Thread in Kindle subreddit says kindle now has cover as screensaver option

[alex1798]

I was using the jailbreak (I had to downgrade the firmware) but was only using it for the covers function. So I decided to remove the jailbreak and upgrade the firmware, and this cover thing works very nice, and the setting appeared as soon as I upgraded to the latest firmware.

Location: México (no "ads" option to buyers here)
device: kindle paperwhite 10th
works fine with sideloaded books. I only use sideloaded books on my kindle (calibre, through usb cable, converted epub to azw3, I always use the function "polish book, update cover option" before converting).
kindle automatically adds black bars at the sides of the cover, since the size of the picture does not matches the kindles' screen size.

thats my report. No need for a jailbreak for me anymore.

[rem736]

Originally Posted by jhowell

A/B testing and gradual rollout of features are a part of the Amazon software development culture. They use a system called Web Lab to run "experiments" and many new Kindle features are enabled through this process.

Each device checks Amazon's servers periodically to determine which group it is in with respect to experimental features. A device has to be in the correct group in order for a feature to appear.

Amazon seems to be slowly adding devices to the group that enables the lock screen cover feature. I suspect that restarting the device triggers it to check its Web Lab status sooner than it would normally do so, leading to a greater chance of seeing this feature enabled following a restart.

so updating to the current firmware does not automatically enable the advertised feature set of that update? updating just provides for the possibility to have that feature set and amazon can decide to push the feature to a device or not?

i guess i'll wait.

by the way, i have always updated by using a computer to download the update, then transferring the package to my kindle via connecting the kindle to the computer. i've never waited for it to auto-update over the air. most of the time, my kindle is in airplane mode. the few times i've checked for an update (after reconnecting to wifi), i've never had success in finding an update (or i was not patient after two or three checks in a row).

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by rem736

so updating to the current firmware does not automatically enable the advertised feature set of that update? updating just provides for the possibility to have that feature set and amazon can decide to push the feature to a device or not?

Features that are listed in the What’s New release notes are almost always functional without any remote enabling by Amazon. It is mostly unannounced features like cover lock screen and series grouping that are handled as experiments.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I agree. It's a fun new feature many have wanted for awhile, but I have ad-supported and don't feel like paying 20 to unlock just this, or go to customer service and awkwardly ask if they'll turn it off for me for free. I may try that sometime but it's...awkward. It's not worth the 20.00 unlock for me though after I've thought about it.

My thoughts exactly. It's a nice feature I suppose, but my Kindles live in covers, so I only see the sleep screen for a split second as I swipe to wake them up. With 3 Kindles in the house, $20 a pop to be able to have this feature is a non-starter for us.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

My thoughts exactly. It's a nice feature I suppose, but my Kindles live in covers, so I only see the sleep screen for a split second as I swipe to wake them up. With 3 Kindles in the house, $20 a pop to be able to have this feature is a non-starter for us.

One reason to spend the $20 is to obviate the need to swipe up after opening the cover. But at most it is only something you’d see for a few seconds as the Kindle wakes up (much less if it had been recently awake).

I’ve stopped getting covers for Kindles, so it’s a little bit nice.

Imagine my horror when I side-loaded a book from Gutenberg.org, opened it, turned off my Kindle, and (gasp!) am shown the regular screen saver images instead of a cover image (which it does not have)! This feature is useless!

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Not so with Kobo. I can side load new firmware and get any new features that do not require WiFi right away.

I would wager the number of people that know that there's a new firmware (or feature), but do not know to turn on the WiFi to get it is vanishingly small.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Each device checks Amazon's servers periodically to determine which group it is in with respect to experimental features. A device has to be in the correct group in order for a feature to appear.

Amazon seems to be slowly adding devices to the group that enables the lock screen cover feature. I suspect that restarting the device triggers it to check its Web Lab status sooner than it would normally do so, leading to a greater chance of seeing this feature enabled following a restart.

That's what I thought, too -- but the series feature is almost a year old now and I *still* don't have it, despite having my kindle on wifi for almost a month waiting for it (what a waste of battery power). I suspect what they actually do is, rather than having a static partition and changing what features are enabled for accounts in that partition, that they incrementally move devices/accounts into an enabled group, and then the bug-filled sticking-plaster nature of Amazon software development can get a chance to "shine" by forgetting some of them exist and leaving them in the "features off" group forever.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

On almost every new firmware release, Kobo gives it to some affiliates before others. It is not usually rolled out to everybody at the same time.

The issue (with some) is not firmware rollout. It's the selective activation of a particular feature.

[binaryhermit]

And I'd argue there's a potentially valid reason for the selective activation.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

And I'd argue there's a potentially valid reason for the selective activation.

For something as trivial as displaying a book cover? SOP with Amazon, thankfully not with Kobo.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

And I'd argue there's a potentially valid reason for the selective activation.

So what's the reason for the selective activation of the cover as sleep screen for firmware without ads? I cannot think of any good reason to stagger this feature.

[binaryhermit]

To minimize the damage if it's horrendously broken.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

To minimize the damage if it's horrendously broken.

And can't Amazon test it's new features before rolll-out of the new firmware? And how is this that complicated a feature to have to stagger it?

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And can't Amazon test it's new features before rolll-out of the new firmware? And how is this that complicated a feature to have to stagger it?

I think they just stagger everything automatically: they have only one release process, and this is it.

[tomsem]

If they didn’t stagger deployment of new features, what would we have to discuss here?