Thinking of buying a Kindle

[alsaf]

Hi

I'm thinking of buying a Kindle with my primary use in my house for studying and reference. 
I have done a bit of research into it including posting on other forums. My biggest concern is that I have read that there seems to be problems with the screen cracking or parts of it becoming unusable. Doing my research, I believe it is partly to do with a design flaw of a clip-on non-reading light case and reading between the lines due to  physical contact with the delicate screen. Can anybody please give advice on this and shed any light on these screen problems?

[jetageman]

This is my first message on Kindle Boards, but I've been a Kindle fanatic since the day I received my first one as a gift a couple of years ago.  Now I have three, one for wife, another for middle son (so we can read and share the same books at the same time--priceless, BTW).  I also have a daughter-in-law who has two Kindles and about every other electronic reader/viewer gadget ever made.  I point this out only because I've not heard of the screen problem until now. I suspect that a proper cover was not purchased as well.  All of us have the Belkin cover, which has really kept bad things from happening (like breaking when dropped on pavement).  I've found the clip-on light to be of limited value with Kindle. The features that make Kindle (for me) truly remarkable are the instant download (using free cell phone technology--something I highly recommend be included) long battery life (lasted 15 days on a cruise with wireless turned off) and font size selection (yes, I'm that old).

Hope this helped.

[chilady1]

The screen crack issue was pretty big a year or so ago.  This was because people had a tendency to open the Kindle cover incorrectly which put strain on the device and subsequently cause cracks.  With the new Kindle covers it is almost impossible to mistake the front from the back.  It probably could still happen however, I have not heard of this issue for a long time.

Buy the Kindle.  You will love it.  I have a Kindle 2 which my husband know uses and loves.  I upgraded to the Kindle 3 and I just cannot say enough great things about this device.  You just can't go wrong (but I am biased).  If you are not sure, purchase the Kindle and use it - Amazon has a 30 day return policy so if you don't like it or just can't see yourself using it on a regular basis - you can send it back.  My hunch is once you get it in your hands, you won't want to let it go.

I use my Kindle every single day and two years later, the experience is just as new as it was the first day.  Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[alsaf]

thanks jetageman for the reply, much appreciated. When reading more into it, I had suspected the negative replies about screen problems was down to mis-handling but I wanted to make sure. If I do get a Kindle I will invest in a decent cover like the Belkin even though I will only be using it in the house.  

[valleycat1]

You might want to consider the Kindle DX with its larger screen if you're using it for school or work.

[cork_dork_mom]

I also deliberated quite awhile before buying my Kindle. Consumer Reports rated it the highest among the e-readers. I've had mine for a month and I'm SO happy with it. I wish I had gotten one sooner!

If you're reading a lot of textoboks the bigger Kindle is supposed to be better.

Make sure you get a cover.

[SamIam]

I don't think you'd regret getting the kindle, its a great ebook reader