do all kindles have the same reader software - Page 2

Little.Egret · 10-15-2014, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

If you find an older used Kindle, be aware that while all current models (plus the Touch) have essentially the same software, the K4 (Black and Silver) and Kindle Keyboards had the older style software. I'm pretty sure the Kindle 1 and Kindle 2 are similar to the K3 (Keyboard) and K4 but I've never actually used either model.

It's difficult to keep track but the K3 (Keyboard) firmware was updated (publisher fonts).

Is there a timeline of software releases somewhere with functionality references ?

rcentros · 10-18-2014, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

It's difficult to keep track but the K3 (Keyboard) firmware was updated (publisher fonts).

Is there a timeline of software releases somewhere with functionality references ?

I don't currently own a K3 (keyboard), but the ones I did own were updated to the newest firmware available, and they just had the same three fonts you'll find in the K4 (Black and Silver models). Maybe there were hacks that allowed additional fonts to be loaded?

At any rate, the K4 models and the K3 (and I'm guessing the K1 and K2) all had fonts that were rendered differently than fonts on the Touch and all newer Kindles.

(Perhaps I'm not understanding what you're writing? I admit a great deal of ignorance about Kindles.)

Little.Egret · 10-19-2014, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

I don't currently own a K3 (keyboard), but the ones I did own were updated to the newest firmware available, and they just had the same three fonts you'll find in the K4 (Black and Silver models).

I was referring to fonts selected by the author/ publisher and embedded in a KF8 format book. This enhancement was in Version 3.4, the last KK update

http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=126080.0
=
Kindle Format 8: KF8 makes books look even better with support for author specified fonts and more book styling options.
=

shalym · 10-22-2014, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

I was referring to fonts selected by the author/ publisher and embedded in a KF8 format book. This enhancement was in Version 3.4, the last KK update

http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=126080.0
=
Kindle Format 8: KF8 makes books look even better with support for author specified fonts and more book styling options.
=

...and this makes me absolutely crazy. I read 2 books in the past couple of weeks where the *publisher* (not author--these were BPH books) embedded font was sized in such a way that it had only 2 choices--too small or too large. The book also had a custom line height so that it looked like it was double-spaced at the smallest line setting. Usually, I can handle pretty much anything, but when a book has the font *deliberately* locked in to be too small for me to read without my glasses I have to fix it. So...I just converted it to .mobi in Calibre...no more "custom" fonts. In my opinion, if a author/publisher uses custom fonts with no way to turn them off, it should be noted in the book's description.

Shari

rcentros · 10-24-2014, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

...and this makes me absolutely crazy. I read 2 books in the past couple of weeks where the *publisher* (not author--these were BPH books) embedded font was sized in such a way that it had only 2 choices--too small or too large. (snip) So...I just converted it to .mobi in Calibre...no more "custom" fonts. In my opinion, if a author/publisher uses custom fonts with no way to turn them off, it should be noted in the book's description.

Absolutely agree. I ran into one of these books not too long ago. Without Calibre to repair it would have been unreadable to me.

Little.Egret · 10-24-2014, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

Absolutely agree. I ran into one of these books not too long ago. Without Calibre to repair it would have been unreadable to me.

There are so few of these books that I am not sure, but surely you have an option to use the normal installed fonts ?

rcentros · 10-25-2014, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

There are so few of these books that I am not sure, but surely you have an option to use the normal installed fonts ?

The font really wasn't the issue on mine -- it was the line spacing. About 3 line spaces between each line. And that was at smallest line space setting. It was terrible. I would not have kept it if I couldn't have fixed it.

Now that I think about it -- I may have bought the Nook ePub version, again feeling sorry for the little guy. B&N does not have good quality control on small-press ePubs.

File this under ... "uh, never mind." (Sorry.)

HarryT · 10-25-2014, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

...and this makes me absolutely crazy. I read 2 books in the past couple of weeks where the *publisher* (not author--these were BPH books) embedded font was sized in such a way that it had only 2 choices--too small or too large. The book also had a custom line height so that it looked like it was double-spaced at the smallest line setting. Usually, I can handle pretty much anything, but when a book has the font *deliberately* locked in to be too small for me to read without my glasses I have to fix it. So...I just converted it to .mobi in Calibre...no more "custom" fonts. In my opinion, if a author/publisher uses custom fonts with no way to turn them off, it should be noted in the book's description.

Shari

Why didn't you just turn publisher fonts off? "Off" is in fact the default when you open a book: you have to deliberately choose to turn embedded fonts on.

shalym · 10-25-2014, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Why didn't you just turn publisher fonts off? "Off" is in fact the default when you open a book: you have to deliberately choose to turn embedded fonts on.

The option wasn't there. The issue wasn't that I couldn't choose other fonts--I could choose from among any of the available fonts on the Kindle, it was just the size and line space were messed up. It was as if the publisher had declared a specific font size and line height, but not a specific font.

Shari

cybmole · 10-26-2014, 02:23 AM

i saw something similar to this last night with the free sample of Outlander, on kindle fire. The line spacing is squashed, and enlarging the font does not really help. its been locked down within the book i reckon- toggling through he 3 kindle line spacing options makes hardly any difference.

HarryT · 10-26-2014, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

The option wasn't there. The issue wasn't that I couldn't choose other fonts--I could choose from among any of the available fonts on the Kindle, it was just the size and line space were messed up. It was as if the publisher had declared a specific font size and line height, but not a specific font.

Shari

OK. In that case the book didn't contain an embedded font, which is what you previously said. It simply declared a fixed font size, which is bad practice.

cybmole · 10-26-2014, 10:13 AM

that is where download a free sample is useful.

if you don't like what you see then you can either
protest by NOT buying+ leaving a review as to why that was;
or put up with it,
or buy it into Kindle for PC & then hack it & sideload it.
( some skill & tools required, but takes only a couple of minutes once you have those)

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10-26-2014, 02:23 AM	#25
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	i saw something similar to this last night with the free sample of Outlander, on kindle fire. The line spacing is squashed, and enlarging the font does not really help. its been locked down within the book i reckon- toggling through he 3 kindle line spacing options makes hardly any difference.

10-26-2014, 10:13 AM	#27
cybmole Wizard Posts: 3,720 Karma: 1759970 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: none	that is where download a free sample is useful. if you don't like what you see then you can either protest by NOT buying+ leaving a review as to why that was; or put up with it, or buy it into Kindle for PC & then hack it & sideload it. ( some skill & tools required, but takes only a couple of minutes once you have those)

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