Is the Amazon Kindle a computer
 

I just purchased an Amazon Kindle. In many ways it is a computer. Does that mean that security will require it to be taken out of the carryon and its sleeve and put through the xray machine. I also carry a notebook computer so that means a bin for the shoes another for the computer and another for the Kindle. Does anybody have any experience taking a Kindle through security.

A computer is not removed because it is a computer, but because of the dense electronics that most computers contain.

I doubt your kindle will have to come out, I would put it on par with a PDA or PSP, neither of which have to be taken out for security.

As it stands, (and I can't vouch for other airports) shoes don't need to be in a bin, you can place things to the side of your computer in the same bin, also, you don't need to remove the laptop from any nylon sleeve it may be in -- there's no point, especially since people usually place the laptop on top of that very sleeve.

I've had a few kindles come through, and the only extra attention they got were my questions about how it stacks up against a Sony Reader (what I have, and what collects dust).

Thank you for your response very complete. Appreciate the information.

Just to be clear: whether the Kindle is a computer and whether the TSA thinks it is a computer are two completely different questions. Yes. It is a computer.

You can try putting things into the same bin as the computer. You can also try leaving the computer in its nylon sleeve. I'd bet, though, that if you do so you will be yelled at by the TSA at least 50% of the time (particularly for the nylon sleeve). It's called ineptitude -- er -- I mean consistent inconsistency -- er -- I mean, "Keeping the bad guys on their toes" :confused:

As for the Kindle -- no -- it's not a computer. Just leave it in your bag with the rest of your electronics.

I never take my Kindle out of my bag, just my laptop. Haven't had a problem....

I've never had a problem with my Sony Reader, but it doesn't have a keyboard like the kindle (keyboard + screen = computer?)

I had a TSA screener all but yell at me in front of the rest of the line, as to "whether or not I had understood their simple instructions" to take computers out of bags. I responded that I had . . . my laptop was by itself in a bin. I had a smallish video game console in my carry-on bag (didn't trust it in checked), and apparently they felt it qualified as a computer.

I spent the next 20 minutes sitting there while they pulled every single item out of my bags, inspected them, and then repacked them badly and let me go on my way. Like most things TSA related, it just all depends on who's doing the screening and their mood at the time. If you can take it out and put it in a separate bin easily, its better to be safe.

So is an ipod, pda, cell phone, digital watch, gps, smart-chipped credit card,
etc.

Really the question isn't 'what is a computer', but instead, 'what isn't a computer?'.

Depends on the idiot TSA screener. A few weeks ago, in LAS, I was stopped because they had to separately screen my portable CD drive. ok, so maybe that is considered a computer by some, even though it cannot operate on it's own, but why did I have to go BACK through the detector, re-remove my shoes, take it out of my bag and re-run everything again? 'cause there are stupid people out there. I carry that drive every week through LAS, and it has not since, nor prior, been checked. Forrest G's mama had it right.

Kindles at LAX today
 

Went through LAX today with a colleague. We both had Kindles in our bags and neither one of us removed them. My colleague went through first, the screener saw the Kindle on the screen, knew what it was, and called out "Kindle." Another screener responded to the call, collected my colleague's bag, removed the Kindle, searched the bag by hand, and ran it through again.

My bag was already on its way through when this happened, so I was sure I would be next. But no, I got lucky. Either the screener didn't see mine or decided to let it go.

The woman immediately behind me also had a Kindle that she didn't remove from her bag. She got the same treatment as my colleague.

^

Could be that the view of the Kindle was clear enough. As a rule, they are treated just like laptops and should be removed from the bag. They are very easy to spot.

To a previous post, laptops left in the nylon sleeves are good to go as long as there is nothing else in the sleeve. When you have cables, flashdrives, whatever else in the sleeve, that's where you run into a problem.

That's the TSA keeping you konfused commrade.

TSA hates Kindles, and people who read or are edumucated.