Firmware Update Kindle firmware update 5.13.7

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by tomsem

2) In the app, if you start in Library, and if it is in Recent order, and you open a book (no matter where in the list it is), and close the book, you go back to the top of the list, where the book you just closed will be. On Kindle if you open the book from page 37, and then close the book, you’ll still be on page 37, not page 1, where the book you just closed now resides.
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I'm confused on this being a change? My e-ink devices have always worked this way. I have opened books before to resort them and have them appear in new order in the library for certain challenges, and even if the book is read or unread, it always stays on last page I'm on when I reopen, where sometimes I've had to go back to page 1 (or the end) on purpose. It's mainly only when I had to look up something in a book already read or just grab a recipe. When they first added the "read badges", opening a read book and going to a spot would change the percent read from 100 to 36 or whatever, but now it will always say read correctly now so they must have fixed that in a previous update.

[Paperbackstash]

I don't have the update yet, but from I've read and seen on it at Reddit and here it seems more similar to a mobile screen type update, which developers keep heading toward, which bugs me half the time. I won't know what I think until I fully get the update on mine, but not excited on less books on the screen when browsing library, which I do quite a bit.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

… it seems more similar to a mobile screen type update, which developers keep heading toward, which bugs me half the time.

Android GUI is terrible as are Google's Material Design Guidelines.

Even some desktop stuff is copying it. Yuch.

[Shark69]

Originally Posted by fardeenah

i lost the book cover support for sideloaded books

I have not lost that functionality. What I have noticed is another problem related to the lockscreen cover feature.
In the previous version, if a book had a cover with a JPG image with EXIF metadata, the cover would not appear on the lock screen. The cover image must be JPEG with JFIF metadata.
With the new version, if a sideload book has a JPG cover with EXIT metadata, the Kindle reboots when you turn it on.

[mnju]

Is there absolutely no way of reverting to a previous firmware on Paperwhite?

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Android GUI is terrible as are Google's Material Design Guidelines.

Even some desktop stuff is copying it. Yuch.

I know. With computers you can have more options, creativity, flexibility, but ironically computer websites and devices want to copy the limited options of mobile phones. I always found that amusing myself.

I can get perhaps the Amazon website, Kindle App on Desktop and Phone App being similar and uniform, but I honestly didn't expect them to lean toward this design choice on an e-ink reader. Shows what I know.

I am looking forward to seeing if it's smoother and less choppy. Will apply the update manually when I get a chance this early afternoon.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Shark69

With the new version, if a sideload book has a JPG cover with EXIT metadata, the Kindle reboots when you turn it on.

Have you tried multiple EXIF images?
What size(s) have you tried?

Even with the previous firmware I noticed that a book with very large cover image (3750x5000) caused the Kindle to reboot.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by mnju

Is there absolutely no way of reverting to a previous firmware on Paperwhite?

Which Paperwhite?

If it is a PW4, there is nothing you can do.

On the previous models, it might be doable via the serial port, but that would involve opening the case and connecting wires to tiny pads.

[mnju]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

If it is a PW4, there is nothing you can do.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I'm confused on this being a change? My e-ink devices have always worked this way. I have opened books before to resort them and have them appear in new order in the library for certain challenges, and even if the book is read or unread, it always stays on last page I'm on when I reopen, where sometimes I've had to go back to page 1 (or the end) on purpose. It's mainly only when I had to look up something in a book already read or just grab a recipe. When they first added the "read badges", opening a read book and going to a spot would change the percent read from 100 to 36 or whatever, but now it will always say read correctly now so they must have fixed that in a previous update.

I wasn’t saying it was a regression or change on the Kindle. The context was comparing Kindle apps (iOS, Android, Fire) with Kindle device. IMO the app behavior is better.

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I wasn’t saying it was a regression or change on the Kindle. The context was comparing Kindle apps (iOS, Android, Fire) with Kindle device. IMO the app behavior is better.

Ah, gotcha.

And yes they do put a lot of work into the app. That may be more commonly used than e-ink devices themselves.

[Paperbackstash]

Oh, man. I don't have the right cord here with me so can't manually update until later.

The suspense - argh!

[Barty]

Originally Posted by tomsem

5 items instead of 7 (for SO kindles maybe that is 4 and 6?). More pages to turn to browse Library. I get this.

I count 8. The design trend is more white space, lots and lots of white page. Which is fine on a device that you can flick scroll very quickly. Not so sure on eink

Have they made the list item text bigger at least? Hard to tell

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Barty

I count 8. The design trend is more white space, lots and lots of white page. Which is fine on a device that you can flick scroll very quickly. Not so sure on eink

Have they made the list item text bigger at least? Hard to tell

Yes, next time there are changes like this I need to hold off updating one of my 2 Kindles so I can do side-by-side and not rely on unreliable wetware memory. But it is really hard for me to resist.

Even if it were possible and convenient, I would not want to revert the update. I like it. Before if you’d asked me if I would like an update that reduced the number of titles per page, I would have said ‘absolutely not’. But it turns out I don’t mind.

Most of the issues involve narrow use cases (like having Kindles running with different UI languages and registered to the same account not syncing Read status correctly), and are not regressions, but only coming to light as a big UI change like this naturally draws more scrutiny (which is the only reason I discovered the Read status bug).

(An exception of course is removal of Home button from toolbar making it more onerous to escape from Dictionary browsing in a particular use case — arguably narrow. That is a clear regression, albeit one I’m not hopeful Amazon regards as serious enough to address.)

[WarrenUK]

I might as well upgrade. You can't keep your Kindle in aeroplane mode forever!