Sunday, June 3, 2012

Can a Kindle Survive 138 Hours of Sauna Exposure?

Is it OK to have a Kindle in the Sauna? Seriously, I can’t believe how often this question has been asked of me. People must think I am a walking billboard for Kindles.
I did a little googling to see what I could find on this issue. There are a variety of posts on the Kindle boards by people saying they would not recommend exposing your Kindle either to extreme heat or cold. I found one comment interesting from an individual who stated “I work with computers and have many certifications. Long term exposure to either heat or cold will certainly damage the electronics.” Seems like good advice? Doesn’t it? I live in Minnesota where we see 100+ temps in the summer and below zero temps in the winter. Time to get rid of my car sitting in the driveway. That thing is filled with electronics. It is amazing it even runs in anything other than a comfortable 72 degrees! I did search the Amazon website but they make no mention of temperature extremes. Hey Amazon, if you are listening what are your official guidelines?
First, this is not a Consumer Reports test. Here is the deal. I work out at least 5 times a week in the evening and after working out I always take about a 20 minute sauna. (This is my reading time plus 40 minutes during my workout.) Almost nightly I am asked if the heat, steam, or humidity hurts my “book reading device“ (plus a variety of other questions – which could be a basis for another post – Snappy Answers to Stupid Sauna Questions). Maybe I will start carrying paper versions of this post to handout in the sauna.
My non-scientific experiment results: Purchased a Kindle keyboard version 2 in September 2010. 83 weeks x 5 times/week x 20 minutes = 8300 minutes or 138 hours in a sauna.
Verdict: My keyboard Kindle is still working! It takes a licking, but keeps on ticking. (for those of you old enough to remember this tagline from an old commercial)
Warning: Individual performance will vary by user.
Anthony Wessel is on the staff at Digital Book Today and also maintains The Top 100 Best Free Kindle Books List.

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