AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE'S OFFICIAL ADVISORIES ON KINDLE BATTERY MAINTENANCE This is a popular blog-article which is being highlighted for newcomers and Kindle-blog edition subscribers. During my vacation I'll be including the more popular tips and guides. Kindle-blog edition subscribers will not have had these on their Kindles before and the subscription (99c per month) allows offline-review of the last 25 blog articles.
10/21/09 - This collection of battery maintenance advisories by Amazon Customer Service applies to the new International Kindle as well. It was updated when the Kindle DX was released. How to make best use of the battery, whether to turn the Kindle off or let it just "go to sleep"
-- these are two of the most commonly asked questions on the Amazon forums.
UPDATE 7/13/09 - Originally published 3/19/09 when I began the blog, and updated in June with an additional quote from Amazon customer service representatives.
I'm updating and moving this article to a current spot because now that the 9.7" Kindle DX is apparently selling too well and interest in the 6" Kindle 2 is higher than before because of the price drop, many on Kindle forums are asking again:
(1) whether it's better to let the Kindles "sleep" or shut them off, and
(2) whether to charge them regularly or let the batteries drain as with older-type batteries.
The lithium ion/polymer battery for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX isn't user-replaceable and would have to be sent back to Amazon for any needed replacement. That replacement, if needed in the first year, would be covered by the 1-yr basic warranty. This type of battery is expected to last over 2 years, used or not though. Word was that if a replacement were needed in the 2nd year, the cost would be $59 to send it to Amazon and back. {The DX battery is essentially the same as the one in the Kindle 2: a 3.7V Lithium Polymer 1530mAh rating.}
UPDATED PARAGRAPH - 6/14/09: (Original posting was 3/19/2009 11:01 PM)
Amazon Customer Service representatives posted an "Official Amazon.com Customer Service post" on February 26, 2009
" We learned from the first generation Kindle that changing the battery was rarely needed, so Kindle 2's battery is not user replaceable. The battery is covered under the initial one year warranty as well as the extended warranty offered on Amazon.com. Once outside the one or two year warranty period you can get it replaced for a $59 fee (plus $8 shipping & handling). If you encounter any kind of power or charging issues during the life of your Kindle 2, you can contact Kindle Support for assistance. "
Kindle owners of any model (basically same type of battery) have worried a bit: 'Should we turn it off when we're not using it? Is it draining the battery when it's left 'On' in 'sleep' mode? Should we drain our batteries the way we used to with the old nickel-cadmium ones?" (No) but ... will most owners have seen the Amazon Customer Service's ongoing advisories on the Amazon Kindle forums?
The advisories have been very enlightening. Here are a few written statements of customer service policy and guidance at the Amazon boards that I collected:
1. CHARGING YOUR KINDLE BATTERY
"With Kindle 2's battery you don't need to fully drain the battery before recharging, or wait until the battery is fully charged to start using it again. The Lithium-ion battery is optimized in such a way that incomplete charging won't affect the battery life. For example, if you drain the battery halfway two days in a row while fully charging both times at night, this would only count as one charge cycle.
Leaving Kindle in extreme temperatures, like in your car, will have the most negative impact on the overall life of your battery.
Leaving wireless turned on or sustained use of the wireless functions will cause the battery to drain faster. If you would like to turn the wireless off, select menu from the home screen. Use the five-way controller to select "Wireless Off". Also, downloading a large number of books at once will cause the device to index new content. If you have recently transferred or downloaded a large number of books it is recommended that you leave the device turned on and connected to the charger overnight."
2. RECHARGING KINDLE 2's BATTERY
"With Kindle 2's 25% longer battery life, you can read on a single charge for up to 4 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. If you use the wireless feature frequently, we do recommend keeping the battery at 25% at least. There is no specific need to let the battery drain out before recharging it; many owners do keep their devices plugged in each night, and this does not have any adverse effect on overall battery life."
3. LAST PAGE READ
"You do not need to power down Kindle 2 between reading sessions, it is best to leave the device in sleep mode.
Holding the switch at the top to power the device off is similar to pulling the power cord on your computer without shutting down the Operating System. If you turn the device off while in the middle of the book, the device cannot save that location. We save the location when the device goes into sleep mode or when you leave the book, so if you do need to power the device off then be sure to go to the Home screen first - this will save your last place in the book.
4. WIRELESS SIGNAL IN SLEEP MODEThe Kindle 2 and Kindle DX are delivered with WIRELESS *On* as a default. Without reading the manual first, many new owners never guess that wireless should be turned off nor how that would be done in the software menus. Also, the battery takes a few charges before it reaches maximum power.
"Kindle's wireless signal uses low power while in sleep mode so that your subscriptions can download overnight. If you are in a low coverage area, this could cause the device to use more battery power as it continually tries to maintain a signal. Unless you are subscribed to periodicals that you want to receive overnight, we recommend turning wireless off (Press the Menu button and select "Turn Wireless Off" of the menu options) before leaving the device in sleep mode. This will further conserve battery power."
=== END of some of the Customer Service thread topics at the forum ===
The older, nickel-cadmium batteries no longer in vogue used to require full draining, but the lithium ion/polymer based batteries are the opposite. Forced drainings below 25% can actually weaken it and cause problems if battery power is needed while the Kindle is downloading material or when the unit is busily indexing additional Kindle contents after downloads or when we're using the wireless to browse the Kindle store or the Web. And now with the Kindle DX's ability to read PDF's, those files will tend to be image-intensive and loading (opening) them will use the battery a bit more. Amazon's statement was strong about trying to keep the battery power above 25% remaining, for best long-term results.
Kindle Touch 3G Kindle Touch WiFi Kindle Basic (UK: KBasic) Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G) K3 Special Offers K3-3G Special Offers DX
Check often: Temporarily-free recently published ones
Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources. Top 100 free bestsellers. Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
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