Sheese, this thread went off the rails from original topic (with myself guilty as charged). Back to the "dead pixel" issue. It's not a dead pixel, though, but rather a problem with the backlight, maybe a "pinhole" thing like someone called it? I've looked very closely and I can't see anything wrong with my trouble spot when the light is off (no dust, I carefully cleaned it as well) but when the backlight is on it is definitely a bothersome issue. That one tiny spot on the screen is infinitely brighter than the rest. Here is a picture of mine.
I guess I'll drive over and see if they are starting to get some in stock yet for a replacement.
Aside from this issue I'm surprised at how much I like the device so far - finally got around to doing some actual reading on it over the weekend. The size and weight increase aren't a problem for me and I do appreciate the extra space, especially for illustrations (reading a new book about Revolutionary War and the maps are spectacular - which has always been a problem reading military books on previous ereaders).
Anyway - here is that picture... (it's right above the word "less")
https://imgur.com/a/Q5qDW3V