How the hell do you use Locations?

[kajoob]

There's a small blurb in the user manual about viewing your progress, but I can't find any Amazon documentation on how exactly Locations works. Having another way to specify your place in a text that is independent of typeface, font size, or margins is a great idea, but I have no clue how to use it. Does anyone have a primer on this?

[pizda]

Maybe it is only a coincidence but I figured out the strange "Location x-x". I think that 1 location is the amount of thext displayed on screen when you select the biggest font size. I set biggest text and then every next page changes location by one. Location 1-2, next Location 2-3, ... Making the fonts smaller makes the location indicator hard to figure out.

[DiapDealer]

**Sigh**
A location is 128 bytes of content.
Bigger font = less locations per "page"
smaller font = more locations per "page"

Making the fonts smaller makes the location indicator hard to figure out.

Not really. In the book I'm reading right now, the indicator says: "Locations 1730-37".
It simply means that the "page" represented by your font-settings, words-per-line, etc... contains the locations 1730 through 1737.

[Leep]

Unfortunately, what everyone is saying is that it's one big guess unless you want to sit with your calculator. I just make an approximation based on how far through the book I think I am. Than I guess again, and again. Ha! reminds me of structural engineering calculations in the old days.

cheers

[Piper_]

Originally Posted by Leep

Unfortunately, what everyone is saying is that it's one big guess unless you want to sit with your calculator. I just make an approximation based on how far through the book I think I am. Than I guess again, and again. Ha! reminds me of structural engineering calculations in the old days.

cheers

Exactly. It's not even something you can calculate, because locations count bytes you can't see.

One heavily formatted page (screen) of text can have many times more locations than the next page of text, even if they have the same number of words.

Read a book that was converted from something like Word, and you'll have a big mess of ugly code that proves the main reason why locations are so cryptic and why they won't ever become a standard.

[mdovell]

here's something kinda related...what do the dots mean in collections that are under the titles? I'm under the assumption that longer means a longer book but I'm not totally sure

[Piper_]

Originally Posted by mdovell

here's something kinda related...what do the dots mean in collections that are under the titles? I'm under the assumption that longer means a longer book but I'm not totally sure

Yes. It's a rough estimate of the length of the book.

(I wondered if each dot was reflective of 1,000 locations, but it doesn't hold up that way as the size goes up. e.g., The Stand has 19,000+ locations, but 15 dots.)

[coolbreeze]

I wish they would just figure out how to display page numbers, relative to the font size you are using.

Locations is so confusing, even Amazon doesn't explain them in the manual. Telling, indeed.

[Dwayne_Matheson]

I really don't see the problem. Read the book, who cares what page number you are on? Does it really make a difference? If you need a reference point for where you are, even though the Kindle remembers that for you, see what percent you have completed.

Read people, stop staring at where you are in the book and start enjoying the story!

[coolbreeze]

I don't see it as a problem, but I do see the implementation is more confusing than not.

Either give us page numbers or get rid of locations. I simply find the location number completely useless. At least a page number would further resemble a paper book.

[SensualPoet]

Actually, I like locations, and the % indicator of where I am in a book.

I see pg numbers in my Kobo -- eg pg 4 of 57 (which varies as I change the font size) on the base line. Unfortunately, "pg 4" doesn't usually match with the "actual" pg number on the right hand size of the page in light grey. And, I can't tell how many chapters or pages are left without a laborious trek through the table of contents.

Using an e-reader, I haven't an issue with losing "page" numbers in the same sense as a physical book. So, for me, "locations", last location and the % calc work quite well for me to keep me "oriented".

To each her/his own.

[jangell2]

It seems to me that the most frequently valuable "location" information is the percentage. Since the Kindle will return to the place where I was last reading automatically, I haven't even bothered with bookmarks yet.

However, if I wanted to direct a fellow Kindle user to a particular place in a book, then I would need Locations. That's the only use for Locations that I can think of.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by mdovell

here's something kinda related...what do the dots mean in collections that are under the titles? I'm under the assumption that longer means a longer book but I'm not totally sure

i think the dots show how far into the book you are i.e.what % of the book you've already read. they are based on last page read

[=X=]

I'll admit it took me a while to understand locations and how they work. I guess it would he more accurate to say learn how to use them. But know I really like locations and think that locations is a better system for ebooks than page numbers.

So my advice is don't try to learn how they work just use them as if they where page numbers.


First of to find determine how far into a book you are just use the percentage indicator.


To give somebody a page number then use this method.
A page number list something like 504-592 just use the first number '504'.


The reason I like locations is because they are dead on accurate regardless of what setting or device you are using.
For instance I read a lot of personal material on my kindle and BlackBerry so wispresync does not work on my ebooks. (since wispresync only works on amazon purchased ebooks). With locations I can easily keep the books I'm reading synced by just jumping to the correct location.

=X=

[foghat]

Originally Posted by jangell2

It seems to me that the most frequently valuable "location" information is the percentage. Since the Kindle will return to the place where I was last reading automatically, I haven't even bothered with bookmarks yet.

However, if I wanted to direct a fellow Kindle user to a particular place in a book, then I would need Locations. That's the only use for Locations that I can think of.

Percent is okay, but in and of itself is not enough, imo.

I use locations to get a feel for how 'big' one book is vs. others I've read. I like to have an idea as to what I am getting myself into (time wise) when starting a book. I just drop the last digit from the location number to give me a quasi page number. Works for what I need.