Am I going to have to return my brand new Kindle?

October 16, 2010 2:40 PM

Am I going to have to return my brand new Kindle?

My new Kindle (3rd generation) ebook reader arrived this morning and I'm having a couple of worries about the battery life. I added my entire ebook library in one go, which amounts to nearly 600 books. I let the Kindle charge through the computer until the light turned green (indicating a full battery). Then I disconnected and read for around an hour. However, after the hour of reading I found the battery had gone down to around 80% full. Looking online for explanations makes me think perhaps this is due to the Kindle "indexing" my library, but does anyone know if this is really enough to deplete the battery this rapidly? It seems a lot even if indexing does take a toll on the CPU. I'd hate to have to go through the returns process so any advice would be great.

p.s. I had the wi-fi turned off throughout.

posted by Spamfactor to technology (10 answers total)

My partner's third-generation Kindle gets three weeks between charges and he uses it every day for about 2-3 hours. He also says that his first-generation Kindle showed less battery charge usage than what you're reporting. You might use yours for a few days and see if this is repeatable, and if so, call Amazon for tech support.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:46 PM on October 16, 2010

When you're just reading, the processor does nothing but the occasional page turn. Indexing is a constant process. Leave it on and plugged in overnight before you start worrying about the return process.
posted by reeddavid at 2:48 PM on October 16, 2010

If this is a 3G model, the 3G connection might be draining it due to bad coverage in your area.

Also did you update your Kindle to the latest software version?

And on the bright side, good thing you didn't get a nook... the Kindle really is a much better ebook reader in my opinion.
posted by antgly at 2:50 PM on October 16, 2010

You have a month to return the kindle so I'd say charge it up again (through the charger) and read normally and see how well it does. If it drains again this quickly, then definitely return it as defective.

I've had mine for a couple of weeks and have been reading for a few hours each day. I haven't drained it fully, yet.
posted by special-k at 2:52 PM on October 16, 2010

I don't have any specific cites, but yes, I can totally see it sucking up that much battery doing the initial indexing of 600 books. Get yourself a full charge and read away. If you still notice battery life weirdness, call support, otherwise, I think this particular battery situation is totally normal.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 2:53 PM on October 16, 2010

@antgly It's just the wi-fi model, and the wi-fi was turned off. I'll check about the software version. And despite the slight battery worry I have to agree with you, it seems really excellent.
posted by Spamfactor at 2:54 PM on October 16, 2010

Yes it is definitely the indexing, which is a very processor-intensive task.
posted by anotherfluke at 2:57 PM on October 16, 2010

I had the same problem and yes, it coincided with indexing the several hundred books I had just dumped onto it. Left it charging in the plug (not usb) overnight and now it seems to be fine.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 3:03 PM on October 16, 2010

I have a Kindle 2 (so battery life is not as good) and with 3G off it can go weeks and weeks without a recharge. Give it a try at least through one more charge cycle.
posted by sugarfish at 3:30 PM on October 16, 2010

Also another thing to note is that the Kindle battery goes green before it is actually done charging... Especially on the first charge.

And indexing drains the battery almost completely in the first dump of books.
posted by lakerk at 4:07 PM on October 16, 2010