Kindle Firmware 5.12.5

[Quoth]

The Kindle DXG B009 and Kindle Keyboard B008 still work, though inexplicably the smaller Keyboard B008 got AZW/KF8 / publisher font support and the stock DXG B009 is stuck with original file formats, though the Jailbreak font patch is pretty.

I only object to companies switching off validation servers (Hudl from Tesco bricks if resetted) or deliberately bricking devices. If it actually works they don't need to be doing new firmware.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Richwood

Has Amazon actually announced that updates for the PW3 have ceased?

It is possible that the PW3 update is just delayed. The Source Code Notice page has an entry for 5.12.5 firmware in the Kindle Paperwhite (7th Generation) section.

[Richwood]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The Kindle DXG B009 and Kindle Keyboard B008 still work, though inexplicably the smaller Keyboard B008 got AZW/KF8 / publisher font support and the stock DXG B009 is stuck with original file formats, though the Jailbreak font patch is pretty.

I only object to companies switching off validation servers (Hudl from Tesco bricks if resetted) or deliberately bricking devices. If it actually works they don't need to be doing new firmware.

The Kindle Keyboard has double the amount of firmware memory than the Kindle DX per what I have read. 256 MB versus 128 MB per the Wikipedia Kindle reader history article tables (good info). All units starting with the PW3 and Voyage have had 512 MB of firmware memory, allowing more features and continued updates theoretically. The DXG is basically second generation hardware while the Keyboard is third generation. I have both, still working. So basically the DX white and DXG are memory limited as to what features can be built-in compared to the Kindle Keyboard. The Kindle 1 and 2 are even more memory limited.

[JSWolf]

Why can't Amazon create a firmware for the DX that drops Mobi and adds KF8?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It is possible that the PW3 update is just delayed. The Source Code Notice page has an entry for 5.12.5 firmware in the Kindle Paperwhite (7th Generation) section.

Why would Amazon release 5.12.5 for all the other Kindles that are getting it and yet delay the PW3?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why can't Amazon create a firmware for the DX that drops Mobi and adds KF8?

Because it would be a ridiculous use of scarce development resources. Despite your dislike for MOBI it is still Amazon's universal fallback format and is not going away anytime soon.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why would Amazon release 5.12.5 for all the other Kindles that are getting it and yet delay the PW3?

Most likely because a bug was discovered that only impacts that platform.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Richwood

The Kindle Keyboard has double the amount of firmware memory than the Kindle DX per what I have read.

And the DXG basically adds a better contrast screen at same DPI, hence the B009 code vs B008 of Keyboard, because apart from the screen and colour, it's the older DX which is B004 and B005 models.
Now I understand.
It's good that all the later firmwares that do azw3/KF8 still support older mobi because most people don't have Calibre and would have no idea how to convert their existing files that might not be from Amazon.

Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation)
3.4.3
Your serial number starts with B008 download this file.
Your serial number starts with B006 download this file.
Your serial number starts with B00A download this file.

Note: If your device is on a version older than 3.4.2, please visit Previous software versions for Kindle Keyboard (3rd Generation) for instructions.

Kindle DX (2nd Generation)
2.5.8
Your serial number starts with B004 download this file.
After your device has fully updated, download and install the Kindle Services Update.

Your serial number starts with B005 download this file.
After your device has fully updated, download and install the Kindle Services Update.

Your serial number starts with B009 download this file. (The DXG)
After your device has fully updated, download and install the Kindle Services Update.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/custo...MQC26VQQMM8XSW

[JSWolf]

IMHO (and a lot of others right Hitch ) it's time for Mobi to go away.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

IMHO (and a lot of others right Hitch ) it's time for Mobi to go away.

But KF8 is proprietary. That would mean many sellers of DRM-free ebooks (Baen, Smashwords) could no longer sell their books in Kindle format. Yes, we MR members know how to convert, but many people don't.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

But KF8 is proprietary. That would mean many sellers of DRM-free ebooks (Baen, Smashwords) could no longer sell their books in Kindle format. Yes, we MR members know how to convert, but many people don't.

For Tor's free eBook giveaway includes ePub and a dual-mobi. For all we know, some are already selling KF8 in the guise of a dual-format mobi.

[Richwood]

I personally find Mobi files to be fine on Kindle readers. They may not allow some of the fine adjustment tweaking that later formats do but provide a perfectly readable book. Maybe I am just not so picky about exact page layouts and fonts. I still have the Kindle DX which has ONE default font. With thousands of paperback and hard cover books published over the last 100+ years in my library, which cannot change fonts or layout, I am pretty tolerant as long as the book does not have too many typos.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why would Amazon release 5.12.5 for all the other Kindles that are getting it and yet delay the PW3?

That happens all the time. They'll post updates for a few readers and then in a week or a month they'll add a few more. Patience, Grasshopper!

Barry

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

IMHO (and a lot of others right Hitch ) it's time for Mobi to go away.

Since Kindles still exist that only support Mobi and since the code to convert books to Mobi has been in place at Amazon for a long time, eliminating Mobi would accomplish little and hurt quite a few people with older devices.

I see no problem with a company supporting older devices. It costs us nothing. Ereaders should be about reading, not about fashion.

Barry

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Richwood

I personally find Mobi files to be fine on Kindle readers. They may not allow some of the fine adjustment tweaking that later formats do but provide a perfectly readable book. Maybe I am just not so picky about exact page layouts and fonts. I still have the Kindle DX which has ONE default font. With thousands of paperback and hard cover books published over the last 100+ years in my library, which cannot change fonts or layout, I am pretty tolerant as long as the book does not have too many typos.

I don't use mobi myself, because I am extremely picky about fonts and layout, despite having read immutable paper books for most of my life (I still have about a thousand of paper books, but I'm afraid I'll never touch most of them again. Nowadays I only read a paper book when there's no ebook available at all). Still, I don't think mobi should vanish just yet. It may be an old and crude format, but it's perfectly readable for the not-so-fussy (which probably is the majority of users).

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

IMHO (and a lot of others right Hitch ) it's time for Mobi to go away.

I'm guessing you don't read any periodicals. Those *only* work on mobi. (Yes, this is annoying since it means no hyphenation etc in periodicals, but it looks like the code to handle periodicals' structure only exists in the mobi reader, which is written in an entirely different language to the KF8 and KFX readers, and I guess they didn't spend the time to reimplement it.)