Jailbreaking the PW2?

[booklover1]

So I have been reading around and was surprised to learn you could jailbreak the PW2. Now I am not tech savvy or do I know alot of advanced stuff but could anyone please tell me what are the pros and cons of a jailbroken PW2 to one which is just a default one?

Thanks.

[eschwartz]

The ability to install various hacks and modifications of course.

What are the hacks people find most useful -- that is a slightly different question. I will list my favorites:

• screensavers hack -- custom screensavers on non-Special Offers Kindles. Can be your own specified images, an image of the last thing on the screen, or (my favorite) the cover of the book you are currently reading.
• skipstone -- alternative browser, much better than the default one (it has tabs and bookmarks and stuff).
• Collections Manager/librariansync -- manage collections much easier than the default UI, even sync collections with calibre for efficient metadata filter rules.
• kterm -- command-line access to the Kindle, comes in useful sometimes.
• Rescue Pack & Cowards Rescue Pack addon -- if your Kindle ever gets bricked, having these installed might just save an otherwise worthless device.

[jbcohen]

I am going to try to get Amazon to include the Rescue Pack in future firmware updates. Seems to me that would be a worthy add on, might save the neck of one or more customers.

[eschwartz]

Good luck!

I don't think they care, and they don't seem to approve of us here...

[bonacker]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

What are the hacks people find most useful -- that is a slightly different question. I will list my favorites:

Thanks for that excellent list. I had been looking for exactly what the main advantages of jailbreaking were. I assume if one has 5.6.x.x one still would need to crack the case and attach tiny probes etc?

[eschwartz]

Correct. No new jailbreak vector has been discovered.

[Readirect]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

The ability to install various hacks and modifications of course.

What are the hacks people find most useful -- that is a slightly different question. I will list my favorites:

• screensavers hack ...
  ...
• Collections Manager/librariansync ...
• Rescue Pack & Cowards Rescue Pack addon -- if your Kindle ever gets bricked, having these installed might just save an otherwise worthless device.

The screensaver thing is perhaps useful to some but if you have the thing in a case, a screensaver is rarely seen anyway.

The Collections thing? Maybe but I never got it to work

The backup thing might be useful but doesn't always work to unbrick.

No, the ONLY real reason to jailbreak that I've found is to neuter the gawd-awful Kindle software by installing another reader ... and it is a HUGE reason that everyone who (still) has a firmware which *can* be jailbroken *should* jailbreak. Jailbreak, put KoReader on the device, and a whole bunch of things get better.

Ability to use epub which is a *much* better format than mobi.

Night mode

2 column landscape mode

Improve the contrast of the display (this makes a HUGE difference for me)

Gain control of EVERY aspect of the formatting for the book directly. Make the margins disappear for edge-to-edge reading or change them to any value you want. Change the right-edge to ragged or justified. Change the font size to anything you wish. Add fonts. Change the font weighting. Change paragraph spacing & line spacing & indents to anything you want. And more. No need to send the ebook to calibre to do these things, KoReader does them for you. You can even set up multiple profiles to change this formatting on the fly if more than 1 uses the Kindle and they have different tastes.

Vastly improve "collections", which are now simply folders on the device instead of the idiotic Amazon approach. Changing collections is simply a matter of dragging & dropping using the PC/Mac.

Much (much) better PDF reader. PDF reading on a 6" device is painful, no matter what software is used but KoReader makes this far less painful than does Amazon. Text reflow and far more control of the displayed text are the reasons.

No need to wait for your Kindle to "re-index" for hours/(sometimes) days.

In other words, jailbreaking gives Kindle users the same features that Kobo and every other device not named Kindle or Nook has *always* had (plus a few more). That's a pretty big thing.

I've a KPW1 & a KV. I only use the KV when the KPW1 is recharging because the KV can't be jailbroken. The KV has better hardware, the KPW1 is a better reading environment because jailbreaking.

The crazy thing is, Amazon could *easily* add these features themselves; they aren't radically new or special to KoReader because ALL good ebook-reading software has them. Amazon does NOT have good software and that's why you should jailbreak.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Readirect

No, the ONLY real reason to jailbreak that I've found is to neuter the gawd-awful Kindle software by installing another reader ... and it is a HUGE reason that everyone who (still) has a firmware which *can* be jailbroken *should* jailbreak. Jailbreak, put KoReader on the device, and a whole bunch of things get better.

Can you use the Kindle's dictionaries with Koreader? Losing those would be a huge disadvantage for me personally.

[Glorfindel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can you use the Kindle's dictionaries with Koreader? Losing those would be a huge disadvantage for me personally.

No, the kindle dictionaries are DRM'd and the tools didn't work last time I tried.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Readirect

The screensaver thing is perhaps useful to some but if you have the thing in a case, a screensaver is rarely seen anyway.

I have a cover, and I see it. Though, I have a KT which doesn't auto-wake.

The Collections thing? Maybe but I never got it to work

Can't think why, it is quite easy. Care to elaborate?

No, the ONLY real reason to jailbreak that I've found is to neuter the gawd-awful Kindle software by installing another reader ... and it is a HUGE reason that everyone who (still) has a firmware which *can* be jailbroken *should* jailbreak. Jailbreak, put KoReader on the device, and a whole bunch of things get better.

Ability to use epub which is a *much* better format than mobi.

I quite agree... so use AZW3.

Night mode

2 column landscape mode

Whatever makes YOU happy.

Improve the contrast of the display (this makes a HUGE difference for me)

Can't say I've noticed a problem.

Gain control of EVERY aspect of the formatting for the book directly. Make the margins disappear for edge-to-edge reading or change them to any value you want. Change the right-edge to ragged or justified. Change the font size to anything you wish. Add fonts. Change the font weighting. Change paragraph spacing & line spacing & indents to anything you want. And more. No need to send the ebook to calibre to do these things, KoReader does them for you. You can even set up multiple profiles to change this formatting on the fly if more than 1 uses the Kindle and they have different tastes.

Most people simply don't care, or they would have bought a Kobo. Incidentally, that is what I suggest you do.

Vastly improve "collections", which are now simply folders on the device instead of the idiotic Amazon approach. Changing collections is simply a matter of dragging & dropping using the PC/Mac.

What an absolutely horrifying idea. That is why the Nook and a few small-name manufacturers have never made it big.
Neither Amazon nor Kobo are so unwise.

Also, how do you propose putting one book in two collections?
How do you propose removing a book from the most common collection of all -- the To Be Read collection? Since you can ONLY manage collections from the PC...

Much (much) better PDF reader. PDF reading on a 6" device is painful, no matter what software is used but KoReader makes this far less painful than does Amazon. Text reflow and far more control of the displayed text are the reasons.

Good point, although I don't read PDF since even KOReader cannot make it truly pleasant, hence it is not on MY list of used hacks.

Note that virtually no devices get this right in the builtin firmware. Amazon is hardly unusual in this regard.

No need to wait for your Kindle to "re-index" for hours/(sometimes) days.

I call FUD. There is no need or purpose to waiting, as books show up almost instantly.

There are two indexers.
One adds books to the Content Catalog, and is blazingly fast.
One builds search indexes, and can take hours. It is only needed for search-inside-the-book, and works in the background. You can also disable it, the only purpose for which is to save battery drain (indexing new books eats battery life faster).

Does KOReader do text search at all?

Also, for the most part it sounds like you want a Kobo, so you should be aware that your diatribe against indexing actually makes sense... if you were talking about Kobo.

In other words, jailbreaking gives Kindle users the same features that Kobo

-- excuse me while I laugh about collections and indexing --

and every other device not named Kindle or Nook has *always* had (plus a few more). That's a pretty big thing.

You forgot "bad". Also, the Nook has those collections you crave.

I've a KPW1 & a KV. I only use the KV when the KPW1 is recharging because the KV can't be jailbroken. The KV has better hardware, the KPW1 is a better reading environment because jailbreaking.

The crazy thing is, Amazon could *easily* add these features themselves; they aren't radically new or special to KoReader because ALL good ebook-reading software has them. Amazon does NOT have good software and that's why you should jailbreak.

That is why you should buy a Kobo. Amazon has never marketed the Kindle for typography freaks.
Nothing wrong with loving typography, I simply don't share your feelings, and wonder why you shoot yourself in the kneecaps by using a Kindle. It is masochistic, plain and simple.

[Tenzin_la]

<<No, the ONLY real reason to jailbreak that I've found is to neuter the gawd-awful Kindle software by installing another reader ... and it is a HUGE reason that everyone who (still) has a firmware which *can* be jailbroken *should* jailbreak. Jailbreak, put KoReader on the device, and a whole bunch of things get better.

Ability to use epub which is a *much* better format than mobi.>>

I have a PaperWhite 2 & a Voyage. I'm curious, what do you find irritating with the stock Kindle software? Also, can you explain to me why epub is better mobi? I am genuinely curious.

[eschwartz]

MOBI is a legacy format without proper CSS support. Among other things, embedded fonts and dropcaps aren't supported. Also, you cannot update the cover and must instead reconvert (publishers often use pathetic generic covers instead of the real ones).

All things that were fixed in AZW3. The only reason to prefer MOBI is if you have an old Kindle that doesnt support AZW3: like, the Kindle Original/2/DX. Even the Keyboard got a fimware update and supports it.

AZW3 has feature-parity with EPUB2+3.

[JSWolf]

If you don't like the stock Kindle reading software, why did you buy a Kindle instead of a different reader such as a Kobo or Onyx?