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Kindle cover issue still affects some users

Last year we wrote about how Amazon was having a problem with its Leather Cover that was causing the Kindle to malfunction and lock up. Amazon promised to look into the issue and replace the defective covers.

Well, as Dave Zatz over at zatznotfunny.com writes, Amazon actually took the cover off the market and now only offers the Kindle Lighted Leather cover. Zatz blogged about how his mother had a problem with her Kindle going haywire on her while she was traveling and had to contact Amazon customer support when she got back.

Zatz says the customer support rep told his mom that what she'd been experiencing was not unusual, but he "wouldn't elaborate on the cause, other than to finger the official Leather Cover." The rep promptly instructed her on how to remove the cover, then gave her a $60 credit to purchase the Kindle Lighted Cover. … Read more

How to stop subwoofer bass from 'leaking' into other rooms

Everyone at one time or another has been annoyed by the unpleasant bass thumps of a neighbor's subwoofer or large speakers. While midrange and high-frequency sounds are more easily enclosed by walls, low bass frequencies pass right through them. And, of course, it's not just a noise problem from neighbors; home-theater bass can disturb other family members within a house or apartment.

Methods used to isolate or restrict bass from going through walls, floors, and ceilings can get expensive, and unless recording-studio construction techniques are employed bass is hard to control. Brick and concrete are more effective than … Read more

Submitting feedback and bug reports to Apple

There may be times when using your Mac where you might have suggestions or other feedback for Apple's engineers. Perhaps a system feature could be used in a different manner, or you would like to see a particular window be resizable, or you have noticed a bug where a program does not behave the way you think it should.

Apple has a number of methods to submit feedback, so if you have suggestions you would like to submit there are several ways to do it. Keep in mind that Apple will likely not contact you back, but submissions are … Read more

Early 2011 MacBook Pro starts to gray Apple logo, freezes

Some owners have noted an issue with Apple's latest MacBook Pro model (early 2011), where the machine will start up to the gray Apple logo screen without a progress indicator and freeze. Apple has also noted the issue, releasing a knowledge base article to help with the situation.

Apple Support Discussions forum user CoryCripita writes:

"So for the second time my Macbook Pro is stuck on the ****** gray screen and won't boot. The first time this happened 2 days ago I HAD TO resort to Archive and install. The only thing that I can even think caused … Read more

The 404 763: Where we tagger easy (podcast)

Doug from Pennsylvania inadvertently started another 404 Podcast meme in yesterday's video voice mail with his sign-off salute, "Tagger easy!" We dedicate today's show title to him and WhiteWhine, a Tumblr for First World problems.

More than 200 protesters in Libya have been killed with Qaddafi's machine guns and large-caliber weapons, but some nerds in America are more concerned with the future of .ly domains like Bitly. How will we shorten our links to a Tweet-appropriate size if Libya shuts down the Internet again?!

Don't freak out yet, because Internet restrictions by the Libyan government will not affect those domains, since most of the servers that give access to .ly links are located outside of Libya, and most administrators like Bitly CEO John Borthwick are already using precautionary measures to ensure their stability.… Read more

Barnes & Noble's Nook server woes rectified

Over the last couple of weeks we've been writing about how all the e-reader manufacturers have been talking up their robust holiday sales.

Well, there can be some downsides to success, as Barnes & Noble's servers apparently couldn't handle the influx of new users on Christmas Day and continued to experience trouble into Sunday. This is the second year in a row that Barnes & Noble's server issues have kept new Nook owners from buying e-books on Christmas Day.

Across the Web and on Twitter, people were complaining about the problems. For instance, CNET user Ridermom … Read more

MacFixIt answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on MacBook trackpads becoming very sensitive after using alternative pointing devices, desktop pictures not being oriented properly, and third-party menu extras not being removable from the system menu. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Hypersensitive trackpad on MacBook Pro

MacFixIt reader "Terry" asks:

Since I purchased and installed a Magic Track Pad, my … Read more

Amazon promises to replace problem Kindle covers, look into issue

If you have a new Kindle and have poked around for a cover for your device, you may have noticed some diverging user reviews on Amazon.com of the non-lighted Kindle Leather cover. While the cover has many five-star reviews, there are more than 100 one-star reviews claiming the cover has problems that cause the device to freeze or reboot itself.

In a recent review, for example, customer Gunjan Srivastava writes:

I bought a Kindle 3 (Wi-Fi only) about three months back and was using it without any trouble. Then, I bought this leather cover and suddenly my Kindle ran … Read more

TV on the fritz? You may need a firmware upgrade

About a year ago I picked up a fairly entry-level 52-inch Sony LCD TV, the KDL-52V5100, as a second TV for a playroom. For a year, the set worked fine, then a few days ago a babysitter asked me to please fix it because it wasn't working.

At first, I figured someone had simply set the cable box to the wrong input. But a quick input assessment ruled that out as the possible culprit. I moved onto the next likely source of the problem: the cable box, which I unplugged, then waited for it to cycle through its painfully long rebooting process.

Still, nothing. No picture. Not even a menu. Conclusion: the cable box had crapped out. It had happened before, it would happen again.

I packed the thing up and the next day set off for a Time Warner Cable service center that happened to be about six blocks away from the CNET offices in Manhattan. My old cable box, a Samsung non-DVR model, was promptly chucked in a bin and I was handed a newer model Samsung box that was black instead of silver. I was happy. It matched the TV.

But upon returning home and hooking it up, the same thing happened. Nothing.… Read more

Leaked memo notes MacBook Air display problems

The redesigned MacBook Air is only two weeks old, and reports of display issues have begun to crop up.

Cult of Mac reported earlier this week that it noticed flickering horizontal lines sometimes appearing on the display of its 13-inch model. A quick check of Apple support forums reveals a couple dozen reports of similar issues.

Though Apple has yet to publicly acknowledge the problem, a leaked internal memo shows that the company's support staff is indeed aware of it. Boy Genius Report received the memo from an unnamed source, and published it today.

Sources tell BGR:

(T)hat … Read more