Kindle in cold weahter

[Paul McLaughlin]

Has anyone out there used a Kindle in temperatures below freezing? The specs say the operating temperature range is 32F to 95F. If I gt one I might want to take it snow camping in the spring, and I usually see temps in the 20's in the evening when I would be reading. So I'm wondering if they are playing it safe on the temp rating, or if it will fail below 32F.

[David Lutz]

Hello Paul –

FWIW, the screen on my kindle went funky after one night right around freezing last summer. I was storing it loose, with no cover. Amazon replaced it under warranty.

My buddy stored his kindle in a home-made bubble wrap cover on the same trip and he had no problems.

Since the I have had the kindle out for two nights in the high 20's with no problems, but I kept the kindle in a cover and in my bag with me.

Are you moving your trip forward this year?

[Anonymous]

Mine, a Kindle II, works in temps into the 20s. I carry and store In a bubble wrap envelope as well. The screen went funky on me while left loose in a drawer in my nightstand. I think it probably slid too hard against the side of the drawer and a portion of the screen went blank and and had to be replaced, the whole unit, that is. As long as it is protected properly with either a commercial storage case or even a bubble wrap envelope it should be fine.

[Sumi Wada]

I have a Kindle II and it worked normally into the 40's but started getting sluggish as it got down into the mid-30's. Right around freezing point, it got "confused" and then, eventually, I got the dreaded totally BLANK screen. Froze there and wouldn't do anything else after that.

When I got home, I did a little research online and read about trying a hard reset by holding the sliding switch in the 'on' position for something like a minute. Tried it and, voila!, it came right back. Everything was intact, including my downloaded books.

[Steven Hanlon]

the display is a liquid and therefore could freeze. turning it on while frozen could cause it to fail. keeping it warm in cold temps will help to keep the display from freezing. if the temps drop into the low 30's, i would turn it off completely and store it in a protective sleeve. i have a neoprene sleeve from $5 Below that works great and weighs 1 ounce.

i have been thinking of getting a more trail proof case. the Kindle 4 NT has changed my life (no, really).

[steven franchuk]

Liquid cristal displays do have a liquid in them that doesn't work well at cold temperatures. However the kindle uses more efficient Eink display that doesn't have a liquid in it. The lower temperature limit for the Kindle will be determined by how well the battery works at lower temperatures and how well the electronics handle condensation. I haven't had any problems with mine so fare but I have only had it down to about 30.

[Steven Hanlon]

the Kindle uses an electrophoretic display (that's the E in eInk) that uses titanium dioxide in a hydrocarbon oil suspension with a dark dye added creating a liquid polymer that is sandwiched between a matrix to create the pixels. it can and will freeze.

[John S.]

That chemical mixture will freeze at 32 F? Probably not.

[Steven Hanlon]

"That chemical mixture will freeze at 32 F? Probably not."

buy one and try it out. :)

it will crystallize at -5 C, a temp most of us have backpacked in.

[Paul McLaughlin]

David – no, I'm sticking with my usual timing, late April/early May. I had to lock my dates in a while back, and the odds are still with me I think. The snow may be thin by then, but probably there will be enough. If not, It's a hiking trip!

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