newsstand app complaints

weatherman · 11-20-2011, 06:17 AM

One of the main reasons I bought my first kindle was because I loved having access to the NYT "paper edition" in an easy-to-read, ad-free format. I read much more news than I read books. But this newsstand app on the Fire is ruining the news for me.

My chief complaint is that there are no previous editions archived on the device - on any other kindle, several days worth of the paper are left on the device and are accessible. But on the fire, its today's news or nothing, so I cant go back and refer to an article I read, or catch something I didn't get around to reading the previous day. And on any other kindle I could send editions from weeks ago to it using the web interface, but thats no longer possible with the Fire. Big problem for me.

Second, the interface is horrible. Article list scrolls up and down, but navigation in the article is side to side - it just doesn't feel right. The nav bars appear every time you open an.article, taking up 1/4 of the screen, but then they disappear after 3-4 seconds and the text shifts to full screen. It is so jarring that it basically isn't worth starting to read an article until the nav bars go away, which means its about 5-6 seconds to wait between tapping the article you want to read and actually starting to read it. Also a problem is the way the "back" button behaves, taking you back to the article you were reading last, not the article list, even if that was where you were last. And the menu button, which one might think to press to get options, leads directly back to the article list. Hardly intuitive. Page turn animations are laggy, especially when swiping. That shouldn't happen on a Kindle.

I also find annoying that the font choice is universal to the device. I generally like to read my news in black-on-white mode, Times New Roman, I like to read my books in white-on-black mode, verdana. But I have to switch it manually every time when I switch from news to book, or vice versa. This should be app specific, not universal.

There are also a lot of features missing.- no social features (share via db or twitter), no clipping, etc. That makes it even more frustrating that the Times subscription on the Kindle is still a completely different subscription from the cost of paper delivery or digital access via web. They expect me to.pay $20/month for this? I guess I could just read it in the browser, but that defeats the purpose of having a "reader" device in the first place. What makes the Kindle appealing is that its not just a browser, but optimized for reading - at least that's what the brand "Kindle" means to me.

Overall the newsstand is not just disappointing, its a disaster. And it's a far cry from what it's like reading on the iPad. This may be what kills the device for me if some changes aren't made, and quick.

SCION · 11-20-2011, 09:59 AM

Yep, not surprising. The iPad experience is better. This practically applies to any app, related to Amazon or not.

I wasn't aware of a New York Times app though. I thought is was only available as a basic RSS feed. The same as on the eInk Kindles. There's a specific NYT app for the Fire?

obsessed2 · 11-20-2011, 01:50 PM

I'm not sure if this App will work any better for you. I don't have a premium subscription, I mainly use it to browse the headlines. It's a pretty nice App. It is an ad-supported version however, I think if you are subscriber these will go away. It has clean and smooth navigation with all scrolling up and down for articles, and side to side scrolling to change articles.

You can download Apps for the Kindle Fire outside of the Amazon Store. To install Apps outside of the Amazon Store you have to set it up on your Fire. Touch Quick Settings, More, Device, and enable Allow Installation of Applications from Unknown Sources.

When downloading Apps outside of the Amazon App Store, you will see a small pop-up in the Notification Area of the Status Bar at the Top of the Fire. If you touch the Notification you will see the download in progress. After the download is complete, touch it to launch the App installation package.

http://androiddev.orkitra.com/downlo...62425004254566

Being a premium subscriber you should be able to download a mobile App directly from the New York Times which may work better.

http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions...mpaignid=37WYW

One last question, are you sure the Fire isn't downloading the paper and storing it? Use a File Explorer like ES File Explorer or File Expert and take a look in the download folder.

weatherman · 11-20-2011, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCION

Yep, not surprising. The iPad experience is better. This practically applies to any app, related to Amazon or not.

I made a mistake in comparing it to the iPad experience if only because people will say "of course you can't compare the Fire to an iPad" which is true, but kinda misses the point that I'm comparing apps, not hardware. And we know that Amazon should be able to make good apps - the Kindle app is far better on the iPad than the iBook app.

What I should have said is that a core feature of the Fire is crap, and worse than the same experience on other Kindles.

SCION · 11-20-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weatherman

I made a mistake in comparing it to the iPad experience if only because people will say "of course you can't compare the Fire to an iPad" which is true, but kinda misses the point that I'm comparing apps, not hardware. And we know that Amazon should be able to make good apps - the Kindle app is far better on the iPad than the iBook app.

What I should have said is that a core feature of the Fire is crap, and worse than the same experience on other Kindles.

I wasn't giving you a hard time. It disappoints me that no matter what Android app I use, it's always better on the iPad (more features, visually more appealing).

weatherman · 11-20-2011, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCION

I wasn't giving you a hard time. It disappoints me that no matter what Android app I use, it's always better on the iPad (more features, visually more appealing).

I know - and I didn't mean to sound defensive. You're right, which is why I usually try to avoid any comparisons with the iPad.

belden · 11-20-2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weatherman

My chief complaint is that there are no previous editions archived on the device - on any other kindle, several days worth of the paper are left on the device and are accessible. But on the fire, its today's news or nothing, so I cant go back and refer to an article I read, or catch something I didn't get around to reading the previous day. And on any other kindle I could send editions from weeks ago to it using the web interface, but thats no longer possible with the Fire. Big problem for me.

The only subscription I have is to a sample magazine I got for free, so I can't guarantee this works for newspapers but on my Kindle Fire if I press and hold on the magazine icon, the menu that pops up has an option for "Show Back Issues". Clicking on this makes the older issues show up next to the current one with a slightly darker color. These stay there until you press on the icon again and click "Hide Back Issues".

weatherman · 11-21-2011, 12:38 AM

Wow belden, that actually does work! You have to be in the newsstand app to do it (not on the carousel or front page link, but it does hold the last seven days. That is good news!

After reading this post, I went and checked the manual. I admit the manual does.make it clear that back isssues are archived on the device, though it could certainly be clearer how to access them. List view seems to be the the most obvious way and the one most explicit in the manual (which fails to mention the tap-n-hold) but I wouldn't say its clear. I stand corrected though that back issues are not available. Thankfully.

dhill · 11-23-2011, 11:14 AM

If you change to list view you will always see all past editions (max 7 days per paper). If you are missing past editions, select the cloud button and download the ones you want. When you select device they will be in list view. The cloud archive keeps 2 weeks of papers, but the Fire will only hold about 7 days per paper. When you download an archived paper and have 7 on the Fire, the oldest is replaced.

I had a K3 and miss that it could hold about 10. I also see that my papers (NY Times and LA Times) do not always sync. I sometimes have to do a manual snc to get today's paper. K3 was automatic.

weatherman · 11-23-2011, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhill

If you change to list view you will always see all past editions (max 7 days per paper).

Yeah, I finally figured that out. That's one less annoying thing about the newsstand, I guess.

I haven't had a problem with automatic downloads though - that seems to be working fine for me. Since this is a wifi connection, could it be that your wifi isn't in range or working properly at the time the KF checks for updates?

dhill · 11-23-2011, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weatherman

Yeah, I finally figured that out. That's one less annoying thing about the newsstand, I guess.

I haven't had a problem with automatic downloads though - that seems to be working fine for me. Since this is a wifi connection, could it be that your wifi isn't in range or working properly at the time the KF checks for updates?

It might be that I have not made sure it is connected to my home Wifi before I go to bed. When I am out it uses other Wifi connections. I will test to see if connecting at home before I go to bed solves the problem. Thanks for the suggestion.

beckywc · 11-25-2011, 06:54 AM

Also swiping the magazine or newspaper to the right in thumb nail mode will display previous issues and swiping to the left re-stacks them.

weatherman · 11-25-2011, 07:30 AM

That's a clever trick, Becky. Thanks.

SCION · 11-25-2011, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beckywc

Also swiping the magazine or newspaper to the right in thumb nail mode will display previous issues and swiping to the left re-stacks them.

Thanks!

beckywc · 12-01-2011, 07:57 AM

For those who are trying out subscriptions for Magazines that are app oriented you can change your subscription status (cancel) before trial period is over by selecting the app tab>Store>Menu>My Subscriptions.

Just in case you didn't know how to cancel these type of magazine subscriptions.

11-20-2011, 06:17 AM	#1
weatherman Addict Posts: 385 Karma: 1010052 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: (previous: Kindle 2, Kindle Fire) Kindle 4 WiFi, K3K, KPW	newsstand app complaints One of the main reasons I bought my first kindle was because I loved having access to the NYT "paper edition" in an easy-to-read, ad-free format. I read much more news than I read books. But this newsstand app on the Fire is ruining the news for me. My chief complaint is that there are no previous editions archived on the device - on any other kindle, several days worth of the paper are left on the device and are accessible. But on the fire, its today's news or nothing, so I cant go back and refer to an article I read, or catch something I didn't get around to reading the previous day. And on any other kindle I could send editions from weeks ago to it using the web interface, but thats no longer possible with the Fire. Big problem for me. Second, the interface is horrible. Article list scrolls up and down, but navigation in the article is side to side - it just doesn't feel right. The nav bars appear every time you open an.article, taking up 1/4 of the screen, but then they disappear after 3-4 seconds and the text shifts to full screen. It is so jarring that it basically isn't worth starting to read an article until the nav bars go away, which means its about 5-6 seconds to wait between tapping the article you want to read and actually starting to read it. Also a problem is the way the "back" button behaves, taking you back to the article you were reading last, not the article list, even if that was where you were last. And the menu button, which one might think to press to get options, leads directly back to the article list. Hardly intuitive. Page turn animations are laggy, especially when swiping. That shouldn't happen on a Kindle. I also find annoying that the font choice is universal to the device. I generally like to read my news in black-on-white mode, Times New Roman, I like to read my books in white-on-black mode, verdana. But I have to switch it manually every time when I switch from news to book, or vice versa. This should be app specific, not universal. There are also a lot of features missing.- no social features (share via db or twitter), no clipping, etc. That makes it even more frustrating that the Times subscription on the Kindle is still a completely different subscription from the cost of paper delivery or digital access via web. They expect me to.pay $20/month for this? I guess I could just read it in the browser, but that defeats the purpose of having a "reader" device in the first place. What makes the Kindle appealing is that its not just a browser, but optimized for reading - at least that's what the brand "Kindle" means to me. Overall the newsstand is not just disappointing, its a disaster. And it's a far cry from what it's like reading on the iPad. This may be what kills the device for me if some changes aren't made, and quick. Last edited by weatherman; 11-20-2011 at 07:45 AM.

11-20-2011, 01:50 PM	#3
obsessed2 Wizard Posts: 1,041 Karma: 4694121 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Virginia Device: Pocket Edge X 2 , Edge, gTab, Kindle Fire, Nextbook 7S	I'm not sure if this App will work any better for you. I don't have a premium subscription, I mainly use it to browse the headlines. It's a pretty nice App. It is an ad-supported version however, I think if you are subscriber these will go away. It has clean and smooth navigation with all scrolling up and down for articles, and side to side scrolling to change articles. You can download Apps for the Kindle Fire outside of the Amazon Store. To install Apps outside of the Amazon Store you have to set it up on your Fire. Touch Quick Settings, More, Device, and enable Allow Installation of Applications from Unknown Sources. When downloading Apps outside of the Amazon App Store, you will see a small pop-up in the Notification Area of the Status Bar at the Top of the Fire. If you touch the Notification you will see the download in progress. After the download is complete, touch it to launch the App installation package. http://androiddev.orkitra.com/downlo...62425004254566 Being a premium subscriber you should be able to download a mobile App directly from the New York Times which may work better. http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions...mpaignid=37WYW One last question, are you sure the Fire isn't downloading the paper and storing it? Use a File Explorer like ES File Explorer or File Expert and take a look in the download folder. Last edited by obsessed2; 11-20-2011 at 02:22 PM.

11-21-2011, 12:38 AM	#8
weatherman Addict Posts: 385 Karma: 1010052 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: (previous: Kindle 2, Kindle Fire) Kindle 4 WiFi, K3K, KPW	Wow belden, that actually does work! You have to be in the newsstand app to do it (not on the carousel or front page link, but it does hold the last seven days. That is good news! After reading this post, I went and checked the manual. I admit the manual does.make it clear that back isssues are archived on the device, though it could certainly be clearer how to access them. List view seems to be the the most obvious way and the one most explicit in the manual (which fails to mention the tap-n-hold) but I wouldn't say its clear. I stand corrected though that back issues are not available. Thankfully. Last edited by weatherman; 11-21-2011 at 12:48 AM.

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11-20-2011, 09:59 AM	#2
SCION Séduisant Posts: 4,706 Karma: 2107018 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Texas, USA Device: Boox Note Air2+; Kobo Libra2; Kindle Scribe, Oasis3; iPad Mini6	Yep, not surprising. The iPad experience is better. This practically applies to any app, related to Amazon or not. I wasn't aware of a New York Times app though. I thought is was only available as a basic RSS feed. The same as on the eInk Kindles. There's a specific NYT app for the Fire?

11-23-2011, 11:14 AM	#9
dhill Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 11554 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: iPad 2, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD	If you change to list view you will always see all past editions (max 7 days per paper). If you are missing past editions, select the cloud button and download the ones you want. When you select device they will be in list view. The cloud archive keeps 2 weeks of papers, but the Fire will only hold about 7 days per paper. When you download an archived paper and have 7 on the Fire, the oldest is replaced. I had a K3 and miss that it could hold about 10. I also see that my papers (NY Times and LA Times) do not always sync. I sometimes have to do a manual snc to get today's paper. K3 was automatic.

11-25-2011, 06:54 AM	#12
beckywc Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1050426 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: California Device: iPad Mini w/Retina, Kindle 3, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, & Asus Transformer	Also swiping the magazine or newspaper to the right in thumb nail mode will display previous issues and swiping to the left re-stacks them.

11-25-2011, 07:30 AM	#13
weatherman Addict Posts: 385 Karma: 1010052 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: (previous: Kindle 2, Kindle Fire) Kindle 4 WiFi, K3K, KPW	That's a clever trick, Becky. Thanks.

12-01-2011, 07:57 AM	#15
beckywc Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1050426 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: California Device: iPad Mini w/Retina, Kindle 3, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, & Asus Transformer	For those who are trying out subscriptions for Magazines that are app oriented you can change your subscription status (cancel) before trial period is over by selecting the app tab>Store>Menu>My Subscriptions. Just in case you didn't know how to cancel these type of magazine subscriptions.

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