I read about two books a year. For some, that seems like a lot of books, for others, it isn’t. Nonetheless, our home is running out of space to store our books. If you figure an average book is 2 inches thick, that’s about 4 feet of books each year I add to our bookshelves.
When Amazon released their Kindle, I was skeptical at first, but when Jeff Bezos announced an updated version of the Kindle, I picked one up and I’ve absolutely loved it. The idea of taking a medium-sized library with me was exciting, and the instant delivery over a cellular network quenched my thirst for immediate gratification.
The first Kindle that showed up had a stuck volume button. (For those who don’t know, the Kindle can double as an audio book reader for Audible books, as well as simply play MP3s.
I called Amazon and explained the problem. A day or two later, Kindle #2 showed up. For the next six months, Kindle #2 and I had a torrid affair. We spent time together in bed, on the couch, and at the beach. But a few days ago, my dear old #2 decided she had had enough of me and gave up the ghost. #2’s display stopped working. (Image of broken display at the end of this post.)
I called Amazon again and explained the situation, and they sent out K#3. #3 and I are getting used to each other, but like a lover scorned, I hesitate to really become attached to #3.
While I was on the phone with Amazon, I asked about adding an extended warranty in case #3 fails like her sisters. I was told that because the warranty service is offered through a company other than Amazon, they did not make exceptions to their rule that warranties must be extended within the first 30 days.
I’ve got to admit that I’m disappointed with Amazon’s quality control. The first Kindle shouldn’t have made it out of the factory. My biggest fear is that #3 will pass away after its warranty period and I will either a) need to buy K#4 in order to read my purchased books, or b) give up my library.
Here’s the image of the screen. Note the white lines where the display simply has stopped working.
