please add unicode support on kindle

[theinv]

It is really a shame that kindle can't display non-latin characters.
Can someone hack kindle to support unicode?

[wallcraft]

All that would be required is the ability to change the font. This is possible on the Cybook, but not currently on the Kindle. Much of the thread I've got Kindle 1.0.1 instead of 1.0.4 is about Unicode issues.

[seajewel]

I am dying for this feature also. In the meanwhile, has anybody with a Kindle tried converting text to image files (.jpg) and putting them in the Pictures folder(? I read there is something like this that will allow you to look at image files on the Kindle)? Is there a good text to image converter that would allow me to convert several hundreds of pages without devoting a lot of time to individually capture each "page"? How long did page turns on the Kindle take when using this method?

But please, if anyone out there is talented enough, please please look into Unicode support. I think it's shameful that Amazon doesn't come with it in the first place. I'd buy one yesterday if it had.

[molochei]

The best way to read unicode on kinde right now is this:

1. Save your text as PDF document.
2. PDFRead 1.8.2 is used to convert PDF to PNG images, and they are saved as PRC book.
3. The resulting PRC book can be used on kindle. You will not be able to increase fonts, and add highlights. But you will still able to mark the pages and add notes. The good sized book will run you about 20mg. But page turns are acceptible.

Originally Posted by seajewel

I am dying for this feature also. In the meanwhile, has anybody with a Kindle tried converting text to image files (.jpg) and putting them in the Pictures folder(? I read there is something like this that will allow you to look at image files on the Kindle)? Is there a good text to image converter that would allow me to convert several hundreds of pages without devoting a lot of time to individually capture each "page"? How long did page turns on the Kindle take when using this method?

But please, if anyone out there is talented enough, please please look into Unicode support. I think it's shameful that Amazon doesn't come with it in the first place. I'd buy one yesterday if it had.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by theinv

It is really a shame that kindle can't display non-latin characters.
Can someone hack kindle to support unicode?

Just curious - if the ability to display non-Latin characters is important to you, why did you buy a Kindle, rather than a device which can display such characters, such as the CyBook or Sony?

[seajewel]

I really don't understand why people ask this sort of question. I agonized for a long time and ended up going with a Sony, and am very happy with that decision. That said, there are things the Kindle does infinitely better than the Sony, namely Whispernet. A person can make a sacrifice between two different things, both of which are important to him/her, and still look around for solutions. It's why people on the Sony forum ask if the reader can support WiFi. The ease of being able to connect on the net to Feedbooks is amazing.

Sony doesn't come with native asian character support, it came about because people who bought Sonys before the language patch was available still wanted some kind of hack to make it possible, and that opened doors for even more people to purchase the Sony. What's the problem with asking for this kind of development if it's possible, even if one bought a Kindle knowing that it doesn't support certain languages natively? Why do you have to ask such a condescending question in response to a request?

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just curious - if the ability to display non-Latin characters is important to you, why did you buy a Kindle, rather than a device which can display such characters, such as the CyBook or Sony?

[molochei]

Kindle, has really good ability to do annotations. And that is really important for me. When I read a book I need to mark passages that are important for me, add notes, etc. Kindle is perfect for this task. Even when I have a book based on images, rather then text I am still able to add notes to the pages. There is no other reader besides Illiad (way overpriced) that can do these functions!

Now, if only Amazon would have added free Topaz conversion tool, I would love the device (topaz can embed the fonts with the book, hence support for Cyrillic or other languages)

Originally Posted by HarryT

Just curious - if the ability to display non-Latin characters is important to you, why did you buy a Kindle, rather than a device which can display such characters, such as the CyBook or Sony?