Kindle Firmware 5.12.5

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by barryem

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

But have Amazon ever not listed a firmware for any Kindles that are o get the new firmware on the website? I know amazon staggers OTA releases. But I've never seen the firmware not be available right away from the website.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NullNix

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.)

The periodical format goes away and the periodicals can be created as KF8 eBooks.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But have Amazon ever not listed a firmware for any Kindles that are o get the new firmware on the website? I know amazon staggers OTA releases. But I've never seen the firmware not be available right away from the website.

I nearly always download my updates from Amazon's website so that's what I was referring to.

Barry

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The periodical format goes away and the periodicals can be created as KF8 eBooks.

But periodicals have a completely different user interface to books -- the chapter format is hierarchical with a hierarchical browser (which is actually *useful*, given the propensity of newspapers to be structured as articles within sections). Treat them as books and the usability goes right down -- and Amazon aren't likely to do that while they're still selling periodicals (and they are, though many of the ones I read are courtesy of Calibre).

Fundamentally the point of Kindles isn't whizzy software. It's *reading*, and you don't read newspapers in the same way you do books. (Well, I don't, anyway.)

If the periodical browser was implemented in KF8, and the format extended suitably (the latter is likely trivial), obviously there'd be no problem moving periodicals over too -- but it's probably not that easy or Amazon would have done it at some point in the last decade. (Or there are hardly any users of periodicals and it's not worth their while. It wouldn't be the last time I was the last remaining user of a dying format )

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by NullNix

If the periodical browser was implemented in KF8, and the format extended suitably (the latter is likely trivial), obviously there'd be no problem moving periodicals over too -- but it's probably not that easy or Amazon would have done it at some point in the last decade. (Or there are hardly any users of periodicals and it's not worth their while. It wouldn't be the last time I was the last remaining user of a dying format )

The KF8 format has been frozen for a long time so I don't think any changes there are planned by Amazon.

There is already a KFX periodical format, but it is currently only used for magazines in the Kindle Fire/iOS/Android apps.

[Alborghetti]

I am not sure if it was already activated from the beginning, but yesterday I noticed the new "Read seemlessly across devices" thing. When I started reading, on device 2, the book I was previously reading on device 1, a small popup window appeared. It allows you to navigate between the current book position in devices 1 and 2.

[HLS]

I have not noticed any changes with this update. I wish they would do an update to help with the insane battery drain. If KOBO and Nook can have long lasting battery Kindle shoud too. I meen my nook lasts 5x longer than a kindle on a battery charge and my kobo about 10x longer for real

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by Alborghetti

I am not sure if it was already activated from the beginning, but yesterday I noticed the new "Read seemlessly across devices" thing. When I started reading, on device 2, the book I was previously reading on device 1, a small popup window appeared. It allows you to navigate between the current book position in devices 1 and 2.

So they're finally doing what everyone *wanted* the last read position syncing to do all along?

[Atunah]

I updated yesterday to 5.12.5 and I am so glad it has fixed my horrible battery drain I got when I updated to 5.12.4. This is on my Oasis3. Or 10, or whatever its called. The latest one. I updated my Voyage and baby Oasis also, but can't say yet if there was a battery drain on them or if it got fixed. I don't use them much anymore.

On 5.12.4 I had to charge my Oasis like twice a day. I could look at the percentage and watch it go down. Like I got up to get my tea and came back and it was 2% down. Wasn't even a minute. I would read a bit and go from 99 to like 64. Horrible. Now I am back to before, or even a bit better maybe. I read for 3.5 hours this morning and a bit before bed. I had charged it to 99% before I went to bed. So overnight and this morning session its at 90%. Wifi was off.
For some reason my Oasis doesn't charge to 100%. It stops at 99%. Sometimes it stops at 97%

But anyway, just glad that mess is over with. Otherwise so far it looks the same as 5.12.4 for now.

[cvkemp]

Every since this update I can no longer download any of my books I get an error happened. This was suposed to help speed up downloads but it completely broke downloads for me.

[Quoth]

It doesn't change the speed of downloads at all. The idea is that you can open and start reading WHILE it's downloading. Likely only makes any difference for Complete Wheel of Time, giant novel sized colour comics or if you are only getting 2G GPRS at 28 kbps on your mobile modem (or Mobile WiFi hotspot) because the nearer masts are maxed out with five people watching Netflix/Disney/Amazon/YouTube.

Try downloading in a Browser (PC, Tablet, Phone) and transfer via USB (sideload). Then you also have a backup.

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by Alborghetti

I am not sure if it was already activated from the beginning, but yesterday I noticed the new "Read seemlessly across devices" thing. When I started reading, on device 2, the book I was previously reading on device 1, a small popup window appeared. It allows you to navigate between the current book position in devices 1 and 2.

This has always been an option on Kindles. It's an option that can be turned off, at the account level, which is recommended if more than one person is reading the same book on their own devices. (Like a husband and wife, etc)

This isn't a new feature.

[Alborghetti]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

This has always been an option on Kindles. It's an option that can be turned off, at the account level, which is recommended if more than one person is reading the same book on their own devices. (Like a husband and wife, etc)

This isn't a new feature.

I am sorry, I didn't make myself clear. I am aware that this is already a feature, what is new is the way it is presented. Now you get a little popup at the bottom of the screen that allows you to navigate between the positions in the book on both devices. The previous implementation was a popup in the middle of the screen that asked if you wanted to go to the last read position, where you could answer yes/cancel. Now you can freely navigate between them before choosing where you are going to "stay". It is somewhat pointless, actually, but for me it is a better implementation than what was there before.

[JSWolf]

So where is 5.12.5 for the PW3?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

This has always been an option on Kindles. It's an option that can be turned off, at the account level, which is recommended if more than one person is reading the same book on their own devices. (Like a husband and wife, etc)

This isn't a new feature.

You can also turn off Whispersync on newer Kindles. That allows the main account holder to lend out Kindles without them messing up reading position and so forth.

For husband and wife, another solution is Family Sharing. Each can access the other’s books and have their own collections and reading status etc.