Older Kindles losing store access in August

[jhowell]

The eBook Reader Blog speculates that the idea is to stop supporting the non-touchscreen interface to the store. That makes sense to me. Amazon knows how much revenue comes from purchases made on those devices and it may not be enough to justify the support costs of keeping an alternate interface to the store going.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The eBook Reader Blog speculates that the idea is to stop supporting the non-touchscreen interface to the store.

That's plausible. Also people will still be able to purchase via PC or browser on phone / tablet that supports an ereader as external storage via USB adaptor (about €5 for Micro USB or USB-C to USB-A if supported).

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Quoth

That's plausible. Also people will still be able to purchase via PC or browser on phone / tablet that supports an ereader as external storage via USB adaptor (about €5 for Micro USB or USB-C to USB-A if supported).

It’s not even that restrictive. Purchasing from the device will be eliminated, but you’ll still be able to download purchases wirelessly. And I can’t imagine all that many people were shopping from these ancient devices, frankly; maybe in a pinch if out and about and had no phone, but how likely is that? Perhaps there’s a handful of codgers who are wedded to old tech and don’t access the internet otherwise, but it has to be a vanishing number.

[Badcatalex]

I have a K4NT and have yet to recieve this message.

[jonathan2022]

I have a theory on who is getting this message . I got this message. While I don't use the store on the kindle itself. I do use the web browser to connect to caliber. I have a faulty USB port so can't use that to sideload books. I may have by mistake clicked on store. Cursor is a pain to use. I don't know how anyone would want to buy direct on it. It's hard work. I do remember a pop up saying store will no longer support this kindle but it didn't give a date.

[latepaul]

UK, Kindle Keyboard and Kindle 4th Gen (touch) and no email.

I haven't used them for a while though. Couple of months maybe?

I might switch them on at lunchtime and see if that triggers something.

[Sirtel]

Mine haven't been online for 6 years, at least. Still no email and probably won't be getting one.

[howyoudoin]

No email here either.

[Cactus Chef]

I did get the email. I had bought an old Kindle off eBay less than six months ago for the sole purpose of having a device that I could use to strip the DRM from my legally purchased Amazon books and send them to my Kobo.

So since that is the case, and since Amazon is potentially giving me bucks off on a new one, does anyone have suggestions on which newer Kindle I should buy to maintain my workflow? Again, I don't plan to do much reading on the device itself, it is strictly so that I have *a device* registered under my Amazon account that I can download and feed into the DeDRM tools. So my priorities are the following:

• Kindle should still be purchasable through Amazon
• Device should support a format that DeDRM/NoDRM can still decrypt
• Ideally can support graphical formats (my old Kindle was too old to support graphic novels so Amazon wouldn't let me download any of the ones I purchased)

Does anything fit the bill?

[Quoth]

Some graphic novels don't work on ANY real Kindle. Only Apps (and not all platforms) and Fire (really an Android tablet).

If your Kindle FW is at least 3.4.3 then it does KF8/asw3 as well as old mobi.

If Amazon on the download is sometimes giving azw3 files and Calibre says they are KF8, then there is no point in a newer Kindle.

FW 5.x.x and later I think does KFX, but you only get that to an App or on WiFi/Mobile direct to a Kindle, never on "Download to PC for transfer via USB"

Certainly 5.12.2.2 does KFX, and I think I have a PW3 with FW 5.12.4 and one with 5.13.3, and there is no difference on what is downloaded. Both get KFX direct and azw3 via PC download unless a really old title.

Also the kindle you have doesn't even need to work!

Official Amazon FW page for Kindles.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...MQC26VQQMM8XSW

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Quoth

If Amazon on the download is sometimes giving azw3 files and Calibre says they are KF8, then there is no point in a newer Kindle.

Agreed. Why waste money on something you never use.

Every current Kindle would do what you want, i.e. let you download an azw3 file to your computer. KFX is only for direct downloads via apps and on devices themselves. At least at the moment; who knows what Amazon does in a few years.

[issybird]

I concur; you don’t need a new Kindle. The one you have will do what you want.

However, if you can value the $40 in ebook credit at or near full price and especially if the basic Kindle goes on sale by the deadline, you’d get it for for a relatively trivial sum and it might be worth doing just to have. Even if the Kindle doesn’t go on sale, if the $40 in credit is worth $40 to you or almost, then the net cost of the basic Kindle would be only $23.

I’ll be honest; it wouldn’t be worth $23 to me. However, if I didn’t have an ereader with a front light and/or I didn’t have an ereader of out-and-about size, I’d go for it. But I’d also wait until the last minute, in case of a sale.

Oh, and one more thing: If three months of KU has any value for you, you can knock that off the price also.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

I did get the email. I had bought an old Kindle off eBay less than six months ago for the sole purpose of having a device that I could use to strip the DRM from my legally purchased Amazon books and send them to my Kobo.

So since that is the case, and since Amazon is potentially giving me bucks off on a new one, does anyone have suggestions on which newer Kindle I should buy to maintain my workflow? Again, I don't plan to do much reading on the device itself, it is strictly so that I have *a device* registered under my Amazon account that I can download and feed into the DeDRM tools. So my priorities are the following:

• Kindle should still be purchasable through Amazon
• Device should support a format that DeDRM/NoDRM can still decrypt
• Ideally can support graphical formats (my old Kindle was too old to support graphic novels so Amazon wouldn't let me download any of the ones I purchased)

Does anything fit the bill?

If you are going to buy a Kindle, get the Oasis 3. I'm not a fan of the PW5 screen. Amazon mucked it up just like they did the PW4. The last PW that Amazon did not muck up the screen is the PW3.

However, given that you have a Kobo, I don't think you need a new Kindle.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I still have a K2--yes, really--and I have not received this email, FWIW.

Hitch

Originally Posted by Hitch

No idea. I guess those of us with older devices will, eventually, get to hear the Bell Toll. I mean, I use mine simply for testing our eBooks, of course--I read on a later-gen Paperwhite (since my Voyage, sob, died).

Hitch

K2US. Still working, still registered to my account. No email about this.

Not that it will break my heart. I only use mine for some rare testing.

Which Kindle devices are affected? Kindle (2nd Gen) International, Kindle DX International, Kindle Keyboard, Kindle (4th Gen), and Kindle (5th Gen)

Interesting that the K2US is left out of this list (considering that it's older than the International versions). The US-only version did use a different carrier for their 3G than the Internationals, so maybe that has something to do with it. *shrug*

[issybird]

I suspect the emails have everything to do with when was the last time the device was connected to WiFi and interacted with Amazon in terms of downloading or reading status. In my case, it was the middle of February. So, six months? A year? Because from Amazon’s POV there’s no reason to offer a deal on a device that is moribund; being registered to your account is a necessary condition but not sufficient in itself.

It might be interesting to try to narrow down the date, which is why I cited my own. Just over three months from the date of the email.

ETA: In regard to the K2US, didn’t Amazon already offer some kind of deal when they got rid of 3G? In which case, they may figure there’s no point to double-dipping. But I could be hallucinating.