Amazon Kindle case comes with a catch

Just a month ago, Amazon was bragging about the huge success of its third-generation Kindle, the bestselling item in company history. Now, and only under duress, the online giant has come clean (kind of) about problems with the e-reader when it's installed in a $35, made-for-Kindle carrying case.

The screen freezes up. The device reboots without prompting. The battery drains prematurely. And the Kindle 3 sometimes loses track of your place in the book, forgets your folders and re-sorts your books.

These issues seem to be linked to the securing metal hooks in the cover that fit into side slots on the e-reader. Somehow those metal contact points are shorting out the circuitry. Oddly, they are not a problem with the $60 Kindle cover variant that features a built-in reading lamp.

While complaining commenced on Kindle forums well before the holidays, Amazon said it is still "looking into this" and denied the problem was universal: "The majority of customers continue to enjoy their Kindle cover."

For those experiencing problems, the company is offering to replace the cover for free with a different type or accept it for a full refund, no matter when the cover was purchased. Calls are being taken at 1-877-453-4512.

Recommendation: Take the refund and invest a few more bucks in one of the more fashionable and practical covers for the Kindle 3 (and 2) available from M-Edge (www.medgestore.com).

Its "hardback book" look Cambridge Jackets ($45) for Kindle are handsome, although weighty and stiff.

Better still, the leather-edged cover folds back easily and tightly, with less resistance than an official Kindle case. The interior is nicely finished in tan microfiber. A four-point mounting system holds the device securely. And there's a side slot for M-Edge's optional e-Luminator2 booklight ($20).