Amazon Announces Kindle Colorsoft

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by jhowell

While that function would be needed if Download & Transfer was allowed, it is probably just there to allow side loading of personal documents as Kindles have always allowed.



From the description it appears that the USB File Manger is a separate window that allows you to browse and copy files to/from the device as you could with non-MTP models. No conversion involved.

Right. This is just another way to side load 3rd party content, which you can do with OpenMTP or calibre.

It does not in any way address the lack of a Download for transfer via USB option for the 2024 Kindles.

But at least now they are no longer directing you to what used to be a download page for Android File Transfer as they did prior to this; AFT has been effectively retired and the download link removed (it had not been updated for years).

[odamizu]

Originally Posted by jhowell

While that function would be needed if Download & Transfer was allowed, it is probably just there to allow side loading of personal documents as Kindles have always allowed ...

Yeah, I suspect you are right, but I still maintain a smidgeon of hope, which is why I said, "D&T might be enabled"

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by odamizu

Yeah, I suspect you are right, but I still maintain a smidgeon of hope, which is why I said, "D&T might be enabled"

A forlorn hope. D&T has never been enabled later; it's always been there from the beginning. Now it's not. And given Amazon's recent efforts to discourage DRM removal, it's pretty obvious why it's no longer there.

[mk14steve]

.... 33% of the reviews are 1 star (on the UK website anyway). People are unhapppy with the "faulty" yellow banding and the chaotic Amazon customer service when they report it. I think I will wait a year or two for bugs to be ironed out.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mk14steve

.... 33% of the reviews are 1 star (on the UK website anyway). People are unhapppy with the "faulty" yellow banding and the chaotic Amazon customer service when they report it. I think I will wait a year or two for bugs to be ironed out.

If by then they are still using the Kaleido layer for color, then you won't be able to get a color Reader that has no issues.

[bhartman36]

Originally Posted by leaston

I can't quite get my head around their decision to make minor changes to the Scribe and hike the price so much when they could (should) have added colour to the new Scribe. I'd have been all in with that one immediately. Comics, graphic novels and Manga would surely be a huge selling point for many people out there on a 10" screen device.

I can't get my head around that decision, either. They've got the tech to make the Scribe a color unit. Conversely, they have the ability to give the Colorsoft pen capabilities. The fact that they did neither is inexplicable to me. Never mind not giving the Colorsoft a Gallery 3 display.

I got a Kobo Libra Colour shortly after the Colorsoft was announced. It's smaller, so it's not great for comics (particularly because Kobo doesn't have access to the panel view technology), but it's less expensive than a Colorsoft, a lot less expensive than a Scribe, and does double duty.

I really think Amazon made a mistake here. The comparisons I've seen between the Colorsoft and the Kobo Libra Colour don't leave the Colorsoft with an obvious advantage. The colors on the Colorsoft are definitely more saturated, but that comes at the expense of some detail. And the Google Drive and Overdrive integration on the KLC, along with the epub support (to allow you to use multiple e-book stores, not just Amazon) make the KLC a better buy in almost every way, except for if you're going to be consuming comics.

And apparently you won't even be able to download books you buy to your computer anymore with the new Kindles. Dafuq‽

Conversion with Calibre does take a little time to set up (maybe 10 minutes?) but it's worth it for me. I just checked my profile, and apparently I've been on here since 2013. I've had a Kindle all of that time. I still have a Kindle Paperwhite SE. But I think Amazon is losing its spark. They clearly want to keep making e-readers (I remember rumors going around that Amazon was getting out of the ereader business just before the Scribe came out) But if you combine this effort with the QC issues they've had since launch, I think they've lost their spark. They need to get it back.

[Dr. Drib]

^^^

Your join date shows this: Join Date: Mar 2009.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

Never mind not giving the Colorsoft a Gallery 3 display.

Because the Gallery, while being brighter and more hues/greys etc, is useless for an ereader. It's for advert panels. Far too slow.

[BionicGecko]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Because the Gallery, while being brighter and more hues/greys etc, is useless for an ereader. It's for advert panels. Far too slow.

I used to believe this as well but I changed my tune after seeing reviews of the Remarkable Paper Pro; this thing looks really fast compared to previous Gallery 3 devices like the Bigme Galy. While Remarkables are not that great for reading (they really are first and foremost note-taking devices) IMO the Paper Pro proves that Gallery 3, with proper software optimization, can be fast enough to be used in ereaders.

[Renate]

Personally, I don't know what I could do with more Hughs.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by BionicGecko

I used to believe this as well but I changed my tune after seeing reviews of the Remarkable Paper Pro; this thing looks really fast compared to previous Gallery 3 devices like the Bigme Galy. While Remarkables are not that great for reading (they really are first and foremost note-taking devices) IMO the Paper Pro proves that Gallery 3, with proper software optimization, can be fast enough to be used in ereaders.

No, it doesn't. Flawed reviews.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by Quoth

No, it doesn't. Flawed reviews.

Really. How are the reviews flawed? Because they say something that you don't agree with? Have you used a Remarkable Pro?

Shari

[leaston]

Originally Posted by bhartman36

I can't get my head around that decision, either. They've got the tech to make the Scribe a color unit. Conversely, they have the ability to give the Colorsoft pen capabilities. The fact that they did neither is inexplicable to me. Never mind not giving the Colorsoft a Gallery 3 display.

I got a Kobo Libra Colour shortly after the Colorsoft was announced. It's smaller, so it's not great for comics (particularly because Kobo doesn't have access to the panel view technology), but it's less expensive than a Colorsoft, a lot less expensive than a Scribe, and does double duty.

I really think Amazon made a mistake here. The comparisons I've seen between the Colorsoft and the Kobo Libra Colour don't leave the Colorsoft with an obvious advantage. The colors on the Colorsoft are definitely more saturated, but that comes at the expense of some detail. And the Google Drive and Overdrive integration on the KLC, along with the epub support (to allow you to use multiple e-book stores, not just Amazon) make the KLC a better buy in almost every way, except for if you're going to be consuming comics.

And apparently you won't even be able to download books you buy to your computer anymore with the new Kindles. Dafuq‽

Conversion with Calibre does take a little time to set up (maybe 10 minutes?) but it's worth it for me. I just checked my profile, and apparently I've been on here since 2013. I've had a Kindle all of that time. I still have a Kindle Paperwhite SE. But I think Amazon is losing its spark. They clearly want to keep making e-readers (I remember rumors going around that Amazon was getting out of the ereader business just before the Scribe came out) But if you combine this effort with the QC issues they've had since launch, I think they've lost their spark. They need to get it back.

I looked at the Kobo too and ended up with the Boox, mostly because I wanted something different to Kobo or Kindle. I love Android on the ereader, but it's a real mixed bag overall.

I agree with you about the way Amazon are dropping the ball on ereaders and yet it must make perfect sense to their decision makers. I have to wonder if any of them use ereaders though, given the missed opportunities

Maybe incremental 'improvements' in the ereaders makes more sense than one huge list...a 10" ereader with notetaking capability, colour screen, faster processor and better PDF handling would be the ultimate for my needs and a must buy above any other, including tablets. I started holding my breath several months ago!

I read somewhere (online, so it must be true!) that Amazon don't care about ereaders and make a loss on the Kindle hardware. They keep going with it because they do want to sell books and that's where the money is for them. I guess if it is true then the Kindle is merely a loss leader and perhaps explains their decicions. But, I'm just Joe public and am clueless really