Kindle reliability

Jim Sinclair · 09-28-2011, 10:33 AM

I hope the new Kindle is more reliable than our K3s have been. My wife and I both purchased K3s last fall because they would be much more convenient to carry on trips than a bag of books. We love our Kindles, but they did not turn out to be reliable. Last spring we traveled to Britain, the screen on mine froze in the middle of the trip and I was denied the use of it for the rest of the trip. This fall we traveled again to Europe. My wife's Kindle screen froze on the flight over and she did not have the use of it for the 26 days she was there. Upon our return Amazon immediately replaced our Kindles and even gave my wife a token (their word) $20 credit on her account, but the warranties were not extended, so soon if these fail we will have to replace our Kindles at our expense.

Can we expect our "new" Kindles to last as long as our former ones? or is our experience atypical?

Signed: two unhappy Kindle owners

ucfgrad93 · 09-28-2011, 10:47 AM

I have owned a K2 since Jan 2010 and a K3 since June of this year and I have not had any problems with them. I'm sorry to say that your experience is definitely atypical for Kindle owners.

Skydog · 09-28-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

I have owned a K2 since Jan 2010 and a K3 since June of this year and I have not had any problems with them. I'm sorry to say that your experience is definitely atypical for Kindle owners.

I must agree. I have owned K2s, K3s and DXs and have not experienced problems. Quite the contrary.

HarryT · 09-28-2011, 11:43 AM

"Froze"? Do you mean that you broke the screen? If you did, this is down to physical damage to the Kindle.

poohbear_nc · 09-28-2011, 12:11 PM

Amazon Support has been very accommodating on replacing Kindles after their warranty expires - when it's obviously a case of equipment failure, rather than user abuse. And there seems to have been some bad batches of K3's - but all have been replaced by Amazon.

FWIW - my Kindle charger cable started to flake off its insulation cover this weekend - it's well over a year old - but Amazon sent me a new one and credited back the full purchase price & shipping to me.

pidgeon92 · 09-28-2011, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Froze"? Do you mean that you broke the screen? If you did, this is down to physical damage to the Kindle.

I have to agree with Harry. Quite often when Kindles get broken, it is because they've been jostled about and mashed in luggage. That's how my husband broke his K1.

A good, sturdy case/cover is key, but it won't necessarily protect a Kindle from getting twisted or bashed while going down an airplane aisle, or getting stuffed under the seat in front of you during takeoff.

Blog Kindle · 09-28-2011, 04:46 PM

It seems that Kindle failing on an airplane is a common scenario. I've had one fail in a similar way myself - http://blogkindle.com/2009/04/airpla...d-my-kindle-2/

abookreader · 09-28-2011, 05:24 PM

My Kindles have racked up the frequent flyer miles and not had a freeze .. knock on wood. I'm still reading on my K2-US. My K3 is kaput but its a broken screen issue. I was reading happily along, set it down in it's nice leather cover (yes jwolf, it was in a cover) on the end table, left to walk the dog, and came back to a busted screen.

I don't know what happened but I know that the beagle has a solid alibi.
Everybody else in the house is under suspicion but they all claim innocence.

Jim Sinclair · 09-28-2011, 10:42 PM

No, I don't mean that I "broke the screen" and both Kindles had protective covers. Neither was dropped or damaged in any way. The screens just froze. In my case a partial screen saver covered two thirds of the screen and I could not eliminate it. In my wife's case it froze with the last page read permanently on the screen and no action would eliminate or change it. Amazon customer service raised no question of fault on our part. Their response indicated that this was not an uncommon problem with Kindles and after they reviewed the problem with us they immediately replaced the Kindles.

Skydog · 09-28-2011, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Sinclair

No, I don't mean that I "broke the screen" and both Kindles had protective covers. Neither was dropped or damaged in any way. The screens just froze. In my case a partial screen saver covered two thirds of the screen and I could not eliminate it. In my wife's case it froze with the last page read permanently on the screen and no action would eliminate or change it. Amazon customer service raised no question of fault on our part. Their response indicated that this was not an uncommon problem with Kindles and after they reviewed the problem with us they immediately replaced the Kindles.

I realize it is moot at this point but, just out of curiosity, was a reboot performed on either/both Kindles? That is, did you slide and hold the power switch for 30 seconds, then release?

pidgeon92 · 09-28-2011, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Sinclair

No, I don't mean that I "broke the screen" and both Kindles had protective covers. Neither was dropped or damaged in any way. The screens just froze. In my case a partial screen saver covered two thirds of the screen and I could not eliminate it.

Protective cover or not, what you describe sounds like a broken screen. It happens. My husband's was in a sturdy, protective cover when he broke it. It was his fault, and we've taken great care to not destroy his iPad the same way.

Skydog · 09-28-2011, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Protective cover or not, what you describe sounds like a broken screen. It happens. My husband's was in a sturdy, protective cover when he broke it. It was his fault, and we've taken great care to not destroy his iPad the same way.

Going by the OP's description, I do not believe the problem is a physical one but is a problem with the functioning software or firmware of the unit.

JeremyR · 09-29-2011, 02:18 AM

Maybe it's Gremlins? They like airplanes.

Or maybe the pressurization of the planes does something weird. Always does a number on my ears.

Or perhaps more likely, the kindle (even in the cover) getting squished somehow and cracking the screen. I've broken two playstation portables like that, until finally getting a very hard case for it.

ucfgrad93 · 09-29-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Or maybe the pressurization of the planes does something weird. Always does a number on my ears.

I have flown many times with my Kindle and never have had a problem.

kindlekitten · 09-29-2011, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

I have flown many times with my Kindle and never have had a problem.

ditto

09-28-2011, 10:33 AM	#1
Jim Sinclair Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle3	Kindle reliability I hope the new Kindle is more reliable than our K3s have been. My wife and I both purchased K3s last fall because they would be much more convenient to carry on trips than a bag of books. We love our Kindles, but they did not turn out to be reliable. Last spring we traveled to Britain, the screen on mine froze in the middle of the trip and I was denied the use of it for the rest of the trip. This fall we traveled again to Europe. My wife's Kindle screen froze on the flight over and she did not have the use of it for the 26 days she was there. Upon our return Amazon immediately replaced our Kindles and even gave my wife a token (their word) $20 credit on her account, but the warranties were not extended, so soon if these fail we will have to replace our Kindles at our expense. Can we expect our "new" Kindles to last as long as our former ones? or is our experience atypical? Signed: two unhappy Kindle owners

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09-28-2011, 10:47 AM	#2
ucfgrad93 Wizard Posts: 2,370 Karma: 9026681 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Colorado Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Gen	I have owned a K2 since Jan 2010 and a K3 since June of this year and I have not had any problems with them. I'm sorry to say that your experience is definitely atypical for Kindle owners.

09-28-2011, 11:43 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	"Froze"? Do you mean that you broke the screen? If you did, this is down to physical damage to the Kindle.

09-28-2011, 12:11 PM	#5
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,403 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Amazon Support has been very accommodating on replacing Kindles after their warranty expires - when it's obviously a case of equipment failure, rather than user abuse. And there seems to have been some bad batches of K3's - but all have been replaced by Amazon. FWIW - my Kindle charger cable started to flake off its insulation cover this weekend - it's well over a year old - but Amazon sent me a new one and credited back the full purchase price & shipping to me.

09-28-2011, 04:46 PM	#7
Blog Kindle Addict Posts: 224 Karma: 25122 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 1/2/3/4/Touch/DX/Fire\|PRS-600/350\|Nook(color)\|iPad\|iPad2\|EVO 4G	It seems that Kindle failing on an airplane is a common scenario. I've had one fail in a similar way myself - http://blogkindle.com/2009/04/airpla...d-my-kindle-2/

09-28-2011, 05:24 PM	#8
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	My Kindles have racked up the frequent flyer miles and not had a freeze .. knock on wood. I'm still reading on my K2-US. My K3 is kaput but its a broken screen issue. I was reading happily along, set it down in it's nice leather cover (yes jwolf, it was in a cover) on the end table, left to walk the dog, and came back to a busted screen. I don't know what happened but I know that the beagle has a solid alibi. Everybody else in the house is under suspicion but they all claim innocence.

09-28-2011, 10:42 PM	#9
Jim Sinclair Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle3	No, I don't mean that I "broke the screen" and both Kindles had protective covers. Neither was dropped or damaged in any way. The screens just froze. In my case a partial screen saver covered two thirds of the screen and I could not eliminate it. In my wife's case it froze with the last page read permanently on the screen and no action would eliminate or change it. Amazon customer service raised no question of fault on our part. Their response indicated that this was not an uncommon problem with Kindles and after they reviewed the problem with us they immediately replaced the Kindles.

09-29-2011, 02:18 AM	#13
JeremyR Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 2458402 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: St. Louis Device: Kindle Keyboard, Nook HD+	Maybe it's Gremlins? They like airplanes. Or maybe the pressurization of the planes does something weird. Always does a number on my ears. Or perhaps more likely, the kindle (even in the cover) getting squished somehow and cracking the screen. I've broken two playstation portables like that, until finally getting a very hard case for it.

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