[ennis333]

I have a feeling that my battery in my K3 is dying the big death as it is no longer holding the charge like it used to, so I'm at a crossroad

--should I get the battery replaced (I assume I would need to send it back to Amazon)

or

--should I purchase a new K3 (I also have a Fire, so I'm not automatically drawn to the Paperwhite for times when a lit screen is needed.....and I must admit I still really like the K3 screen)

or

--should I just purchase a Paperwhite?

I know there are plenty of users out there who can weigh in from experience.  By the way, just sticking with the Fire is not an option I'd consider as the battery life is too short and it doesn't do collections.

Thanks!

 

[SusanCassidy]

There are third-party companies that sell batteries that you can replace yourself.  They usually have videos and instructions on their web sites.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Is it still under warranty?  If so, I'd definitely contact Kindle CS and see about a replacement.  Won't charge you anything and you'll get something like 3 months more on the warranty.

If it's NOT under warranty, I doubt they'd replace it or repair it for you.  They might offer you a discount on a new device, though, so it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.

Newpower99.com offers replacement batteries that come with the tools needed for you to replace the battery yourself.  There are videos on the website that show how to do it.  Members here have had good results -- this would be an option only if it's no longer under warranty.

I am rather surprised by how much better I like my PW than my non-touch Kindle.  Just today I was navigating on the K4 for something and realizing how much easier it is on the PW. . .of course, the Keyboard has, well, a keyboard, but still there's the scrolling and selecting when going through menus.

The PW will NOT hold as many books.  Which is o.k. for me but not for others.  The screen is better, even if you usually leave the light way down.  And you have, in most books, more choices of type face.

If you're going to switch kindles and want to keep your collections, I suggest you d/l the Kindle for PC and import your current K3 collections there.  That way you'll have them if you do go with a new one and can simply import them back to the new device.

 

[Atunah]

Here is a video on a site that sells the batteries. You can watch it and see if that is something you think you want to attempt yourself. Gives you a bit of an idea whats involved.

http://www.newpower99.com/Battery_for_Amazon_Kindle_B006_p/amazon%20kindle%20b006.htm

I have an K3 and I got it when it first came out. If it still works and my battery dies, I will do a replacement attempt myself I think. Not sure yet. Not at that point yet.

 

[ennis333]

If you're going to switch kindles and want to keep your collections, I suggest you d/l the Kindle for PC and import your current K3 collections there. That way you'll have them if you do go with a new one and can simply import them back to the new device.

Love that advice--never gave that any thought, and that would definitely make life easy!

My K3 is not under warrantly any longer (about 2 1/2 years old), but having now looked at the video on replacing the battery (as suggested by you and others) it doesn't looked all that difficult once I get the case apart!

That said, I'm still interested in the experience former K3 users have in moving to the PW. I was trying to avoid that expense, but who knows!

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Love that advice--never gave that any thought, and that would definitely make life easy!

My K3 is not under warrantly any longer (about 2 1/2 years old), but having now looked at the video on replacing the battery (as suggested by you and others) it doesn't looked all that difficult once I get the case apart!

That said, I'm still interested in the experience former K3 users have in moving to the PW. I was trying to avoid that expense, but who knows!

So, the battery thing probably costs around $30 - $35. Give it a try. If it doesn't work, you can get the PW later. You'll still have spent less money than you did on the K3 originally!

But, to reiterate -- I really like the PW and am glad I upgraded. (I've had a K1, K3K, and K4.)

 

[Atunah]

Well I got a PW coming from a K3. I also have a K1. I use my PW now way more than my K3, but I still use it.

Navigation is so much faster and easier on my PW. I was worried I wouldn't like the touch screen, but it works well.

It was a great upgrade for me.

 

[boblenx]

Personally I chose to move to the PW when my K2 bit the dust. I also had a K3, but we wanted two eReaders for the household.

 

[gina1230]

I upgraded from the K3 to the PW. I thought I would miss the keyboard and the audio, but I don't.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Personally I chose to move to the PW when my K2 bit the dust. I also had a K3, but we wanted two eReaders for the household.

It is nice to have a back up kindle. . . . .that way if you read something you want to lend, you can just loan out the spare. Or it's available for guests, as would be all the paper books on your shelves. AND, if your main reader has a problem, you have one to use in the mean time.

 

[rlkubi]

I had a K3 that I loved with nothing wrong with it.  I received the Paperwhite for Christmas and love it!  I gave my K3 to my hubby.

 

[BevAnneS]

I am very glad to hear that I can replace my K3's battery and for such a minimal cost.  For some reason I was under the assumption this could only be done with the original Kindle.  Thanks so much -- all three of my K3s will be resting easier tonight.

 

[Atunah]

Well with the K1, it was meant to be replaceable. The cover was designed to come off and of course the often used reset hole was there too. 

You just have to pry off the backs of the kindles since the K1. Some easier than others. I think the baby kindle, or whatever we call it now, K4 is glued together so no taking out the battery.

 

[spotsmom]

If you're going to switch kindles and want to keep your collections, I suggest you d/l the Kindle for PC and import your current K3 collections there. That way you'll have them if you do go with a new one and can simply import them back to the new device.

Thanks for that suggestion, Ann, as I have read some posts about how time consuming it is to download all your books again when you change Kindles. so, if I upgrade to a PW from my K3, how do I import to the pc and them import them back? I can do all this without having to download from Amazon? That would be way cool and doesn't sound like it would take much time.

 

[Ann in Arlington]

Thanks for that suggestion, Ann, as I have read some posts about how time consuming it is to download all your books again when you change Kindles. so, if I upgrade to a PW from my K3, how do I import to the pc and them import them back? I can do all this without having to download from Amazon? That would be way cool and doesn't sound like it would take much time.

Well, the cool thing about Kindle for PC is you don't actually have to download them to put them in collections. AND, those collections will stick. Get the program and play with it a bit and you'll see. Actually, you could first import collections from your existing Kindle into Kindle for PC. Even if you don't download a book, you'll see it listed in your collection.

So, when you get your new kindle, yes, you have to d/l each book individually, but then when you import collections from the Kindle for PC, everything will go into the right place.

And, d/l'ing one by one isn't as tedious as it sounds. It actually goes pretty quickly. You can do it either from the device or from Manage Your Kindle at Amazon. Arguably, it's faster on the computer, but from the device, the thing to know is that you don't have to wait for one to show up before going on to the next.

Books you HAVE d/l'd to Kindle for PC can't just be copied freely onto the Kindle because of DRM.

My suggestion is to re-think whether they ALL need to be on the device and then download the ones you want in batches of 50 or so. I'd do it at night before bed, then plug the thing in and let it spend the night indexing.

 

[Mike D. aka jmiked]

Looks as though I may end up with a P/W (or a KK) soon. My K3 (which I got when they first came out) is getting more erratic by the day. First it was failing to sort properly, then it wouldn't wake up from sleep, then it deleted all my Collections info. I did a Reset to Factory Defaults and reinstalled a dozen or so books, but it soon started doing the same thing, plus doing restarts once in a while when a page turn button is pressed.

Pfui.


Mike

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Sorry to hear about your K3, Mike!

So, what do you think, PW vs KK?

Betsy

 

[FearIndex]

Personally, I would also consider the baby Kindle aka $69 Kindle or Kindle 5. Coming from a happy Kindle 2 and Kindle 3 user - and less than happy Kindle 4 and Kindle PW user - I think the Kindle 5 is clearly the best Kindle I have ever owned, the subtle hardware upgrades make it better than Kindle 4 (screen) and it has none of the issues of the Kindle PW. It is a really nice Kindle. If that is not an option, personally I'd order another Kindle 3 Keyboard if I were you.

 

[Hadou]

To the OP - Replacing the battery is pretty easy.  I'd probably replace the battery, THEN purchase a newer model so you can re-gift or wipe-and-sell the fixed Kindle to eat up some of the cost.

 

[Mike D. aka jmiked]

Sorry to hear about your K3, Mike!

So, what do you think, PW vs KK?

Betsy

I like the idea of the PW, I'm not sure I would like the execution of that idea, given all the threads here and elsewhere. I like the page buttons on the KK more than I would like the touch-screen version, although I'd like the touch keyboard more, I think. If that makes any sense.

At this point, I'd get another KK if I went with Kindle. Too bad the Wifi-only model doesn't seem to be available any more.

Mike