Kindle DX, No Online Notes and Highlights?

[bobnoxious]

I tried to search for this in the threads but didn't get any hits. But, is anyone with a Kindle DX able to access their notes and highlights online? It does not appear that it works with DX, at least on my account. It used to work great with my Kindle 2. Can someone else try to confirm this for me? Why would they drop this feature for the DX?

On a side note, I have to admit that I really loved the Kindle 2 but now have a number of mixed emotions about the DX. I really hope that amazon updates the firmware to take care of a bunch of it problems. Here is my list:

1) No notes or highlights for PDFs. This is just unacceptable and needs to be updated.

X) In books that include references, there is often a hyperlink that goes to the back of the book. If I click on these I can't get back to the page I was reading with the prev page button. This is a nightmare if you are reading a long book. [EDIT: problem solved, my error- thanks daffy]

3) Folders!!! What a nightmare not having simple folders to manage documents on the kindle.

4) Text to speech function. Is this allowed on any books anymore for the DX? Certainly not for any of my recent purchases. Anyone know a hack? If I remove the DRM from my books will it allow me to do this? [EDIT: Just checked this and removing the DRM does not allow for text-to-speech.]

5) Online notes and highlights, anyone?

6) Simple zoom, say fixed increase/decrease 5% for PDFs. The kindle does not always delete the margins very well. This simple function would be helpful. Perhaps if they enable text functions you could use the cursor to anchor where the enlargement occurs.

X) Homescreen sort by name, title, date added, not just by activity. This automatic sorting by last activity makes sorting through a lot of documents even more frustrating then it has to be. [EDIT: problem solved, my error - thanks daffy]

7) And I will admit it is a little awkward to hold as compared to the Kindle 2.

With all that said, I still enjoy the device but my experience could be much improved with some firmware updates on the part of amazon. And I anticipate without those I will be quickly switching to another a large format reader as soon as they become available.

[daffy4u]

Hi bonoxious,

I don't have a DX, only a K1 and K2, so I don't have any DX wisdom to share. I do have a couple of points to address.

2) In books that include references, there is often a hyperlink that goes to the back of the book. If I click on these I can't get back to the page I was reading with the prev page button. This is a nightmare if you are reading a long book.

Have you tried using the "back" button. It should take you back to where you were when you clicked the hyperlink.

6) Homescreen sort by name, title, date added, not just by activity. This automatic sorting by last activity makes sorting through a lot of documents even more frustrating then it has to be.

Maybe I'm not understanding you but the DX has all those sort options just like K2 according to the DX User Guide.

SORT OPTIONS

The following screen shows the location of the Sort options and the list below
explains each of the options. Moving the 5-way to the right lets you change how to sort these items.

Most Recent First — sorts your content by the most recently added or recently opened items first.

Title — sorts your content alphabetically by title of the item.

Author — sorts your content alphabetically by the author’s last name or publisher’s name. If you choose this option, periodicals will be sorted by their dates.

CHANGING HOW THE HOME SCREEN IS SORTED

By default, your content is sorted by most recent first, meaning all of the new items and the content you are currently reading are at the top. To change this option, follow these steps:

1. If you are not already on the Home screen, press the Home button.
2. Move the 5-way up until the Show and Sort Options are underlined.
3. Move the 5-way to the right to see the Sort options.
4. Move the 5-way to underline how you want the items sorted.
5. Press the 5-way to select it. The sort order on the Home screen
changes immediately.

Hopefully, someone with a DX will come along with more answers (though some of your issues can't be fixed at the moment).

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by bobnoxious

4) Text to speech function. Is this allowed on any books anymore for the DX? Certainly not for any of my recent purchases. Anyone know a hack?

Use mobi2mobi from a recent version of MobiPerl, or Mobi2Mobi_GUI for Mobi2Mobi.

[bobnoxious]

Thanks daffy. I am obviously still learning my new device. But both of your points are spot on. Yes, the back button solves the issue of returning to the page after checking the reference. And your second point is correct and lets me change the sorting on the first page. I suppose I need to re-read the manual since I hadn't done this since I had my Kindle 2.

[ddoyle777]

Daffy,

I can access both notes and highlights from my DX on line at the Amazon site. I just checked to make sure.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by ddoyle777

Daffy,

I can access both notes and highlights from my DX on line at the Amazon site. I just checked to make sure.

Thank you ddoyle777 but it was actually bobnoxious who was asking.

[andrys]

Originally Posted by bobnoxious

I tried to search for this in the threads but didn't get any hits. But, is anyone with a Kindle DX able to access their notes and highlights online? It does not appear that it works with DX, at least on my account. It used to work great with my Kindle 2. Can someone else try to confirm this for me? Why would they drop this feature for the DX?

Apparently, they wouldn't. I started using the Note feature for a tags-workaround for there being no user-customizable folders. I did this on specific books on my DX so I they would always show on genre searches (or any other category I want).

They're online just fine (even though my K2 does not have those notes in those same books -- especially since I turned off whispersync, not that this would necessarily sync notes, I've not played with that yet).

3) Folders!!! What a nightmare not having simple folders to manage documents on the kindle.

Agreed. Until that ever happens, you might want to try this customer-created workaround (tags via note capability) described at my entry at http://bit.ly/folder-tags

Of course that workaround doesn't apply to PDFs, which don't allow the notes feature.

4 Text to speech function. Is this allowed on any books anymore for the DX? Certainly not for any of my recent purchases. Anyone know a hack? If I remove the DRM from my books will it allow me to do this? [EDIT: Just checked this and removing the DRM does not allow for text-to-speech.]

I'd heard it was quite a minority of books for which authors wanted this disabled. And they are noting on the product page when text-to-speech is not enabled, from what other customers have been reporting.

Random House is the main culprit.

Mine works on everything. Is your volume all the way up? By default, it's set at the lowest volume.

6) Simple zoom, say fixed increase/decrease 5% for PDFs. The kindle does not always delete the margins very well. This simple function would be helpful. Perhaps if they enable text functions you could use the cursor to anchor where the enlargement occurs.

Agreed. Until then, have you tried allowing landscape mode by auto-rotation for PDFs with smaller fonts or too much data on one screen?
I have some examples of landscape view vs vertical view at http://www.pbase.com/andrys/kindleplus

- Andrys