Firmware Update 2.3 Issues and New Kindle Works Differently!

[FredUruncle]

Replacement Kindle 2 is "Different" .... has anyone else seen this?

I bought my Kindle 2 about 10 months ago. In general I was happy with it. Like many, the screen contrast was not what I would of liked but it was acceptable at the larger font sizes I needed anyway. Its behavior when you hit the next page was to invert the page you just read (black to white and vice versa) and then the new page appeared. I just accepted that.

However, a few days ago I downloaded and manually installed the 2.3 firmware update. Two things happened. The battery started going 3 quarter dead overnight and the beast hung off and on corrupting and losing some books.

So, I called Amazon and they quite quickly sent me an overnight replacement that was still at the 2.0.4 firmware level. As I loaded my content I noticed the following differences.... one good and one bad in my opinion.

1. The contrast is quite a bit better on this new unit. Held side by side, the new unit wins hands down for contrast.
2. The page turn "flash" is quite a bit less pretty. It seems to overlay the new page's text over the one just read making a real ugly composite, then the black flash and only the next page text remains. Its just as quick, there is less "black time" but the momentary text on text is quite ugly, though very brief.

In my mind the good of 1 outweighs the ugly of 2 but I wondered what's "normal" these days? Is condition 2 common or just the unit I got?

I think now that I can read again, I'll just wait for them to push the 2.3 onto this unit.

Thoughts?

[Dr. Drib]

You probably had a bad unit, or your unit went bad on you.

I've updated mine to the new firmware and haven't had a problem. In fact, it works so well - and has always worked so well - that I'm worried that, after almost 5 months of working perfectly, that something may be wrong with it!

I plan to buy the DX (well, seriously thinking about it would be a better way to express that), but I'm worried that it, too, will continue to work without any problems.

Personally, I would never go back to 2.03.


Don

I forgot to mention that I have the NON-INTERNATIONAL Kindle 2.

[FredUruncle]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

You probably had a bad unit, or your unit went bad on you.

I've updated mine to the new firmware and haven't had a problem. In fact, it works so well - and has always worked so well - that I'm worried that, after almost 5 months of working perfectly, that something may be wrong with it!

I plan to buy the DX (well, seriously thinking about it would be a better way to express that), but I'm worried that it, too, will continue to work without any problems.

Personally, I would never go back to 2.03.


Don

I forgot to mention that I have the NON-INTERNATIONAL Kindle 2.

I'll allow this beast to update to 2.3 on its own. I figure they'll push to it eventually. In the mean time, I can read I was unimpressed with the PDF addition. Most of the PDF's I tried before the old unit went wonky didn't really look well enough to read with my old eyes. A couple looked very well but its all nothing pressing.

One more interesting thing. I did a quick soft restart and now during the page flips the screen inverts to black first, adds the new page so you can see both pages text overlain, and then clears to the next page. Its actually less eye catching than before when it overlaid the pages with black text on white. White on black over lain pages is much less noticable.

I realize this is a really trivial issue, I just thought it interesting that they seem to have changed how things are done over the hardware cycle. Its not firmware since I had the same on both.

Fun stuff.....

[JMikeD]

Originally Posted by FredUruncle

I was unimpressed with the PDF addition. Most of the PDF's I tried before the old unit went wonky didn't really look well enough to read with my old eyes.

Same here. The 2.3 upgrade was a non-event. Nothing was added or changed that effected my reading at all.

[Sheikspeare]

To view some badly scanned PDFs in landscape mode, the 2.3 upgrade is definitely an improvement.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by FredUruncle

1. The contrast is quite a bit better on this new unit. Held side by side, the new unit wins hands down for contrast.

Someone else posted about this as well, when the International Kindle was released - in a comparison between his old and new Kindles, the new was better. My new Kindle was sharper looking than my 8 month old Sony PRS505. Someone commented it simply had to do with the age of the screen. I think tha may well be possible.

Originally Posted by FredUruncle

2. The page turn "flash" is quite a bit less pretty. It seems to overlay the new page's text over the one just read making a real ugly composite, then the black flash and only the next page text remains. Its just as quick, there is less "black time" but the momentary text on text is quite ugly, though very brief.

I noticed this right after the upgrade - and had forgotten about it by the next day, and until now. I just now double-checked, and yes, it's still there. I agree it looks more ugly (less 'clean'), but I think you'll get used to it quickly

[Slow_hand]

Deleting books is so slow now (after the update on my K2 sprint). It's torture. I get daily news via Calibre and it is now a chore just to delete the titles after reading.

[Ea]

The whole process of deleting a book takes me approx. 10 sec. I don't know long 'slow' is, but it does sound as if things are not as they should be. Perhaps you should contact Amazon's customer service.

(I have one of the new international kindles - might make a difference...?)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Slow_hand

Deleting books is so slow now (after the update on my K2 sprint). It's torture. I get daily news via Calibre and it is now a chore just to delete the titles after reading.

Do you mean that it takes you a long time to navigate to the menu item which allows you to delete a book, or that the actual deletion process is slow?

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Ea

The whole process of deleting a book takes me approx. 10 sec. I don't know long 'slow' is, but it does sound as if things are not as they should be. Perhaps you should contact Amazon's customer service.

(I have one of the new international kindles - might make a difference...?)

I also have a K2i, and updated it to 2.3. It does not take 10 sec to delete a book, it goes much quicker

btw Ea : luuuuuuuv your new avatar

[Ea]

Originally Posted by aceflor

I also have a K2i, and updated it to 2.3. It does not take 10 sec to delete a book, it goes much quicker

I meant the whole process from selecting it, clicking delete, clicking 'okay to delete', and waiting a second or two for the list to update. Each operation takes a couple of seconds. I haven't felt it was slow.

Originally Posted by aceflor

btw Ea : luuuuuuuv your new avatar

Something more festive than my usual 'techno-lion' in honour of the season. I like the... um... stockings It'll be replaced in a day or two - I have a few more

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by Ea

I meant the whole process from selecting it, clicking delete, clicking 'okay to delete', and waiting a second or two for the list to update. Each operation takes a couple of seconds. I haven't felt it was slow.


Something more festive than my usual 'techno-lion' in honour of the season. I like the... um... stockings It'll be replaced in a day or two - I have a few more

Oh sorry, no I meant just deleting... (gee, am I stupid sometimes ).

something else, sorry for hijacking, won't do it again, but I have to say the best about this book : have you read "the boy I love" yet ? if not, please do. It is just so good! (saw it on your shelfari shelf). And "Papermoon" too !!

[daffy4u]

I've noticed that I keep seeing "Opening..." when I open a book or come out of sleep. I don't recall seeing that before the update but I notice it now. I don't like it.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by aceflor

something else, sorry for hijacking, won't do it again, but I have to say the best about this book : have you read "the boy I love" yet ? if not, please do. It is just so good! (saw it on your shelfari shelf). And "Papermoon" too !!

<off topic>
I saw it on a friend's Shelfari shelf Monday I got the sample from Amazon - and that was good - I just want to finish another book first. Haven't heard about 'Papermoon' but I'll look it up. Thanks for the recommendation Are you on Shelfari BTW?

[Ea]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I've noticed that I keep seeing "Opening..." when I open a book or come out of sleep. I don't recall seeing that before the update but I notice it now. I don't like it.

Yes, I think that's new. Don't hate it, but I could do without. As far as I can see, the new battery saving feature is that the wireless connection is shut down in sleep mode. Apparently someone thought to add a 'waking up' message. I don't think it takes longer time, but just having the message makes it feel like it's slower.