Firmware Update 5.4.2 has arrived with Goodreads integration

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by aceflor

Now.. that's grand, as there never was a 5.4.0 bin....

We are discussing the PW1 and the Touch, both of which DO have downgrade bins.

Whenever we do get this update, if it isn't working by then, I am SOOO downgrading!

Fortunately, I can.

[aceflor]

We were discussing the PW2 . But hey, don't be bothered by my blabbing, I only started this thread....

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by aceflor

We were discussing the PW2 . But hey, don't be bothered by my blabbing, I only started this thread....

No me and JSWolf in the last two posts were discussing the Touch and PW1. It is fully within our rights and the charter of MobileRead to get off-topic, and I will fight to the death for my right to say so!

[tomsem]

I don't use collections now so I do not fear updates for Touch and PW1. If they fix some of the issues with cloud collections first, so much the better.

As it is, I'm getting the new Fire HD and will probably start using them a bit even with the current, somewhat incomplete implementation. They'll sync with my iOS devices so they should have some utility for me that way (for example for 'current' and 'unread'). It's easy to ignore collections on those devices even if they are 'there'.

From what I gather here about the PW2 implementation, though, Collections will look like 'clutter' to me when Cloud Collections make their way to PW1 (just as Collections always have). I'd prefer to have the collections listed only in their own 'view' (as on iOS/Fire), not mixed in with items in the Author/Title/Recent listings. But I suppose that would upset many of those that currently uses them and are used to the way it is.

[nynaevelan]

Originally Posted by Skydog

So the collections mess has been fixed by Amazon?

No, not even addressed. These new collections is a pain in my a$$, the non Amazon books will lose their collections if you deregister and then reregister the device. If you have more than one device you could end up with duplicates of the same collection name, but all the books will not be in each collection. If slows down your device if you leave wifi on and if you turn it off then you have to constantly deal with the connect option when adjusting collections. Your books which are not on the device show up in the collections which makes navigating for something to read more cumbersome than it used to be.

I could go on but I think you get the gist of my frustrations with this update.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by nynaevelan

the non Amazon books will lose their collections if you deregister and then reregister the device.

I'm pretty sure that's always been the case. Collections are only available on a registered device. Has this behaviour changed with 5.4.2?

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm pretty sure that's always been the case. Collections are only available on a registered device. Has this behaviour changed with 5.4.2?

I noticed when, I re-registered mine, that Collections is greyed out. To enable them, I believe I would have to create a collection. I don't know if non-cloud collections would re-appear.

[shanghaichica]

Uggh. I've just been hit by the dreaded collections. I updated my paperwhite a few weeks ago and everything was fine with my collections. This morning I turned on WiFi to download a purchased book and then I was flooded with all these old collections. I've just spent the best part of an hour disinfecting my kindle.

[nynaevelan]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm pretty sure that's always been the case. Collections are only available on a registered device. Has this behaviour changed with 5.4.2?

Yes, before when you deregistered/reregistered the side-loaded books will retain their collections location. Now they all are removed from their collection(s), which means you will have to reload them each time. And if you have a lot of side-loaded books which you did not buy from Amazon, it defeats the purpose of the collections feature. I can respect that Amazon will not maintain these collection(s) spots on their servers, but the device should maintain this information, if no where else.

[HarryT]

Yes, I agree.

[sirmaru]

Collections work perfectly for me on all my devices and PC App. I only have nine numbered Collections and 35 Amazon eBooks and never buy non-Amazon eBooks.

Its likely that Amazon designed their Collection software only for their own eBooks and really doesn't care to support competitor eBooks.

[eschwartz]

I don't remember a time when my collections remembered sideloaded books past a re-register. How would Amazon remember it anyway? I got the feeling they just link it up to the book record they have somehow. They should fix that, but I guess they don't care, nevertheless I guess I see why his is happening. It was never a huge deal to me at least, since luckily almost all my books are from Amazon (with liberation plus new titles that actually make sense).

Maybe I'm just not remembering, though.

I do know it remembers my collections totally when de-registered, but it reloads from amazon when I re-register.

@sirmaru, just accept that you are not everyone and some people like to sideload. I may not remember it (???) but apparently, it USED to work just fine, so unless you are saying they deliberately blocked sideloaded ebooks, your statement is meaningless. And yes they do support competitor ebooks, the Kindle Drive is freely accessible and you can add whatever books you want.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

@sirmaru, just accept that you are not everyone and some people like to sideload. I may not remember it (???) but apparently, it USED to work just fine, so unless you are saying they deliberately blocked sideloaded ebooks, your statement is meaningless. And yes they do support competitor ebooks, the Kindle Drive is freely accessible and you can add whatever books you want.

Of course you can load anything you want to the Kindle drive but Amazon, I am sure, has developed their Collection software for THEIR own eBooks, ONLY.

Why would they waste time supporting Sony or Apple eBooks? Why would Sony or Apple support Amazon? It would not make sense for any seller of eBooks to develop specialized Collection software to include competitors.

For that matter, when I used to read Microsoft eBooks on my PC, they never supported Adobe eBooks and visa versa.

The only way to get support for all varieties of eBooks is to use Calibre and Apprentice Alf.

If Calibre came out with their own eReader and marketed it on the internet, then those, who like side loaded eBooks from a variety of places, would have the perfect device to fit their needs. I wonder why they haven't done that yet. I definitely would be interested in such a device which would enable me to broaden my source of eBooks.

[barryem]

I sent Amazon feedback about the collections problem for those of us with more than one Kindle and they replied right away with a non-boilerplate reply asking that I call them. I did and the woman I talked to suggested that I delete the collections in my various Kindles and add new ones, using a different name on each device. I did and I put my books back in the new collections and now everything is back to normal.

I don't keep a lot of books on my various Kindles so this was pretty easy for me. But even if I did I'd have done it. It would have just been a lot more work.

Barry

[nynaevelan]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I don't remember a time when my collections remembered sideloaded books past a re-register. How would Amazon remember it anyway? I got the feeling they just link it up to the book record they have somehow. They should fix that, but I guess they don't care, nevertheless I guess I see why his is happening. It was never a huge deal to me at least, since luckily almost all my books are from Amazon (with liberation plus new titles that actually make sense).

Maybe I'm just not remembering, though.

I do know it remembers my collections totally when de-registered, but it reloads from amazon when I re-register.

@sirmaru, just accept that you are not everyone and some people like to sideload. I may not remember it (???) but apparently, it USED to work just fine, so unless you are saying they deliberately blocked sideloaded ebooks, your statement is meaningless. And yes they do support competitor ebooks, the Kindle Drive is freely accessible and you can add whatever books you want.

Mine were remembered in the collections.json file on older kindles, and I do not remember what the file was on the pw1 but I never lost any my collections when deregistering a device and I occasionally did it once ever couple of months.