# My Kindle is Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 22, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601 "2009-06-22T16:35:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/21 "2009-06-23T06:37:51Z")
**Location: Kabul, Afghanistan** I sort of doubt it, given your location. The Kindle is only available through Amazon, and they have no retail stores. What do you say we move this to IMHO or something? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/22 "2009-06-23T07:30:43Z")
Assuming I ever get out of here in one piece and back to US, can I see one in a bookstore or something? If you want to keep it in the pit, I can write the word fuck (see?). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/23 "2009-06-23T09:38:47Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Assuming I ever get out of here in one piece and back to US, can I see one in a bookstore or something? If you want to keep it in the pit, I can write the word fuck (see?). Look on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/24 "2009-06-23T13:19:54Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > ISo I will not be home for six weeks. I cannot easily get a replacement shipped here in time. Six weeks with no newspaper. This is why you need [Aramex Shop and Ship](http://www.aramex.com/shopandship/default.aspx). They give you a New York address and a London address. You have stuff shipped there; they express it to you. I got my Sony e-book reader sent over via Shop and Ship. It’s great for people like my wife and me, who almost never go back to the States. But glad you got your Kindle working again. > [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Reason number one why books are better than a Kindle: a book can’t fucking DIE. But the chief reason (IMO) for having an e-book reader in a place like this is that the bookstores suck extreme ass. Beirut was tolerable in that respect, but Doha is over the limit. I’m guessing that Kabul is way over the limit. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/25 "2009-06-23T13:28:16Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > It’s happened to me and to several people with Kindles I know: If it seems dead, try charging it. Often, it will start working again. > [@robby](#): > > So more often than not, if a battery shows that it is half-charged (or less), it is almost always nearly dead. So the problem is that many people are confusing “dead” with “mostly dead.” ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/26 "2009-06-23T13:28:45Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > One thing about the Kindle - the content can be redownloaded to it. And in addition to Amazon keeping tabs of what you purchase from them and allowing redownload at any time, content from other providers can be backed up and stored offsite via readily available means. But [how many times can you re-download?](http://consumerist.com/5300138/amazon-kindle-books-can-only-be-downloaded-a-limited-number-of-times-and-no-you-cannot-find-out-that-limit-before-you-hit-it). If that number’s not unlimited then people are buying into yet another DRM rental scam. What happens when (not if) a publisher goes out of business or revokes Amazon’s ebook rights? No more downloads. Better hope your Kindle never breaks. At least when you buy a hardcopy a publisher can’t revoke your reading rights short of stomping into your den and pulling the book from your shelves. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/27 "2009-06-23T13:40:39Z")
_Mike Hindle is dead?!_ I guess [his artwork](http://www.mikehindle.com/) is a lot more valuable, now. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/28 "2009-06-23T14:05:52Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > In ealier Kindle Threads, I ridiculed it as a shoddy electronic toy. > I was told that I was full of it. > Well then. What’s your argument other than citation of the anecdote in the OP? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/29 "2009-06-23T14:17:39Z")
> [@](#): > > My Kindle is Dead Long live the Kindle! I still prefer my books in analog form, but I might buy one of these thingamajiggies in the long future. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/30 "2009-06-23T14:41:36Z")
The OP has asked me to move this to another forum. Moved from the Pit to MPSIMS. **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/31 "2009-06-23T16:58:57Z")
> [@Hodge](#): > > But [how many times can you re-download?](http://consumerist.com/5300138/amazon-kindle-books-can-only-be-downloaded-a-limited-number-of-times-and-no-you-cannot-find-out-that-limit-before-you-hit-it). If that number’s not unlimited then people are buying into yet another DRM rental scam. > > What happens when (not if) a publisher goes out of business or revokes Amazon’s ebook rights? No more downloads. Better hope your Kindle never breaks. At least when you buy a hardcopy a publisher can’t revoke your reading rights short of stomping into your den and pulling the book from your shelves. First of all, most of what I read on the Kindle isn’t from Amazon and is free content - so I don’t worry about it overmuch. Secondly, [there was an update to that story](http://www.geardiary.com/2009/06/21/kindlegate-confusion-abounds-regarding-kindle-download-policy/) and the gist of is that what I noted before remains largely true: > [@](#): > > Dan, > > I’ve reviewed our previous correspondence regarding your problem downloading Kindle books to your iPhone, and I’m sorry for the inconvenience and miscommunication on this matter. We have identified the issue and are working on a solution to address it. In the short term, we have corrected the problem on your account. You should now be able to download and read your Kindle books on your iPhone and iTouch devices. > > We have also refunded you for the duplicate purchase of the book. > > Publishers choose whether they apply DRM to their content and thus determine how many copies of each title can be downloaded to different Kindle devices at the same time. There is no limit on the number of times a title can be downloaded, only limits on the number of simultaneous devices. > > I apologize again for the inconvenience. So there are limits to sharing content between devices within a family, for instance, but aside from that the order of the day is unlimited downloads. And for most books, they can be downloaded to as many as six devices registered to a single account. Even apart from this - these files are easily backed up and can be stored off the device and offsite. They are so small that doing so with online storage is simple. I have not bothered to do so with my content because the Amazon files are listed and can be downloaded again at any time, while the content I received from sites like Feedbooks and Gutenberg is freely available to me at any time. The Kindle isn’t a perfect device - but there is a lot that Amazon got right in it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/32 "2009-06-23T17:10:05Z")
I’ve learnt from owning several MP3 players that if you’re a clumsy eejit like me that it is best to spend as little as possible on portable devices. I always drop phones, mp3 players etc. I’ll stick with a €20 unit for listening to music from now on. However, none of the e-readers are yet that cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/33 "2009-06-23T17:30:47Z")
Yeah - I use a cheap hacked GPS as a media player - it works surprisingly well. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/34 "2009-06-23T20:50:46Z")
So why in the world are these e-readers so expensive? It doesn’t seem like cutting edge technology to me. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/35 "2009-06-23T21:12:57Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > So why in the world are these e-readers so expensive? It doesn’t seem like cutting edge technology to me. ☹ I think [e-Ink](http://www.eink.com/technology/howitworks.html) displays are still expensive. There aren’t many companies that make them. LCD displays are cheaper, but they consume much more power, and view angle is much narrower. And view angle is more important on an e-book reader. My tablet PC has a high-quality LCD (PVA panel) but if I lay it flat on a table, I can’t see it very clearly without leaning over it and looking down. The Kindle display has pretty much the same view angle as printed paper - absolutely no loss of contrast even at extreme angles. Also the sales of e-book readers is still low (compared to cell phones and netbooks, for example), which contributes to high cost. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/36 "2009-06-23T21:22:41Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I think [e-Ink](http://www.eink.com/technology/howitworks.html) displays are still expensive. There aren’t many companies that make them. LCD displays are cheaper, but they consume much more power, and view angle is much narrower. > > And view angle is more important on an e-book reader. My tablet PC has a high-quality LCD (PVA panel) but if I lay it flat on a table, I can’t see it very clearly without leaning over it and looking down. The Kindle display has pretty much the same view angle as printed paper - absolutely no loss of contrast even at extreme angles. > > Also the sales of e-book readers is still low (compared to cell phones and netbooks, for example), which contributes to high cost. Yes, the primary reason for the high cost of ebooks is the e-ink displays. But that is also why extended reading on a true ebook is so much easier than on an LCD. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/37 "2009-06-24T00:47:48Z")
I had the same experience with my Sony Reader. I completely drained the battery and even after I plugged it back in, it acted “dead.” Took about 6 hours to recharge! I still love my Reader, I’ll just be more careful about maintaining a charge. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601/38 "2009-06-24T04:06:59Z")
My kindolences on your loss. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-kindle-is-dead/500601.md?page=1)