Amazon and DRM changes

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

With the latest DRM schemes and KFX versions, does the Kindle 4 NT (D01100) still provide azw files that allow to extract the epub file? With books published after April 2025?

Yes. Also the Kindle Touch allows this as well.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Yes. Also the Kindle Touch allows this as well.

Man, that just amazing. Like, these are 14 years old at this point

[rantanplan]

Just out of curiosity, can I still use the Kindle store on the K4NT / K4T?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Just out of curiosity, can I still use the Kindle store on the K4NT / K4T?

No idea if the store works on these old Kindles. But all that really needs to work is being able to download. You could use your phone to browse Amazon if you are not at home.

[rantanplan]

Interesting, so the K4T supports firmwares up to 5.3.7.3 while the K4NT only supports firmwares up to 4.1.4. Both will get the job done, I suppose, but this was all before I got into e-readers. This is ancient history for me .

As I don't want to pile up e-waste, how much of a difference in quality is there in real life between the KFX file I can get from my wife's Oasis 3, converted to epub, and the aws file I could potentially get from a K4NT / K4T, converted to epub?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Interesting, so the K4T supports firmwares up to 5.3.7.3 while the K4NT only supports firmwares up to 4.1.4. Both will get the job done, I suppose, but this was all before I got into e-readers. This is ancient history for me .

As I don't want to pile up e-waste, how much of a difference in quality is there in real life between the KFX file I can get from my wife's Oasis 3, converted to epub, and the aws file I could potentially get from a K4NT / K4T, converted to epub?

The KF8 (AZW3) you get from your older Kindle will be more like the ePub. When you have a KF8, use the KindleUnpack plugin to shift the KF8 to ePub

[Frogm4n]

Ok, I was able to import a book I'd bought back in 2021.

Scribe 2022, firmware 5.18.5, jailbroken
macOS 15.7.1
Calibre 8.12
KFX Input 2.26.2
DeDRM v10.0.3 and v10.0.9

Book: The Baroque Cycle (Purchased in 2021)

I used Content Library to have Amazon send the purchase to the Scribe. Sync'd and downloaded it to the Scribe then opened it to be sure it was working. Plugged Scribe into laptop and Calibre detected it. Initially tried to add the book to the library via the Device tab, but it failed as KFX-ZIP. Turns out I hadn't used DeDRM for Kindle stuff in so long that it was still at v10.0.3. I deleted the book from the library, updated the plugin to v10.0.9, and tried again. This time was successful and imported to KFX. I converted it to EPUB and opened it in the Calibre book reader, where it was fine.

So, it's not a foregone conclusion that Scribes on current firmware are downloading KFX with the new uncracked DRM.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

Ok, I was able to import a book I'd bought back in 2021.
…
So, it's not a foregone conclusion that Scribes on current firmware are downloading KFX with the new uncracked DRM.

Thanks for checking. I asked about it because I have not seen any reports of the new 5.18.5 DRM on Scribes. Odd that Amazon isn’t applying it everywhere.

[Sats]

Originally Posted by Frogm4n

Ok, I was able to import a book I'd bought back in 2021.

Scribe 2022, firmware 5.18.5, jailbroken

Speaking of jailbroken 5.18.5 devices, did anybody figure out where the secrets are written? For example, what is in /var/local/java/prefs/acsr file?
Note: if you have insights, please PM me rather than posting here.

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Thanks for checking. I asked about it because I have not seen any reports of the new 5.18.5 DRM on Scribes. Odd that Amazon isn’t applying it everywhere.

Could it just be a gradual roll-out and they haven't gotten to Scribes yet? Or do you think there's something different about Scribes that may make it an exception?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by odamizu

Could it just be a gradual roll-out and they haven't gotten to Scribes yet? Or do you think there's something different about Scribes that may make it an exception?

I believe that the first is more likely. Perhaps Scribes being high end units, Amazon wants to wait before rolling out something potentially problematic to them.

On the other hand, they have included in the description of the upcoming Scribe Colorsoft a hint that it will be a much more locked down device. That might also apply to current Scribes with a firmware update, limiting the need for them to take action now on those devices.

[lkmiller]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

Interesting, so the K4T supports firmwares up to 5.3.7.3 while the K4NT only supports firmwares up to 4.1.4. Both will get the job done, I suppose, but this was all before I got into e-readers. This is ancient history for me .

As I don't want to pile up e-waste, how much of a difference in quality is there in real life between the KFX file I can get from my wife's Oasis 3, converted to epub, and the aws file I could potentially get from a K4NT / K4T, converted to epub?

The KFX from the Oasis 3 will have greyscale cover/images. Books from the pre-kfx devices will have color. And as JSWolf said, the kf8/azw3 format is quite similar to epub so conversion between those formats is usually very good.

I believe the Kindles which lost the on device store are non-touch ones. I know my Kindle Touch still has the store. (I never use the store on any ereader anyway.)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

The KFX from the Oasis 3 will have greyscale cover/images. Books from the pre-kfx devices will have color. And as JSWolf said, the kf8/azw3 format is quite similar to epub so conversion between those formats is usually very good.

I believe the Kindles which lost the on device store are non-touch ones. I know my Kindle Touch still has the store. (I never use the store on any ereader anyway.)

Personally, I'd rather browse Amazon for eBooks on my iPhone then on an eInk Kindle.

[Quoth]

I'd only browse the store on a laptop or workstation.

KFX books are mostly from the same epub source as azw3/kf8, but are further from the author / publisher intent of formatting. The azw3/KF8 are quite like the original epub and convert better no matter which method is used.

Also not all ebooks are meant to have DRM, so sometimes azw3/kf8 are DRM free. The KFX is almost an infringement of copyright as Amazon's formatting is their own concept (it could be closer to source) and the KF8 always has DRM.

Strangely the KFX uses throttled download and is larger. Designed to be opened while downloading. The azw3/KF8 download is very much faster, even on the K3.

Removing D&T was a malicious act. It gave azw3/kF8 for a PW3, or Oasis 2 (all from K3 & later, except maybe Scribe?). But direct WiFi for all kindles after the PW1 has given KFX for years. Also D&T allows kindles with no WiFi, or people like my dad that had Internet but never setup WiFi. He got the guys in Currys to register it. I lived 6 hours away.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by lkmiller

The KFX from the Oasis 3 will have greyscale cover/images. Books from the pre-kfx devices will have color. And as JSWolf said, the kf8/azw3 format is quite similar to epub so conversion between those formats is usually very good.

That's good to know. I ordered a used K4T at ebay, just for liberating the ebooks that we already have. Let's hope that Amazon won't try to close this specific loophole anytime soon, otherwise this device will just be e-waste.