Amazon's Kindle gets display transplant, Sony Reader acts as donor

Oh sure, we've seen a limited number of hacks surface for the hotly selling (but still unsightly) Amazon Kindle, but we've yet to see a hardware mod of this magnitude. We've always heard that desperate times call for desperate measures, and evidently said mantra is very true. After having the display in his Kindle smashed around 8 months ago (thanks, kid sister...), blakebevin set out to perform an unprecedented surgery. With an unwanted Sony Reader LCD in hand and a badly broken Kindle on the operating table, he attempted to give the latter unit new life with a few pixels from a cross-town rival. We'll warn you -- this one's not for the rookies in attendance, and even Mr. Bevin (it is Mr. Bevin, right?) had some "nagging button issues" once the thing was sewn back up. Give the read link a look if you ever find yourself in this admittedly peculiar situation.

[Muhammed @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:48PM]

That kid must have been in Kindle Garten.

[ybd @ Aug 23rd 2008 6:38PM]

Please don't ever try making a pun again.

[Muhammed @ Aug 24th 2008 6:05AM]

I hear you!

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:56PM]

Why break a Sony Reader to make a Kindle work? Do you like paying to view PDFs or something?

[Tagbert @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:52PM]

You don't have to pay anything to read a PDF on a Kindle. You've been reading too many uninformed comments and not reading the articles and specs well enough.

[dlomax @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:14PM]

Probably he wants to pay less for books and have greater choice in what he buys. Really. I think it's time to stop criticizing the Kindle on not doing well something that is at best its tertiary function. The kindle is about books. It lets you buy books easily and cheaply. It lets you read them comfortably. The Sony Reader, which I have and like a lot, does those things, but doesn't do them as well. Oh, and it lets you read PDFs. If Amazon would sell the Kindle in Canada, I'd give up my Reader in a shot.

[Christian A. Stroemmen @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:02PM]

"With an unwanted Sony Reader LCD"

wut?

There's no LCD panel in the Sony Reader.

[James @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:23AM]

Beat me to it...

[whatsdamattau @ Aug 23rd 2008 4:58PM]

No LCD in the Reader? He's going to replace it with an LCD from a Kindle.

[Joe @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:13PM]

He means the Sony Reader has a different type of display--as in not LC, foo.

[eddy @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:12PM]

Huge props to this guy. And I still want a Kindle...just waiting for the new version (as mentioned last month on Engadget) to surface. Gives me time to save up the last $75 I need for it.

[kain Warwick @ Aug 23rd 2008 4:19PM]

this is probably the dumbest thing ever. If you call amazon they will ship you a new one, i know of two people who this has happened to, one being myself. Someone sat on it and the screen broke i called them and they sent me another brand new one the next day. I think they really want people to be happy since they know that by going the extra mile people like me (i have bought three) will spread the word. Seriously one of the best customer service experiences i have ever had.

[Cheshire Cat @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:15PM]

Just because he didn't have to replace the display doesn't make it any less impressive. A hardware mod like this is always cool.

[LJW @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:41PM]

Dude, you only need $5 more. Use coupon code VISACARD to get an instant $70 off.

[broli @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:13PM]

The kindle is actually an insult to what technology is really capable.

[Abuzar Baloach @ Aug 23rd 2008 3:20PM]

How so?

[Muhammed @ Aug 23rd 2008 6:28PM]

Frankly, I dont get your argument.

[Cheshire Cat @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:14PM]

Frankly, I don't get your grammar.

[frankXchange @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:16PM]

I'm a bit confused. I remember the Kindle getting ripped apart - in the reviews. Ripping apart a Sony Reader to fix a Kindle seems like taking apart a Camry to fix a Pinto.

[Greg @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:38PM]

On the last few pictures. Is that Mr. Bevin's foot? With the pink nails?

[Greg @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:40PM]

no, wait, my bad. blakebevin is a girl it seems.

[Greg @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:41PM]

my bad. it's a girl!

[Will @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:27PM]

Well, it' should be fairly easy since the E Ink displays are "identical" in the sony reader and Kindle - manufactured by Prime View International!

[squarejp @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:50PM]

The display is electronic ink paper. It's not color, that's why I'll wait until they have better device in full color mode.

[bolezhinkov @ Aug 23rd 2008 6:00PM]

so you can read the newspaper and books in colour? man just get an iphone if you cant deal with black text . . . its all the kindle needs.

[bartoron @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:19PM]

Bolezhinkov, you do realize that the iPhone's screen is a lot smaller than the Kindle's screen, right? Screen size is kinda sorta a big deal with an e-book device.

[Cheshire Cat @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:24PM]

The original concept of the DAP pretty much had no necessity for a color screen, and yet today color screens are the standard amongst mp3 players. Then there's the cell phone which used to only make calls, and even the computer which used to only, well, compute, and the list goes on. Additional features may not be necessary but they are always welcome because they can expand functionality beyond simply what the device was originally intended for. It's the way the consumer electronics biz operates and the way the world expands its technological prowess and capabilities.

[RogueFive @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:53PM]

Bad choice. I tried both and bought the Sony. I would break 10 Kindles to have my eReader on longhaul flights. Usability is broken on the Kindle anyways ...

[RogueFive @ Aug 23rd 2008 8:02PM]

still kudos for the mod, nice work. just the wrong way around ;-)

[Luke @ Aug 23rd 2008 9:57PM]

Breaking a Sony Reader to save a Kindle is like pulling the screen out of your Macbook Pro to save your Dell.

This story makes me a sad panda.

[kindle expert @ Aug 24th 2008 12:41AM]

um...you know amazon will replace a kindle for any reason cus they dont have any repair programs set up. You can run over it and they will replace it.

[Kevlar @ Aug 25th 2008 1:08PM]

I find that as much as I like the idea of the Kindle, I find that my iPhone is a much superior book reader despite its smaller screen:

http://www.learnucd.com/kevlar/iphone-a-better-book-reader-than-kindle

[shureiman @ Aug 24th 2008 1:46PM]

cool

[Tagbert @ Aug 26th 2008 10:45AM]

I have both a Kindle and an iPhone. The iPhone is not nearly as good for reading books.

The iPhone is more portable, but that's it. The Kindle screen is so much better for reading and the Kindle is still about the size of a paperback book.

It is similar to the camera on the iPhone. It is conveniently always available and it is suitable for casual snapshots, but its not really a very good camera. If I want to take a lot of photos or have better quality photos, I will get out my Canon digital camera. There are times when a dedicated device is superior to a general purpose device.