How do "push" subscriptions work?

Zoot · 11-24-2007, 01:13 PM

Has anyone figured out how the automatic download of subscription content works?

It's my impression that the radio is not on in any mode other than fully-awake (when you wake the device up from sleep, the signal strength indicator always starts out at zero), so it's unlikely that Amazon initiates connections to the device to deliver content.

My guess at the moment is that the Kindle will periodically (no pun intended) wake up and polls for new content.

If this is the case, I'm curious as to how often it does so, and from what modes (sleep vs. power switch off) it will do it from.

One possibility is that when you subscribe to a newspaper or blog, that the subscription data includes information about when the Kindle should look for new content. So a blog might be set to once an hour and a newspaper might be set to 3am once a day. This would allow optimizing battery life for people without active subscriptions, and let Amazon optimize when their servers get hit with requests and how much they have to pay for wireless costs. But it's probably fancier than the service is at the moment.

Z.

Zoot · 11-25-2007, 01:27 PM

Well, as a first test, I subscribed to the NYT yesterday. The current Saturday edition was immediately downloaded. I then left the Kindle in sleep mode overnight (as "on" as you can have it). This morning I switched the radio off before waking it up, and the Sunday edition had *not* been downloaded overnight. After switching the radio on, Sunday's paper showed up within a few seconds.

Z.

rflashman · 11-25-2007, 04:41 PM

I just put my kindle on the nightstand and in the morning the paper is there. There's almost no battery loss when sitting there. Seems the big drain is the page turning/wheel operation.

Zoot · 11-26-2007, 11:17 AM

Same result again. Kindle "on" all night, this time with the charger connected. In the morning I switch the radio off, then wake it up from sleep. No automatic downloads have taken place. Switch the radio on and the day's NYT edition appears in a few seconds.

Conclusion (pending evidence to the contrary): The whole push thing is nonsense and no content gets delivered to the Kindle "overnight" or at any other time except when you have it turned on and fully awake. Content may be "delivered overnight" to your Amazon media library, but it doesn't get downloaded until you turn the device on in the morning.

Also if this is true, leaving the radio "on" when you're not using the device should not use any more power than having it off, as every thing turns off once the device goes to sleep after 10 minutes.

Z.

sfernald · 11-26-2007, 11:50 AM

That's just not true.

I just did what you did. Left my Kindle in sleep mode overnight. Just now, I turned off wireless and took it out of sleep mode. All my papers and blogs were there downloaded to my reader already.

Zoot · 11-26-2007, 01:20 PM

Ok, cool then. I'll tyry adding a blog subscription and see if that works any better for me.

Z.

rflashman · 11-27-2007, 07:18 AM

Why are you turning it off? I just leave it on my table. In the morning I unsleep it (Alt-Aa) and there is my new content.

11-24-2007, 01:13 PM	#1
Zoot Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 34 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Amazon Kindle	How do "push" subscriptions work? Has anyone figured out how the automatic download of subscription content works? It's my impression that the radio is not on in any mode other than fully-awake (when you wake the device up from sleep, the signal strength indicator always starts out at zero), so it's unlikely that Amazon initiates connections to the device to deliver content. My guess at the moment is that the Kindle will periodically (no pun intended) wake up and polls for new content. If this is the case, I'm curious as to how often it does so, and from what modes (sleep vs. power switch off) it will do it from. One possibility is that when you subscribe to a newspaper or blog, that the subscription data includes information about when the Kindle should look for new content. So a blog might be set to once an hour and a newspaper might be set to 3am once a day. This would allow optimizing battery life for people without active subscriptions, and let Amazon optimize when their servers get hit with requests and how much they have to pay for wireless costs. But it's probably fancier than the service is at the moment. Z.

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11-25-2007, 01:27 PM	#2
Zoot Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 34 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Amazon Kindle	Well, as a first test, I subscribed to the NYT yesterday. The current Saturday edition was immediately downloaded. I then left the Kindle in sleep mode overnight (as "on" as you can have it). This morning I switched the radio off before waking it up, and the Sunday edition had not been downloaded overnight. After switching the radio on, Sunday's paper showed up within a few seconds. Z.

11-25-2007, 04:41 PM	#3
rflashman Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 408 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle, Archos 605 Wifi, & Sony PRS-500	I just put my kindle on the nightstand and in the morning the paper is there. There's almost no battery loss when sitting there. Seems the big drain is the page turning/wheel operation.

11-26-2007, 11:17 AM	#4
Zoot Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 34 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Amazon Kindle	Same result again. Kindle "on" all night, this time with the charger connected. In the morning I switch the radio off, then wake it up from sleep. No automatic downloads have taken place. Switch the radio on and the day's NYT edition appears in a few seconds. Conclusion (pending evidence to the contrary): The whole push thing is nonsense and no content gets delivered to the Kindle "overnight" or at any other time except when you have it turned on and fully awake. Content may be "delivered overnight" to your Amazon media library, but it doesn't get downloaded until you turn the device on in the morning. Also if this is true, leaving the radio "on" when you're not using the device should not use any more power than having it off, as every thing turns off once the device goes to sleep after 10 minutes. Z.

11-26-2007, 11:50 AM	#5
sfernald Zealot Posts: 102 Karma: 101 Join Date: Oct 2006	That's just not true. I just did what you did. Left my Kindle in sleep mode overnight. Just now, I turned off wireless and took it out of sleep mode. All my papers and blogs were there downloaded to my reader already.

11-26-2007, 01:20 PM	#6
Zoot Connoisseur Posts: 89 Karma: 34 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Amazon Kindle	Ok, cool then. I'll tyry adding a blog subscription and see if that works any better for me. Z.

11-27-2007, 07:18 AM	#7
rflashman Zealot Posts: 107 Karma: 408 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle, Archos 605 Wifi, & Sony PRS-500	Why are you turning it off? I just leave it on my table. In the morning I unsleep it (Alt-Aa) and there is my new content.