to live my life, splurge and indulge myself with an Oasis. With the Walnut Cover and without special offers, I only have to wait until August 1, which is plenty of time for a person like me to reconsider my reconsiderations. Hopefully, that will not happen. But, seriously, don't judge me if I later post that I changed my mind.

One of my considerations was that I can either buy the Voyage, which is 20-month old tech that hasn't been updated, for $200, or I can buy the Oasis, which is brand new and still being put through its paces, for $290. Either way, because the former hasn't been updated, I guess I could be viewed as an early adopter?

We won't judge! Some have ordered the Oasis, found it wasn't for them, and returned it. No problem. The thing is, you're a book lover, first and foremost, or you wouldn't even be looking at a Kindle, and you're going to buy a Kindle! (But we even have Nook owners among our members! )

The Oasis *is* the newest technology, but the reality is that the differences in the screen and lighting is not very significant. The dual battery is different but still untested. And the software for both is the same--so it really comes down to you as an individual and what your needs and personal likes and dislikes are. I still love my Voyage and would have been very happy with it had I not bonded with my Oasis.

Many people are getting their delivery dates moved up--hopefully you will to!

Be sure to post in our Kindle Watch Party thread. There are margaritas and cookies.

Betsy

 

[KimberlyinMN]

I mentioned this on the Oasis Watch thread, but the SquareTrade warranty that is available from Amazon also covers the cover. So if the battery fails in either the Oasis or its cover, you will be reimbursed the total purchase price. I don't think they attempt to "fix" Kindles but I'm not sure if they will try to fix the cover

 

[barryem]

A few months ago a friend wanted to trade a Windows tablet to me for an old laptop she wanted for school but when she brought over her laptop it had stopped taking a charge.  We talked a while and she remembered she'd bought the Square Trade warranty for it so she called them.  Sure enough she had 1 week left on her warranty.  They had her replacement tablet to her about 3 days after she sent the bad one in.  We traded and I got the tablet.

I'm guessing it's refurbished but maybe not.  It came in a new box and there's nothing about it that says refurbished.  Still, this is an old model and I'd be surprised if a new one was available.  In any case in the months I've been using it it's been just fine.

I've bought a a couple of Square Trade warranties in the past but I never had any reason to use one.  I'm impressed with how they handled this.

Barry

 

[KimberlyinMN]

I've had to file claims with ST warranties several times... I think I used it on a couple of Kindles, a netbook that had a shattered screen, a camera, etc. I even got one for our dehumidifier (because ours were dying every year, the current one has lasted a little longer - probably waiting for the ST warranty to expire LOL) and our clothes dryer. All of our personal laptops have them too. And we both have one for our smart phones. Oh, and our big screen TV. Normally my husband thinks buying extended warranties are crap but now that he knows how easily things mysteriously quit working around me, he thinks SquareTrade is a good thing. Although I didn't get them for my newest tablets, an 8" and a 10" Lenovo, because the prices were so low on these tablets that it almost seemed like wasting money on the warranty.

Also, I think it improves an electronic device's resale value. I know I'd choose a device with a ST warranty over one that didn't have it, provided the price wasn't outrageous.

 

[Koi]

Has anyone contacted their homeowner's policy to find out about electronics coverage?  I have a ginormous electronics rider added to mine, for about $13 a year, with a $50 deductible.  Full replacement.  The time I had to replace a Macbook Pro, they paid more for it to me than I paid for it in the first place.

 

[stevene9]

This thread baffles me. Amazon customer service has always been so good at taking care of their users that I'm sure they would have a solution at the first sign of a problem. Also, how many people will be still reading their Oasis 10 years from now? I'm lucky if I can skip a generation before I buy my next kindle. Ten years from now I will be reading on the Galactic 4 kindle.

Steve

 

[Meemo]

I feel the same way Steve - I think the longest I've waited for an upgrade to a new model was the 2.5 yrs between receiving my PW2 (received the day it was released) and my Oasis.  So I can't really get my knickers in a bunch about this. Or exactly how the batteries are operating.  I guess I'm too busy running the batteries down reading. 

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Clearly, there are some of our members that think a lot about the subject question.  And that's fine. . Others, not so much.  And that's fine.

I'm somewhere in between.  I do think it's an interesting theoretical question and worth discussing in this thread so that members to whom it IS important can have more information when considering a purchase.

I'm just geeky enough to be kind of studying how the battery is used in my Oasis and how it runs down.  Some will be interested, some won't.

Note that if it were a requirement for everyone to be interested in every thread, we'd have very few threads here. 

Betsy

 

[Meemo]

Oh I understand the concern/interest in theory - I'm just sitting on the bench on the other side of the field with Steve. And somehow I suspect Amazon's engineers have already hashed this out. Then again, maybe their evil plan was to make their most expensive (currently) eInk Kindle the one with the shortest lifespan. Bwahahaha! 

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Frankly, I never worry about the battery life on any of my devices.  And I abuse them.  I let them go completely dead, contrary to the common wisdom.

I used my original iPad for five years before upgrading to an iPad Air and it wasn't the battery that made me upgrade--it was that there was software I wanted that wouldn't run on the old iPad.  That's the main reason I upgrade things (Kindles aside).

And the question is "Is anyone worried that in the future the battery cover of the Oasis might fail?"  So it's fair to answer "no."  (Which I did, earlier in the thread.)

I just think it's a fair question to be asked--and want people to be careful in answering that they don't dismiss the people asking the question while responding to it.

Betsy