Remember that DS Lite R button 'fracture' crack?

I have more or less same cracks, though mine isn't cracked all the way through yet and my unit is still intact...
The cracks are still quite small, but in the exact same spots as in the pictures you mentioned.

 

well, my friend had that a month ago, and after a while, the entire R button and the indicator light cover just broke off. He didn't abuse it or any thing, so i guess his was just faulty.......

or so i thought

yesterday, i woke up, got ready for school, and started packing my ds up, when i saw that there was a crack, right where the power switch was. It was only in the plastic lineing, but it had started to pop of (the plastic lineing i mean). This made absolutly no sense, seeing as i carry my ds in the original bubble wrap type thing, plus a case, everywhere i go (yea, call me crazy, but i like my ds shiny when i play it) so, i brought i to school, thinking "yea, if it gets any worse, ill just send it back" seeing as i was too stupid to get a extended warrenty last time. So, at the end of the day, were on the bus, enjoy a game of Metroid, when the R button stops working! My friend (who i talked about above) said it was basicly the same thing that happen to him, R button and all, so when i got home, i grabbed some games, some cash, and headed to my local EB. This had been the last straw with my white lite, so i got my self a black one. I had decided that 3 weeks was too long for me to wait for a new ds, and that black was nicer. So to answer your question yes, there is such a thing as the fracture. Sorry about the long post, i just had to get that off my chest.

 

I am at the very start of the right hinge crack, if you saw it you would say it isn't there. You totally have to look for it on mine, from that point I discovered it I totally stopped touching it, and switched over to my DS Phat till I am able to replace the casing myself.

 

my previous ds lite didn't have a crack after 2 months of use. i sent it in because the r button was not clicky and it was starting to bother me.

my new ds is about 2 weeks old and holding up fine. but i treat it very gently and always store it in a case when not it use. also, i never open it to the flat setting, always use the angled setting