Kindle firmware update 5.14.2

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Gripweed

It has changed with the update, I assure you of that. I have been using my 10% method of reading for years. This goes back over at least 3 physical Kindle devices and an unknown total of firmware versions. If usage is measured in two different ways on the same device then that is a bug.

You have convinced me.

[hleo12]

Originally Posted by Gripweed

I really don't want to get into semantics but there are no 3 horizontal lines in the upper left corner. The only thing in the upper left corner is the clock. Do you mean the symbol with three horizontal lines that has a circle on each of the lines that appears on the left side just below the Search Kindle rounded box? Normally I would associate that symbol with a sound equalizer (although more often you see it vertically) but Amazon has chosen to use it as a filter symbol. The symbol that I have seen more often for a filter is a depiction of a funnel.

Yes that symbol. You don't have to get into semantics to figure out it's in that area.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Gripweed

I really don't want to get into semantics but there are no 3 horizontal lines in the upper left corner. The only thing in the upper left corner is the clock. Do you mean the symbol with three horizontal lines that has a circle on each of the lines that appears on the left side just below the Search Kindle rounded box? Normally I would associate that symbol with a sound equalizer (although more often you see it vertically) but Amazon has chosen to use it as a filter symbol. The symbol that I have seen more often for a filter is a depiction of a funnel.

That is what is meant. It’s the same icon/symbol used across Kindle platform (iOS and Fire/Android). Well: on Fire/Android it’s rotated to ‘vertical’.

If you do web image search for ‘filter icons’ you get funnels, horizontal and vertical sliders and more complicated ones that resemble air filters. I don’t really like any of them, but it seems it is the best the most talented graphic designers in the world have come up with (what, no coffee filter icons? No colanders or sieves or fish nets?). I like funnel icon less than slider, but Kindle design team (assuming there is one) should make up their mind whether it should be vertical or horizontal.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Locations refer to an approximate place within the e-book content, independent of the actual Kindle format in which the book was delivered. Each location occupies 150 bytes of the raw html of the book in MOBI format. So each location occupies 150 positions in MOBI. That was the original simple implementation of locations.

The newer Kindle formats use mapping tables that translate between location and position numbers so that each location points to the same place within the book as it does in MOBI format. The position number corresponding to each location will be different for each Kindle format.

150?! OK clearly my memory is malfunctioning severely because I could have sworn it was 128. The existence of the mapping tables is interesting: this suggests that implementing locations is another example of a quick kludge that became more expensive and difficult because of backward compatibility.

[rashkae]

Is it still possible to fun commands from the search box, like ~ds or ;st ? I can't get any of them to work.

;dm and ;411 work... but the list of valid commands has been severely reduced (or changed.)

[Critteranne]

Anybody else have an issue with some books not opening since the update? I’ve heard of that happening, so I tried to open random older books to see if I had that issue.

Today, I found one that doesn’t open. (The word “Opening” displays, but it doesn’t open, and I have to restart the device to make it stop,)

I contacted Amazon Tech Support via chat, and they told me to do a factory reset. Ugh! I’d rather avoid that if possible. Someone on Reddit suggested deleting the book from the Kindle and then resending it via Content and Devices, so I’ll try that later and see if that works…

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Critteranne

Anybody else have an issue with some books not opening since the update? I’ve heard of that happening, so I tried to open random older books to see if I had that issue.

Today, I found one that doesn’t open. (The word “Opening” displays, but it doesn’t open, and I have to restart the device to make it stop,)

I contacted Amazon Tech Support via chat, and they told me to do a factory reset. Ugh! I’d rather avoid that if possible. Someone on Reddit suggested deleting the book from the Kindle and then resending it via Content and Devices, so I’ll try that later and see if that works…

Why not just delete and download again? Should be same as delete and send from C&D.

If it persists, I’d try connecting to a computer, looking for the associated book folder in /documents and deleting it. Then re-download.

It just seems like there is a corrupted file associated with the book.

[Critteranne]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Why not just delete and download again? Should be same as delete and send from C&D.

If it persists, I’d try connecting to a computer, looking for the associated book folder in /documents and deleting it. Then re-download.

It just seems like there is a corrupted file associated with the book.

I might try deleting it and resending it. However, I don't know how many other ebooks might be affected. Other people are having this issue since the update. It's possible that books formatted with an older format (such as Mobi?) or created with older software don't play well with the update.

I was able to open it on the Paperwhite before (it's at 2%), so it seems strange that it would give me problems now.

[Critteranne]

Originally Posted by Critteranne

I might try deleting it and resending it. ..

And... There is no "Remove download" option for this book. In both List mode and Grid mode, if I tap the little dots, the only options that pop up for this book are Mark as Read and Permanently Delete. It's not a doc, and it wasn't sideloaded, so there should be more options. (Other books have the usual options: See in Store, Mark as Read, Remove download, etc.)

What in tarnation?


Maybe this weekend, while I watch true crime shows and Svengoolie, I'll be doing a factory reset and downloading the equivalent of Mount Tsundoku to my Paperwhite.

[j.p.s]

Have you tried "removing" it from your kindle on your "My Content and devices" page?
(Not deleting the purchase, only the device it is on.)

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Have you tried "removing" it from your kindle on your "My Content and devices" page?
(Not deleting the purchase, only the device it is on.)

Yes, that is worth a try, it works pretty well, I was playing with it a few days ago.

[altered.ego]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

So amazon is pulling an apple, forcing an "update" onto older hardware that is not suitable for that hardware, as an "incentive" to buy newer hardware.

Quite the opposite; if anything, my PW4 became much more responsive after the latest update. Oh, and I love the new UI.

[Critteranne]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Have you tried "removing" it from your kindle on your "My Content and devices" page?
(Not deleting the purchase, only the device it is on.)

I did that. But now, it won't download onto the Kindle. It starts to download and stops.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Critteranne

I did that. But now, it won't download onto the Kindle. It starts to download and stops.

PS If you try the factory reset, there’s a post somewhere about how many books to download at a time. Anybody remember that thread, to point to it?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Critteranne

I did that. But now, it won't download onto the Kindle. It starts to download and stops.

Back to "Content and Devices", download for transfer over USB, then copy over USB.