Kindle Paperwhite 2-Voyage Software Update 5.6.5

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

the text on a tablet vs an ereader is pretty much incomporable - reading books on a tablet is about a thousand times better than reading anything on an ereader. As such, I'm pretty much dropping out of the ereading game permanently.
[...]
Thanks Amazon for making my final foray with e-reading a disappointing and dishonest experience and waking me up to the magical world of reading on a tablet.

What exactly do you think the E stands for in Ereading? If you seriously thought it stands for eink-reading, then you are badly mistaken. Unless you are going back to stone tablets, you are very much still ereading.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

Update: I just saw this image on Google (attached) so using that image as an example I will try the comparison again but I'm fairly confident Amazon have failed to utilize this feature. Will update soon

How will you try the comparison if you've sold your Voyage?

It would have been a good idea to have contacted Kindle Customer Service if you thought that the upgrade was not performing as specified. One thing that Amazon are unsurpassed at is their customer service.

I too have a tablet (an iPad Mini) that I use for reading PDFs, but for fiction I find the eInk reader to be much better. Lighter weight, long battery life, and readable in any lighting conditions. The iPad is fine indoors, but frustrating to try to read in direct sunlight.

[spfenwick]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

To find out that one of they key features of this new engine, the "kerning" and/or character spacing is actually NON-EXISTENT, is pretty disappointing. And also, it makes me kind of mad. I'm pretty surprised that nobody in the community has noticed this! For me, Amazon has just lost my loyalty!

The new features are working as advertised on my Kindle, including kerning. Amazon seems to have a bug where some books I've purchased in the past don't get updated with the new formatting - possibly that's the problem you've encountered. I contacted Amazon support and they updated a couple of books for me. Oddly, other books updated without any trouble.

Kerning and ligatures are subtle but they're definitely there.

[cerem0ny]

Okay my apologies for that lengthy post, was a tad overexcited but ill elaborate.

Harry, i will again compare using my iPad with updated software.

And the thing is, kerning is just NOT there - subtle or otherwise. At least, not on any of the books ive sampled... I guess ill just have to keep my eyes open, again, before making a decision and also, if a feature is advertised that developers have opted to forego then of course disappointment is the probably the most appropriate reaction...

Spfenwick - if you can supply me with a single example of a 'successful kern' then id be really grateful... but i wont get my hopes up... the Android app has no enhancements but the apple app does, if that helps...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

And the thing is, kerning is just NOT there - subtle or otherwise. At least, not on any of the books ive sampled... I guess ill just have to keep my eyes open, again, before making a decision and also, if a feature is advertised that developers have opted to forego then of course disappointment is the probably the most appropriate reaction...

I agree with you, which is why I suggest you ask Kindle CS about it. If it's not there and it should be, they ought to fix it.

[cerem0ny]

Its okay: apparently nobody cares about missing features and Amazon can do no wrong. So I will sit alone and mourn the loss of the Kern by myself - reckon ive had enough people rolling their eyes at my oversensitivities than getting the holy Amazon Customer Service involved...

Here, have some photographic proof! Each taken from an enhanced and unenhanced copy of the same ebook. It almost looks as if weve been kerning this whole time! Shame on you Amazon!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

Its okay: apparently nobody cares about missing features and Amazon can do no wrong. So I will sit alone and mourn the loss of the Kern by myself - reckon ive had enough people rolling their eyes at my oversensitivities than getting the holy Amazon Customer Service involved...

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks; what you think about it is what's important to you. It seems rather drastic, though, to sell your Voyage rather than talk to Kindle CS about it. They really are pretty good about fixing issues.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

Here, have some photographic proof! Each taken from an enhanced and unenhanced copy of the same ebook. It almost looks as if weve been kerning this whole time! Shame on you Amazon!

Pictures are on same device with the same software update? That doesn't mean there actually was already kerning before the update. It may simply mean that kerning now works whether the book is the new kfx version or the old.

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Pictures are on same device with the same software update? That doesn't mean there actually was already kerning before the update. It may simply mean that kerning now works whether the book is the new kfx version or the old.

...what? Picture 1 is from an iPad with new typography enhancements, and picture 2 is taken from a Samsung kindle app WITHOUT any updates. So even if you downgraded firmwares etc. Amazon would still have you kerned.

Either way, using the image as reference, it appears that we've all been kerning the whole time: any closer to the Y and that L is gonna have to apply a prophylactic LoLz.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by cerem0ny

...what? Picture 1 is from an iPad with new typography enhancements, and picture 2 is taken from a Samsung kindle app WITHOUT any updates. So even if you downgraded firmwares etc. Amazon would still have you kerned.

Either way, using the image as reference, it appears that we've all been kerning the whole time: any closer to the Y and that L is gonna have to apply a prophylactic LoLz.

The Android Kindle app did get an update last week. Version 4.15.0.48 (from august 13th) when I just looked appears to have kerning. Not sure how long the Kindle for Samsung had kerning - it is a modified version which I don't have installed any more.

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

The Android Kindle app did get an update last week. Version 4.15.0.48 (from august 13th) when I just looked appears to have kerning. Not sure how long the Kindle for Samsung had kerning - it is a modified version which I don't have installed any more.

Yes, my voyage got an update last week and included was the enhanced typography. The update for the Android Kindle app doesn't appear to have the enhanced typography enabled - hyphenation, ligatures etc. Are still not available (hurry up Amazon!) On the android app so i thought it would be a good device to compare.

[Atunah]

Odd. I have the new type setting on my Voyage. I had to look up what kerning and such means when the update was first mentioned when the PW3 came out so I know what to look for now. Enhanced editions that I re-download to my Voyage have that kerning thingy and whatever else the other stuff is.

Now not all books have that enhanced font thingy and I have one book that says it does, but won't come through with it on my kindle. I'll delete it again and download again to try again. But even without the enhanced stuff it looks really good.

I don't have any i thingies and I haven't checked on my Fire or Nexus about that since reading on a tablet is just not comfortable for me. I just have e-ink or my eyes hurt. So I can't speak on how it looks on a tablet. But on my Voyage, the new typesetting is there.

Sounds more though that someone just likes to rant at Amazon rather than ask them.

I have screenshots I took of a book with bookerly as it was on the device and then I deleted it, downloaded again and took another screenshot. I can clearly see how the Yo in the word YOU is different. The o is closer to the Y. I'll see if I can figure out how to get those images on here.


eta: Sorry, it doesn't seem to work to get the images up

[cerem0ny]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Odd. I have the new type setting on my Voyage. I had to look up what kerning and such means when the update was first mentioned when the PW3 came out so I know what to look for now. Enhanced editions that I re-download to my Voyage have that kerning thingy and whatever else the other stuff is.

Now not all books have that enhanced font thingy and I have one book that says it does, but won't come through with it on my kindle. I'll delete it again and download again to try again. But even without the enhanced stuff it looks really good.

I don't have any i thingies and I haven't checked on my Fire or Nexus about that since reading on a tablet is just not comfortable for me. I just have e-ink or my eyes hurt. So I can't speak on how it looks on a tablet. But on my Voyage, the new typesetting is there.

Sounds more though that someone just likes to rant at Amazon rather than ask them.

I have screenshots I took of a book with bookerly as it was on the device and then I deleted it, downloaded again and took another screenshot. I can clearly see how the Yo in the word YOU is different. The o is closer to the Y. I'll see if I can figure out how to get those images on here.


eta: Sorry, it doesn't seem to work to get the images up

I honestly don't believe you. Sorry!!

Please post the images!!!

[eschwartz]

Use the Go Advanced reply mode, and below the editing box you will see an option to manage attachments.

Attach the images there.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Use the Go Advanced reply mode, and below the editing box you will see an option to manage attachments.

Attach the images there.

Tried that, couldn't get it to work. Probably would't matter anyway to the person insisting on ranting on Amazon.
I posted the pics on a thread on another forum. I assume I can put that link here, if not sorry, I'll take it out. Until I can figure out how to get them here

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,219613.0.html

I posted 2 different examples towards the bottom. One can clearly see how the YOU is different looking with the o being tucked onto the Y in one of the examples.

Not that it is going to be enough for the one calling me a liar though....