A few weeks ago I bought a new Kindle, one of the "paper whites." I bought the $119 one which was on sale for $99. At first I thought it was $20 but that turns out to have been a mistake. 

Anyway, I've been using it, and it's a great product. Very light compared to old Kindles, and I haven't even had to charge it once.

However, I put it in my pocket, it fits into a back pocket on my jeans, without incident twice, but the third time it came back with a tiny rip in the screen, which doesn't sound like a terrible thing, but it is, because it has backlighting. The light which is soft elsewhere on the screen is glaring where it's ripped. It's unusable in this mode.

I don't think I can return it, fairly -- because I should have gotten the protective cover. I didn't because this was basically an experiment. But I get covers for all my other devices. If you get a Kindle and really plan on using it you should get one too.

But the product is so good, I went ahead and bought a replacement, the top of the line Kindle for $254, with a leather cover, and protection for the screen. I want to travel with this in addition to my iPad and iPhone. Why? Well it's lighter and therefore easier on my wrists and arms when I read, and the battery life will make a huge difference. My iPad doesn't have enough battery for a traveling day. So when I'm reading, I can use the Kindle, which is much better with the battery.