[notimp]

I am sorry - but there is something deeply wrong with this view. This is mobileread, first and foremost - a community of people invested in the development of digital reading. Also some of the current developments in this field are introduced by a (distribution and online infrastructure) company named Amazon.

Of course I am addressing this in an Amazon centric forum, where else would I talk about stuff like this?

Im addressing Amazon customers, because I am one myself - and am deeply concerned with the direction this company has chosen to take - in the last few months.

- Amazon has established a new fileformat conceptualized so that they would be the only entity able to create it, then started to distribute it en mass.

Eight months in - this community was partly able to reverse a mechanism so we can create somewhat functional files within this format - but we still have no understanding how it works, we still cant create our own tools to work with it, we still cant convert it, Amazon still will not accept those files, the format cant be distributed legally.. And Amazon has switched its automated distribution to this very format (.kfx) exclusively.

- To sweeten the deal, Blogs and customers were sold on new "features" only Amazon could provide - like hyphenation and ligatures - this was done to create the notion of a "premium" format - the public won't be able to create or modify - but it would be able to purchase.

The problem? Hyphenation is not a premium feature - it is a necessity. Especially in languages other than english.

- Amazon has repeatedly moved against this very community and has stifled multiple attempts to modify the Kindles UI and renderer engines - and has decreased prosumer options along the way. Even options they themselves made available in the past - they have now taken out.

We still can sideload different eBook viewers or change the screensaver files (*hurray*) - but apart from that, try to modify anything from line size size to text rendering and Amazon will stifle your attempts with the very next firmware update.

Using custom fonts has become increasingly less viable over the last firmware updates, so just learn how to embed them in books, right?

- Over the last years, the only ongoing development in the eReader sector was cost driven. We got design rehashes, we now have a capacitive touch layer over the eInk screen because its cheaper to build, we've introduced LED lighting - to combat the reduced contrast and called the result "Paperwhite" and then told customers they can now read in the dark. (Just dont mind the blue light... Or do if you bought a Kindle Fire, where Amazoll will provide you with a LCD filter app to turn your screen orange, so you dont have to "suffer from it".)

eInk hasnt increased its reflective properties in the last generational bump - but to present us with higher contrast figures they made black darker (just read the data sheets on eink.com). And now all of a sudden water- and dust proof are what we should look out for - and dpi, well already is at a stage where increasing it doesnt lead to any further substantial benefits.
--

The additional examples I brought of Amazon introducing "blocked app" routines into their Android build - just to have customers look at their video adds more often, complete this whole look at - "how the heck are they still able to claim to act in the interest of their customers?"

They are on the verge of dealing a heavy blow to the ebook ecosystem as a whole by converting half of the market to a closed (as in even we wont understand the digital items they will sell as "books") ecosystem - and you wan't more proof, to even consider thinking about it? About what exactly? Those were all past developments - just look up news articles, postings, or ask folks in here.

How am I in a minority - thinking, that if you buy a brands devices (and I own several Kindles myself) the brand doesnt buy your loyalty alongside with that? How is it even "controversial" that I might talk to technically educated Amazon customers - being critical about the policies they (the company) have put into action?

I'd see that as normal behavior. As a social responsibility (or however you would like to call it) on my part. Look at the recent developments and then tell me if you would act differently.

Since when has the internet become a companies brand driven evangelizing platform first, and a platform to exchange thoughts and talk about important developments second?