Kindle firmware update 5.13.4

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Interview with the Amazon person who headed up the Series Grouping feature:

http://thekindlechronicles.com/tkc-653-patrick-wolohan

He closes by saying ‘there is still more to do’.

One thing I wish it did was to be able to treat book collections (typically 3 sequential books in the series) as Series and combine them with single books so you could more easily see what you might be missing from the series.

The main problem with the series feature is that it does not work with side loaded eBooks. Then again, not much works with side loaded eBooks. So if you have two Kindle eBooks and an ePub all from the same series, forget it. The series feature won't work for the ePub version converted to KF8.

Thanks Amazon for locking un the Kindle and not trusting your users.

[tomsem]

A new issue has cropped up: several of the (hundreds) of books on my Paperwhite do not display Author under the title in Library (using List mode). If I remove the download, author displays; re-download and it disappears. In Author sort, they wind up on the last few pages instead of where they should be (this would be the quicker way of seeing all of those affected). Seems to affect about 2-3%.

It’s probably been this way since I updated, but I didn’t notice it until a couple of new purchases showed up without author.

In another case, a Kindle Unlimited title had the KU ‘badge’ clipped. I don’t remember if the badge restored itself if I removed download, but in any case re-download didn’t help.

Hopefully it will be fixed in 5.13.5.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by tomsem

A new issue has cropped up: several of the (hundreds) of books on my Paperwhite do not display Author under the title in Library (using List mode). If I remove the download, author displays; re-download and it disappears. In Author sort, they wind up on the last few pages instead of where they should be (this would be the quicker way of seeing all of those affected). Seems to affect about 2-3%.

It’s probably been this way since I updated, but I didn’t notice it until a couple of new purchases showed up without author.

In another case, a Kindle Unlimited title had the KU ‘badge’ clipped. I don’t remember if the badge restored itself if I removed download, but in any case re-download didn’t help.

Hopefully it will be fixed in 5.13.5.

I suggest removing the DRM (if it has DRM) and having a look at the code in the Calibre editor and see if you can figure out what might be the problem.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I suggest removing the DRM (if it has DRM) and having a look at the code in the Calibre editor and see if you can figure out what might be the problem.

Isn't this most likely a metadata problem, and isn't it possible to examine (and change) metadata without removing DRM?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Isn't this most likely a metadata problem, and isn't it possible to examine (and change) metadata without removing DRM?

I'm not sure if you update the metadata on a Kindle since the Kindle is locked down pretty tight. But if you do the editing in the code, you can fix it if you can find out what's wrong. But you do have to remove the DRM if there is DRM.

[tomsem]

I would point out again that author shows up (when Library is in ALL mode) when I remove the download. I doubt it is anything to do with the KFX file itself, just with the code that extracts metadata from it. Most of the affected books were on my Kindle long before the update. I’m not set up to de-DRM anything at the moment.

I checked my other Paperwhite and the same books have the same issue when downloaded.

Anybody else seeing this?
- show DOWNLOADED books
- Library sort = (LIST + author)
- navigate to last page of Library (tap ‘x of n’ in lower left corner; specify page number of last page)
- (you might have to back up a page if Dictionaries is only entry) see if your books have authors

[tomsem]

Perhaps I’m the last to notice, but the UI when syncing reading position from another device has changed and has a little more detail.

Unfortunately, it seems the Fire’s Kindle app does not sync automatically, and if you forget to manually sync after a reading session, then another device may pick up the wrong position. I don’t see a setting that would change this (lame) behavior.

[LDB]

I have one or two out of 25 pages of titles that don't show the author name. All the rest show author. That's on my Oasis showing downloaded only.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by LDB

I have one or two out of 25 pages of titles that don't show the author name. All the rest show author. That's on my Oasis showing downloaded only.

I posed the question on amazonforum.com and someone there suggested it could be an issue with publisher metadata.

However, this problem does not exist with the Kindle apps, which unfailingly display author name for the same titles. To me it points finger at Amazon since their code generates the KFX that lands on Kindles.

I finally got around to letting calibre look at what’s on my Kindle. It gives author as ‘Unknown’ for these titles. So it does seem to be an issue with the KFX metadata, and not related to firmware update.

However, calibre shows ‘Unknown’ for 50 books, but on Kindle, only 20 are missing author. However (it’s coming back to me now) my old MacBook Pro can only run v3.48, maybe a newer version would do better. (All the more reason to get a new Mac!)

[Paperbackstash]

Okay, interesting note.

My Paperwhite 4 finally updated to the new update this week.

I turned on the series feature because I was curious if the same series bug would be duplicated on this device. It seemed with the Oasis it could be ghost files that could be removed on the computer, although I still haven't gotten around to trying that.

The Paperwhite 4 is showing the same book bug as the Oasis, which means it is not an issue popping up that is device related, but something with my account and this update. The same Kindle Unlimited bug with those same horrific, old book covers shows up in the PW4 and it did with the Oasis.

I was curious if the same bug would be duplicated on two devices, apparently for me it is.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Okay, interesting note.

My Paperwhite 4 finally updated to the new update this week.

I turned on the series feature because I was curious if the same series bug would be duplicated on this device. It seemed with the Oasis it could be ghost files that could be removed on the computer, although I still haven't gotten around to trying that.

The Paperwhite 4 is showing the same book bug as the Oasis, which means it is not an issue popping up that is device related, but something with my account and this update. The same Kindle Unlimited bug with those same horrific, old book covers shows up in the PW4 and it did with the Oasis.

I was curious if the same bug would be duplicated on two devices, apparently for me it is.

Have you checked on your Fire tablet? I have HD8 7th generation that I deregistered some months ago, and wondered if the Series feature was supported on it. Had to do 3 successive System updates, then 15 component updates. But it is now running the same Kindle app version as my 10th generation Fire HD, and so it supports Series grouping.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Okay, interesting note.

My Paperwhite 4 finally updated to the new update this week.

I turned on the series feature because I was curious if the same series bug would be duplicated on this device.

So far, 5.13.4 and 5.13.5 but nary a sign of the series feature.

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Have you checked on your Fire tablet? I have HD8 7th generation that I deregistered some months ago, and wondered if the Series feature was supported on it. Had to do 3 successive System updates, then 15 component updates. But it is now running the same Kindle app version as my 10th generation Fire HD, and so it supports Series grouping.

I only read Scribd rentals and the rare comic/cookbook on my tablet, but I know it finally updated. Let me go check if it has the same series bug right now and I'll let you know. I know that one opens the "kindle app", which may make a difference.

[Paperbackstash]

Okay, the problem does not exist on my Fire. I see books listed as series, but did the test to filter by Kindle Unlimited, and only my actual rentals are on there.

Also, collection folders are not showing on there when I have "books only" showing, unlike my e-ink devices.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Also, collection folders are not showing on there when I have "books only" showing, unlike my e-ink devices.

That is normal: only the Kindle has this notion of Downloaded collections, which are able to mix in with books (which I find odd). For all of the Kindle Apps, Collections are a View option along with Grid and List.