New Kindle Word Wise feature

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by eFTy

They also got the meaning of 'publicly' wrong.

I think we're definitely going to get some laughs if that 'feature' can be tuned to display definitions for all of the words. It will be like reading an alternate, really atrocious novel.

Sort of like, novel-meets-Google-Translate-verse. I think it could be hilarious, myself. As a one-time lark, mind you; not on an ongoing basis.

Hitch

[Doitsu]

I've installed the latest firmware on my PW2 and did some "research" using a free Word Wise enabled Kindle book, A Tale of Two Cities.

When I downloaded this book, I noticed that an additional SQLite database file with a .kll extension was downloaded to the .sdr folder of the book:

/A Tale of Two Cities_B004EHZXVQ.sdr/LanguageLayer.en.B004EHZXVQ.kll

The actual Word Wise definitions are apparently stored in another SQLite database (with obfuscated definitions) in the following hidden system folder:

/system/kll/kll.en.en.klld

BTW, Word Wise doesn't affect Kindle book authors/producers at all since the definitions are automatically generated. I.e., existing books won't need to be updated.

When enabled, Word Wise will change the line spacing of all lines of a paragraph, even if no definitions are being displayed above a particular line.
However, if Word Wise is disabled, Word Wise enabled books are being displayed like any other Kindle book.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

I've installed the latest firmware on my PW2 and did some "research" using a free Word Wise enabled Kindle book, A Tale of Two Cities.

When I downloaded this book, I noticed that an additional SQLite database file with a .kll extension was downloaded to the .sdr folder of the book:

/A Tale of Two Cities_B004EHZXVQ.sdr/LanguageLayer.en.B004EHZXVQ.kll

The actual Word Wise definitions are apparently stored in another SQLite database (with obfuscated definitions) in the following hidden system folder:

/system/kll/kll.en.en.klld

BTW, Word Wise doesn't affect Kindle book authors/producers at all since the definitions are automatically generated. I.e., existing books won't need to be updated.

When enabled, Word Wise will change the line spacing of all lines of a paragraph, even if no definitions are being displayed above a particular line.
However, if Word Wise is disabled, Word Wise enabled books are being displayed like any other Kindle book.

Doits:

You're my hero, seriously. We've been so crazy-swamped I haven't had a chance to even THINK about it, and the new Voyage is, of course, giving us fits. {sigh}.

Thanks for sorting that. At least I don't have to bloody worry about it, from our standpoint!!

Hitch

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hitch

the new Voyage is, of course, giving us fits. {sigh}.

What sort of fits?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What sort of fits?

We originally thought it was just Previewer, but it's not; I've now confirmed with ECR and Tech Support (the real ones) that it's the actual Voyage device. (Mine is still in the warehouse, awaiting shipment; shan't have it until next week).

The problem is that if you have an image, sized for a width greater than 50% but less than 100% of the screen, it blows the image up to 100%. Doesn't happen under 50% (or, at least, to our testing thus far). It's ignoring, utterly, both the KF8 CSS and even the fallback KF7 hard-sizing for the embedded images. {sigh}. Books look perfect on everything else--but not the Voyage.

So, of course, this can affect Chapter head images, and all sorts of things. I wrote to Amazon about it, Thursday, initially thinking that I was telling them that the latest Previewer had a bug...but they emailed me back later that same day and confirmed that unfortunately, it's the device. They've logged it and will work on it, but there's no ETA for a fix.

Hitch

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hitch

We originally thought it was just Previewer, but it's not; I've now confirmed with ECR and Tech Support (the real ones) that it's the actual Voyage device. (Mine is still in the warehouse, awaiting shipment; shan't have it until next week).

The problem is that if you have an image, sized for a width greater than 50% but less than 100% of the screen, it blows the image up to 100%. Doesn't happen under 50% (or, at least, to our testing thus far). It's ignoring, utterly, both the KF8 CSS and even the fallback KF7 hard-sizing for the embedded images. {sigh}. Books look perfect on everything else--but not the Voyage.

So, of course, this can affect Chapter head images, and all sorts of things. I wrote to Amazon about it, Thursday, initially thinking that I was telling them that the latest Previewer had a bug...but they emailed me back later that same day and confirmed that unfortunately, it's the device. They've logged it and will work on it, but there's no ETA for a fix.

Hitch

That is some bug in the firmware. I'm surprised that one got out into the wild. Does that bug effect the latest firmware on the PW2?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That is some bug in the firmware. I'm surprised that one got out into the wild. Does that bug effect the latest firmware on the PW2?

Thus far, it appears not, but we're not done testing. While I'd love to be Amazon's test center, this time of year, we really--really--don't have the time. I just want to make it through Christmas Eve alive, and then I'll worry about the next set of mystery hoops I have to jump through, or creative solutions to problems that shouldn't exist, etc.

And yes: I was pretty surprised that it got into the wild too. And they seemed pretty gobsmacked. It's not the first time we've been the first or only folks to report something to them (Start Reading Location debacle, winter, 2012), but they seemed QUITE surprised.

(And, of course: ASK ME how many books we have in right now with large chapter-head graphics. {sigh}).

Hitch

[JSWolf]

I was thinking of a solution to your image/Voyage problem. I have a temporary solution for your problem. Take the image, reduce it to the size you want and set it free at 100% size. That would work.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I was thinking of a solution to your image/Voyage problem. I have a temporary solution for your problem. Take the image, reduce it to the size you want and set it free at 100% size. That would work.

Sweetie:

That doesn't work, but thanks. In short: that's the problem. If you put an image in, at, say...1200px wide, just for fun, it will blow it up to 2400px in width. It's exactly like putting the same image in KF7, with no restraints. KaBlammo, full-tilt boogie, the image is enlarged to 100% of the SCREEN, not 100% of its intended width.

Hitch

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Sweetie:

That doesn't work, but thanks. In short: that's the problem. If you put an image in, at, say...1200px wide, just for fun, it will blow it up to 2400px in width. It's exactly like putting the same image in KF7, with no restraints. KaBlammo, full-tilt boogie, the image is enlarged to 100% of the SCREEN, not 100% of its intended width.

Hitch

Oops! So you'll currently need to make sure all images are high resolution so when they do blow up, they won't look awful. Anyway, this is a nasty bug.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Oops! So you'll currently need to make sure all images are high resolution so when they do blow up, they won't look awful. Anyway, this is a nasty bug.

Yup, and if you try to "fix" it for Voyage, it screws up the formatting for all the other formats. {sigh}.

Merry Christmas, Amazon!

Hitch

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yup, and if you try to "fix" it for Voyage, it screws up the formatting for all the other formats. {sigh}.

Merry Christmas, Amazon!

Hitch

So on the Voyage, how bad does an image heavy eBook look epecially when the images are fairly low resolution.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So on the Voyage, how bad does an image heavy eBook look epecially when the images are fairly low resolution.

Well, Wolfie:

There's low-resolution, which is one thing, and then there's images blown up beyond their intended size...and then there's both. The low-rez images just look blurry; the second look worse, and the third are really bad. I mean, fortunately, we tell our clients to give us very high-rezzed images to start, and then we work our way down from there; but this thing with the Voyage will, no doubt, cause us issues for a while, I suspect. I mean, it's not like I can say, "oh, ignore the little man behind the curtain in the corner" like we used to with (I forget what, now), because it's not an accurate representation; that's the problem-until Amazon fixes the bug, is IS an accurate representation.

One alternative would be to make every single image full-width sized-use some type of background for it..but sheesh, that would be fugly at best when it's in Night or Sepia, and it's crap bookmaking, to boot.

Hitch

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Well, Wolfie:

There's low-resolution, which is one thing, and then there's images blown up beyond their intended size...and then there's both. The low-rez images just look blurry; the second look worse, and the third are really bad. I mean, fortunately, we tell our clients to give us very high-rezzed images to start, and then we work our way down from there; but this thing with the Voyage will, no doubt, cause us issues for a while, I suspect. I mean, it's not like I can say, "oh, ignore the little man behind the curtain in the corner" like we used to with (I forget what, now), because it's not an accurate representation; that's the problem-until Amazon fixes the bug, is IS an accurate representation.

One alternative would be to make every single image full-width sized-use some type of background for it..but sheesh, that would be fugly at best when it's in Night or Sepia, and it's crap bookmaking, to boot.

Hitch

In reading another thread on MR, I've come up with an idea. I don't know if it will work or how well. Why not try an SVG wrapper for the images and see how that works? I'd be interested to know if it does work and if it works better even if not perfectly.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

In reading another thread on MR, I've come up with an idea. I don't know if it will work or how well. Why not try an SVG wrapper for the images and see how that works? I'd be interested to know if it does work and if it works better even if not perfectly.

Well...unless things have changed, KF7 doesn't handle SVG at all...does it? I'm pretty sure that the answer there is no. But, hey, I'll play with it during our downtime--if I don't have a book crisis sooner. We have a workout book in--another honker with nearly 500 images--and honestly, thinking about this is giving me agita.

Hitch