Firmware Update Kindle Firmware Update 5.10.2

[rioachim]

Now live for all devices:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...deId=200529680

WARNING: For Paperwhite 2, Active Content is half broken, many apps reporting an error upon start. Update 5.10.2.1 available only for PW2 is a bugfix for this issue:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/firmwaredow...2_5.10.2.1.bin

[jhowell]

I downloaded and installed 5.10.2 on my Oasis 2.

The What's New screen on the Kindle shows "Performance improvements and other general enhancements" for this release.

One change that is definitely present, but not mentioned, is new DRM for books in KFX format.

It is strange that Amazon has left the PW3 and original Oasis out of yet another update cycle.

[tomsem]

Just updated my PW (10th gen). ‘Performance improvements and other general enhancements’. I’ll have to take their word on that for now.

[ElspethB]

I was hoping this update would fix the problem of disappearing books introduced with 5.10.1. Unfortunately, after updating my Voyage, I still have the issue of books not showing up when I switch from sorting by Recent to Author in list view. So frustrating! The books are still on the Voyage, just not showing up in various views.

I de-DRM all my books via Calibre and Apprentice Alf and sideload via USB. Not sure if that makes any difference. This never happened before 5.10.1.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by jhowell

One change that is definitely present, but not mentioned, is new DRM for books in KFX format.

Is this a worrisome change?

[HarryT]

Not in the slightest. It has no impact whatsoever on your ability to buy a book from Amazon and read it on your Kindle.

Should you wish to do a format conversion, all the other routes for doing so are still available.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Is this a worrisome change?

I do have some curiosity over why Amazon bothered to upgrade the DRM for KFX format. After all there are still plenty of other ways around Amazon's DRM.

On one hand they may have done it just because KFX is under active development and so it was easy to do. But there is also the possibility that this is only the first step and will be followed up by making KFX harder to avoid in the future.

I agree with HarryT that there is no need to worry just yet.

[TheSmitty]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I do have some curiosity over why Amazon bothered to upgrade the DRM for KFX format. After all there are still plenty of other ways around Amazon's DRM.

On one hand they may have done it just because KFX is under active development and so it was easy to do. But there is also the possibility that this is only the first step and will be followed up by making KFX harder to avoid in the future.

I agree with HarryT that there is no need to worry just yet.

I as well remove DRM from every book I buy from Amazon the day I buy it. But I buy every book I own from Amazon so it is not a piracy thing at all. The day that I can no longer remove the DRM is the day I can start buying books from other vendors and even other devices (although I remove DRM and convert to epub for archive I own kindles and just read them downloaded from them.) So, not too worried about it. In some ways it could be liberating

[HarryT]

I'm totally "vendor agnostic". I buy books from all sorts of different bookstores, store in Calibre, and convert as required. Every book on my Oasis 2 (currently 9243 of them) has been sideloaded from Calibre. I find it a little amusing when people say that buying a Kindle "locks you in" to Amazon. It locks you in to nothing at all!

[barryem]

I also don't feel locked in by my Kindles but they could still be more open. It would be nice if they could access Dropbox for example.

Barry

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by barryem

I also don't feel locked in by my Kindles but they could still be more open. It would be nice if they could access Dropbox for example.

Barry

I has been years since I have done it, but that used to be possible with Experimental Browser. Have you tried it?

But you probably mean ‘DropBox integration’.

I was also able to download from Amazon Cloud Drive or whatever it is called now.

OneDrive didn’t work — could not login.

I could even go to my library’s Overdrive site and checkout books, and read Google books.

But now I lack motivation and curiosity to do any of this stuff.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm totally "vendor agnostic". I buy books from all sorts of different bookstores, store in Calibre, and convert as required. Every book on my Oasis 2 (currently 9243 of them) has been sideloaded from Calibre. I find it a little amusing when people say that buying a Kindle "locks you in" to Amazon. It locks you in to nothing at all!

True but there are many folks who wouldn't begin to know how to remove DRM (or are uncomfortable with that legal gray area) for a purchased ebook to facilitate conversion.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Should you wish to do a format conversion, all the other routes for doing so are still available.

Okay. Just wanted to know if there was any reason not to upgrade my Kindle Basic. I'll go ahead then. Thanks.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Okay. Just wanted to know if there was any reason not to upgrade my Kindle Basic. I'll go ahead then. Thanks.

Worst case you might have to keep an old Kindle around and registered to your account that never got the KFX update just for DRM removal. ( PW1, Kindle Touch, or anything older)

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Worst case you might have to keep an old Kindle around and registered to your account that never got the KFX update just for DRM removal. ( PW1, Kindle Touch, or anything older)

That's true. I think I was just more curious what they were doing with the DRM.

I went ahead and upgraded my Kindle Basic. Everything seems to work fine. I guess I should look to see what's new, though I don't think there's anything dramatic like there's been in the last few releases.