"Hours-minutes left in book" algorithm question

bonacker · 04-07-2015, 07:58 PM

How are the calculations made for "x hours-minutes left in book?" If you put the Kindle down for ten minutes and leave it open to a page in the book, does that pause forever get figured into its calculation, or is it only the time it took to read the most recent page the sole variable it considers? Or what?

eschwartz · 04-07-2015, 08:43 PM

I don't know exactly, but it is definitely smart enough to tell when you aren't reading at all. I imagine it looks for patterns.

barryem · 04-07-2015, 09:54 PM

I've wondered about this, too, and wondered just how accurate it is. I haven't done any testing but I keep my Kindle set to show the time left in the chapter and my impression is that it's reasonably close. But that's just an impression and I'm not really convinced.

Has anyone done any testing on this?

Barry

susan_cassidy · 04-07-2015, 11:08 PM

How could we, just a bunch of customers, possibly know?

eschwartz · 04-08-2015, 12:25 AM

It isn't a silly question, there are several people here who might know, on account of they tend to break open updates and read the code for fun & profit.
a/k/a the Developer's corner.

Then too, there is trial and error. All the OP wants to know is the easily-observable visual effects...

bonacker · 04-08-2015, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

It isn't a silly question, there are several people here who might know, on account of they tend to break open updates and read the code for fun & profit.
a/k/a the Developer's corner.

Then too, there is trial and error. All the OP wants to know is the easily-observable visual effects...

I can't speak for Ms Cassidy, but I took her comment to be a gibe at Amazon for keeping its customers in the dark about behind the scenes matters, not at me for asking the question. But now that you mention it, maybe it *was* a gibe at me.

In addition to reading code and trial and error, Amazon could have answered the question at some point in a published document or in answer to a question in an Amazon Kindle help forum (if one exists). I admit I didn't research the question.

eschwartz · 04-08-2015, 01:23 AM

Err, no manufacturer is likely to give detailed implementation schemas, and no FAQ will ever be 100% complete. I am generally content to be merciful on Amazon, and not get overly worried about Amazon's lack of description.
I would be willing to put down money that none of their support staff envisioned this question being unclear.

You want answers, you always go to the communities that use the darn things, we tend to either know more

or have more time to answer questions.

badgoodDeb · 04-08-2015, 02:14 PM

I wonder how many of amazon's programming staff have the time to be avid readers? (And thus get first hand results of their own algorithms...)

HomeInMyShoes · 04-08-2015, 02:41 PM

I find the calculations are quite reasonable if you continuously read, but I often get interrupted and there are pauses in my reading which makes actual reading time quite a bit less than the estimate.

bonacker · 04-08-2015, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Err, no manufacturer is likely to give detailed implementation schemas, and no FAQ will ever be 100% complete. I am generally content to be merciful on Amazon, and not get overly worried about Amazon's lack of description.
I would be willing to put down money that none of their support staff envisioned this question being unclear.

You want answers, you always go to the communities that use the darn things, we tend to either know more

or have more time to answer questions.

Err, I've had excellent experiences getting answers from the support offered by SW developers and HW manufacturers as well as many poor experiences. User forums are not a panacea either as conflicting advice and information often appear in the same thread.

eschwartz · 04-08-2015, 05:35 PM

Just teasing!

Katsunami · 04-26-2015, 11:54 AM

The algorithm is pretty accurate. If it says I read 30 pages an hour (using my own counting in Calibre to determine a 'page length'), it's actually correct, +/- 1 minute or so.

In the end, the algorithm is useless however, at least with books converted from EPUB to AZW3 using Calibre. At some point, the algorithm will decide that I'm reading twice as fast. One moment it says the time left in the book is 4 hours, 30 minutes, and the next, it says 2 hours and 15 minutes. It has been doing that with every book I ever read, multiple times each book. It can be reset by searching for ";ReadingTimeReset" (without quotes), but that function is officially not known to users.

(I have never tested with an original Amazon AZW3 book; I only own 3, and I'm talking about a KPW1 here.)

04-07-2015, 07:58 PM	#1
bonacker Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: Fire HD 10, 11th Gen.	"Hours-minutes left in book" algorithm question How are the calculations made for "x hours-minutes left in book?" If you put the Kindle down for ten minutes and leave it open to a page in the book, does that pause forever get figured into its calculation, or is it only the time it took to read the most recent page the sole variable it considers? Or what?

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04-07-2015, 08:43 PM	#2
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	I don't know exactly, but it is definitely smart enough to tell when you aren't reading at all. I imagine it looks for patterns.

04-07-2015, 09:54 PM	#3
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I've wondered about this, too, and wondered just how accurate it is. I haven't done any testing but I keep my Kindle set to show the time left in the chapter and my impression is that it's reasonably close. But that's just an impression and I'm not really convinced. Has anyone done any testing on this? Barry

04-07-2015, 11:08 PM	#4
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	How could we, just a bunch of customers, possibly know?

04-08-2015, 12:25 AM	#5
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	It isn't a silly question, there are several people here who might know, on account of they tend to break open updates and read the code for fun & profit. a/k/a the Developer's corner. Then too, there is trial and error. All the OP wants to know is the easily-observable visual effects...

04-08-2015, 01:23 AM	#7
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Err, no manufacturer is likely to give detailed implementation schemas, and no FAQ will ever be 100% complete. I am generally content to be merciful on Amazon, and not get overly worried about Amazon's lack of description. I would be willing to put down money that none of their support staff envisioned this question being unclear. You want answers, you always go to the communities that use the darn things, we tend to either know more or have more time to answer questions.

04-08-2015, 02:14 PM	#8
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,501 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	I wonder how many of amazon's programming staff have the time to be avid readers? (And thus get first hand results of their own algorithms...)

04-08-2015, 02:41 PM	#9
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I find the calculations are quite reasonable if you continuously read, but I often get interrupted and there are pauses in my reading which makes actual reading time quite a bit less than the estimate.

04-08-2015, 05:35 PM	#11
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Just teasing!

04-26-2015, 11:54 AM	#12
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	The algorithm is pretty accurate. If it says I read 30 pages an hour (using my own counting in Calibre to determine a 'page length'), it's actually correct, +/- 1 minute or so. In the end, the algorithm is useless however, at least with books converted from EPUB to AZW3 using Calibre. At some point, the algorithm will decide that I'm reading twice as fast. One moment it says the time left in the book is 4 hours, 30 minutes, and the next, it says 2 hours and 15 minutes. It has been doing that with every book I ever read, multiple times each book. It can be reset by searching for ";ReadingTimeReset" (without quotes), but that function is officially not known to users. (I have never tested with an original Amazon AZW3 book; I only own 3, and I'm talking about a KPW1 here.)