Keyboard letter fading? (k3)

[TheKindleWorm]

Originally Posted by curstpriest

its qwerty, so honestly, if you don't know it by now you should probably shoot yourself

Bit harsh - hope that was intended as a joke ! Especially as the Kindle appeals to people who may never have used a computer or a keyboard their entire life! Not everyone's been brought up with or had access to the world of computing.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by curstpriest;

when my DX came the U key was partly rubbed off

its qwerty, so honestly, if you don't know it by now you should probably shoot yourself

It's cosmetic. Like I said, I plan on selling it when I inevitably upgrade to the next kindle. I think people will prefer buying a new looking device at least.

Which brings me to the next question: should I keep the graphite or ask for a white replacement? My brother thinks the black is distracting. I got the graphite bc I read it enhances the perceived contrast of the pearl screen. Anybody who has used or seen both side by side? What do you think?

[vugtitan]

Originally Posted by Barty

My graphite k3 is about 3 weeks old and the letter T is partly rubbed off. Is this a common problem?

Bummer, because I so plan to sell it when the k4 comes out.

just put some cling film on it.

i have put my kindle in a transparent document sleeve and it totally protects screen/keyboard and made it totally waterproof as i sellotaped the sleeve at the back .it now floats in water.

you can cut the sleeve to any size ! with scissors.

it will protect the kindle from your greasy fingers as well while you eat a big mac /chips or a pizza.

you can put cling film on the keyboard or you can enclose it my idea above.

[nimblem]

I just called to have my DXG replaced for the same reason. It was fairly painless

[vugtitan]

Originally Posted by nimblem

I just called to have my DXG replaced for the same reason. It was fairly painless

but you can't do that forever...replacing it every time the letters wear out

can you?

also the time wasted posting/receiving/loading books?


Quote:
Originally Posted by Barty View Post
My graphite k3 is about 3 weeks old and the letter T is partly rubbed off. Is this a common problem?

Bummer, because I so plan to sell it when the k4 comes out.
just put some cling film on it.

i have put my kindle in a transparent document sleeve and it totally protects screen/keyboard and made it totally waterproof as i sello taped the sleeve at the back .

it now floats in water.


you can also read it underwater at a depth of less than a meter if you are swimming on the beach or in a swimming pool

you can cut the sleeve to any size !

i cut the sleeve in 1/2 and folded the excess to the back of the kindle and sello taped it tight.

it will protect the kindle from your greasy fingers as well while you eat a big mac or chips or a pizza.

you can put cling film on the keyboard or you can enclose the whole kindle.

it will protect the kindle screen.


every function will still be available.


you can also read it underwater.

[curstpriest]

White DX = DXG with OLD screen (k2 screen) and white casing - but you are talking about the k3 not dx.

I had a DX white, and the plastic doesn't stay clean very nicely (your hands make it dirty) and over time it kind of turns yellowish, and if you like accidentally leave it in the sunshine, or like go outside, it will tan!

(oh and my comment earlier was both a sarcastic joke, and a kind of *sigh*) If you read down I'll explain, but as a *nix device, I think that even the K1 should last a LONG time and not need to be replaced/traded up unless huge feature improvements happen.

I think what a lot of you guys are missing here is that amazon doesn't really change anything when they release a new model of the kindle. It's almost all aesthetic. They fiddle with the key layouts, mabye switch out a joystick, and release a new firmware update. Then a couple of months later they port the firmware back to the older models. They do this so people trade in and buy the newer models, which are virtually the same as the older models.

The ram/cpu is all the same in the k2/k3/dx/dxg. (I think its like 128mb ram, 533mhz cpu) Flash size went up slightly (4g over 2g) in the newer models, but really, that's a ton of books, even for comics/graphics that is a LOT of room.

New version of k3 has wifi.. ok? that's kind of a fallback if you can't afford 3g. What possibly can a k4 offer?

The only thing they can really do to change anything on new models is improve the e-ink display, which honestly can't get that much better (it's already really good and efficient)

As far as servicing the kindle, it's really easy to take them apart, and it's really easy to replace the components (The buttons, joystick, and keypad are all really easy to swap out. If you can find the parts cheap online you can do it yourself painlessly)

Honestly what we need is a good linux distro to crack open the kindle and give us a viable pdf/epub/browser, since amazon REFUSES to port anything. Honestly, why the hell do they insist on using that terrible java gui?

[diokdin]

I think my A, Z and Shift is starting to fade too but not too noticeable yet.

[jdspencer]

I've discovered the "Every Word" game. This makes you press common letters very often and thus they are starting to fade. In my case the 'S', 'A', 'N' & 'E' keys are fading fast.

[OakIris]

Originally Posted by TheKindleWorm

Bit harsh - hope that was intended as a joke ! Especially as the Kindle appeals to people who may never have used a computer or a keyboard their entire life! Not everyone's been brought up with or had access to the world of computing.

I would imagine that curstpriest was indeed joking - but you never know in these days of black and white thinking. (edit - he already mentioned he was being sarcastic - missed this when first reading the post. )

TheKindleWorm - Surely you're not forgetting that typewriters were around long before modern day computers were - the qwerty keyboard, after all, was invented for the typewriter back in the late 19th century. I would think that most people have used a keyboard in their life times. (I mean no harm to you - I'm ancient, though not from the 19th century, so that's the world I grew up in - took typing for college prep in high school - there was no such thing as personal computers back then. )

Anyway, I think that most people who can touch type still glance at the keyboard now and then; having the letters rub off has to be rather annoying at the least. Just received my Kindle and the keyboard is fine out of the box, but I'll see what happens with continued use - hopefully the problem was just one bad batch, as has been mentioned, so there has been plenty of time to improve the sealing process since then.

Holly

[Barty]

Originally Posted by curstpriest;

New version of k3 has wifi.. ok? that's kind of a fallback if you can't afford 3g. What possibly can a k4 offer?

The only thing they can really do to change anything on new models is improve the e-ink display, which honestly can't get that much better (it's already really good and efficient)

The k3 is the first e-ink display that I felt was good enough for my eyes and spurred me to buy an ereader. I expect it to get better, or be replaced by something else. I want lighter background, and higher resolution. I wouldn't mind one that's b/t the size of the standard kindle and dx, either.

Also, the 5 way rocker was HORRENDOUS prior to k3. Seriously, I don't know how people used that thing, or how it got out of the lab.

Honestly what we need is a good linux distro to crack open the kindle and give us a viable pdf/epub/browser, since amazon REFUSES to port anything. Honestly, why the hell do they insist on using that terrible java gui?

No argument there! I look at the nook's dev scene with envy.

[curstpriest]

Interesting, I was considering getting the K3 because it is easier to move around with than the DXG, but in the end the DXG is better for viewing larger documents so I got that. I actually don't mind the joystick at all, and find it easier to use than the K3 rocker (for selecting stuff), just clicking down is a bit harder - but I have gotten used to it. I really think they should have gone with a touch pad or a playstation/xbox style analog stick instead of what they chose for either the DX or K3.

Wait, why didn't they use a touch pad?
Gestures?
Guess some people like the feel of real buttons.

[nimblem]

I love my dx. I hate that the letters are fading already though being that I have only had it about a month. I thought the keys were just dirty at first but after trying to clean them I realized that they were fading. I am planing on keeping the new DX until I am at the end of my warranty and then exchanging it one last time for faded keys.....

[TallMomof2]

Originally Posted by Barty

Which brings me to the next question: should I keep the graphite or ask for a white replacement? My brother thinks the black is distracting. I got the graphite bc I read it enhances the perceived contrast of the pearl screen. Anybody who has used or seen both side by side? What do you think?

The previous Kindles I owned were white and I bought skins to enhance the contrast. With the DXG and the K3, skins are not necessary because the dark bezel already enhances the contrast. Neither the white nor the dark gray bezels are distracting once you start reading but a contrasting bezel is better, IMO.

[ski_power]

Originally Posted by Barty

It's cosmetic. Like I said, I plan on selling it when I inevitably upgrade to the next kindle. I think people will prefer buying a new looking device at least.

Which brings me to the next question: should I keep the graphite or ask for a white replacement? My brother thinks the black is distracting. I got the graphite bc I read it enhances the perceived contrast of the pearl screen. Anybody who has used or seen both side by side? What do you think?

Imo, get the graphite one. It gets a better perceived contrast.
(experience with Kindles 1,2 and DX - they seem lacking to say the least )