Well, here's my Kindle & Amazon story for what it's worth.
A friend purchased a Kindle 2 for me as a gift. What a wonderful gift!
I received it and a few days later, a tv remote was dropped onto the screen.
I called Amazon and paid $161 to have it replaced. Ok, not the Kindle's fault. I received the replacement which was "new" according to customer support and my invoice.
It arrived with scratches on it and was a previous version. It frequently locked up when turning pages. Amazon replaced this one, so now I have 3 of them. egads.
One day after having it, I was reading in bed. It slid from my hand, and landed on a metal bar at the side of the bed. The total distance was 4". I picked it up and looked - not a single scratch, scuff or mark on the plastic or the screen. I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned the page and 1/2 of the screen updated.
As an aside, I had purchased a cover for it, but it still hasn't arrived.
I called Amazon and they said that it should not have broken at that distance, and that they would send a replacement for free. Two hours later I get a phone message stating that if I want a replacement I have to pay full price plus shipping. I've had several calls and emails back and forth with Amazon. I sent an email yesteray with the tracking number, which confirms they have receive all 3 of the units. I also asked why they could not replace it and if they would, I would still like one.
They contact me and ask if I could do a few steps on the Kindle to determine if it is actually broken. Hmmm, they have the unit, but want me to test it?
I just got off the phone with them and they are refunding my friend the purchase price. While the original support went well, it seemed to fall apart quickly. Everyone I talked to or emailed had a different answer and it seems that nobody knows what is going on with it.
I've read about many people who have had the Kindle 2 for a long time, some have dropped them, and nothing has broken. I've also read the opposite. It seems that it depends upon how it impacts, and if it just happens to hit the wrong way. Bad luck of the draw, so to speak?
However, in my personal experience, these things are just too dang fragile. I've used electronics for 30 years, laptops, LCDs, etc. and I've never had a problem like this before.I've had laptops which, in all honesty, have taken a beating.
I do believe that the Kindle has some of the best features I've seen: text-to-speech, very fast loading of books, page turns, all-in-all, I was very happy with it. It was great. But, I lost confidence in it. In my feeling, it's not rugged. I wouldn't trust it to take it out of the house. There is no way that I would take it with me when travelling. I realize that many people have had different experiences, I'm just saying how I feel about it.
And, with my recent experience with Amazon customer support, I have to ask what the heck is going on. Nobody could explain why I couldn't get another replacement. They don't know.
In the end, I'm really happy to be rid of the Kindle. It was a bad experience for me. Very bad.
I feel bad for my friend who gave it as a gift, though. What a wonderful gift and an expensive gesture. He will get the refund, however. At least, I'm told that he will. It takes 2 weeks to process the refund, according to Amazon, so I'll see.
The nook isn't available in Canada, so that's likely off my list. I guess my search continues, but I can't help but wondering if any eInk screen is this fragile?