A reader writes:
I got my girlfriend an Amazon Kindle for xmas and over the past few days it has progressively gotten worse and worse screen damage, despite barely being used (and never abused). Amazon acted like they had heard of the issue before and are trying to advance us a replacement but the backorder list is apparently huge so we don’t have very high hopes to see a replacement anytime soon. Have pic if you are interested, was mostly just curious if you had heard anything from anyone else about similar issue because Google finds nothing of the sort
its to the point now where the unit is unusable, about the top 1/3rd of the screen is garbled beyond recognition, and each time we turn it on it seems like more rows of pixels go out
I haven’t seen this issue, but now I can’t download fresh content, which makes Trog angry. Anyone else seeing weird eInk problems?
UPDATE – Jason just sent us a pic and an update:
The unit hasn’t even been out of the box long enough to
require being recharged, not to mention being abused, so I really
suspect that there is just a loose connection inside or faulty
soldering. I purchased it on launch day so hopefully this is just a
first-run QA mix-up, not an indicator of long term trouble with the
technology.Thanks for posting my issue, I see that someone else had a similar
problem and Amazon resolved it reasonably quickly (which is
reassuring).
I’m not yet convinced to buy Amazon’s ebook reader. Nothing beats the feeling of the textured paper. Yes, books aren’t dead, and I will stick to non-digital lifestyle of reading them.
I hear you but I’ve been enjoying the Kindle. I know nothing beats paper, but having four books on the plane at once – I’m one of those guys who worries he’ll run out of reading material – is great. The Kindle comes in second to real books but then MP3s come in second to records and that hasn’t stopped the iPod.
“Nothing beats the feel of textured paper”…
I still kinda think that the feel of a nice breast is way better than the feel of textured paper. But maybe that’s just me.
I am not convinces either… http://www.spymac.com/details/?2321924
My Kindle hasn’t had any issues. It’s interesting because I tend to want to read it while walking on a treadmill. I also go back and forth between fiction and non-fiction more than I ever have with dead-tree books.
The same thing happened to me. The screen went black row by row until it was totally black. I called for help, and they were wonderful, and got me a new Kindle about 8 days later. When UPS arrived I was home, and just replaced the old reader for the new one in the box, taped it up, attached the return label they had emailed me, and the driver took the return box for shipping back to Amazon. I don’t blame them somehow — they try so hard that I just can’t. I hope this doesn’t happen too much though, or Kindle will get a bad name. But I think e-ink is the culprit — and everyone even Sony uses it. I don’t know what causes it, but I suspect that the screen really can’t take any pressure even though I always have mine in the book cover. But the book cover is rather soft, and I think a metal reinforcement would be better in keeping pressure off the screen.
Don’t trust the scheduled date — it will come the soonest they can, and beat the scheduled date by a mile.
Nuts! I was hoping to order one by the end of January to receive as a birthday gift. I may wait until hey get the kinks out and come out with a second generation Kindle. I’ll keep watching this space to see if anyone else has problems. John, why can’t you get fresh content?
I’m not sure. I was able to drag it over manually with no trouble. Not sure why the network wasn’t connecting.
My BIGGEST beef? NO DAMN PDF SUPPORT. This only became a problem today when I was trying to move some ebooks over. HAG!G!GDGD!
But Kindle has great PDF suppor. A few days ago I sent a very large PDF document to it, it showed up on my Kindle lookng absolutely great. Kindle has never said they did not support PDF, but initially they did have some problems with word wrapping the fixed iine lngth of a PDF. But they must have fixed that, since mine was word wrapped perfectly, and I even increased the font size and it still word wrapped perfectly with the new font size.
The picture shows row and column line outs. This problem is from Prime View International (is a the TFT issue) not E Ink.
I just noticed one single white line going down the entire length of a page. It doesn’t effect reading but every time the unit flashes black to turn the page you can see the single line running down the length of the screen. You can also see it on several of the screen savers. I guess I better get a call into Amazon and get this one in the queue to get replaced! YiKES! I can’t imagine not being without this thing after having it now for a month. I have already read 4 books on it! Plus read my morning paper on it.
This looks like what happened to my Sony Reader…. a cracked screen, if it is I hope that Amazon has better customer support than Sony does.. they wanted 250,00 to fix it, even though it was brand new and broke because of poor design ( the case that comes with it has a snap button that you have to push into the back of the reader.
The defect pictured with respect to the Kindle display is exactly the same defect I have experienced with my 3.5-month-old iLiad. There are several posts on the web about such defects with respect to iRex iLiad display technology, and now here is the same pictured defect with Kindle. My guess is that this defect is an inherent problem of similar technical approaches to e-ink. Kindle is new, so we will see if there is a raft of similar display complaints being floated in the next half-year. I have yet to see a similar complaint with SONY.
I have seen my screen look like that but very rarely. All I had to do is to do a reset with an opened paper clip on the back side under the back cover, into the tiny unlabeled hole you will see there. Fixed it perfectly. I don’t mind something which can be fixed as simple as that.
What I do suggest is that you do not put a lot of pressure on the front of the screen. The case has a padded area to help prevent that if you always keep it in the case like I do, but the e-ink screen can be damaged (as probably everything can be) if you push on it very hard. Someone above said the same thing can happen to the Sony, except they make it worse by having a snap which you have to press on right at a wrong place.
Charles Wilkes, San Jose, Calif.
Waited 6 weeks to get it…screen did EXACTLY as the picture in 3 weeks…i see a major recall coming …what kind of product breaks in 3 weeks of LIMITED use….. charged 400 and cost 2 bucks to make.
I received my first Kindle in early April, and on Friday, Amazon will be delivering Kindle #4. Three Kindle screens have gone bad, and only in one instance was the defect a result of a serious drop. I either have a magic touch, or there is a signficant issue with the Kindle. Great customer service, though, and, unfortunately, I talk from experience.
I bought a Kindle when it came out and received it a month later in January. It worked perfectly for over 4 months until the screen stopped working. It looked like it was 5% of the black. I called Amazon, and was told they would send me a new Kindle. I received it 10 days later and it has worked well since. Even with this issue, it is well worth it for me. Like all technology it has it problems, the only thing that can make it up is customer service. Amazon has handled themselves very well indeed.
I went through three kindles and finally just decided to wait until version 2.0. The first one would not hold a charge. The second one would not connect to amazon and the third one had a screen that would only show every other line! And this happened right out of the box! Great customer service in replacing the units but enough is enough. It has great promise once all these issues are ironed out.
My Kindle started to black out while I was reading. I put it on charge but after it was fully charged- a darkened screen with a very faint image . Appears to be a serious problem.
I have the exact same problem. My screen looks like your photo, after minimal use – and no abuse. I hope Amazon will address this, as I have purchased five books not yet read. KS
hi, so my kindle is broken.
I wasnt too sure about Amazons return policy but basically I told them the case, they were great, and apparently they sent me a new one in the mail (I am not home but I was told it was a new one). I still have the old Kindle. If I dont send back the old one, will I be charged for the new one as well?
I’m having similar issues :( Going to call Amazon now. Thanks for the post, it lets me know I’m not the only one.
Same issue here. Love the Kindle, but this sucks. I’m in the middle of book and am about to go on vacation. GRRRRRR. Started as a black blob in the corner of the screen, but when I pressed it, it spread over to half the screen.
I LOVE the kindle but i have the same problem as you. For no reason it got LOD (lines of death) my new word for your pic but I have heard two ideas over and over again.
1. The X-ray machine in the airport messes up the kindle I have heard this at least 4 times on different websites
2. If you store your Kindle in a closed space Ex: suitcase, backpack, purse your kindle screen may have a pressure fracture. And even if you use its “protective” case it still may break
same problem here with screensaver getting “stuck” on the screen….not a single drop…I bought the first one that came out back in November, 2007. They sent me a replacement in May, 2008 and another replacement in July, 2008. Now, it’s gone again…but guess what? The replacement ones they send you are not treated as new hardware and thus the warranty is out. They can’t fix it, so I’ve got $400 down the drain and a ton of books that can’t be viewed any other way. I thought their customer service was great until I found out this “hidden” trick. With that kind of policy, they could send me JUNK and have no responsibility. If you have a kindle still under warranty, you need to take the money (their warranty states that with a defective product, you get your money back) .
I just had this sreen problem occur today, also for no apparent reason. I have only had my K2 for 8 days!
Amazon has offered to replace it for me, and said I should receive my new K2 in a week or so. They were very cool, but this problem is not.
I want to be e-reading….
I am bummed because my Kindle screen froze on the screen saver and then just went black. I have to wonder if it was cause by the airport x-ray machine because I am traveling.
Does anyone know if you should turn the Kindle off when you go through the airport x-ray because it was on. And it did work for a few days before the ‘blackness’ occured.
Thanks!
Took my Kindle DX traveling and passed it through airport security for its first time. When I looked at it just before I boarded the plane, it had contracted the Lines of Death. It had worked perfectly the night before.
Exact same problem here. never used.
same problem here. black line thats too thick that covered the entire screen. piece junk. any potential buyer beware and dont buy it. it’s a total waste
And, same problem here
Kindle exactly one year old, with heavy use and the problem appeared last night. Will contact amazon and see what they say.
well, Amazon says that it is out of warranty (2 weeks), and for 200$ they will give me a new kindle… I am not amused.. Declined their offer. Instead just bought a Sony 505, so far I am enjoying it. Seems much sturdier than the kindle.. I regret my investment in Amazon E-books… never again…
And a “me too” – TWICE! First time after 3 month (warranty replacement), now 1 year, 3 month => out of warranty.
Looks like brand new, always in the leather cover, but from one moment to the next: the display is dead (the selection bar on the right still works).
Because the device is out of warranty, which gives me a “great” discount to buy a refurbished (!) original Kindle for $180 – not even an up-to-date one. No, thanks, feels like you’re buying a time-bomb.
And here I was thinking I was the only one! My brand new, one month old reader froze up today with a totally white screen. Only the wi-fi bars and the battery charge icon are visible.
I called support and I should have a new Kindle DX on Monday. I really enjoyed it this past month and will try one more time, but after that, I’m done!
Just happened to me too, vertical lines on one half and nothing on the other. I’ve had mine for a year and a half. Of course it’s out of warranty, tech support said I had to buy a new one, I have almost 100 books on mine! I’m going to try customer service. Thanks folks, I’ll post back if I get any where with them. Good to know I’m not alone, I treated my Kindle like a baby, used to love it. Now I’m not so sure…………
Have had the Kindle since Dec. 2007, It was a great Christmas gift for my husband, who is an avid reader and very particuar about his electronics, until it started to act up. A couple of months ago, the screen started freezing and now it shows some wierd graphic image and is not working at all. I called customer service and you guessed it, it is out of warranty and they won’t, not can’t, won’t do anything for me. I can pay to buy a new one. That is not an option with this kind of service. They need a repair plan
I just got my Kindle2 for my birthday on July 15. Two weeks later my Kindle froze on Emily Dickinson’s face and then went black. I called Customer Support and they accused ME of putting pressure on the screen and told me I had to pay $200 for a replacement. Give me a break. Don’t blame me for your defected product.
Anyone have a screen problem in direct sunlight only? Screen fades out to disappearing altogether in direct sunlight (at the beach). If I put my hand over the screen to create a shadow, whatever words are in the shadow will reappear. Bizarrely, the first page of each chapter is clear as a bell in sun, but page forward and it’s gone!
Anyone else?
today my 5 month old kindle 2 looked almost exactly like the one in the picture at the top of this post. one minute emily dickinson, then when I go to read it, the top right quadrant is lines and i get ghost text of whatever was on the screen before. customer support says yeah this is not under warranty, need $200. I declined and then wrote email. Not only will I not replace the kindle if they ask, but I will try to stop using Amazon altogether. been using it more than a decade.
I purchase the Kindle DX, and just 2 months later one night when I put it to sleep it did not work and in the screen several lines appeared and the back screen became very dark, making it impossible to read on it, like the picture on top.
I searched on the web after trying many things including depleting the battery and found out that this problem was not so uncommon, and that the only solution was to get a new kindle. The customer service of Amazon was very kind and immediately sent me a new one. But I´m very worry that this problems with the Kindle that can only be solved by having it replaced, and also the warranty that only last for a year is another concern, but buying another year extender warranty for $100 dollar is just too much, after making such an investment in a E-book reader like the Kindle DX
me, too. label size loss at top of screen. Only 2 months old. will call Amazon.
6 days of kindle bliss not the BIG WHITE SCREEN! what a dissapointment, as I am now in Italy and don’t know how I am going to get this back to Amazon in the US> BUMMER!
My fiance bought a 1st generation Kindle the day the Kindle launched. When the Kindle 2 came out he bought one of those and gave me his Kindle 1. This summer, the screen started going blank. In the beginning, clicking to go back and clicking to go forward again usually cleared it up, but as time went on it got worse and worse and now I can’t see anything at all. As much as I love Amazon, I hate that this thing has no service center. My next reader will be a Sony.