Amazon's Kindle Colorsoft Complaints Pile Up Over An Unsightly Display Issue

Amazon's highly-anticipated Kindle Colorsoft e-book reader may have had fans lining up to get their grubs on the company's first ever color e-reader, but merely a week after release, some owners are getting a case of buyer's remorse. Complaints are coming in about a strip of yellow tint at the lower quadrant of the display and it looks like Amazon's already on the case.

Colorsoft has yellow tinge to bottom of display
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With the bloated fanfare and $280 price point, expectations were high over Amazon's brand new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition—its first e-reader with a color display. However, as customers began receiving their units over the course the week, some immediately noticed an unsightly yellow strip at the bottom portion of the display. At the time of this report, the yellow tint seems to only appear when the device's edge backlight is turned on. For some owners, this issue was enough for them to return their unit and never look back. Others who  exchanged their defective units haven't reported any recurring display issues in their new ones.

Amazon says that it's aware of the problem and will be pushing out a software update shortly. Jill Tornifoglio, a spokesperson for Amazon stated, "We’re aware of a small number of reports from customers who see a yellow band along the bottom of the display," adding that "if customers notice this on their device, they can reach out to our customer service team." Judging from the software update stance, it seems Amazon is certain that the display issue isn't hardware-related, which would be great for all involved. 

However, looking at the Colorsoft's Amazon 2.6 rating, the company better work fast if it wants to quell the frustration of their customers. The new model was expected to finally bring a competitively priced color e-ink Kindle to the masses with direct access to one of the largest—if not the largest—e-book libraries on the market. The bright color display (which is great for outdoor viewing) would ideally draw in new users as well, especially comic book and graphic novel readers.

Presently, the color e-book space is rife, with great examples from Kobo Libra Color or Onyx's Boox Note Air C 3, so having a rather iffy start like this doesn't bode well for the Colorsoft.

Photo credits: Amazon