When discussing electronic devices for survival, I think we're too quick to dismiss them because they COULD fail IF we were in a prolonged survival situation. Let's be honest..the chances of both happening simultaneously are pretty remote. Could it happen? Absolutely...but so could a lot of other things. Battery power is another concern but there are ways to mitigate that too IF the situation required it.

That said, many survival situations boil down to survival of the fittest and technology will almost always provide an edge, whether that be with competing for resources or competing with time. If two people had to get to a certain location at a certain time, and one had a GPS and the other had a compass (assuming they both new how to use them), my money is on the guy with the GPS getting there in less time and most efficiently. Likewise, if two people needed to find a particular passage in a medical book in an emergency, and one had an ereader and the other had a regular book, guess who would find that passage in less time and increase the chances of survival? He'd also have access to a much larger resource, unless maybe the other guy was lugging around the 40th edition Grey's Anatomy (>10 lbs.). I'd still want a compass and a (small) book(s), but technology would be what I'd count on first in most situations.

I guess you need to weigh the risk of technology failing against the obvious advantages it provides and decide what you're comfortable with. I just don't think dismissing it outright is always wise.