Kindle firmware version 5.10.3

[Futuregrace]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Are you getting a battery life that's poorer than Amazon advertise?

I get about 8 hours of reading with wifi on and light at 2 90% of the time. But I'm not really making the comment about whether it matches what is advertised so much as a general expectation that an ereader in the past had a long battery life and so I've come to expect an ereader today to continue to have a long battery life making me disappointed in this otherwise amazing device.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Nor would one expect there to be. There's always a period of at least a couple of weeks between the release of new firmware and the start of it being pushed to devices (presumably to allow time for bugs to be found) after which it's gradually pushed over a period of months.

From the firmware update page:

We have a new, free software update available for your Kindle (8th Generation). This update should automatically download and install to your Kindle when connected wirelessly;

Aren't they advertising that it is available for wireless update?

[binaryhermit]

It's rolled out slowly, I've had it take a month to decide to download. Be patient or manually install it.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Firmware version 5.10.3 is now available for Kindle PW2 and later models.

The download page doesn't have any information on what has changed. The What's New screen on the device shows "Performance improvements and other general enhancements."

Maybe I misunderstand, but this firmware states it's for Oasis devices?

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Maybe I misunderstand, but this firmware states it's for Oasis devices?

Yes. Check the link I pointed to earlier.

[dex87]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I had no update today, either at My Devices nor automatically via WiFi on my PW3.

I never got update (ota) via WiFi
PW3 stock fw...

[binaryhermit]

There's similar links for other devices from https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...deId=200529680

[SeaBookGuy]

Thanks, folks - any idea what it does?

[cvkemp]

I just updated my Oasis 2 and the only thing i am noticing is much faster responds on opening books, and page changes.

Originally Posted by cvkemp

I just updated my Oasis 2 and the only thing i am noticing is much faster responds on opening books, and page changes.

Agreed, these are the only user experience changes I noticed. As OP says, Azon don't provide any detail in the What's new notes for this update, so it's hard to know what they did.

[SeaBookGuy]

I suppose it seems a bit faster since you guys mention it, but otherwise not much difference. My first Kindle experience, so was nervous about being bricked (with my luck).

[ArthurianLegends]

Downloaded the new update and every-time there is a software update, I am underwhelmed.
There is much that is left to be desired in the kindle interface, and I refuse to upgrade my current e-reader to an ipad-priced Oasis until they at least provide:

1) Immersive reading (something any phone can do)
2) Scrolling
3) Get rid of the utterly inaccurate time left reading in a chapter or book to the more usable pages remaining; what is the hold up here, really? Time left in chapter can be reset but even then I have to be careful not to flick through pages on the screen so as not to muck their estimates.
4) It wouldn't hurt for kindle developers to take a look at the options that apps such as Marvin & Maple offer in terms of font options and margins etc., or hire those developers outright.
5) Get rid of the greyed out update kindle and make it where the device can detect new software when I wish it, not when Amazon decides much later to send it to me (if at all).

Sorry, if this sounds like a rant, but I have been a kindle user since the kindle keyboard days, and perhaps loved the kindle touch the most (the text was richer on the screen than the faded out screens I see in the latest models now in best buy). I thought by now, all these features would have been in place.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ArthurianLegends

Downloaded the new update and every-time there is a software update, I am underwhelmed.
There is much that is left to be desired in the kindle interface, and I refuse to upgrade my current e-reader to an ipad-priced Oasis until they at least provide:

1) Immersive reading (something any phone can do)
2) Scrolling
3) Get rid of the utterly inaccurate time left reading in a chapter or book to the more usable pages remaining; what is the hold up here, really? Time left in chapter can be reset but even then I have to be careful not to flick through pages on the screen so as not to muck their estimates.
4) It wouldn't hurt for kindle developers to take a look at the options that apps such as Marvin & Maple offer in terms of font options and margins etc., or hire those developers outright.
5) Get rid of the greyed out update kindle and make it where the device can detect new software when I wish it, not when Amazon decides much later to send it to me (if at all).

Sorry, if this sounds like a rant, but I have been a kindle user since the kindle keyboard days, and perhaps loved the kindle touch the most (the text was richer on the screen than the faded out screens I see in the latest models now in best buy). I thought by now, all these features would have been in place.

Different people have very different priorities, of course. I couldn't care less about immersive reading (don't do audiobooks), scrolling (would hate it on a dedicated reader), time left vs pages left (don't and wouldn't use either one), more margin options (the default ones are perfect for me), more update options (don't care). The only serious gripe I had with Kindles was the lack of font weight adjustment and the inability to install custom fonts. Both wishes have been fulfilled and I'm perfectly satisfied with the Kindle interface now.

As to faded out screens, I use a custom font with the boldness level 1 on my Oasis and while the Voyage font is perhaps a little bit darker, the Oasis is far from faded out. YMMV, of course. Still, it wouldn't hurt for the screens not to fade further in the future models.

[SeaBookGuy]

I find the clock at the top and the page/location at the bottom quite distracting, so have set my standard display to avoid both of them. I note where I am in terms of percent complete when I start, and I don't tend to read for long stretches at a time, so am content with checking the new percentage when I exit the book.

I suppose if I had to come up with some sort of a quibble in terms of improvement I would like to see less of a lag from the time a book is downloaded until the cover art appears.

[ArthurianLegends]

Just wondering, and perhaps I ought to have asked this in my previous post: Is the interface the same with current updates across the newest kindle e-reader devices, or are there differences?