Interesting Kindle Upgrade

[Waylander]

Saw this in my daily The Passive Voice email:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3046678/...at-doesnt-suck

Apparently, the update is being rolled out to the actual ereaders later in the summer, so no specific date, but it is coming soon.

What does anyone else think?

[tovare]

I got Bookerly today on my iPhone. I was prompted to switch, looks nice.

[Turtle91]

I hate to be a fuddy-duddy.... .... but, Amazon could have done sooo much better than just releasing a new font that will take forever before people can USE it.

A new font, Bookerly, and a totally new layout engine have made reading a Kindle e-book more like print than ever.

They just don't get it... I don't want an ebook to look like a print book... make them look like GOOD ebooks!

According to Amazon's internal tests, that means it's about 2% easier on the eye. That may seem like a small improvement, but spread that 2% across millions of Kindle users and billions of pages of e-reading, and it all starts to add up.

Ummm...noooo.... A 2% increase in the "easier on the eye" quotient over 50 pages does NOT make it 100% easier...nor do billions of pages read make it so we don't have to read at all and absorb the book through osmosis... It's just 2%.

Even if you max out the font size on the new Kindle app, it will keep the spacing between words even, intelligently hyphenating words and spreading them between lines as need may be.

I'll give this one a "meh". I know many people like to have a good hyphenation algorithm and are happy to get this, but there is no need for hyphenation in an ebook - except for those who are stuck in the "ebooks must look like old pbooks" mentality. There is no need for full justification to make a "professional" look. Especially when this creates rivers of whitespace on smaller screens. Yes, good hyphenation will break words at the end of the line, but I don't need to conserve paper in an ebook! When I get to the end of a full word and there aren't any more words, my eye goes to the next line where there are more full words!! Yes, I know people may actually like hyphens, that's why I gave it a "meh". edit: And according to the picture in the article, there is no way to turn OFF that feature??

Amazon needs to reprocess each book in their Kindle catalog to support the feature. They're currently working through an extensive backlog, so if you don't see any improvement, re-download your book, or try again later.

Really....exactly how many books do they have to "reprocess" before I get to use it?? Then I have to download ALL my books again??? ...nope.



So, over all thought about this.... No biggie.

Cheers,

[disconnected]

I'd be happier if they just gave us more font sizes.

[GERGE]

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3046678/...at-doesnt-suck

For now it is iOS only, but they say that it is going to be released for the ereaders in the summer.

Finally. Kerning and hyphenation.

Kindle had better build materials, more importantly Amazon usually had better formatted and cheaper books. I already buy almost all my books from Amazon and DeDRM them for epubs.

I am buying my first Kindle this summer.

Interestingly, Bookerly they have in the new iOS app is named BookerlyLCD right now, I can't wait to see what differences we will see in the eink version. This is the first new professional typeface to arrive with different eink and lcd versions.

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by Turtle91

Yes, I know people may actually like hyphens, that's why I gave it a "meh". edit: And according to the picture in the article, there is no way to turn OFF that feature??

If it cannot be turned off, hyphen haters like me should be reminded not to upgrade. Oh, maybe the new features won't be available on Paperwhite 1 anyway. Paperwhite 1 doesn't have any updates for a long time.

Yes, I always hate hyphens that divide a word and force it to be on two lines (not normal hyphen such as 'self-esteem'). I am slower when reading these hyphenated words that divide a word. I didn't buy some printed books because there are too many hyphenated words that divide a word. I remember reading a book in a bookshop and found the first page contains 10 lines and 8 of them are ended with a hyphenated word. I put it down immediately.

[GERGE]

Everyone has their own taste but I still have trouble understanding how hyphenation could be a matter of taste. It is one of the core parts of typesetting, there isn't any printed books without them.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by GERGE

Everyone has their own taste but I still have trouble understanding how hyphenation could be a matter of taste. It is one of the core parts of typesetting, there isn't any printed books without them.

But that's the entire point of those that dislike hyphenation: that an ebook isn't a printed book and need not follow the same typesetting rules. I dislike ragged right intensely myself, so I do the opposite and force hyphenation where possible, but to each his own.

[booklover6]

I'm interested in trying it on the Voyage.

[JSWolf]

Do these changes mean there might be smaller margins?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

But that's the entire point of those that dislike hyphenation: that an ebook isn't a printed book and need not follow the same typesetting rules. I dislike ragged right intensely myself, so I do the opposite and force hyphenation where possible, but to each his own.

Proper hyphenation is a good thing. I like not having wide gaps between words when possible. If the hyphenation does not go overboard like with the nook, then I see no reason to turn it off.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

But that's the entire point of those that dislike hyphenation: that an ebook isn't a printed book and need not follow the same typesetting rules. I dislike ragged right intensely myself, so I do the opposite and force hyphenation where possible, but to each his own.

Exactly.
I read at smallish font sizes so ragged right isn't particularly noticeable whereas hyphenation is noticeable. For me, at least, it breaks immersion.

It is all about what you are used to and what you are comfortable with.

Adding hyphenation as an option is good--forcing hyphenation isn't.

[DiapDealer]

I can eat peas (feel free to insert a food you love here) with a spoon or a knife or a fork. I prefer a spoon. But if all my spoons were stolen, I bet I would adjust quite well to eating them with a fork or knife--in short order. It's the peas I love, after all, not the utensil.

I'm all for choice when it comes to e-typography (more would be best, although that's not always feasible). But when it boils right down to it, I suspect it doesn't matter as much as people (including myself sometimes) want to believe it does. Shut up and eat your peas.

[DrNefario]

There was some really excessive and intrusive hyphenation on the Kobo Touch for a while. You only notice it when it goes wrong.

Oddly, my old Kindle keyboard is the only reader I haven't had to constantly mess with to get settings I like. It wasn't broken, as far as I'm concerned. (But then I might not be getting this update anyway, with such an old device.)

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I can eat peas (feel free to insert a food you love here) with a spoon or a knife or a fork. I prefer a spoon. But if all my spoons were stolen, I bet I would adjust quite well to eating them with a fork or knife--in short order. It's the peas I love, after all, not the utensil.

Is your brand-loyalty such that you'd keep eating Green Giant peas with a knife even if Freshlike peas gave your spoons back?