New Kindle Fire update soon

[goggin]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I really like the Reading View for Amazon Silk. It takes an article from a website and lets you read it without all the annoying crap on either side that is in sidebars. .

I absolutely *love* this feature! On my PC I use browser addons to do the same thing and it's a enormous improvement when you're really trying to read something and not just scan it. Combine that with my aging eyes and I really, really appreciate the way this simplifies and magnifies the text I'm trying to read.

It is great!

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Yes as long as I have Kindle Fire checked. It will show up in Docs but blank on the carousel however once I remove from Carousel and reopen the book the cover will show on there too.

I don't use that feature on Calibre. However when you email or use that app it will add the pdoc tag automatically.

There are some pdocs and now Amazon books missing covers. I can't get those back no matter what I try. I have feeling they changed something in how covers are read.

OK. Just tried it using the app you linked. Just sent it to the servers, not a specific device. Covers show up. At first in the Cloud tab, it showed blank. When I tapped on it it showed a red exclamation, then it showed the cover.

Strange.

Carol

[carld]

I really like the article mode, and the update seems to have cured my Wi-Fi issues. So far I'm very happy.

[jduck]

Originally Posted by beej231

It is at xda under 6.3 stock Rom & has already been rooted. You can download the rooted version there as well. Why would u thinkk xda wouldn't know about it? It.is released to developers first.

Er, it is not released to xda-developers at all. Nobody there got a pre-release version or anything.

What happened is that some smart person divined the new download URL based on the naming scheme Amazon has been using. This was possible once one person got the update OTA automatically and reported the version number. Nothing too hard about it really.

No magic or pre-releases going on there.

Once the Amazon version could be downloaded, it was rooted quickly enough and the pre-rooted version made available.

The new root exploit is significantly more complicated than the last, so that I am afraid to try it... but if I can avoid getting the update automatically I'm considering trying the pre-rooted version (you can't install that once you have already gotten 6.3).

As for the root check... it is a little misleading to say "Amazon can tell" if a device is rooted. Yes there is a root check that runs at boot, but there's no evidence -- yet -- that it phones home to Amazon in any way. It's more accurate to say that your Fire can tell if it's rooted - this may have been put in as an additional check used with the existing streaming Prime video root check. That particular root check is really understandable to me, since Amazon doesn't want to take a chance on some hacker being able to figure out how to get free Prime streaming without Prime - that would kill their licensing agreements.

Keeping an eye on the xda-developers forums is definitely a good idea if you're interested in the whole rooting thing, though the discussion can lean a lot more towards custom roms rather than those of us who just want to add a few things to stock rather than rip & replace.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Uh-oh Sideloaded mobi + File Expert no longer adds the book to shelves. It opens the book instead but doesn't add it to any shelf!

This sucks a little. It raises the walls of the walled garden a a little bit.
They allow you to download book files to the device, it's seems pointless to hamper their use.

I wonder what the exact difference is between what happens when you add a file to the docs or books folder via usb vs adding it to the same folder via file copy operation?

Other than that, I agree one of the posters above that nothing in the description seems particularly appealing to me, except the quicker wifi reconnect. I was hoping to have better purchase and parental control features.

ApK

[calibrated]

Originally Posted by ApK

This sucks a little. It raises the walls of the walled garden a a little bit.
They allow you to download book files to the device, it's seems pointless to hamper their use.

I wonder what the exact difference is between what happens when you add a file to the docs or books folder via usb vs adding it to the same folder via file copy operation?

Other than that, I agree one of the posters above that nothing in the description seems particularly appealing to me, except the quicker wifi reconnect. I was hoping to have better purchase and parental control features.

ApK

I agree--there's nothing that particularly appeals to me in this update, although it's nice to have gift card support.

It's also ironic that support for sideloaded mobi files is now somewhat borked, but my sideloaded epubs in Aldiko (sideloaded via Dropbox) are still working beautifully...

[dieterpops]

My sideloaded mobi books (via Calibre) appear on my shelves right next to purchased Kindle books.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ApK

This sucks a little. It raises the walls of the walled garden a a little bit.
They allow you to download book files to the device, it's seems pointless to hamper their use.

I wonder what the exact difference is between what happens when you add a file to the docs or books folder via usb vs adding it to the same folder via file copy operation?

Other than that, I agree one of the posters above that nothing in the description seems particularly appealing to me, except the quicker wifi reconnect. I was hoping to have better purchase and parental control features.

ApK

You can still sideload mobi books but you need to use USB or if you use another method you have to restart the Fire to get them to show up on the shelves.

The change is now the mobi files will open in a previewer of sort when you open them with File Expert. You wont have any features but you can read the book but it wont remember anything and you can't use any Kindle features like changing font or bookmarking. It's just a window with the book open and a back button and It will not add it to books or docs till you reboot.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Blossom

You can still sideload mobi books but you need to use USB or if you use another method you have to restart the Fire to get them to show up on the shelves.

The change is now the mobi files will open in a previewer of sort when you open them with File Expert. You wont have any features but you can read the book but it wont remember anything and you can't use any Kindle features like changing font or bookmarking. It's just a window with the book open and a back button and It will not add it to books or docs till you reboot.

Yup, I understood that. I just am wondering what happens differently that makes it work when you put a book on by USB versus when you put it on by downloading and copying. I'm thinking there should be an app for that....

[ApK]

Originally Posted by dieterpops

My sideloaded mobi books (via Calibre) appear on my shelves right next to purchased Kindle books.

She's referring to sideloading by downloading the file by wifi directly to the Fire's download folder, then copying into the appropriate book or document folder.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ApK

Yup, I understood that. I just am wondering what happens differently that makes it work when you put a book on by USB versus when you put it on by downloading and copying. I'm thinking there should be an app for that....

Me too. It use to be I could open the book with the Kindle app using a File Manager like File Expert but now something is changed. I wish someone could figure out the trigger to refresh the books and make a app for it.

[Skydog]

The new reading mode within the browser is a MAJOR plus for me. Thank you Amazon!

[beej231]

Dear Lord I finally got the update installed. Gee just give 36 annoying hours and l'll figure it out. I guess I now understand what the problem was MAYBE.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by Skydog

The new reading mode within the browser is a MAJOR plus for me. Thank you Amazon!

It's really great for reading Wikipedia pages!

[tstarky]

Originally Posted by beej231

Dear Lord I finally got the update installed. Gee just give 36 annoying hours and l'll figure it out. I guess I now understand what the problem was MAYBE.

I am trying very hard not to laugh at your misadventure. This was the first update that I didn't try to beat Amazon to the punch and I woke up this morning and mine was updated. No stress, no mess.

And please don't take my amusement at your frustration the wrong way, I too have been frustrated by an update that I couldn't wait for...I just love to tinker with that stuff and get a great sense of accomplishment when what I'm tinkering with works.