Fun With Kindle

[hatman]

Late last week, I dropped my Kindle. The screen broke. *sigh*

I called up Amazon, just to see what my options were. I was told that I could get it replaced for $89, but that the price of a new, latest generation model wouldn't be that much more. (And if I held on to the current one, there was a good chance that a year or two down the road I'd be eligible for an upgrade program that would get me a discount on a yet newer one.)

So... I took the plunge and ordered a new one. And a case for it. And stuff.

Today, I remembered something. My credit card has this neat feature. If you buy something with a relatively short warranty, they'll actually match the terms of that warranty for an extra 12 months.

I looked up my old credit card statements, and... I didn't buy it with that card. Dang. (The Kindle was really a birthday gift from Mom and Dad, so it was bought with their card.)

I mentioned it to Mom. She told me to check and see if their card had something similar, because she thought they had pretty good terms. I looked into it. Sure enough, they did.

I called them up. The rep told me I'd need to mail in some documentation, including proof that the damage would have been covered (since drops usually aren't covered), a receipt for the original purchase, and an official repair estimate.

Crap. The official Kindle warranty says accidental damage isn't covered (even though everyone keeps insisting that short drops are covered). And the email account I used for the original purchase is gone (the entire webmail service closed last year). And Amazon's repair program, as mentioned, is for $89, not the original $370 I'd paid.

I called up Amazon. The rep was kind of lost, but promised he'd email me with an official statement that the damage would have been covered.

His email came in... and said no such thing. Crap.

I called Amazon back. Got a new rep. Who said... "Wait, did you say there were lines on the screen?" "Yes..." "Well, that's a special exception. Even if you're out of warranty, that's covered. I'll mail you out a replacement right away! (And I'm sorry the previous rep didn't tell you that.)"

Upshot, then, is good news and... other news.

Good news: I don't have to deal with credit card paperwork! My Kindle is being replaced for free! Yay! Amazon rocks!

News which is in some ways good, in some ways not good: My new, latest-generation Kindle has already shipped. And I already ordered accessories from another site. Including a custom cover that I don't think can be canceled and definitely can't be returned. (And which will be rather awesome. If they don't balk at one little potential stumbling block...)

What do I do now? I kind of want the upgrade. Latest generation is smaller, lighter, faster, and has some minor software improvements. And I like the cases and accessories. But I don't need two Kindles.

(Also, I'm a tad worried that the damage won't quite qualify as "lines on the screen." But hopefully they won't be picky. The screen is busted, no question, and there are things which I think should qualify as "lines.")

Suggestions on what to do with a brand-new old-model (second generation) Kindle?

One thought is that my library has a Nook they loan out, pre-loaded with books. But I'm not sure that would work with Kindle's software, and I don't know how the library would feel about it. Even if not, I'm sure there are good places to donate it, if that's the route I want to go. I'm not really sure. And my head's all fuzzy from sleeping pill side effects (Mayo Clinic should be calling me back on Monday).

What say you, o mighty flist?

Comments

[kaylle.livejournal.com]

I don't think libraries can use Kindles in general; although I think there are some libraries that do have Kindle programs, AFAIK the majority of libraries use Overdrive, which isn't compatible with Kindle. Your mention of the Mayo Clinic made me wonder if a hospital or outpatient treatment clinic might have some use of it. Maybe some unit could keep it stocked with public domain/free books and check it out to patients/family members to read on? Lord knows I'd have liked to have something like that when I was living in the hospital.

Also, out of curiosity, what cover did you buy? I broke down and bought a K3 last month, investigated as many covers as I could find (including places like Etsy and Artfire), and didn't find any that were exactly what I wanted. I've been trying to make my own but time has been a bit limited, so I'm making do with a Speck case from Target in the meantime, which works but isn't ideal. What did you pick out?

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

Nook has some feature that lets you check out ebooks for 2 weeks and then the DRM expires. I know that's not compatible with Kindle. (I had to find a workaround - a program that stripped it of the DRM and converted it to Kindle format. Then I dutifully deleted the book off my Kindle when I was done reading.) So... yeah. That wouldn't work for the library.

But, as you know, I do keep mine stocked with public domain books from Mobileread. Hospital is actually a good thought on that score. My Dad is on staff at two of the local ones. I could ask him about that. (But first I'll see if anyone in the family wants it. Dad got a K3 as a gift from my cousin a few weeks back, and he's been enjoying it.)

I saw your post about K3 covers, which got me started. And yeah, I didn't find much on Etsy, either, which was kind of disappointing since I'm so fond of the one I found there for my K2. I did kind of liked some of the skins on that other site you linked. But what I actually got were two M-Edge covers.

The Leisure jacket is lightweight, shock-resistant, and water resistant. Reviewer said the clear cover works fine and glare isn't really an issue. (I know I've had no trouble keeping my K2 in a ziploc at the beach.)

But I also went to M-Edge's own site and got a little book light (which arrived today) and ordered a custom jacket. It's like the one you pointed out, but you get to put your own image on the cover.

Here's the part where I'm a little worried. I used a slightly altered version of this image (and then made something appropriate for the back. What could be more apt for a magical book filled with every story you can imagine? If they're sharp and/or knowledgeable, however, they'll realize that there's a slight copyright issue involved. I figure it's not a major logo or anything and, really, it just looks like an old book and I got the image itself from Wiki, which considers it "fair use" but... we'll see. So far all I've gotten is an email that the cover I ordered is on "back order" and won't be available for another 2-3 weeks. Which hopefully also means that they're too busy to really pay close attention.

[maradydd.livejournal.com]

I vote for hospital also. The last time anyone I knew was in the hospital for an extended period of time, volunteers were coming around with carts full of CDs (including audiobooks). They relied entirely on donations, so I bet hospitals with similarly run programs would really appreciate Kindles.

[kaylle.livejournal.com]

What's funny is, the first thing I thought was "I made a post about K3 covers?" My memory of what I have and haven't posted recently is very spotty, lol.

I like the Leisure jacket you linked. My only concern/dislike with the custom jackets (and the M-Edge cover I liked before) is that there isn't any kind of closure on them. The case that came with the K1 had an elastic band that kept it closed, and apparently most cases aren't made that way anymore. I'm also not terribly fond of the elastic bands in the corners to hold the kindle in, but I'll probably resign myself to them because the alternatives I keep coming up with turn out to be too hard to make in an afternoon. (So far the closest I have come is this shop at etsy (http://www.etsy.com/people/Rookcase?ref=ls_profile), although I think in a perfect world it would have the kind of hardbound cover that wraps around and sticks to the front like a magnet.)

Anyway. If the M-Edge custom cover project is brand new, they may be kind of swamped, in which case they may not be looking too carefully at the images people are using. And depending on how much editing you did, it might not be noticeable either. On the other hand, if it's a nerd working there, they might recognize the logo ;) At any rate, if they do send it to you, you'll have to let me know how you like it. Maybe I'll end up going that route in the end.

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

lol, np. I know the feeling. It was just a small section of a larger post about random stuff, but it caught my eye because my Etsy cover has been starting to look a little shabby. (The picture on the front is wearing off.)

But no, the one I have doesn't stay closed, either. There's no latch or anything. It's just made to look like a book. And I like it that way. (Only problem is that when I drop it, while the case provides some protection, the Kindle does sometimes tend to pop out from the elastic bands holding it in. But I suspect that M-Edge's more professional design will hold up better than elastic bands and hot glue.)

But yeah, Rookcase's Etsy shop was one I browsed extensively. Looked good, but didn't have exactly what I wanted.

I'll let you know what happens with the case. The only real alteration I did to the front was to take away the "tales from"... so a nerd of our generation might well recognize the title, if not the auryn itself. Like I said... we'll see. *fingers crossed*

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've spent my share of time waiting around hospitals (as patient and relative). There is precious little to do when you're stuck in those beds (or a chair next to one). Actually, my Dad's Kindle was a gift for just that reason. (His turn to be a patient for a while.)

I'll have to see if my favorite local hospital (yes, I have one; have since their awesome diabetes training program back when I was 13) has a place for it.

[(Anonymous)]

It could make a good gift for somebody, perhaps. Do you have any cousins/etc with birthdays coming up?

[batgirl1.livejournal.com]

Drat, I wasn't logged in. Yeah, hi, this comment was from me. ^^

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

Ah, was wondering. Thanks for coming back to let me know. And yeah, gift had occurred. I'm just not sure there's anyone specifically who would need/want it. And I do kind of like the idea of donating it to the hospital. (Then again, I asked Dad, and he didn't think either of the hospitals he works at do that sort of thing.) I'll figure something out.

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

The leisure jacket has been nice. It protects the Kindle well. But that stiff/thick plastic cover feels weird, has noticeable glare, and makes it a little trickier to correctly press some of the buttons. A worthwhile trade-off if you've got it at the beach or the dinner table or something, but otherwise, I'd rather have the Kindle out.

The custom cover arrived today. It's a little weird because the outside is cloth. Still, they did a good job with the printing (and had no objection to my using the image). And, really, the image being a little faded, with muted colors, just makes it look nicely aged.

As for the cover itself... it seems nice. Haven't used it much yet, but it looks like a book, has a little custom pocket for a book light (which the leisure jacket doesn't). The elastic seems well designed to hold it in. (Bad side of that is that it's harder to get the Kindle in place than to get it in or out of the leisure jacket.) It doesn't offer as much protection, but it has more style (and should help cushion it from drops).