Kindle cover issue still affects some users
Amazon's Kindle Leather Cover has been causing problems since last year. If you own one and are having problems, Amazon will reportedly offer you a $60 credit to purchase the Kindle Lighted Leather cover.
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Last year we wrote about how Amazon was having a problem with its Leather Cover that was causing the Kindle to malfunction and lock up. Amazon promised to look into the issue and replace the defective covers.
Well, as Dave Zatz over at zatznotfunny.com writes, Amazon actually took the cover off the market and now only offers the Kindle Lighted Leather cover. Zatz blogged about how his mother had a problem with her Kindle going haywire on her while she was traveling and had to contact Amazon customer support when she got back.
Zatz says the customer support rep told his mom that what she'd been experiencing was not unusual, but he "wouldn't elaborate on the cause, other than to finger the official Leather Cover." The rep promptly instructed her on how to remove the cover, then gave her a $60 credit to purchase the Kindle Lighted Cover.
As for what the problem is, it clearly involves the little hooks that secure the case to the Kindle. The metal hooks on the Lighted Kindle Leather case, which draws power for the integrated LED light from the Kindle itself, are raw metal (gold colored), while the hooks on the standard Leather case are painted. Speculation is that once the paint chips or wears off, it makes the hooks conductive to electricity, which then causes your Kindle to malfunction. (Note: correct us if we're wrong, but we haven't seen a third-party Kindle 3 case that uses the hooks).
Moral of the story: If you have a standard Kindle Leather cover, you're probably in line for an upgrade.
