Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I will preface my review by saying that I bought my wife one of the original Kindles and she absolutely loves it. I played with it enough to know that, when the price came down, we might become a two Kindle family. Then, when the price did, I ordered early for a release day delivery. I was fully prepared to write a positive review (or no review at all, because I am easily distracted), but I post this partly to see if anyone else has the problems I am having. First of all, it refuses to connect to any wireless network. This is disconcerting when I look at my wife's Kindle--right next to me on the couch--reporting a 5-bar connection. No matter where I take the Kindle, suburban and urban locales alike--it cannot find 3G connections, Edge connections, nothing. Oh, how it tries, but the best connection I have ever gotten is 1 bar that quickly disappeared. Once I set up my home wi-fi, I was able to surf and purchase, but I paid $50 for that 3G connection, so it irks me that it doesn't work. (And I worked my way through all the troubleshooting steps for anyone concerned that I am criticizing without merit. It simply won't work.) Second, my battery life is just plain not what's advertised. I fully charged the device, unplugged it, downloaded 4-5 books, read none of them (I am old and go to bed early), turned off all wireless, and picked up the Kindle again two days later. Less than half of the battery life remained. Scroll up to the product description to see that this is not even close to what's promised. For clarification, I don't think Amazon or other reviewers are lying. I think I just got stuck with a malfunctioning unit, and I am very disappointed. To add insult to injury, I also ordered an Amazon Kindle leather case (the $35 one) and they sent me the wrong color. I know, now it just sounds like I am a cranky consumer, but I have to tell you, that's exactly how I feel. I have always had positive experiences with Amazon and its products, but this has been one of the most underwhelming shopping experiences I have ever had.