Didn't see this posted before...

My Kindle fades in the sun...even after about one minute. Very strange...you have to turn a page and then it is partially faded. Turn another one and it significantly fades. Doesn't matter how hot it is. Move it immediately into the shade and turn a page and it's fine.

Wonder why it does this?

By the way, I'm getting a new one. No one beats Amazon for customer service.

Didn't see this posted before...

My Kindle fades in the sun...even after about one minute. Very strange...you have to turn a page and then it is partially faded. Turn another one and it significantly fades. Doesn't matter how hot it is. Move it immediately into the shade and turn a page and it's fine.

Wonder why it does this?

By the way, I'm getting a new one. No one beats Amazon for customer service.

Do you have a K1 or K2? I've seen this complaint often on the Amazon Kindle forums about the K2, but not on the K1.

My Sony does this (they aren't supposed to, some do though). I prefer shade anyway, but if I'm out in the sun I just angle it so my headshadow covers it. It doesn't bother me that much, but if you can return it, do so :)

Didn't see this posted before...

My Kindle fades in the sun...even after about one minute. Very strange...you have to turn a page and then it is partially faded. Turn another one and it significantly fades. Doesn't matter how hot it is. Move it immediately into the shade and turn a page and it's fine.

Wonder why it does this?

By the way, I'm getting a new one. No one beats Amazon for customer service.

It is a known issue with some Kindle 2s.

Yes, this is a well-known issue; you should have seen it if you searched for it.

Amazon will usually send replacements over this. However, it may take you four or more Kindles to get one that doesn't fade in the sunlight. You might ask if it's possible to have your replacement be a new one rather than a refurb if you have to exchange it again.

Why it happens with some and not others is unknown to me. It seems most probably a UV problem, which would suggest some screens should have some UV protection coating and some screens not. But that's just a guess.

However, it may take you four or more Kindles to get one that doesn't fade in the sunlight.

Why do you think it might take four or more Kindles to get one that doesn't fade? I bought 2 Kindle 2s and neither of them have fading issues.

Why do you think it might take four or more Kindles to get one that doesn't fade? I bought 2 Kindle 2s and neither of them have fading issues.

Because some people have gone through that many Kindles. The sun fade problem is very common, but it doesn't happen with every Kindle.

One *possible* explanation is that when people return a Kindle for sun fade issues, Amazon doesn't fix it; if they tested for this in the first place they would not ship out with this defect. So the returns people are getting it, can't find anything wrong with it, and putting it in the refurb stock. If then another person has a sun fade issue and asks for a replacement Kindle, if they send you one from the refurb stock, your chances are much higher of getting one with the sun fade issue again. But this is complete speculation on my part.

It's a Kindle 2.

That is interesting speculation on why some do it and some don't. I guess it has to be some sort of a UV issue. Definitely not a heat issue. Been trying to figure out why this would occur with e-ink.

Amazon is overnighting a replacement for me. I'll check it out on Wed.

Thanks for the feedback.

Why do you think it might take four or more Kindles to get one that doesn't fade? I bought 2 Kindle 2s and neither of them have fading issues.

Well, I went through EIGHT before I got one that actually didn't fade in the sun, so consider yourself very lucky (or me very unlucky).

It is a QC issue: It's apparently cheaper to simply send out replacements for those who notice the problem screens, than take the time to run a UV light over every unit.

El

Well, I went through EIGHT before I got one that actually didn't fade in the sun, so consider yourself very lucky (or me very unlucky).

It is a QC issue: It's apparently cheaper to simply send out replacements for those who notice the problem screens, than take the time to run a UV light over every unit.

El

Srsly?!

wow !!


Well, I went through EIGHT before I got one that actually didn't fade in the sun, so consider yourself very lucky (or me very unlucky).

It is a QC issue: It's apparently cheaper to simply send out replacements for those who notice the problem screens, than take the time to run a UV light over every unit.

El

My Kindle fades in the sun...even after about one minute. Very strange...you have to turn a page and then it is partially faded. Turn another one and it significantly fades. Doesn't matter how hot it is. Move it immediately into the shade and turn a page and it's fine.

I'm trying to understand the behavior that's generally described as "sun fading". I think the use of "fading" in the progressive tense makes me uncertain whether it's a dynamic or a static behavior.

The first sentence quoted above mentions time, which initially caused me to envision an image that was acceptable in lesser light but, when brought into the sun, slowly faded. The second sentence mentions turning pages, which implies that one statically displayed page doesn't fade over time, but that successive pages are incrementally more faded. The last sentence reinforces the idea that it's not a static behavior by implying that a sun-faded image, when brought into the shade, does not un-fade over time, but successive pages are incrementally less faded.

So, am I right in guessing that "sun fading" refers to successive pages becoming more and more faded, and not to a single page slowly fading away?

My K2 doesn't seem to exhibit such fading, either static or dynamic. If it's suspected that turning pages in bright sunlight is the cause, I'm curious whether turning pages "in the dark" (e.g., while hugging the screen to your body, or with the Kindle turned around so the back faces the sun) could avoid it. Does anybody with a sun-fading Kindle care to test and report?

If it really is the heat and not the light, that's harder to work around.

It refers to any page turn causing a page that is faded. It does not "fade over time" without turning the page nor does it get worse with successive page turns, though some page turns will result in less readable text than others. Yes, turning the pages in the dark or in shadow avoids it. It's a direct sunlight problem (which highly suggests a UV issue).

Srsly?!

I have the tracking numbers to prove it. (Both directions)

El

I just returned from vacation and my K2 has the sun fading issue. I spent most of yesterday at Busch Gardens and only found the sun fading problem when the sun was shining directly on the screen. Since I tend to stick to the shade this didn't start until later in the afternoon when the sun angle was lower. The page itself didn't fade, fading only happened when I turned the page. A quick Alt-G returned the screen to full contrast. If my head partially blocked the Kindle during a page turn only the part of the screen directly in the sun was faded. Hitting Alt-G fixed the contrast problem.

Haven't decided whether to return it since I rarely read in direct sunlight and Alt-G fixes the problem for that page.

I spent most of yesterday at Busch Gardens and only found the sun fading problem when the sun was shining directly on the screen.

Hey, that's right down the road from me. But, you were at Bush Gardens and you were reading a book?

BOb

Wrong Busch Gardens, I was in Williamsburg. :) Some of the rides I don't care to ride more than once so I read while the kids (15yo and 11yo) rode them over and over. Fortunately, BG in Williamsburg has tons of shade so waiting was nice.

Wrong Busch Gardens, I was in Williamsburg. :) Some of the rides I don't care to ride more than once so I read while the kids (15yo and 11yo) rode them over and over. Fortunately, BG in Williamsburg has tons of shade so waiting was nice.

Is the Loch Ness monster ride still there? Loved that one. I remember that being a very shady park. Very nice.

I just returned from vacation and my K2 has the sun fading issue. I spent most of yesterday at Busch Gardens and only found the sun fading problem when the sun was shining directly on the screen. Since I tend to stick to the shade this didn't start until later in the afternoon when the sun angle was lower. The page itself didn't fade, fading only happened when I turned the page. A quick Alt-G returned the screen to full contrast. If my head partially blocked the Kindle during a page turn only the part of the screen directly in the sun was faded. Hitting Alt-G fixed the contrast problem.

Haven't decided whether to return it since I rarely read in direct sunlight and Alt-G fixes the problem for that page.
I've not noticed a sun fade on my 505. But if we get any decent sun this weekend, I'll make sure to give it a go in the sun to double check. I'm curious if it might be new Vizplex vs. older Vizplex that could be at the heart of the matter.

Oh yeah, the Loch Ness Monster is still there, an oldie but a goodie. I should have reread Salem's Lot by Stephen King while I was there in memory of when I worked at BG back in the 70's. The ride that I worked, the Glissade which is no longer there, had a control room and everyone on my shift would read the book when we rotated through. There were around 5 or 6 bookmarks in it.

Jon, if you test out your Sony be sure to have the sun shine directly on the screen. Sun shining over my shoulder was when I noticed the fading. If I still had my K1 I'd try it with that.

When I had a 500, the screen would fade in direct sunlight. The screen used on the 500 was the 1st generation eink screen and not Vizplex.

I was able to have my 505 out in direct sunlight yesterday since the rain and overcast weather seems to have stopped for now. Anyway, the fading did not occur. I had it in direct sunlight for about 15 minutes just to test and all was well.

I had to exchange two K2's to get rid of the fading problem. My Sony PRS-505 does not have a screen fade issue. But Sony seems to have much better quality control than Amazon. Sony also has the better construction of the two. It is more solidly built with metal as opposed to the cheap plastic case of the K2. But both are about equal in screen quality. I wish some company would combine the construction quality of the 505 with the functionality of the K2 and give it the firmware necessary to read the libraries available to both. But that is just a dream...

My Kindle 2 had the same issue so you aren't alone. I passed it along to a relative when I upgraded recently, and luckily for them, they only read inside.

That issue was a grandaddy of all K2s. Can't believe how many had that and how many exchanges were made.