Hacks Kindle DX - Any way to disable screensaver? - Page 3

Mike L · 06-16-2009, 12:46 PM

I suppose one thing you could do is to keep your finger on the 5-way. Every now and then, just move it up and down a couple of times. After a while, you won't notice you're doing it. The screen saver won't kick in until you leave it alone for the requisite period.

Mac Jones · 06-16-2009, 01:51 PM

If you remove the screen the image is still there with no power at all.

There's no reason you could not just use the last page you where viewing as a sceensaver. No reason. You would just have to remember to use the switch after a certain interval .
As I said before, on the K1 &2 it doesn't make any difference so no one has really whined about it, but the DX is different so your going to be hearing a lot of moaning until this is addressed at least.

I really can't emphasize enough how important this is for technical documents.
Amazon didn't think this though.

For those interested:

We could start a collection as a reward for the first person who can supply this hack.
I saw this done with a hack to run Windows on the new Intel macs. It drew a lot of attention and was successful (and was a lot of fun). (In a twist, Apple itself supplied the hack just a few days after it was finally done)

Mind you the Apple hack was a huge program. This isn't much of anything I would think, but i'm afraid it may not be done without incentive.

daffy4u · 06-16-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac Jones

There's no reason you could not just use the last page you where viewing as a sceensaver. No reason. You would just have to remember to use the switch after a certain interval.

The current screensaver hacks for Kindle 1 an d2 do not work on the DX so there is no way to add or change images.

If and when a hack is developed then the PDFs could be added as screensaver images but if the PDF in question is more than one page, it would be a major hassle to go from page to page. It would be easier to stick with the current set-up.

On the whole I still think a netbook is the better way to go for someone who uses PDFs heavily.

pking36330 · 06-16-2009, 02:43 PM

I tend to agree with Mac Jones and the others who point out that for this device to be used in a textbook mode, it needs to remain on the last screen you leave it on until the user changes that (page advance or forced Sleep).

Since e-Ink uses no power except when changing pages, it would actually take less power to implement 'no screen saver' than the currently implmentation that changes to a dead poet if idle for 10 minutes.

This could be simply remedied by a user setting to set the 'Screen Saver Mode' to an integer value in minutes. The setting of zero would result in no 'Screen Saver Mode' and thus show the world that page of differential equations you just can't seem to get the hang of until you purposefully changed the page, forced a Sleep mode, or changed the 'Screen Saver Mode' to some setting other than zero.

I haven't seen Amazon fix anything Users/Owners have requested so far though, so short of an outcry during the college campus trials they've set up for this fall, I wouldn't expect even this simple solution to be implemented. Pity.

Daithi · 06-16-2009, 04:33 PM

I had never thought of this when using my K1, but last night I added a couple of PDF instructional art books and it would take me more than 10 minutes to complete a drawing -- and I don't want to keep waking it up. So I have to agree that this is a problem.

For Jon,
As to the Kindle slideshow -- it really isn't a slideshow. After 10 minutes one of the "screensaver" images is displayed and that image remains in place until the user wakes it up, so that one image will remain on the screen for a week or more if you don't use your Kindle. A different image will only be displayed if you wake the Kindle up and then later let it go back into sleep mode. None of this helps save the battery, but displaying a single image probably doesn't hurt things much either (other than being annoying if you are displaying a textbook, cookbook, art book, or presentation page).

sirbruce · 06-16-2009, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daffy4u

If and when a hack is developed then the PDFs could be added as screensaver images but if the PDF in question is more than one page, it would be a major hassle to go from page to page. It would be easier to stick with the current set-up.

A hack is forthcoming. However, it still relies on images just like the other Kindle screensavers; you can't use any arbitrary book (or PDF) as the source.

JSWolf · 06-16-2009, 07:00 PM

What would happen if all the images were deleted and there were none to be displayed? Would it then just not do it?

daffy4u · 06-16-2009, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbruce

A hack is forthcoming. However, it still relies on images just like the other Kindle screensavers; you can't use any arbitrary book (or PDF) as the source.

Yeah they could have to be converted into images.

sirbruce · 06-16-2009, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What would happen if all the images were deleted and there were none to be displayed? Would it then just not do it?

The screensaver still goes on, it just goes to a blank screen. Sorry.

A quick look at the internal files showed nothing obvious to me to disable the screensaver, not even a timer. However I am not the hacker that Igorsk and Clarknova are. I have a feeling it may be possible to disable the screensaver but that would require another hack.

Mac Jones · 06-16-2009, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbruce

The screensaver still gets in, it just goes to a blank screen. Sorry.

A quick look at the internal files showed nothing obvious to me to disable the screensaver, not even a timer. However I am not the hacker that Igorsk and Clarknova are. I have a feeling it may be possible to disable the screensaver but that would require another hack.

Great job! thanks!

(Now we just have to get rid of the thing altogether

)

JSWolf · 06-16-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirbruce

The screensaver still goes on, it just goes to a blank screen. Sorry.

A quick look at the internal files showed nothing obvious to me to disable the screensaver, not even a timer. However I am not the hacker that Igorsk and Clarknova are. I have a feeling it may be possible to disable the screensaver but that would require another hack.

My guess is to find where the timer is set and change that to maybe 99 and then it might be ok from there.

clarknova · 06-16-2009, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

My guess is to find where the timer is set and change that to maybe 99 and then it might be ok from there.

In the K2 this is handled by powerd daemon, and the default is ten minutes:

From /etc/powerd.conf:

Code:

## After t1_timeout seconds of inactivity, system goes to screen saver
t1_timeout: 600

I would imagine the DX is setup similarly.

Unfortunately, by increasing this value, your battery is more likely to run down faster -- 60 seconds after the screen saver kicks in, the system goes into suspend mode, which slows the CPU and saves battery.

This could be hacked, but the above solutions of not blanking the screen (if ever implemented by amazon) would be much much better.

sirbruce · 06-16-2009, 09:46 PM

Clarknova,

Very cool. I think you should consider releasing a hack that disables the screensaver; it would clearly make the difference between a purchase and a non-purchase for some people.

JSWolf · 06-16-2009, 10:01 PM

Is there then a way to have the Kindle go into sleep mode without having the images displayed?

sirbruce · 06-16-2009, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is there then a way to have the Kindle go into sleep mode without having the images displayed?

Like I said, if you install the screensaver hack and delete the images, it still goes into sleep mode, but it displays a blank screen. So that's not what you're looking for.

06-16-2009, 01:51 PM	#32
Mac Jones Connoisseur Posts: 50 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: kindle	If you remove the screen the image is still there with no power at all. There's no reason you could not just use the last page you where viewing as a sceensaver. No reason. You would just have to remember to use the switch after a certain interval . As I said before, on the K1 &2 it doesn't make any difference so no one has really whined about it, but the DX is different so your going to be hearing a lot of moaning until this is addressed at least. I really can't emphasize enough how important this is for technical documents. Amazon didn't think this though. For those interested: We could start a collection as a reward for the first person who can supply this hack. I saw this done with a hack to run Windows on the new Intel macs. It drew a lot of attention and was successful (and was a lot of fun). (In a twist, Apple itself supplied the hack just a few days after it was finally done) Mind you the Apple hack was a huge program. This isn't much of anything I would think, but i'm afraid it may not be done without incentive. Last edited by Mac Jones; 06-16-2009 at 02:08 PM.

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06-16-2009, 12:46 PM	#31
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I suppose one thing you could do is to keep your finger on the 5-way. Every now and then, just move it up and down a couple of times. After a while, you won't notice you're doing it. The screen saver won't kick in until you leave it alone for the requisite period.

06-16-2009, 02:43 PM	#34
pking36330 FT Parent PT Reader Posts: 322 Karma: 187838 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: South Alabama Device: Shocked by how much I've read on an iPod Touch received as a gift!	I tend to agree with Mac Jones and the others who point out that for this device to be used in a textbook mode, it needs to remain on the last screen you leave it on until the user changes that (page advance or forced Sleep). Since e-Ink uses no power except when changing pages, it would actually take less power to implement 'no screen saver' than the currently implmentation that changes to a dead poet if idle for 10 minutes. This could be simply remedied by a user setting to set the 'Screen Saver Mode' to an integer value in minutes. The setting of zero would result in no 'Screen Saver Mode' and thus show the world that page of differential equations you just can't seem to get the hang of until you purposefully changed the page, forced a Sleep mode, or changed the 'Screen Saver Mode' to some setting other than zero. I haven't seen Amazon fix anything Users/Owners have requested so far though, so short of an outcry during the college campus trials they've set up for this fall, I wouldn't expect even this simple solution to be implemented. Pity.

06-16-2009, 04:33 PM	#35
Daithi Publishers are evil! Posts: 2,418 Karma: 36205264 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: Various Kindles	I had never thought of this when using my K1, but last night I added a couple of PDF instructional art books and it would take me more than 10 minutes to complete a drawing -- and I don't want to keep waking it up. So I have to agree that this is a problem. For Jon, As to the Kindle slideshow -- it really isn't a slideshow. After 10 minutes one of the "screensaver" images is displayed and that image remains in place until the user wakes it up, so that one image will remain on the screen for a week or more if you don't use your Kindle. A different image will only be displayed if you wake the Kindle up and then later let it go back into sleep mode. None of this helps save the battery, but displaying a single image probably doesn't hurt things much either (other than being annoying if you are displaying a textbook, cookbook, art book, or presentation page).

06-16-2009, 07:00 PM	#37
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,897 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What would happen if all the images were deleted and there were none to be displayed? Would it then just not do it?

06-16-2009, 09:46 PM	#43
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	Clarknova, Very cool. I think you should consider releasing a hack that disables the screensaver; it would clearly make the difference between a purchase and a non-purchase for some people.

06-16-2009, 10:01 PM	#44
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,897 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Is there then a way to have the Kindle go into sleep mode without having the images displayed?

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