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How a Leather Cover Crashes the Kindle

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the still-no-antennagate dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Amazon has started offering refunds to Kindle owners who own the unlit leather case who claim that it causes their Kindles to reboot, but are playing dumb on the cause: "our engineering team is looking into this." People have been wondering how a leather cover could possibly crash an electronic device, and why is Amazon offering money back if they don't think there's a problem? It seems that some of the folks over at Connectify have figured it out, and it's a doozy!"

9 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yikes! by skids · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Also a good reason why you shouldn't post a list of "57 Lamest Tech Moments of 2010" before 2010 is over.

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    Someone had to do it.
  2. Re:Yikes! by flaming+error · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe they can substitute the metal now connecting the hooks with extremely fine steel wool. Then everyone will remember it's the Kindle.

  3. Wow by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 5, Funny

    a malfunction in a high tech device that actually can be fixed with duct tape

  4. The upside by willoughby · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, as long as it's rebooting that gives you at least a few moments while Amazon cannot delete your files...

  5. Re:Not unprecedented by mangu · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have a similar experience when we were installing some computers in a hydro power station control center. The old control system used electromechanical relays, so it was quite robust, but the digital computers kept crashing. There were some 500 kV lines right going over the control center, so it was assumed they were causing enough interference to crash the computers.

    After months of studies, it was decided that shielding the control center was the only solution. However there was a problem, the large glass window to the observation hall. Someone mentioned that there existed a transparent conductive paint, so they called a paint supplier:

    -"Hello, I'm looking for some invisible paint, to paint glass"

    They hung up without an answer at the other side...

  6. Re:KaWow by Jtheletter · · Score: 4, Funny

    Fahrenheit 404?

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    -- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
  7. Free lit case? by Gothmolly · · Score: 3, Funny

    So all you have to do is scrape the paint, and wire in a little LED and resistor, and you have a free lit case? Thanks Amazon !

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    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
  8. Amazon press release? by Caerdwyn · · Score: 3, Funny

    Jeff Bezos: "You're reading it wrong."

    :)

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    Everybody gets what the majority deserves.
  9. Mine Works Fine by levinsontodd · · Score: 2, Funny

    This never happens to my paperback version.