Update available

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by kejia

Sorry to be so obtuse, but do you set day 1 day ahead, then 1 day back, and wait for update?

Also, if the LCD goes into sleep mode, with wifi on, do you know if wifi is still running in background? Will it wake Alex up to get the update?

Thanks!

WiFi remains active in the background.
Note about available update did pop up for me when starting my Alex yesterday (I only use standby, don't turn off. Probably Alex did check for the update over night. It did appear right after starting - surprisingly fast.). The update did fail because of damaged download. It didn't try to update again. The user guide says, it tries only once per day. I didn't want to wait, so I manually set the date 1 day ahead, restarted Alex and then reset the date. Note about available update promptly did pop up again. May be because of "simulating" a new date, may have been coincidence.
PDFs vastly have improved, but I miss the dictionary.

[NNolan]

I've gotten an email from Spring Design about the upgrade, as another response to one I sent them last month when I was muddling through the set up. However, I'm not getting the download when I turn the WiFi on, like the email says I should, and I've had it on all weekend.

[kejia]

Originally Posted by NNolan

I've gotten an email from Spring Design about the upgrade, as another response to one I sent them last month when I was muddling through the set up. However, I'm not getting the download when I turn the WiFi on, like the email says I should, and I've had it on all weekend.

Mine is not updating either. I would miss the dictionary, but not the keypad freezing up.

I'm wondering if registration matters (Customer service says it is not mandatory). My Settings/About Your Alex/Registration usually reads null. I registered my device online, not with Alex. I keep trying to register the device itself, and sometimes I get a "failed" message. Once or twice it succeeds, and and shows my email address for a time. But when I go back to the settings, the registration reads null again. I keep wondering if this would prevent the update?

I wish there were a way to "Check for Updates". One of apps is Update Checker, but there does not seem to be a way to start it.

[NNolan]

Mine still isn't updating. I think I'm going to call tomorrow and get an RMA, because according to Kevin at Spring Design they aren't going to make the upgrade file available for manual download.

[kejia]

Originally Posted by NNolan

I forgot and left my WiFi on overnight, but no upgrade. I hope they make the updates available for download on their website at some point.

I was going to try loading ADE onto my netbook today to see if I could get library books onto my Alex because it doesn't work right now on my MacBook.

Talked to Spring Design about that -- they are working on the library books. I still haven't been able to update. Am talking to customer service.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by kejia

Mine is not updating either. I would miss the dictionary, but not the keypad freezing up.

I'm wondering if registration matters (Customer service says it is not mandatory). My Settings/About Your Alex/Registration usually reads null. I registered my device online, not with Alex. I keep trying to register the device itself, and sometimes I get a "failed" message. Once or twice it succeeds, and and shows my email address for a time. But when I go back to the settings, the registration reads null again. I keep wondering if this would prevent the update?

I wish there were a way to "Check for Updates". One of apps is Update Checker, but there does not seem to be a way to start it.

Just for comparison: Mine is registered. Directly on Alex. Then checked on PC, my unit has been added to my login.

[NNolan]

I just spent 10 minutes on the phone with Spring Design; they had me do a factory reset to try to goose this thing. I also have to make sure the LCD stays active for at least 20 minutes. It's been 15 minutes so far, no download, so I think it's going to have to be replaced with one that works. I hate to give it up for the 2 weeks it's going to take to ship this one back and get the new one.

WOO HOO!!!! It took 30 minutes instead of 20, but I finally got Build 4611. I'm going to miss the dictionary a little bit, but it will be back eventually.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by NNolan

I just spent 10 minutes on the phone with Spring Design; they had me do a factory reset to try to goose this thing. I also have to make sure the LCD stays active for at least 20 minutes. It's been 15 minutes so far, no download, so I think it's going to have to be replaced with one that works. I hate to give it up for the 2 weeks it's going to take to ship this one back and get the new one.

WOO HOO!!!! It took 30 minutes instead of 20, but I finally got Build 4611. I'm going to miss the dictionary a little bit, but it will be back eventually.

Congrats! As far as I understood Spring Design's support, they'll prepare the dictionary as a separate app for us, so we get it before the next update.
Quite frankly, I mainly miss the dictionary because it's great implemented. On nook, I steer the cursor via touchscreen, whereas on Alex the entire text is on the LCD and I simply mark the word. Way faster and more convenient.

[NNolan]

I got a Fun Fact from the Customer Support guy I worked with last night. I mentioned how nicely balanced I think the reader is, very nice to hold in one hand. He said the engineer who designed the case also makes custom surfboards.

ADE finally recognizes my Alex, and I only have to unmount my SD card now when I'm connected by USB. Plus, I see we have the ability to access twitter if we so desire. I think it's the same functionality that's coming in the 2.5 upgrade for the Kindle, highlight and paste a snippet of something you're reading into email or twitter. So far, I like this upgrade.

[kejia]

Originally Posted by NNolan

I just spent 10 minutes on the phone with Spring Design; they had me do a factory reset to try to goose this thing.

Ditto. And no immediate result. Infuriatingly, my registration info on Alex kept on switching from my email id to null.

At 3am this morning, however, I got an email from Spring Design asking for serial number. I had left Alex in strongest wifi spot in house, with wifi on, just in case. (I had changed LCD turning off -- to 10 minutes I think. )When I went to check serial number, I saw an update had downloaded, and was ready to install!

Since then, my registration on Alex has consistently kept my email id, and the Alex seems zippier and more enthusiastic. I miss the library, but that's temporary, and I really really like reading library books!