Bought a Refurbed PW2 from Woot, some questions

[GlenBarrington]

I bought a refurbed PW2 from Woot as described in the following post:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=288762

It was delivered in 2.5 days and looks brand new. In spite of the Woot description that said the box would be marked "Used-Good", the box was marked "Refurbished".

Overall, I'm pretty pleased, the text is sharp and clear, roughly as sharp and clear as my Sony PRS300. And the device appears to handle graphics better than that old Sony which could only display 4 shades of gray.

However I see a very minor discrepancy that I don't know how to evaluate. On the reading screen, at the very bottom, I see VERY light grayish fog in 4 hemispheres, it is so light that I do not find it disturbing or distracting, but I DO wonder if it is something I should worry about?

Also, this device came 'With Offers', What should the advertisements look like? Are they full page ads? All I see, is a tiny 1/2 inch strip at the bottom where those foggy areas are, that says to find my books in the Kindle ebook store. Is THAT the ad? Will it change from time to time?

[coplate]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I bought a refurbed PW2 from Woot as described in the following post:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=288762

It was delivered in 2.5 days and looks brand new. In spite of the Woot description that said the box would be marked "Used-Good", the box was marked "Refurbished".

Overall, I'm pretty pleased, the text is sharp and clear, roughly as sharp and clear as my Sony PRS300. And the device appears to handle graphics better than that old Sony which could only display 4 shades of gray.

However I see a very minor discrepancy that I don't know how to evaluate. On the reading screen, at the very bottom, I see VERY light grayish fog in 4 hemispheres, it is so light that I do not find it disturbing or distracting, but I DO wonder if it is something I should worry about?

Also, this device came 'With Offers', What should the advertisements look like? Are they full page ads? All I see, is a tiny 1/2 inch strip at the bottom where those foggy areas are, that says to find my books in the Kindle ebook store. Is THAT the ad? Will it change from time to time?

You shouldn't worry about those "shadows," if you look at a disassembled kindle, you will see the layout of the LEDS match up with that, and its just the nature of the materials they use.

The special offers are what you see if you lock the screen, instead of regular wallpapers.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I bought a refurbed PW2 from Woot as described in the following post:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=288762

It was delivered in 2.5 days and looks brand new. In spite of the Woot description that said the box would be marked "Used-Good", the box was marked "Refurbished".

Overall, I'm pretty pleased, the text is sharp and clear, roughly as sharp and clear as my Sony PRS300. And the device appears to handle graphics better than that old Sony which could only display 4 shades of gray.

However I see a very minor discrepancy that I don't know how to evaluate. On the reading screen, at the very bottom, I see VERY light grayish fog in 4 hemispheres, it is so light that I do not find it disturbing or distracting, but I DO wonder if it is something I should worry about?

Also, this device came 'With Offers', What should the advertisements look like? Are they full page ads? All I see, is a tiny 1/2 inch strip at the bottom where those foggy areas are, that says to find my books in the Kindle ebook store. Is THAT the ad? Will it change from time to time?

Yes, that is the ad. Yes it will change. Now it will be full screen when the device is sleeping.
But as soon as you turn on the PW the ad goes to the bottom.
The ad is not in the books, just on the homescreen.

Now can I be nosy and ask for firmware (build).

[Atunah]

That banner on the homepage is what the offers are. And the sleep screens will be the ads. That is the only place they will show up. They will rotate. It takes a while for them to populate and of course they need wifi to be on for that.

You can click on the banner add, or the sleep add and go to to it if you want. Then its full screen.

You can also pay $20 on your account to have them be gone. I have a couple of kindles that still have them and other that don't. They never really bothered me overall, but I wanted a quick way to get to my text on my Oasis and Voyage.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by coplate

You shouldn't worry about those "shadows," if you look at a disassembled kindle, you will see the layout of the LEDS match up with that, and its just the nature of the materials they use.

The special offers are what you see if you lock the screen, instead of regular wallpapers.

Ahh! Thanks! I wondered it those shadows were some sort of lighting artifact! And the only way I can figure out how to see the offers is if I use the drop down menu is to specifically select for Amazon to show them to me. If THAT's how Amazon continues to handle the ads, I can very much live with that!

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Yes, that is the ad. Yes it will change. Now it will be full screen when the device is sleeping.
But as soon as you turn on the PW the ad goes to the bottom.
The ad is not in the books, just on the homescreen.

Now can I be nosy and ask for firmware (build).

Firmware version 5.7.4 (It's well hidden!)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Ahh! Thanks! I wondered it those shadows were some sort of lighting artifact! And the only way I can figure out how to see the offers is if I use the drop down menu is to specifically select for Amazon to show them to me. If THAT's how Amazon continues to handle the ads, I can very much live with that!

You can also physically touch the banner and it will go to the ad, but it is easy not to do that.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Firmware version 5.7.4 (It's well hidden!)

Home -> Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Device Info

The 5.8.x firmware series has an improved menu layout that is actual easy to use.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by knc1

Home -> Menu -> Settings -> Menu -> Device Info

The 5.8.x firmware series has an improved menu layout that is actual easy to use.

The "Update Your Kindle" option is grayed out. Is 5.7.4 the last version available for PW2?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

The "Update Your Kindle" option is grayed out. Is 5.7.4 the last version available for PW2?

Under what conditions is UYK grayed out ?
What had you put on the Kindle at the visible root of USB storage when you checked it?

Go to:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=275877

Scroll towards bottom of that post, all the way to Step #7.
At the bottom of Step #7 find a spoiler in the "Amazon" section:
Open spoiler - read list of PW2 download links.

Note:
There are also newer versions for the PW2 - that list is only of the versions that can be jail broken.

Note:
Step #7 also describes the folder name you can add to the Kindle to stop it from OTA updating without your approval.

Note:
Nothing else of that post, other than those two details of Step #7, is of any interest to you - unless you intend to use any of our after market add-ins.

[jhowell]

The latest version is currently 5.8.10. If you leave it connected to WiFi it will download and install eventually. If you are impatient you can download and install it yourself from here. If you want to jailbreak your Kindle you should do so before it updates.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The latest version is currently 5.8.10. If you leave it connected to WiFi it will download and install eventually. If you are impatient you can download and install it yourself from here. If you want to jailbreak your Kindle you should do so before it updates.

Thanks guys, I think I can wait for an auto update, I've only had the thing 4 hours. Besides, this level of OS is plenty cool to me!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

Thanks guys, I think I can wait for an auto update, I've only had the thing 4 hours. Besides, this level of OS is plenty cool to me!

In order to wait, you have to have WiFi on and that does gives you noticeably decreased battery life between charges.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

In order to wait, you have to have WiFi on and that does gives you noticeably decreased battery life between charges.

If he is worried about the battery, I bet he knows how to plug it in.
Or he may already have it charging for its initial voyage into his reading collection.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

If he is worried about the battery, I bet he knows how to plug it in.
Or he may already have it charging for its initial voyage into his reading collection.

Already I can see the battery life is superior to that of my Lenovo Tablet and my Galaxy S5, which I had been doing most of my reading on. Besides, easily, 90-95% of my reading is at home.