Paperwhite 2 - Major Problem with Vocabulary Builder

floriano · 10-11-2013, 02:34 AM

Hello community,

coming from a Kindle keyboard I have just bought the new paperwhite due to the integrated vocabulary builder.

Unfortunately I have noticed that the vocabulary builder seems not to work for books that are not bought directly from amazon. I have tried with a bunch of .mobi files and also with a .txt file that I have just created for this purpose.

Just to clarify, I can look up everything in the dictionary while reading (even for .mobi or .txt files). However, the words that I have looked up are only added to my Vocabulary Builder library if I look them up within a book that is bought from amazon. As I read a lot of stuff that is not available from amazon this is a real issue for me.

Do you similar problems or does this work for you? It would be great if you could just try out by creating a test file test.txt with some content, such as "Hello, this is my test file", copy this file to the "documents" folder on your kindle root, then look up a word within this file and answer if the word you just looked up is available in your Vocabulary Builder list. Please make sure that Vocabulary Builder is enabled in Settings->Reading Options->Vocabulary Builder.

Thank you so much!

OddCosine · 10-11-2013, 04:01 AM

It works for me in epubs I've bought elsewhere and converted for the Kindle. I use Calibre to convert to dual-format mobi and email them to my Kindle. Words I look up are added to Vocabulary Builder.

floriano · 10-11-2013, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OddCosine

It works for me in epubs I've bought elsewhere and converted for the Kindle. I use Calibre to convert to dual-format mobi and email them to my Kindle. Words I look up are added to Vocabulary Builder.

Have you tried if this still works when you don't email them but place them directly on the device?

floriano · 10-11-2013, 09:27 AM

Okay I have just tried. When I send my document via amazon per email to my kindle indeed the words appear in my Vocabulary Builder.

I guess amazon has included a system that they need to acknowledge the documents first? Imagining that some people want to read private documents on their kindle that shall remain private, rather than being saved on amazon servers, I don't like this concept...

HarryT · 10-11-2013, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floriano

Okay I have just tried. When I send my document via amazon per email to my kindle indeed the words appear in my Vocabulary Builder.

I guess amazon has included a system that they need to acknowledge the documents first? Imagining that some people want to read private documents on their kindle that shall remain private, rather than being saved on amazon servers, I don't like this concept...

I would guess that all you actually need is to have an ASIN (an Amazon "identifier") in the book. Calibre will add one for you.

Yolina · 10-11-2013, 09:36 AM

I've jut tried with some Gutenberg .mobi books side-loaded with Calibre via USB cable and the words I've randomly looked up do appear in the vocabulary builder.

floriano · 10-11-2013, 10:20 AM

I have just tried using Calibre but it still does not work. Weird behaviour...at least it works for you, so there is a chance that it will eventually work for me, too.

floriano · 10-11-2013, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I would guess that all you actually need is to have an ASIN (an Amazon "identifier") in the book. Calibre will add one for you.

How do I tell Calbire to do so?

Barty · 10-12-2013, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floriano

How do I tell Calbire to do so?

There may be better ways but converting I think to azw3 will do it.

Gilmartin · 10-12-2013, 02:52 AM

My PW2 arrived yesterday, so haven't had much time to devote to it yet. I have tho converted two epubs to mobi and sideloaded via Calibre.
First thing I tried was an in-book search and was told I couldn't as said books had not been indexed. Put device into sleep mode, tried again and search worked fine. I then tried dictionary and vocabulary builder and they were fine.
I've not tried emailing anything to the Kindle as yet.

jswinden · 10-12-2013, 10:54 AM

I have modified two books I bought on Amazon to make the text bold and easier to read. Then I rebuilt the books with Kindle Previewer and used Send To Kindle to place them in my cloud. They both work well with the Vocabulary Builder feature.

floriano · 10-13-2013, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilmartin

My PW2 arrived yesterday, so haven't had much time to devote to it yet. I have tho converted two epubs to mobi and sideloaded via Calibre.
First thing I tried was an in-book search and was told I couldn't as said books had not been indexed. Put device into sleep mode, tried again and search worked fine. I then tried dictionary and vocabulary builder and they were fine.
I've not tried emailing anything to the Kindle as yet.

Is there any chance that you could send me one of these books so that I can try if they work for me as well. I'm unsure whether my device is broken or I am using the wrong books...
An alternative would be if you could check with a self-made text file as I asked for in my first post, and then let me know if the words are added to the dictionary when looked up from within this text file...

floriano · 10-14-2013, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

There may be better ways but converting I think to azw3 will do it.

I have just updated my calibre and now it works after I convert my books to azw3. Not ideal as I usually use mobi or txt as file format but an acceptable solution. Thanks for the input!

Yolina · 10-14-2013, 03:37 AM

Try converting mobi to mobi, if you want to keep the format rather than azw3, it should work too

HarryT · 10-14-2013, 04:13 AM

Yes, Calibre will insert an ASIN on any conversion to Mobi/AZW3 format.

10-11-2013, 02:34 AM	#1
floriano Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Paperwhite 2 - Major Problem with Vocabulary Builder Hello community, coming from a Kindle keyboard I have just bought the new paperwhite due to the integrated vocabulary builder. Unfortunately I have noticed that the vocabulary builder seems not to work for books that are not bought directly from amazon. I have tried with a bunch of .mobi files and also with a .txt file that I have just created for this purpose. Just to clarify, I can look up everything in the dictionary while reading (even for .mobi or .txt files). However, the words that I have looked up are only added to my Vocabulary Builder library if I look them up within a book that is bought from amazon. As I read a lot of stuff that is not available from amazon this is a real issue for me. Do you similar problems or does this work for you? It would be great if you could just try out by creating a test file test.txt with some content, such as "Hello, this is my test file", copy this file to the "documents" folder on your kindle root, then look up a word within this file and answer if the word you just looked up is available in your Vocabulary Builder list. Please make sure that Vocabulary Builder is enabled in Settings->Reading Options->Vocabulary Builder. Thank you so much!

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10-11-2013, 04:01 AM	#2
OddCosine Connoisseur Posts: 91 Karma: 1186533 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle	It works for me in epubs I've bought elsewhere and converted for the Kindle. I use Calibre to convert to dual-format mobi and email them to my Kindle. Words I look up are added to Vocabulary Builder.

10-11-2013, 09:27 AM	#4
floriano Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Okay I have just tried. When I send my document via amazon per email to my kindle indeed the words appear in my Vocabulary Builder. I guess amazon has included a system that they need to acknowledge the documents first? Imagining that some people want to read private documents on their kindle that shall remain private, rather than being saved on amazon servers, I don't like this concept...

10-11-2013, 09:36 AM	#6
Yolina Wizard Posts: 1,179 Karma: 11573197 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: London, UK Device: Voyage	I've jut tried with some Gutenberg .mobi books side-loaded with Calibre via USB cable and the words I've randomly looked up do appear in the vocabulary builder.

10-11-2013, 10:20 AM	#7
floriano Enthusiast Posts: 26 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	I have just tried using Calibre but it still does not work. Weird behaviour...at least it works for you, so there is a chance that it will eventually work for me, too.

10-12-2013, 02:52 AM	#10
Gilmartin Zealot Posts: 134 Karma: 1244690 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: UK Device: PRS-T1, PW2	My PW2 arrived yesterday, so haven't had much time to devote to it yet. I have tho converted two epubs to mobi and sideloaded via Calibre. First thing I tried was an in-book search and was told I couldn't as said books had not been indexed. Put device into sleep mode, tried again and search worked fine. I then tried dictionary and vocabulary builder and they were fine. I've not tried emailing anything to the Kindle as yet.

10-12-2013, 10:54 AM	#11
jswinden Nameless Being	I have modified two books I bought on Amazon to make the text bold and easier to read. Then I rebuilt the books with Kindle Previewer and used Send To Kindle to place them in my cloud. They both work well with the Vocabulary Builder feature.

10-14-2013, 03:37 AM	#14
Yolina Wizard Posts: 1,179 Karma: 11573197 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: London, UK Device: Voyage	Try converting mobi to mobi, if you want to keep the format rather than azw3, it should work too

10-14-2013, 04:13 AM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, Calibre will insert an ASIN on any conversion to Mobi/AZW3 format.