Kindle Fire Does not have Collections Functionality

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by nynaevelan

Why would they release an "upgraded" version and take away basic kindle functionality.

The Fire is not an upgraded Kindle. It's a different product. I am surprised there isn't some way to do collections, but I've never used Kindle for Android. I think we can expect software/interface changes. Maybe it will be addressed.

[Ben Thornton]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's simply that the Kindle for Android app (which the Fire uses) is a little behind the iOS and PC versions at present. I'm sure they'll add collections to it soon.

iOS doesn't have them either, unless I've missed something?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ben Thornton

iOS doesn't have them either, unless I've missed something?

I thought it did, but looking at the Kindle App on my iPhone, I see no obvious way to add them, so perhaps it doesn't!

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Jabby

I don't use Collections since I rarely have more than ten books loaded at any one time. However, if the Kindle for Android app, which was meant for phones, is the ereader on the Fire, that is a deal breaker.

The Kindle for Android offers no choice of line spacing, margins or font face and the defaults stink. The only options are; 5 font sizes, background color (white, black or sepia) and brightness.

Now, if Amazon got buggins to add mobi DRM to Cool Reader (keeping epub), then you would have something. Fat chance!

Regards - John

I was expecting a modified Kindle for Android app on the Fire, with much more features as you mentioned. The NOOKcolor's stock reader app is not as good as their Android app, but it has more formatting options than the Kindle app. I haven't seen any videos of the Fire's reading app. If it is just the Kindle app, then it's a major disappointment. I use the app on my tablet, and although the home screen and in-app store front is very nice, the reading features have not been improved. Margin options are long over due. The amount of white space around text is ridiculous on a large screen tablet.

[jswinden]

I don't know if Amazon will use the standard Kindle for Android app. I thought I saw a picture of the Fire on Amazon's web that looks like the Fire is running an app similar to it. But their web page for the Fire is rather dynamic and fluid. Today I see the attached picture. I enlarged it to see if I could better see it, but it is kind of fuzzy. However it definitely looks different from anything I've seen in any Kindle app. So maybe they will have a better app!

...

[Hoyt Clagwell]

The Kindle app for the HP Touchpad supports collections also.

[jswinden]

Originally Posted by Hoyt Clagwell

The Kindle app for the HP Touchpad supports collections also.

Those look like Amazon designed author sort categories. Are you actually able to create your own collections and name them, or is the app merely sorting by author? I hope you can create your own as that will give the rest of us hope.

[Oh, Why Not?]

The Kindle for PC supports collections that you can create. But there doesn't seem to be a collections manager on the Kindle Cloud Reader for Chrome. At least as yet.

[jswinden]

Originally Posted by Oh, Why Not?

The Kindle for PC supports collections that you can create. But there doesn't seem to be a collections manager on the Kindle Cloud Reader for Chrome. At least as yet.

Oh wow he newer K4PC does have Collections. I was still running the old 1.2 version on my desktop for deDRM purposes. I installed the 1.8 version on my netbook just to test it out and it does have collections and the ability to import Collections. I hope they add that to the Android version.

[Sydney's Mom]

The Kindle Fire is set up to pull content from the cloud, not to hold content. With only 8G of storage, I will have a few songs, a movie or two, and 5-10 books. Everything else will be in the cloud, including my 700 Amazon archives, and my 100 Personal Docs. As a matter of fact, I think I will just have the couple of books I am reading at any particular time on the Fire.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

The Kindle Fire is set up to pull content from the cloud, not to hold content. With only 8G of storage, I will have a few songs, a movie or two, and 5-10 books. Everything else will be in the cloud, including my 700 Amazon archives, and my 100 Personal Docs. As a matter of fact, I think I will just have the couple of books I am reading at any particular time on the Fire.

Amazon is marketing the device as one that is meant to hold content also:

On-device Storage 8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by SCION

Amazon is marketing the device as one that is meant to hold content also:

Well, since I have 14G of songs, I wasn't seeing it. But you are correct - for others, it would be capable of holding something. And I forgot about the apps - I have quite a few apps.

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Those look like Amazon designed author sort categories. Are you actually able to create your own collections and name them, or is the app merely sorting by author? I hope you can create your own as that will give the rest of us hope.

You can name your collections any thing you like. You just click on the +button and a box comes up and you type in the name of collection.



To add a book to a collection you just have to tap on the book for a few seconds and another screen comes up with all your collections. Tap on the collection name for a few seconds and a green check mark will be placed by the collection name.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Hoyt Clagwell

You can name your collections any thing you like. You just click on the +button and a box comes up and you type in the name of collection...

There's a good chance the Fire will allow the same. Thanks. Are you able to change margins and line spacing with the Touchpad app?

Edit: I just Googled and found out 2 page landscape view is an option. Wow. Hmmm....what's up with the other Kindle apps?

[Hoyt Clagwell]

I do not see the options to change margins. You do have the option to import collections from your other Kindles or Kindle for PC and I would assume Kindle for Mac. This only seems to work with books bought from Amazon however. It also only works with collections that were hand made it does not seem to work with collections made using the Collections Manager plugin in Calibre. I guess that makes sense because the Kindle app does not support sideloading books natively. I had to use the Preware Kindle Importer App.