Help Request: Advice with jailbreaking/hacking new Kindles

[LeOtaku]

So first I would like to apologize for being as thick-headed as I am. I promise that I have at least tried to read and understand the various mobileread threads and wiki pages related to the topic of "hacking" a kindle, but I still seem to not be able to grasp the bigger picture.

My problem:
I want to purchase one of the new "nicer" Kindle eReaders (either the latest Oasis or the Voyage) and then jailbreak it to enable extra functionality.

In particualar I would like to:

• install koreader to read .epub ebooks

• install kterm to hack arround with my device

• be able to install most of the different apps made by the community

So I found that there ar in fact jailbreaks available for these devices, however it looks like they are connected to very specific firmware versions which my device may or may not ship with (?). Moreover some of the more "important"(?) kindle apps (like KUAL) seem to not be currently supported on these devices.

My Questions:

• If I order a KV or KOA2 how likely is it that I'll get a version which I can jailbreak?

• If I then manage to jailbreak my device, what stuff will I be able to run on it? Will KUAL work? Will koreader work? Will kterm work?

I hope I have been specific enough about what I would like to know! Anyways, I would appreciate any and all advice you kind people might throw my way!

[knc1]

1) Depends on the seller (all non-Amazon sellers have their own inventory controls).
When shipped directly from Amazon, they seem to be shipping with a firmware version that currently can not be jail broken.
If you should get one of those, you can still use the OTA update blocking name to keep it at a selected version and then just wait.

All models, with the exception of the two Oasis models, can always be jail broken using the serial port.

2) Yes - either now or sometime in the future (only the most recent Oasis model is in the "sometime in the future" category).
Like, we don't have a paid staff that works to set production schedules.

Extra:
Of course I don't know how your mind defines "nicer"; but the PW-3 is still the best selling device and still the best value / price combination.
Also, it is only a few months short of having been on the market for three years (a long time in the world of e-book readers).
Which means there is a good market of used and re-furbished devices (which **might** still be running an earlier firmware that can be jail broken).

After three years, **everything** works on a PW-3.

[LeOtaku]

On non-Amazon sellers:
Do you know if there's any way to get/guess the version of the factory-installed firmware without having to open the packaging? I **might** have some shops near me that sell Kindles offline "in boxes", so that could be an option.

On software availability:
Your answer seems to imply that support for the applications I want is already given on the KV, is that correct? Moreover based on past experience, how long should it take for some of these applications to support the KOA2? Do any of them support it already?

On "niceness":
There are several things that make the Voyage and seem Oasis "nicer" to me, chief among which would be the bigger screen (Oasis-only ofc), natural light (I mainly read in darker environments), and page turning on keypress. I know the PW line is probably a better value, but that is currently not an issue for me.

[knc1]

The internals of the KOA2 is a major design change, both software and hardware.
Nearly like starting over with everything.
We don't have "work assignments" nor "work schedules" (nor pay) - so those things will get fixed when they get fixed.
You are welcome to help, that is where things come from, passers-by that want something fixed, fix it.

The practice here, is that each thing that is released, has its own, dedicated "release" thread.
The first one (sometimes two) posts of the thread gives a description of the item, and when size permits, has the archived item(s) attached.
So the first post, and some of the most recent posts, will give you the status of whatever your interested in.
You can also ask questions in those threads, often times the author is subscribed to their own release threads.

These are all "after-market add-ins" a much more politically correct term for an International, Inter-generational web-site.
Click the link at the right-hand end of the first line of my signature for a statement on the word: "Hack"
(Which is also offensive to some)

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by LeOtaku

On non-Amazon sellers:
Do you know if there's any way to get/guess the version of the factory-installed firmware without having to open the packaging? I **might** have some shops near me that sell Kindles offline "in boxes", so that could be an option.

I expect this is easier the older the model is. For example, my PW3 has a serial number: G090 G105 5xxx xxxx

It was purchased close to launch and shipped with 5.6.5 firmware. Too bad I didn't block firmware updates on the darned thing.

I believe currently shipped PW3 have S/N that start with G090 G105 7 or 8

Maybe you can find a similar pattern for Voyage or Oasis.