Next Chapter?

[VaporPunk]

I have been using my K4 NT for about three + weeks. Loving it so far, especially battery life (amazing!). I had been using my tranny for ereading and had to charge it every other day. I've re-charged my kindle once, using it for an average of 1-2 hours per day.

The one thing I miss, and I've seen other topics talking about this so I know I'm not the only one, is the whole how long till the next chapter thing. The best way I've found to do this is:

1) Push Menu button (page number appears at the bottom of the screen)
2) Push Menu button again (close the menu)
3) Push the "right" arrow on the 4WC to jump to the next chapter.
4) Push Menu button again (page number appears at the bottom of the screen)
5) Push Menu button again (close the menu)
6) Push the Back button to return to the page you were on.

Which isn't horrible but is kind of a lot of steps. Is there a quicker way?
in advance for any responses.

[DiapDealer]

I'm still using an older model Kindle so I don't know much about the newer models, but have they done away with the progress bar entirely? I look to see how far away I am from the next chapter/section marker on the progress bar all the time. I'd hate to think that option won't be available to me should I choose to "upgrade."

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm still using an older model Kindle so I don't know much about the newer models, but have they done away with the progress bar entirely? I look to see how far away I am from the next chapter/section marker on the progress bar all the time. I'd hate to think that option won't be available to me should I choose to "upgrade."

That's the way I do it on my Kindle 3.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by alansplace

That's the way I do it on my Kindle 3.

Yup, same here.

I generally use the progress bar to estimate how much I have to go. But now I'm reading Penguin's Sherlock Holmes Anthology. It's 1000+ pages, and has so many chapters that the progress bar is riddled with dots, making it useless to estimate the number of pages in a chapter. I'm currently employing the technique mentioned in the OP.

[DiapDealer]

making it useless to estimate the number of pages in a chapter.

That's where our usage varies. I have no interest in the number of "pages left" in a chapter. Only how "long" it will take me to get to the end of the current chapter.... of which the chapter markers—combined with my experience with the progress bar so far in the book—give me a fairly decent estimate.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

That's where our usage varies. I have no interest in the number of "pages left" in a chapter. Only how "long" it will take me to get to the end of the current chapter.... which the chapter markers—combined with my experience with the progress bar so far in the book— give me a fairly decent estimate.

Chapter markings are useless as a visual gauge when there are a lot of chapters in the book. The markings are spaced so close that the progress indicator just jumps from one marking to the next when the chapter's over instead of making a gradual and visible progress from one marking to the next. I actually find the page numbers even more useful in this context.

[susan_cassidy]

I find it odd that people care about chapters at all. I just read until I have to do something else, then pick up where I left off. But, I do know people who like to read until the end of chapters. Their lives must be better organized than mine. I can't see me telling the doctor "wait until I get to the end of this chapter".

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

Chapter markings are useless as a visual gauge when there are a lot of chapters in the book. The markings are spaced so close that the progress indicator just jumps from one marking to the next when the chapter's over instead of making a gradual and visible progress from one marking to the next. I actually find the page numbers even more useful in this context.

I understand they're useless for you in that situation. But even then, they're not useless to me. The only reason I need to know how long I have until the next chapter/section is in order to decide whether to keep reading or not (looking for a good stopping point). If there's scads of chapter-markers stacked nearly on top of each other, then the chapters are relatively (relatively) short and there's little question I'll be able to finish the current one in this reading session. If they're spread out even a little bit, then I've already got a frame of reference from the chapters I've already finished (and how long it took me to do so).

The page numbers would be just as useless for me as the visual representation is to you. I don't know how long it's going to take me to read 40 more "pages" of this book. And even if I did, it's not like I'm going to start a countdown in my head after checking "how many to go." I never did that with physical books.

I'm not trying to be argumentative on purpose, I just don't think there's one system that going to work equally well for everyone. For me, the progress bar and the dots (and my previous experience with how fast that progress bar is currently moving) easily allow me to approximate how thick the "chunk of pages" is that I have left to read (and how long it's going to take me to do it).

*shrugs*

[RDaneel54]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

I have been using my K4 NT for about three + weeks. Loving it so far, especially battery life (amazing!). I had been using my tranny for ereading and had to charge it every other day. I've re-charged my kindle once, using it for an average of 1-2 hours per day.

The one thing I miss, and I've seen other topics talking about this so I know I'm not the only one, is the whole how long till the next chapter thing.

I have a K4 NT and it shows chapter dots on the progress bar, for those books which have that data loaded.

For example, I've been reading Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries and all of the first 20 have chapter markings on the progress bar. The last two, however, haven't. Very annoying.

I pretty much use the progress bar to gauge progress when I'm reading, although I do still check page numbers, if available, from time to time.

[howyoudoin]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I understand they're useless for you in that situation. But even then, they're not useless to me. The only reason I need to know how long I have until the next chapter/section is in order to decide whether to keep reading or not (looking for a good stopping point). If there's scads of chapter-markers stacked nearly on top of each other, then the chapters are relatively (relatively) short and there's little question I'll be able to finish the current one in this reading session. If they're spread out even a little bit, then I've already got a frame of reference from the chapters I've already finished (and how long it took me to do so).

The page numbers would be just as useless for me as the visual representation is to you. I don't know how long it's going to take me to read 40 more "pages" of this book. And even if I did, it's not like I'm going to start a countdown in my head after checking "how many to go." I never did that with physical books.

I'm not trying to be argumentative on purpose, I just don't think there's one system that going to work equally well for everyone. For me, the progress bar and the dots (and my previous experience with how fast that progress bar is currently moving) easily allow me to approximate how thick the "chunk of pages" is that I have left to read (and how long it's going to take me to do it).

*shrugs*

Yeah, I agree. I do use the dots on the progress bar as a gauge when possible. Just that the book I used as example made it impossible to do so.

[detayls]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

I have been using my K4 NT for about three + weeks. Loving it so far, especially battery life (amazing!). I had been using my tranny for ereading and had to charge it every other day. I've re-charged my kindle once, using it for an average of 1-2 hours per day.
.
.

What's a "tranny"?

[RainingLemur]

Originally Posted by detayls

What's a "tranny"?

I imagine it's the Asus Transformer.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

Yup, same here.

I generally use the progress bar to estimate how much I have to go. But now I'm reading Penguin's Sherlock Holmes Anthology. It's 1000+ pages, and has so many chapters that the progress bar is riddled with dots, making it useless to estimate the number of pages in a chapter. I'm currently employing the technique mentioned in the OP.

One of the reasons I detest large anthologies.

[VaporPunk]

The K4 NT does have the progress bar. Maybe I just need more experience using it as a gauge, it gives me a rough idea but I used the method mentioned above for a more exact solution. I like to try ending on a new chapter if possible. Its one of those "its midnight and I'm tired but I wanna keep reading but should I?" things.

So I take it there is no other short-cut or quicker way?

Yeah, the tranny is my Transformer. I realize now some people might find that nickname offensive or derogatory and I won't use it anymore. Apologies if I offended anyone, it was purely unintentional. In my defense, I'm just not that bright!

[RaistlinKiwi]

I don't see a progress bar in my touch. Has this been removed or am I missing something?