Kindle DXG updates - have contacted the BBC and Watchdog

[ThomasC]

I wonder how many DXG owners would take Amazon up on an offer to trade-down their current DXG for a new K3 and pocket $190 cash (difference in current price)?

I know that I wouldn't do it. The DXG, even without the k3 bells and whistles, is just so much nicer to read E-books on imho.

Cheers,
Tom

[eLiNK]

There's no mention of the DXG being discontinued, so it is more than reasonable to expect that a more expensive model gets further software development support just like K3.

Having said that I have to admit that I ditched the Amazon's firmware from the very beginning in favor of the Duokan's firmware. It is in volunteers that I trust.

But I can imagine that not everyone is as adventurous as me.

P.S.: looks like we have a new tendency. Separate product line fan boys.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by eLiNK

P.S.: looks like we have a new tendency. Separate product line fan boys.

I have no idea what you mean by this. Please explain. Thanks.

cheers,
Tom

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by max99

honesty you'd think from some of these replies that we are asking Amazon for the moon! let's get this straight, what we want is very simple:

- the ability to darken the text in a pdf
- the ability to open a password protected pdf
- support for extra greek alphanumeric characters
- the ability to have page numbers (just released)

why on earth are people defending Amazon against what should simply be a small software update and investment of perhaps a week within a small coding team?

and it's not sour grapes...i just believe in taking action against private corporations failing customers, especially when it's so easily fixed.

Because where do you stop? Ok take your suggestion and Amazon buckles to the screaming DX owners and do this small PDF and page number update for DX owners. Next some will complain about the browser not being the same as the K3 and demand Amazon fix it. Then some will pipe up and say "hey no wifi DX, you guys want to charge me to send personal files to my DX, on the K3 I have that option for free....gimme gimme gimme" and Amazon be expected to change the charging of sending personal files over 3g.

At some point the microphone I have no doubt in the K3 will get used for something, what are the DX owners going to do then? "Hey I got the PREMIUM EXPENSIVE DX and I can't use the microphone feature, please Amazon gimme gimme gimme something to make my DX listen to my voice"

The K3 and DX are two different products. One doesn't complain to Lenovo (or another laptop manufacturer) when their laptop doesn't get a bios update but another model does. People who bought the DX...well it works just as well now as it did when they first got it.

IF on the other hand the DX had bugs which restricted its usage eg: bookmarking would lock the DX...then fine demand a new firmware, but for added features......I think it is a little rich to EXPECT then DEMAND when it doesn't come.

[karunaji]

The last update for K3 mostly introduced features that do not improve reader's experience but only increase Amazon's potential to sell more books. I personally consider some of these new features even annoying. But the fact that DXG is not getting even this update really means that Amazon has abandoned it completely.

In fact, I have decided to buy a 10" e-ink reader because I have a lot of technical pdfs that I want to read and 6" screen is too small. I was thinking about PB902 vs. DXG. Both have its good and bad features but it appears that PB902 has more potential for being more open system.

[max99]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Because where do you stop? Ok take your suggestion and Amazon buckles to the screaming DX owners and do this small PDF and page number update for DX owners. Next some will complain about the browser not being the same as the K3 and demand Amazon fix it. Then some will pipe up and say "hey no wifi DX, you guys want to charge me to send personal files to my DX, on the K3 I have that option for free....gimme gimme gimme" and Amazon be expected to change the charging of sending personal files over 3g.

At some point the microphone I have no doubt in the K3 will get used for something, what are the DX owners going to do then? "Hey I got the PREMIUM EXPENSIVE DX and I can't use the microphone feature, please Amazon gimme gimme gimme something to make my DX listen to my voice"

The K3 and DX are two different products. One doesn't complain to Lenovo (or another laptop manufacturer) when their laptop doesn't get a bios update but another model does. People who bought the DX...well it works just as well now as it did when they first got it.

IF on the other hand the DX had bugs which restricted its usage eg: bookmarking would lock the DX...then fine demand a new firmware, but for added features......I think it is a little rich to EXPECT then DEMAND when it doesn't come.

you're making ridiculous extrapolations. common sense dictates when changes are small updates to software or large features dependent of newer hardware. the features demanded by the DX and DXG community are relatively minor and it's indefensible of amazon not to listen and support the customer base.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by love_guru

When you start calling names in an argument, that's the sign that you have already lost. You can't participate in a mature and intelligent exchange.

Errm...what names did I call you (or anyone else for that matter)?

I think you're being a little over-sensitive. We don't all have to agree with you.

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by max99

you're making ridiculous extrapolations. common sense dictates when changes are small updates to software or large features dependent of newer hardware. the features demanded by the DX and DXG community are relatively minor and it's indefensible of amazon not to listen and support the customer base.

How so? Someone buys a DX and at the time Amazon says that it does X and the consumer is happy. Now a similar product by Amazon does X and also Y and you're saying that Amazon should update the DX to do both X and Y??

The K3 and DX are two different models. People should buy products based on what they do now, not based on what they HOPE it will do in the future. Having a product that does what it is marketed to do is a good thing, having the same product be given free improvements is a real good thing, but it shouldn't be demanded. I certainly didn't contact Toshiba 6 months after buying my laptop asking for a free upgrade to Vista because the newer and cheaper models came with Vista. Same scenario. Upgrading to Vista would have been a small update because all I needed was to be sent a CD of Vista.

In truth, my laptop scenario as we all know is not a small update (though our perceptions indicate the simplicity of just sending a CD thus believing it is small) but in reality licensing, driver issues, support etc....it actually makes it a rather big update in the end. Probably the same with updates to the DX. We don't know how the Kindle software is developed, and being essentially an embedded piece of hardware and none of us being Kindle developers we don't know for a fact, merely just speculate, on the ease of transferring code from one development stream to another. There is also a cost benefit issue - does the cost of developing these upgrades come in lower than the increased number of DX sales?

Now Amazon have sold and supported the DX (and other readers) with stable firmware, albeit limited but free 3g browsing; we read stories of people getting free replacement Kindles after breaking theirs; refunds for incorrect ebook purchases (something which is a fight with other ebook sellers)....the list goes on. I don't see how they aren't supporting their customer base. Thing about listening, Amazon could have 1, 2 or even 10 million customers, each with different needs. Which one do they listen too? Perhaps only a very small percentage want these upgrades, the majority are happy with what they have.

[eLiNK]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

I have no idea what you mean by this. Please explain.

group of people worshiping a given model and justifying ad absurdum the actions of the company in regards to other models.

Originally Posted by Solicitous

How so? Someone buys a DX and at the time Amazon says that it does X and the consumer is happy. Now a similar product by Amazon does X and also Y and you're saying that Amazon should update the DX to do both X and Y??

It is the Z factor that is missing in your analysis, which stands for further software development.

Besides, a number of users reported in August after having talked to the CS that the DXG is going to get the same features the K3 would have (might be a wishful thinking, though).

Then again, in the past Amazon has not differentiated between DX and its smaller brother as far as the software support was concerned.
It is nowhere to be seen that they have changed their strategy, which they should have mentioned explicitly for the people to have no beef with their approach.

[DMSmillie]

Originally Posted by eLiNK

looks like we have a new tendency. Separate product line fan boys.

It's got nothing to do with "fan boy" mentality. I bought the e-reader that best fitted my requirements and my budget. If my requirements had been different, and my budget allowed, I might well have bought the DX - I'd love to have the larger screen. But regardless of which I bought, and regardless of which got updated and which didn't, I'd be saying exactly the same as I'm saying now - it's ridiculous to claim that Amazon is ripping people off and to suggest that the situation merits an "exposé" on a consumer watchdog programme, just because Amazon produce a firmware update for one model and not the other.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by eLiNK

Having said that I have to admit that I ditched the Amazon's firmware from the very beginning in favor of the Duokan's firmware. It is in volunteers that I trust.

But I can imagine that not everyone is as adventurous as me.

So you trust guys from China who you have to give personal details to in order to use their free product more than Amazon? Good luck with all that mate.

You seem very happy with your 'adventurous' solution so why do you even care what Amazon may or may not do with future DXG updates? You're probably just going to keep trusting your Duokan buddies anyway. As long as you're happy with it, that's great mate.

Just try to avoid knocking people who, for the most part, are quite happy with the current DXG status quo. Thanks.

Cheers,
Tom

[DiapDealer]

So you trust guys from China who you have to give personal details to in order to use their free product more than Amazon? Good luck with all that mate.

What are you talking about? Doukan doesn't require any personal information to use.

Look, no one thinks anyone's being unreasonable for WANTING updates for the DXG. It's a reasonable want. I hope you get them someday. And this has nothing to with fanboyism for a particular model -- I have a K2, duh.

But the idea that you are OWED (or that you were promised) feature updates simply because you spent more money than other people is wrong. So is the idea that you've been mislead or ripped off by Amazon. You haven't. That "entitlement" mentality is what people are taking issue with.

[eLiNK]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

So you trust guys from China who you have to give personal details to in order to use their free product more than Amazon? Good luck with all that mate.

Thanks for all the flowers.
But as it seems I have a competitive edge in the ability to evaluate information.

Originally Posted by ThomasC

You seem very happy with your 'adventurous' solution so why do you even care what Amazon may or may not do with future DXG updates? You're probably just going to keep trusting your Duokan buddies anyway. As long as you're happy with it, that's great mate.

Just try to avoid knocking people who, for the most part, are quite happy with the current DXG status quo. Thanks.

It does not sound like a genuine question.
So let me answer (with a question) in a similar vein.
What are you doing in the thread, whose topic is of interest only to people, who are unhappy with their DXG updates, or to their sympathizers?

If you are unable to hold an intelligent discussion, please refrain from participating.
Thanks (in a similar vein, again).
And sorry for having disturbed you.

[eLiNK]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

But the idea that you are OWED (or that you were promised) feature updates simply because you spent more money than other people is wrong. So is the idea that you've been mislead or ripped off by Amazon. You haven't. That "entitlement" mentality is what people are taking issue with.

you argument would be valid only if Amazon explicitly states they have discontinued the DXG.

P.S.: I would not use the words like ripped off myself, but I find that some claims are legitimate (for the reasons I have already mentioned).
P.P.S.: The Watchdog would have most probably no interest.

[polbit]

Let's reword it a bit - I had reasonable EXPECTATIONS of further updates to the DXG when I bought it. We aren't stuck in 1990s, these days firmware updates are commonplace. And this isn't some rinky dinky outfit, this is Amazon.

In the end, Amazon doesn't have to do anything. I'm sure the DXG customer population is quite small compared to K3, and after a failed attempt to get the DXs into schools/colleges, Amazon decided to pretty much abandon it. Is it a financially prudent decision? Probably. A customer focused decision? Definitely not. I expected more from Amazon as a customer, and I will not make the same mistake with them again.