Help Convince Amazon to Open the Kindle Platform

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by knc1

and it can be turned off.
use the search bar command to put it in 'shipping mode'

Ah, but wait, a person would have to have one to know that. - guess that lets our 'Kindle expert' out of the loop.

From what I've read, once in shipping mode, it sort of resets so you have to go through the setup again. Is this true?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by knc1

and it can be turned off.
use the search bar command to put it in 'shipping mode'

Ah, but wait, a person would have to have one to know that. - guess that lets our 'Kindle expert' out of the loop.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

From what I've read, once in shipping mode, it sort of resets so you have to go through the setup again. Is this true?

I think JSWolf's question deserves an answer.

Also, does "shipping mode" delete the contents of the documents directory?

[darryl]

One area I touched upon earlier is the potential problems caused by the sheer number of Amazon devices out there. Problems not unknown to software developers. Amazon have a platform designed to be used by a very large number of people, with virtually all users technologically ignorant beyond basic use, just wanting to get on with reading or both in most cases. Amazon place a great emphasis on user satisfaction, whilst recognising that they can't please everyone. Add to this that they pride themselves on customer service. I would suggest that the design philosophy must essentially be KISS, to use the well known acronym. This applies when considering what features to include. Where possible such features should be transparent to the users. The more features, the more demand on customer support. Kindles are not designed for people who want to hack their devices. They are designed to be usable by everyone, including your grandparents in a nursing home who have never touched a computer in their lives and are no longer capable of or do not want to learn new skills. Kindles are not designed as a stand-alone product. They are designed from the ground up to be part of the Amazon "ecosystem". One can say very much the same about Apple and its products.

Some of the features mentioned here may be implemented or partly implemented in the future. Some, like epub support, will not.

[Lordblacknail]

JSWolf, do you mean that you can create directories on the kobo from your computer??????????

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Lordblacknail

JSWolf, do you mean that you can create directories on the kobo from your computer??????????

Kobo does not support directories, but it does support collections and if you side load with Calibre, you can get Calibre to manage the collections.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Lordblacknail

JSWolf, do you mean that you can create directories on the kobo from your computer??????????

Yes. But Kobo doesn't provide anyway to browse by directory structure. The ebooks in the directories will be added to the Kobo Library/Books (as long as the directories do not begin with a "."). I believe someone wrote an app/plugin that would scan folders and create collections.

[Pizza_Cant_Read]

Update: Still protesting the Kindle FW but calibre alongside Calibre Companion has been great. Jailbreaking presents useful functionality but I simply use my phone to search my library when away from my computer and then open whatever I need on the Kindle or email it to the kindle or whatever makes sense in the moment.

This was my first thread on this forum, just over one year ago and nobody has sent assassins to take me out, regardless of my incessant ranting on the topic. Proof this must be a nice community... or maybe people are just busy reading. Either way, cheers everyone!

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by kacir

I was using non-kindle readers until Amazon introduced front-lit Paperwhite.
I was using Kindle Paperwhite 1 for almost a year. I applied every hack that was available for it, including font-size, margins, justification, alternative reader CoolReader (that supported folders), even alternative firmware from China, Duokan. I was still frustrated. So when PocketBook came out with a front-lit reader (the second front-lit e-ink reader on the market after Paperwhite) I sold Paperwhite and got PocketBook.

As a correction to your timeline, Sony had the first frontlit ereader back in 2008 with the PRS-700. A fine example of how not to implement a front light. In 2012, Barnes and Noble introduced the Nook Simple Touch Glowlight. Later that year, there was the Kobo Glo and then the Kindle Paperwhite.