# Kindle 2.3 update



## Jesslyn

I thought I was crazy and totally dismissed it. I got a new Kindle users guide that mentioned PDF support on the 6" device and I figured that I just wasn't understanding, but see Press Release here: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1358968&highlight=

Wow!

​


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## marianneg

That's interesting. I can't imagine that people are going to be that happy with PDFs on the 6" K2 screen, though. Under support, it does have a new software update listed. I'll leave my Whispernet on for a while and see if it automatically installs.

Another interesting note from the press release, they're saying that the update will also improve battery life by 85% with Whispernet on.


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## Ann in Arlington

Clearly breaking news. . . .wow!

I am wondering, though, how it'll work on such a small screen. .. . .keep your WN on so you can get the update and some one let us know how it looks!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

The latest software update for the K2 is on Amazon's support page. It can be downloaded and installed from your computer.

Adds PDF support and landscape screen.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200324680

Mike


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## pidgeon92

This is not very clear:



> Native PDF support will also be available for some earlier versions of Kindle via an automatic Whispernet wireless firmware update.


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## Prazzie

This is very exciting news, I'm trying to take it all in and read everything inbetween remembering to breathe and not pass out.  Manual screen rotation, dying to try it out!


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## Ann in Arlington

I guess we'll know soon enough. . . . . .


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## sebat

The font hack needs to be removed in order to receive the update, correct?


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## Ann in Arlington

I believe so, and the screensaver one too.

It occurs to me that the biggest news is that the first we hear of this is from Amazon. . . .usually there's rumors and rumors of rumors for weeks, or at least days beforehand.  They kept this one very close to the vest. . . . .


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## Shastastan

I'm a little unclear about the practicality of .pdf on the Kindle.  I can see why some might want to read business pdf stuff, but can someone tell me what else might be useful in the non-business area?  I'm really not knowledgeable about Kindle pdf app's at all.  Thanks.


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## sebat

Ann in Arlington said:


> I believe so, and the screensaver one too.
> 
> It occurs to me that the biggest news is that the first we hear of this is from Amazon. . . .usually there's rumors and rumors of rumors for weeks, or at least days beforehand. They kept this one very close to the vest. . . . .


Darn...I wasn't aware that I need to remove the screensaver hack, too. Guess I wait to hear what everyone else thinks of it first.


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## Ann in Arlington

To be honest. . .I don't have either hack on either of my Kindles. . . .but it seems to me that's what I've heard around the boards.

Also, just an interesting thing. . . .we seem to be the first with the news. . . .it's not even currently under discussion on Amazon. . . . .how about that? We're scoopin' the world! 

The Kindle Support page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200324680

says the update is for the Kindle US, Kindle International, and Kindle DX


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## pidgeon92

Shastastan said:


> I'm a little unclear about the practicality of .pdf on the Kindle. I can see why some might want to read business pdf stuff, but can someone tell me what else might be useful in the non-business area? I'm really not knowledgeable about Kindle pdf app's at all. Thanks.


Lots of free books are available on the internet that are only in the PDF format.... Without native PDF support, these files have to be converted to a format the Kindle can access, and the converted formatting is generally very poor.


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## BeastMD

I wish they would add some new different fonts with bold type options. How hard could that be?


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## RavenclawPrefect

Has anyone with either the SS or font hack tried installing this yet?  I am assuming that the hacks still work but would like to know for sure before I uninstall them to get the update.  I can live without the update if they don't work


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## BeastMD

Just updated mine, went fine. Landscape is cool, and you can flip the screen in every direction, even holding the kindle upside down.

EDIT: I was using no hacks on mine.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

Shastastan said:


> I'm a little unclear about the practicality of .pdf on the Kindle.


From my vantage point, it's a marketing feature, not a "real" feature. I have found that PDFs need to be converted to be read on the Kindle with any ease at all.

But that's just me. 

Mike


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## markmcak

I just installed it on my DX. Neither the fonthack nor the screensaver hack will successfully install now. sigh.

Updates to follow, I hope?

Mark



ravenclawprefect said:


> Has anyone with either the SS or font hack tried installing this yet? I am assuming that the hacks still work but would like to know for sure before I uninstall them to get the update. I can live without the update if they don't work


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## Jesslyn

I seriously thought I was seeing things when I saw that new Users Guide.  Did anyone else notice it?  I went to check if I had accidentally ordered a DX.  I totally dismissed it when it started talking about orientation, even though the tech specs listed the 6" model.  

I'm updating now and this is a big one.  Its been going for awhile and is on Stage 1 of 2.

I'll report back on the SS hack--don't use the font one.


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## Prazzie

I had no hacks installed. Downloaded the update from the link above. Transferred it to Kindle via USB. From the Home screen, hit Menu, Settings. Hit menu again on the Settings screen and selected "Update Your Kindle".

"Your Kindle software is updating. This can take a few minutes. Do NOT turn your Kindle off during the update process. Your Kindle will automatically restart as soon as the update is complete."

There are 5 stages to the updating process. The whole update took about 7 minutes. For a couple of seconds it showed that I had 0 items, then refreshed and all my items were back.

The screen rotation buttons added: (I rotated a sample, homepage remains rotated once a setting has been selected.)










Haven't tried using a PDF yet, really like the rotate function, though.


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## ElaineOK

I leave whispernet on pretty much all the time (yep, going through courthouse metal detectors and everything).  No sign of 2.3 on mine.  In fact, I am running 2.0.3 on my K2 (purchased March, 2009).

Elaine
Norman, Oklahoma


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## MarthaT

Mine hasn't updated yet


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## Prazzie

Do the update manually, download it from the link provided above (not the press release).

Transferred a PDF, it showed up as the very last item on my Home page, it doesn't appear at the top like New items.  It says "pdf" next to it, where it might say "audio" or "sample".  Once opened, it moved to the top spot in the home page, though.  Looks excellent when rotated sideways.  In Portrait mode, the writing is a bit too small for my liking.  Unlike with converted PDFs, you can't adjust the font size.


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## ak rain

I'd rather see an easier tagging system or 2nd choice  folders but change can be fun
sylvia


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## Jesslyn

Got new update 2.3 on K2u

1.  No more screensaver hack  
2.  Two new screensavers - Ralph Ellison, some fish similar to the birds on twigs and the Kindle ss w/ definition is now the guy under the tree w/ definition
3.  Text looks darker, but I'll compare to a 2.0.x version when my coworker shows up

The page rotation is manual via the Aa key


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## Prazzie

News of the update now on Amazon Kindle Discussions page:

Announcement
Software Update for Kindle (U.S. Wireless), Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle DX

A new Kindle software update is now available for your Kindle (U.S. Wireless), Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle DX. The update will be automatically delivered to your Kindle wirelessly. We are constantly working on improving the Kindle user experience and have included new features in this update which we think you will find useful. Learn more about these new features by going to the Kindle help pages: www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates

There is nothing you need to do to receive this update. Kindle automatically checks for and downloads updates when one is available, and your device will automatically self-update in the next few weeks. If you do not have wireless connectivity or if you want to enjoy the new features sooner, you can download the software update to your computer by following the instructions here in the Kindle help pages: http://www.amazon.com/kindlemanualupdate and transfer the file to your Kindle via the USB connection. The update process will take approximately 10 minutes.
_______________________

Those waiting for the magic to happen wirelessly might have to wait a couple of WEEKS! No ways, you're here now, do it, do it!


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## ak rain

ooh-- my oberon now works as a stand on lanscape mode. this has potential for me.
sylvia


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## Jesslyn

THis has to be the stupidest response to the Amazon upgrade. Are they serious?! http://www.businessinsider.com/kindle-opens-the-door-to-pirated-e-books-2009-11


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## Prazzie

Arrr!  You're right, Jesslyn.  I hate to break it to this guy, but with the free PDF conversion apps, the "door to e-book piracy" was open before this latest update.

People have been asking for this for a while now, it's a smart move on Amazon's part.  However, having tried the PDF thing, I really miss the ability to enlarge the text, so I will continue converting my files.


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## mwb

Jesslyn said:


> THis has to be the stupidest response to the Amazon upgrade. Are they serious?! http://www.businessinsider.com/kindle-opens-the-door-to-pirated-e-books-2009-11


Wow. What complete idiocy.


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## KindleGirl

Ok, trying to do the manual download and must have copied it to the wrong part of my kindle as the "update your kindle" choice is grayed out. What file do I copy it to?


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## Jesslyn

KindleGirl said:


> Ok, trying to do the manual download and must have copied it to the wrong part of my kindle as the "update your kindle" choice is grayed out. What file do I copy it to?


I had to change the file name from .bin.prc to just .bin


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## Prazzie

Mine already ended in .bin.  You just have to copy it to the Kindle drive, not place it in any folders.  So from My Computer, double click on the Kindle name and paste the update file right there.


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## KindleGirl

Got it...thank you! I had tried to place it in the systems file so I just moved it and it's updating right now.


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## svsilentsun

Huzzah! I'm new here (hi, ya'll!) and haven't even received my Kindle yet (any day now) but the only thing that made me think twice about getting it, over the Sony, was the PDF issue. I'm a knitter, and most downloadable patterns are in PDF format. I was really hoping the Kindle might help me take charts and patterns wherever I go, but thought it couldn't, at first glance. I did my research and realized that I could convert them for free and they might work, so that made the decision for me. I wouldn't have thought twice had this feature been announced earlier. It would have been a 'no brainer'. I'm aware that not all PDF patterns will work for me, but even if a few do, it's worth it. And the rotatable screen is fabulous!

Looking forward to learning everything I could ever want to know about my new toy from you guys!


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## chilady1

Jesslyn said:


> Got new update 2.3 on K2u
> 
> 1. No more screensaver hack
> 2. Two new screensavers - Ralph Ellison, some fish similar to the birds on twigs and the Kindle ss w/ definition is now the guy under the tree w/ definition
> 3. Text looks darker, but I'll compare to a 2.0.x version when my coworker shows up
> 
> The page rotation is manual via the Aa key


Okay - so glad I came to KB because I thought I was losing my mind - Jesslyn is correct, you cannot put the screen saver hack back on. I have tried for the past half hour and no good. The text does not appear to be darker in IMHO. I have also been trying (unsuccessfully I might add) to place the font hack back on my K2 because that really does make a difference. No good! I can probably live without the screensavers but the font hack is difficult given the radical difference between the original pre-loaded fonts and what TedSans font hack does. Oh well! Need to go over to donate some $$$ to Ted so he can figure out how to get the font hack back onto the K2 in light of this new firmware upgrade.

If anyone is successful in putting the font hack back on - PLEASE POST IT HERE!


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## ak rain

my friend with DX very much needs/wants the font hack. is there new things for the DX? or should she hold off upgrading? we live in non WN land so it would have to be manually done if at all.
sylvia


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## Ann in Arlington

1. . . .the rotational ability looks useful, the only difference with the DX is that you can set it to rotate automatically. . .which is actually occasionally annoying. 

2. . . . I think they added PDF to compete directly with Sony and nook. . . 

3. . . . no one will complain about longer battery life. (actually, there probably are some who will, but we don't need to pay any attention to them.  )

4. . . . .the writer of that article is clueless, though I agree that the improvements are a good move on Amazon's part.


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## Ann in Arlington

Oh and we definitely had it HERE first. . .Jesslyn's post was at 12:26 Eastern.

It was announced on the Amazon forums at 10:43 pacific which is 1:43 Eastern.

We Win!!!  Harvey. . .you should BLOG this!!


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## laura99

Thanks for the heads up guys! I had already removed the screensaver hack and downloaded the upgrade. Glad I read the entire thread first though - I cannot live without the font hack! I may just hold off for a bit. I just so much love new stuff . 

The upgrades may not be the first I would ask for but sound interesting. And better battery life is always a good thing, although it was pretty darn good to start with.


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## Geoffrey

Disallowing the Screensaver hack is hateful.    The Emily Dickinson scares me and she seems to pop up all the friggin time.  

I expect it will only be a matter of time before a new hack is available.


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## chilady1

laura99 said:


> Thanks for the heads up guys! I had already removed the screensaver hack and downloaded the upgrade. Glad I read the entire thread first though - I cannot live without the font hack! I may just hold off for a bit. I just so much love new stuff .
> 
> The upgrades may not be the first I would ask for but sound interesting. And better battery life is always a good thing, although it was pretty darn good to start with.


I totally understand and wish I had done the same, the problem was I thought I was late in getting the upgrade so not really fully investigating things, I jumped in thinking oh, I missed a firmware update. Gotta say, the screen rotation and PDF support is nice, but I would rather have my font hack. Makes the reading experience so much better. I have never really cared for the pre-loaded Amazon fonts, much to light.


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## MeganW

As excited as I was about the software update, I'm going to have to hold off on upgrading until the font hack has been fixed to work with the 2.3 update.  I love my fonts even more than the screensaver hack.


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## Varin

Woot!

I turned on the wireless to My Kdx this morning to download the new blogs ( was also surprised with the delivery of First Lord's Fury) and saw an extra item in my Archives. I had thought it was just a new edition of the users guide, but I definitely hadn't expected this!

I think I'll hold off on the update until the font hacks work with the new software version, though. Screensavers I can live without, font, not so much ^_^;;

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Thanks Amazon!


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## Texas Dave

Updating mine now.. weeee


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## Ann in Arlington

I expect they didn't intentionally design the update to disable the fonts, but they just didn't pay any attention to trying to make it work with them.  But, I expect someone will figure out work arounds.


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## RamTheHammer

If anyone with a K2 that did the update and wants to go back to 2.0.3 - I have the file.


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## AndrewD2

It's the kind of up updated I've hoped for the K1 for a long time now, but it's not for the K1, kinda feel left out :-(


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## Texas Dave

It doesn't say, or I didn't see it, if we still email a pdf to the Kindle's email address and chose to convert it to kindle format, do we still get charged?


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## marianneg

Texas Dave said:


> It doesn't say, or I didn't see it, if we still email a pdf to the Kindle's email address and chose to convert it to kindle format, do we still get charged?


I would assume so. The charge only applies if you have it sent to your Kindle via Whispernet.


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## Texas Dave

Not to sound ungrateful, but too bad the folders option wasn't included in this one.


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## geoffthomas

It is a shame that Amazon has not provided this upgrade to K1 owners.
And one notes that the increase to battery use is just when whispernet is on - 7 days instead of 4.
But the 2 weeks with whispernet off is still the same.

I also would REALLY like folders.

PDFs will be good for anyone looking to use the K2 for textbooks.

Waiting for mine to upgrade automatically - if it does not by the time I get home, I will do it manually.

Just sayin.......


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## Tip10

Texas Dave said:


> It doesn't say, or I didn't see it, if we still email a pdf to the Kindle's email address and chose to convert it to kindle format, do we still get charged?


From Amazon:
*
Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.
*
So, yep -- looks like you can still get them converted and I'm betting you'll probably still get charged for it.



Ann in Arlington said:


> 3. . . . no one will complain about longer battery life. (actually, there probably are some who will, but we don't need to pay any attention to them.  )


But according to Amazon -- only for the Global version:

*Longer battery life for Kindle (Global Wireless): You can now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks. 
*


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## meljackson

It says longer battery life for kindle (Global Wireless). Does that mean US wireless kindles won't have longer battery life?
I am excited about the landscape mode. 

Melissa


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## RavenclawPrefect

I guess I will hold off on installing this update until the screensaver and font hacks are working again. There is nothing I really need in the update and I would much rather have my font and screensaver at the moment.  I have no doubt that the hacks will be updated in short order though.

What a stupid statement about PDF and pirated books.  What?  Amazon was checking every single  PDF prior to this to be sure it was not a pirated book?  The door was opened long ago, this update didn't open it.


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## ElaineOK

Is there anyone who has gotten the update automatically over the air?

Elaine
Norman, Ok


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## marianneg

Jesslyn said:


> Got new update 2.3 on K2u
> 
> 1. No more screensaver hack
> 2. Two new screensavers - Ralph Ellison, some fish similar to the birds on twigs and the Kindle ss w/ definition is now the guy under the tree w/ definition
> 3. Text looks darker, but I'll compare to a 2.0.x version when my coworker shows up
> 
> The page rotation is manual via the Aa key


The startup screen is also different, with a silhouette of a guy reading under a tree (probablythe same guy in the screensaver). Yeah, I didn't want to wait for the Whispernet update


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## jsamuelson

Geoffrey said:


> The Emily Dickinson scares me and she seems to pop up all the friggin time.


Hilarious!!


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## akpak

I can't do the manual update until I get home, but I have my WN on just in case. I keep getting the alert "Items Downloaded," though. (Not books). When I go in to "Update my Kindle," it's available, but then the update fails.

Anyone know where you can look to see *why* an update failed? I reset my K2 back to factory defaults first to remove the SS hack.

Edit: Although maybe the SS hack didn't actually uninstall with the Factory Reset? When I go to my Settings screen, it says:
Kindle 2.0.2 + SS 0.4

My screensavers are now the default ones tho... Hmm.


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## geoffthomas

Good catch Melissa.

Not only does the Amazon page say that the Global is the one that has increased battery life (situation related to the different "radio" for AT&T or due to AT&T vs Sprint usage?) but.......

They show one download link for the US K2 and a different one for the Global K2.
So I assume that you must be careful to download the right one (or will bad things happen?).

Just sayin.,....


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## meljackson

I downloaded and updated but mine only went from 2.0.3 to 2.0.4. 

Melissa


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## jsamuelson

I did a manual sync and check and the spinner went round for yonks (presumably downloading the update). Then the option to update was available and after a looong update process I have 2.3.

Text seems slightly crisper and darker. Selections seem to have a little less lag too.

Now if they'll just give me images in my newspapers I will be utterly content and Nook-Envy free.

PDF support is awesome though. I have a bunch of free ebooks in PDF format.


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## jmmhooper

So the update is not for K1?  Hmmm if they start segregating updates and other things. Is it possible to have a section just for K1 need to knows?

Just an Idea so K1 owners would not have to search forum for what only affects K2 vs K1.


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## Pushka

As neither of the font or screensaver hacks will work with the new update so my wireless is staying OFF. I love these two hacks too much to lose them. And as I used Calibre to convert PDF to .mobi on my PC then transfer to the kindle, then I have no need of this update. I wouldnt mind rotating the screen but then I dont like 'short' pages.

I guess even if I put wireless on but don't update the software I still wont be forced to update? (message to self, don't turn wireless on, don't turn wireless on......)


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## MeganW

Pushka said:


> I guess even if I put wireless on but don't update the software I still wont be forced to update? (message to self, don't turn wireless on, don't turn wireless on......)


If you have the hacks on your Kindle, you can use your wireless without having to worry about it updating the software on its own. The hack file presence on the Kindle prevents the Kindle from installing the update.


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## Gayle

jmmhooper said:


> So the update is not for K1? Hmmm if they start segregating updates and other things. Is it possible to have a section just for K1 need to knows?
> 
> Just an Idea so K1 owners would not have to search forum for what only affects K2 vs K1.


Further down on the page at Amazon is a note about the K1, version 1.2. Is that a new update? Not having a K1, I'm not familiar with the versions.

Gayle


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## larryb52

sorry but I'm new to this how does one get the update, I just purchased 11/17...thanks & yes I have turned on the wireless but nothing has downloaded as of yet...


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## Pushka

You can download the update manually from the Amazon site.  And thanks Megan, I didnt realise that.


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## Betsy the Quilter

ZiaStar said:


> Further down on the page at Amazon is a note about the K1, version 1.2. Is that a new update? Not having a K1, I'm not familiar with the versions.
> 
> Gayle


1.2 was the update for Kindle 1s back in February, as far as I know. It's what is on my Kindle 1.

Betsy


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## MeganW

Pushka said:


> You can download the update manually from the Amazon site. And thanks Megan, I didnt realise that.


No problem!


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## Gayle

Sorry, Betsy.  I was hoping there was a new update for K1 users as well.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

jmmhooper said:


> So the update is not for K1? Hmmm if they start segregating updates and other things. Is it possible to have a section just for K1 need to knows?
> 
> Just an Idea so K1 owners would not have to search forum for what only affects K2 vs K1.


All the info is on the Kindle support pages, that's my first stop.

Mike


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## KBoards Admin

Ann in Arlington said:


> Oh and we definitely had it HERE first. . .Jesslyn's post was at 12:26 Eastern.
> 
> It was announced on the Amazon forums at 10:43 pacific which is 1:43 Eastern.
> 
> We Win!!! Harvey. . .you should BLOG this!!


I'm on a plane somewhere between Seattle and Atlanta, but managed to post a simple blog post.

Thank goodness for on-board WiFi!!


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## meljackson

Well mine isn't going to work. It went to 2.0.4 and won't go any further. I tried re-downloading and restarting the kindle and resetting but it just won't work. I have the US version and made sure I downloaded the right version so I don't know what the problem is. I don't have any hacks installed. I tried it on macbook first then my son's windows laptop. Nothing works.

Melissa


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## chilady1

RamTheHammer said:


> If anyone with a K2 that did the update and wants to go back to 2.0.3 - I have the file.


Just sent you a PM, thanks!


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## Jesslyn

Just saw a post by a programmer who speculates (after "poking" thru the code) that this update prevents unsigned/authorized updates from being applied--thus removing the ability to re-add the screensaver and font hacks.
Is it me or doesn't that remark make the Amazon programmers seem pretty mean-spirited?


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## marianneg

I tried the PDF reader with the _Uglies_ PDF ebook that was free from the publisher a while back. It actually looks better than I expected. The text was relatively large to begin with - looks like it might have been formatted for a mass-market paperback edition. Those that read on a high font size aren't going to be thrilled, but it works for me. No annotations or highlighting, of course, nor dictionary lookups from the text, but not too shabby if you're just going to be reading and have good eyes.


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## Pushka

Jesslyn said:


> Just saw a post by a programmer who speculates (after "poking" thru the code) that this update prevents unsigned/authorized updates from being applied--thus removing the ability to re-add the screensaver and font hacks


Amazon did the same with the K2 International, but it only took a couple of weeks to work it out.


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## meglet

I don't know if it's mean-spirited, I can certainly understand the need/desire to protect what they've created by only allowing signed updates.

But I'll wait a while before installing the update to see if someone manages to fix the screensaver hack. I can live without PDF support a while longer, I can't stand to go back to the horrible standard screensavers.


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## altompkins

Just downloaded Kindle 2.3 Update.  Installed in just a few minutes and it automatically restarted.  Haven't tried the native PDF stuff, but the landscape mode(s) are neat.  Used the browser and pages are really easier to read.  Even books can go landscape/  I like the option.  Now we wait for folders.


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## Gayle

If Amazon fills its promise to provide some sort of "filing" system, they will build on this update.  So, the font and screensaver hacks we have in place will be moot then anyway.


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## Pushka

ZiaStar said:


> If Amazon fills its promise to provide some sort of "filing" system, they will build on this update. So, the font and screensaver hacks we have in place will be moot then anyway.


That is true. But I reckon the folders are a way off yet. And people are very clever.


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## Leslie

I love the font hack, though. I can't imagine going back to the original fonts. 

I could care less about the screensavers, in fact, I am looking at Oscar, Harriet, Edgar et al. and I don't even notice them anymore.

So...I am guessing that I'll never get the upgrade automatically if I have the font hack installed? Has anyone verified this? Right now I am at 2.0.3.

L


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## Annalog

ZiaStar said:


> If Amazon fills its promise to provide some sort of "filing" system, they will build on this update. So, the font and screensaver hacks we have in place will be moot then anyway.


It looks as if this update will make the code on most of the versions of the Kindle the same, with the exception of the original Kindle. That should make coding a consistent organization system on the three latest versions of the Kindle easier.

However, it also makes me suspect that either the original Kindle will get a different organization feature or none at all.


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## LauraB

I updated my K2I manually from the support page took less than 2 minutes. I don't want to wait for whispernet because I am one of those it takes a week to roll out to, or always has, since the long old days of KK. Everytime I'm 4 days to a week out via whispernet and I want the battery life and the land scape mode. The portrait mode works on all type files, just like the DX, via the font choice menu. I like it. 
I also own a DX, but don't do any PDF, so I'm not going to bother with the DX update, I don't think, because I don't think the battery life update is on the DX, is it? And as I said I don't do PDF's so it isn't worth removing the font hack for this update, to me anyway.


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## Gayle

Pushka said:


> That is true. But I reckon the folders are a way off yet. And people are very clever.


You're absolutely right there. It didn't take them long to work around the K2i font hack. So, they shouldn't have too much trouble working around this one either. At least, that's what I hope will happen...



Annalog said:


> It looks as if this update will make the code on most of the versions of the Kindle the same, with the exception of the original Kindle. That should make coding a consistent organization system on the three latest versions of the Kindle easier.
> 
> However, it also makes me suspect that either the original Kindle will get a different organization feature or none at all.


I agree.



Leslie said:


> I love the font hack, though. I can't imagine going back to the original fonts.
> 
> I could care less about the screensavers, in fact, I am looking at Oscar, Harriet, Edgar et al. and I don't even notice them anymore.
> 
> So...I am guessing that I'll never get the upgrade automatically if I have the font hack installed? Has anyone verified this? Right now I am at 2.0.3.
> 
> L


I enjoyed the font hack also. Like you, the screensavers are immaterial to me. So I hope they will be able to provide us with another font hack soooooooonnnn.


----------



## Annalog

Leslie said:


> I love the font hack, though. I can't imagine going back to the original fonts.
> 
> I could care less about the screensavers, in fact, I am looking at Oscar, Harriet, Edgar et al. and I don't even notice them anymore.
> 
> So...I am guessing that I'll never get the upgrade automatically if I have the font hack installed? Has anyone verified this? Right now I am at 2.0.3.
> 
> L


My Kindle has version 2.0.3 and has never had any hacks of any variety installed. It has not yet updated automatically (although an earlier update did happen automatically). I will probably install this update from the download as I am very curious to see how PDF files of origami diagrams will look on my K2.


----------



## Pushka

It's funny, isnt it, the different things that bother us!  The screensavers were a real pet peeve of mine and I couldnt wait to get rid of them, I think because they were not selected by me!  I never have the preset savers on my laptop or phone - I have to have the one that I chose.  The font hack - not as big a deal but I do like the one I have now.  I reckon within a week people will have worked out what to do - they are quite competitive these programmers!


----------



## Shastastan

Annalog said:


> My Kindle has version 2.0.3 and has never had any hacks of any variety installed. It has not yet updated automatically (although an earlier update did happen automatically). I will probably install this update from the download as I am very curious to see how PDF files of origami diagrams will look on my K2.


Thanks for your post. I was wondering if something was wrong with my K2. I have ver. 2.0.4 and my wife has ver. 2.0.3. We are confused about this since her K2 is a couple of months newer than mine. I had WN on for awhile. A new book and my blog updated, but no firmware updates. I guess I'll just wait a few days to see what happens. Maybe they are hoping for folks to update via their pcs and have less traffic over WN?


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I'm going to leave my DX plugged in with the WN on overnight tonight. . . . .if it hasn't come down tomorrow, perhaps I'll do it manually.


----------



## mlewis78

The author screensavers were fine for me until after I joined Kindleboards.    

The font hack is more important to me though.  I'm going to wait and not get the update now.


----------



## Jo

Has anyone tried to move a PDF that has DRM on it. I had a free download of a book in PDF form that has DRM. When I moved it over it show up on the Kindle as PDF but when I try to access it an error message comes up "your kindle has encountered an unexpected error. If the problem persist, please restart your kindle."


----------



## Ann in Arlington

It is unlikely that the Kindle will correctly display anything that has non-Amazon DRM. . .no matter the format. . . . . .


----------



## chilady1

Not everyone gets the updates right away.  I think Amazon sends out the updates in waves as oppose to all at once.  So where some get it day 1, others might not get it until day 2 or 3.  I could be wrong but based on when I hear people getting the updates it appears to be rolling.


----------



## Chris W

I was reading the Amazon support page, mostly to see how the new update would bring the K2 in line with my DX, when I realized the update was for both devices. I started to get my USB cable ready, but I checked my DX, and there was version 2.3 already downloaded through Whispernet. I tend to leave wireless on all the time, so I'll be interested in seeing if the update improves my battery life.


----------



## telracs

My kindle and my computer have never met (never had any reason to), so does this mean I have no other option but to introduce them to get the update?


----------



## chilady1

scarlet said:


> My kindle and my computer have never met (never had any reason to), so does this mean I have no other option but to introduce them to get the update?


No, just leave your WhisperNet on and you should receive the update automatically. Keep in mind, if you have either the screensaver or font hack, or both, then the update will not occur automatically. You have to remove both from the Kindle before the update will process.


----------



## Leslie

scarlet said:


> My kindle and my computer have never met (never had any reason to), so does this mean I have no other option but to introduce them to get the update?


If you can be patient, it should show up automatically sometime in the next few weeks (according to what I just read at Amazon) when you turn the WN on. Of course, if you have any of the hacks installed, it might not show up. That's what I am trying to ascertain and I don't have a definitive answer yet.

L


----------



## telracs

Leslie said:


> If you can be patient, it should show up automatically sometime in the next few weeks (according to what I just read at Amazon) when you turn the WN on. Of course, if you have any of the hacks installed, it might not show up. That's what I am trying to ascertain and I don't have a definitive answer yet.
> 
> L


I don't have any hacks installed and yeah, I can be patient, since I don't use the kindle for any PDF files.

Thanks.


----------



## Annalog

Pushka said:


> It's funny, isnt it, the different things that bother us! The screensavers were a real pet peeve of mine and I couldnt wait to get rid of them, I think because they were not selected by me! I never have the preset savers on my laptop or phone - I have to have the one that I chose. The font hack - not as big a deal but I do like the one I have now. I reckon within a week people will have worked out what to do - they are quite competitive these programmers!


Yes it is. I don't install screensavers on my computers either as I normally use the None or Blank Screen screensavers. I find movement on the screen very distracting. Since I normally don't spend much time looking at my Kindle when the screensaver is on (except when waiting for updates  ), the default screensaver pictures don't bother me. However, it would be nice to put pictures of my granddaughter's there instead.  Fortunately I haven't needed the font hack as I am nearsighted and can easily read the smallest font on the Kindle if I take off my glasses. I even use the smallest font on the Web browser page.

I downloaded and installed the update and then put 51 PDFs that I had in my Origami folder on my computer. I checked 4 and they have been readable either in portrait or landscape. A problem I found with the ones I checked in landscape mode has been when a specific diagram does not fit on the section of the screen currently visible. However, when the Kindle went backwards on a page (prev page), I was usually able to see a different 'cut' of the page. YEAH!

I miss not being able to add notes to PDFs. Maybe in a future update. 

I did notice that the version of the Kindle is now displayed on the right instead of the left.

Also, line spacing is still available on my Kindle after the Words per Line was added. I wonder if the Kindle DX will now have adjustable line spacing?

It is possible that the font is darker but I am not certain.

For me, this update has been all positive so far.

(EDIT: Other than now bringing my Home list up to 46 pages when showing all items (6 pages Personal Docs, 40 pages Books)! Eagerly waiting for more organization features. )


----------



## Chris W

Some more thoughts about the update. This basically brings the software side of the Kindle 2 inline with that of the Nook, with the exception of the lending feature. I'm guessing they did this to tip the balance for any prospective e-Reader consumers over to the Amazon family during Christmas, now that the Nook is no longer available until January. 
Now I can only hope that they get the organization / folder update done in early January to put the Kindle software over the top of the Nook's, to get all the post Christmas buyers to choose the Kindle family.
Then, I'm sure, sometime in the first half of 2010, there will be a new hardware revision that leapfrogs the Nook. They can't quickly match features every time a new product comes out, or they will lose the cost benefits of mass production. But that just puts e-Readers into the same category as televisions, computers, and most other electronics devices: they are 'obsolete' the week after they are released.


----------



## telracs

I re-read the Amazon page and it says next time whispernet is on and kindle is in sleep mode, so I've turned on my whispernet and am waiting for it to go to sleep and then I'll check it.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked

scarlet said:


> I re-read the Amazon page and it says next time whispernet is on and kindle is in sleep mode, so I've turned on my whispernet and am waiting for it to go to sleep and then I'll check it.


I think this only happens if your Kindle is in the queue for updates at that time. As I recall they use rolling updates, i.e. not everyone gets it at the same time and it may takes weeks.

Or not. 

Mike


----------



## Anju 

I have my WN on, and it's asleep, has been for several hours.  Will leave on all night and if it has not downloaded by the morning will do it manually.  But then don't know if Global kindle will do this this way, wireless.


----------



## telracs

Well, I left it asleep with the WN on for an hour and it seems to have downloaded (at least the settings page now says version 2.3 with a long number in parenthesis), but I'm not seeing a line spacing option on my DX, so it looks like that's still not available.


----------



## egh34

Hate to be so blonde, but is it 2.3 or 2.03 we are dealing with? I have 2.03 on my Kindle now, and since it took me about 4 hours to install the screensavers, I really don't want to uninstall the screensavers and then re-install them if I don't have to.

Thanks for your help!!


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked

The new version is 2.30. As I understand it, it breaks font hacks for the moment.

Mike


----------



## akpak

We're talking about 2.3... The version that now supports PDF. I removed the screensaver hack because PDF support was way more important


----------



## auntmarge

I'm with those awaiting the font hack workaround. So glad I saw that before I updated, since it makes a huge difference to me in ease of reading. I _am _looking forward to landscape mode, though.


----------



## pidgeon92

I took off both hacks, and updated the Kindle manually... The PDF support is nice, but unfortunately you cannot change the text size of the PDFs.... However, if you rotate the page, the text enlarges to fill it.


----------



## Ephany

It took my non-computer savvy self a few tries, but I finally got it upated. Not sure if I'll really use the new features, but they may come in handy.


----------



## egh34

OK, may need more help. Uninstalled the hack (I think...mainly because the old screensavers are back) and did a manual download. Everything seems ok, and I even watched when it said it was dowloading and watched it do it's thing. BUT, it still shows 2.0.3...any ideas?


----------



## anivyl

for people trying to update it now-ish:

just called customer service, whispernet is currently undergoing maintenance so updating via WN is going to be either 1) slow or 2) non-existent. for me, it was non-existent.


question, so we definitely can't do a screensaver hack at the moment?


----------



## tsemple

This brings K2's PDF support to par with DX's (albeit with a smaller screen to work with). Which is to say it is lacking PDF support commonly available on other reading devices (reflow, ADE/ACS). You basically get two text sizes: the one resulting from displaying the full page in Portrait orientation, and the one resulting from displaying a portion of the page at a time in landscape mode (if PDF doc is in landscape to begin with, not sure what it will do with it...).

But that's useful enough for me. If you author your own PDF's, it means you can format your document for K2's screen size before converting, so the text size will be readable and can use whatever font you happen to have available on your computer. I want to use it to convert Russian text so I can read it on my K2 without font hack, so it is good enough for that. And Landscape will be nice even for MOBI docs.


----------



## Jo

Ann in Arlington said:


> It is unlikely that the Kindle will correctly display anything that has non-Amazon DRM. . .no matter the format. . . . . .


Wishful thinking...


----------



## Annalog

After looking at the screensaver images, it definitely seems as if there is more contrast on my Kindle. Also, the following is the list of what seems to be the new default on my Kindle 2:

Number calculating machine (Now with Kindle-feedback instead of Kindle2-feedback address)
Ralph Ellison
Kindle definition with man reading under a tree
Audubon finches-in-a-tree
Virginia Woolf
Jules Verne
Illuminated page with Iohannis aquila in upper right corner
Jane Austen
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Emily Dickinson
Hercules constellation
17th century astronomer & his wife
James Joyce
Mark Twain
Sybilla Samia
Fish
John Steinbeck
Renaissance man writing with a curtain as the background
Man at table with lion in foreground
Albertus" page
Charlotte Bronte
Cathedral floorplan
Agatha Christie
Alexandre Dumas
I no longer see:

Edgar Allen Poe
Kindle definition with falling letters
Oscar Wilde
John Milton
Lewis Carroll


----------



## Chris W

Annalog said:


> After looking at the screensaver images, it definitely seems as if there is more contrast on my Kindle. Also, the following is the list of what seems to be the new default on my Kindle 2:


I ran through my screensavers on my DX, and they match up. Makes sense, as the software version is the same.
My feedback screen still has the address of Kindledx-feedback though, not sure how big of a difference that makes now.


----------



## LauraB

Chris, I updated my K2I, but not my DX because I couldn't see from the update information on Amazon that it does anything besides PDF stuff. And I don't do PDF so don't want to give up hacks for the update. Does it do anything besides that for the DX that you can tell


----------



## k_reader

These were my most HATED screen savers.... so glad to see they are gone.

Edgar Allen Poe
Oscar Wilde
John Milton
Lewis Carroll

However, I love my new screen savers so much more! I would have gotten rid of them, but the Fonts Hack is a must have for me. The text quality is SO much better.  It never ceases to amaze me as to why amazon couldn't load a few fonts and give choices.  I get they are trying to keep the product simple for non technical users, but, this is ridiculous.  Adding some choices on font styles would be SO EASY for them.  I don't get it.

No upgrade for me, until I can get my fonts!


----------



## LauraB

I miss the Oscar Wilde on my K2 already, he is one of my favorite authors.


----------



## Susan in VA

Ann in Arlington said:


> To be honest. . .I don't have either hack on either of my Kindles. . .


Didn't I look at your Kindle to see an example of the font hack, just a few months ago?  Or am I losing my mind?

Reading through all these posts, I think maybe I don't really want this update for myself... No need for rotation, and no need for pdf files until the day I land a full-time job again and splurge on a DX to celebrate that.

Unfortunately, even though I've been meaning to do it for _months_, I have neither hack installed... even though I already have a file with a _huge_ collection of screensaver images collected from KB, thanks to all of you who make such cool ones.

So I guess what I have to do now is install one or both ASAP, _before_ I turn on WN again... Somehow I don't think that's what Amazon intended.


----------



## meglet

Looks like screensavers and fonts have already been fixed. Link to MobileRead: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63225.

I've downloaded the repackaged hacks, but I think I'll wait to update (2.3 and the hacks) until someone else confirms they work properly. Not really feeling in the mood to be the guinea pig tonight.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

I agree meglet, I will let it be tested a few times before I do it as well


----------



## Chris W

Red said:


> Chris, I updated my K2I, but not my DX because I couldn't see from the update information on Amazon that it does anything besides PDF stuff. And I don't do PDF so don't want to give up hacks for the update. Does it do anything besides that for the DX that you can tell


My update came via Whispernet before I even checked it, but I don't have any hacks installed. It's supposed to improve battery life, only time will tell with that. However, the only change I noticed is the sleep mode. It changed the time from 5 to 20 minutes before it goes to sleep.


----------



## LauraB

I was wondering about the battery life aspect. But it only lists that under the K2I, not k2 or DX so I wasn't sure. Of course, as you say, only time will tell.


----------



## ElaineOK

One of the first books I read on Kindle was about a member of the Renaissance Medici family.  Obviously, the book came complete with family tree at the front.  It was completely illegible.  Zoom function notwithstanding.  I downloaded the upgrade, restored that book from my archive, flipped to that page, switched to landscape view (really cool, btw) and zoomed the family tree.  It zoomed the illustration, reverted to portrait mode, as illegible as ever.

Sigh.

Elaine
Norman, Oklahoma


----------



## cloudyvisions

The update sounds really cool. The landscape idea sounds neat, especially since then I could prop my Oberon cover up and read that way. And I have a ton of older PDF books that are just basic e-books, that I would love to have on my Kindle since I haven't converted them. But I love my screensaver and font hack too much to give them up. I don't know if I could go back to reading with the default font since I'm so used to the one I have on my Kindle now. I'm crossing my fingers that the developers of these hacks can work a way around 2.3 soon!


----------



## mlewis78

cloudyvisions said:


> The update sounds really cool. The landscape idea sounds neat, especially since then I could prop my Oberon cover up and read that way. And I have a ton of older PDF books that are just basic e-books, that I would love to have on my Kindle since I haven't converted them. But I love my screensaver and font hack too much to give them up. I don't know if I could go back to reading with the default font since I'm so used to the one I have on my Kindle now. I'm crossing my fingers that the developers of these hacks can work a way around 2.3 soon!


See post #121 on this thread. I haven't done this yet myself and am not going to attempt it tonight.


----------



## diabolikul

I can't get the update to work.

I had the font hack and screensaver hack installed.  I've downloaded the uninstall files for both hacks and applied them individually.  Then I've downloaded the 2.3 update from Amazon and applied it manually.

Not matter what I do the kindle still shows 2.0.3 + ss 0.4

I don't get a "fail" on any of the uninstalls or in the install on the 2.3 update.  Just doesn't work for some reason.

Any clues?


----------



## pidgeon92

^^^ Assuming that you have verified that both uninstalls worked, I would suggest simply trying to install the update again....

When I installed the update, my Kindle actually updated twice, and I would say it took about 10 minutes for the install to finish.


----------



## bzImage

To confirm. I just installed the UFH_Droid_Sans font hack from this link:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666912&postcount=18

on my 2.3 Kindle 2 Int. (using the -k2i.bin file) and everything works as expected.

(no jailbreak needed)

Here is a screenshot of that font in landscape mode:










BTW The Newest Screen saver hack also works.. !!


----------



## diabolikul

pidgeon92 said:


> ^^^ Assuming that you have verified that both uninstalls worked, I would suggest simply trying to install the update again....
> 
> When I installed the update, my Kindle actually updated twice, and I would say it took about 10 minutes for the install to finish.


I'll try again. Perhaps I downloaded the 0.3 screensaver hack uninstall file instead. I'll give it another whirl and see.

And if the font hacks work again, I'm golden with the extended battery life and landscape mode.

THanks for the reply.

Happy Thanksgiving.


----------



## meglet

meglet said:


> Looks like screensavers and fonts have already been fixed. Link to MobileRead: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63225.
> 
> I've downloaded the repackaged hacks, but I think I'll wait to update (2.3 and the hacks) until someone else confirms they work properly. Not really feeling in the mood to be the guinea pig tonight.


Well, I never said patience was one of my virtues. I got bored, so I uninstalled my old screensaver hack, downloaded and installed 2.3, and ran the new screensaver hack from the link here, following the "README.txt" instructions included in the download. Everything worked perfectly. My custom screensavers were even still on the Kindle when I put the updated screensaver hack on after installing 2.3.

One note about the hacks at the link I've posted: it contains the updates for the K2, K2 International (K2i) and Kindle DX. Make sure you pick the right one for your Kindle.


----------



## Pushka

Wow, some of you  are so quick in doing this Hack and update - and how quick were the hacks done.  The guy who did this lives hack in Australia and it is the middle of the day so I guess that makes sense.  Think I might wait a bit and go slow, I am like that.

So, to get this right I have to uninstall both screensaver and font hacks, update the firmware then reinstall.  Along with a multitude of software updates on the kindle  along the way.


----------



## chiffchaff

I love the font hack but don't like to fall too far behind on updates so I went for it.  Worked like a charm - I really appreciate this Board, since who knows when I would have noticed there was an update otherwise!  Plus I could go back to the font hack thread to refresh my memory on how to uninstall.  Now I'm off to explore the new font hack options meglet posted about.


----------



## cloudyvisions

mlewis78 said:


> See post #121 on this thread. I haven't done this yet myself and am not going to attempt it tonight.


Oh nice! There were new posts since when I started typing that I guess! Hopefully I can figure it out, it's kinda unclear to me. But I'm going to give it a try then, I guess!


----------



## meglet

Hah. Apparently I posted about the font hacks, but forgot to post the actual link. Here it is: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666941&postcount=19

Pushka, that is correct. Uninstall your current hacks (I know the old screensaver hack came with an uninstaller, not sure about the old font hack) install 2.3 (which includes any Kindle updates you might have missed, so you only have to do this once) and then install the updated hacks. Total time it took me was about 15 minutes.

cloudyvisions, there is a link in the Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting forum here for "Kindle Screensaver instructions as easy as I can get them." Those instructions are still valid, you just need to download the screensavers from the link I posted here earlier instead of the link in that thread.


----------



## diabolikul

diabolikul said:


> I'll try again. Perhaps I downloaded the 0.3 screensaver hack uninstall file instead. I'll give it another whirl and see.
> 
> And if the font hacks work again, I'm golden with the extended battery life and landscape mode.
> 
> THanks for the reply.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving.


Confirmed that I had the SS 0.4 hack installed and errantly downloaded the 0.3 uninstall file. Major FAIL.

HA!


----------



## cloudyvisions

meglet said:


> Hah. Apparently I posted about the font hacks, but forgot to post the actual link. Here it is: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666941&postcount=19
> 
> Pushka, that is correct. Uninstall your current hacks (I know the old screensaver hack came with an uninstaller, not sure about the old font hack) install 2.3 (which includes any Kindle updates you might have missed, so you only have to do this once) and then install the updated hacks. Total time it took me was about 15 minutes.
> 
> cloudyvisions, there is a link in the Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting forum here for "Kindle Screensaver instructions as easy as I can get them." Those instructions are still valid, you just need to download the screensavers from the link I posted here earlier instead of the link in that thread.


OK, so I downloaded the new screensaver hack from the link there. After I uninstall everything, do I just put the packager-0.6 and that's what allows me to use any font hacks, right? I'm pretty clear on how to do the screensavers bit, but it was this first link I didn't get. That's the part I was a bit confused about, here: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63225

Well, I uninstalled the screensaver and the font hacks, and then I installed the packager-0.6 thing and then I tried the 2.3 update. It got to step 2 of 3 and then said it was unsuccessful and restarted without completing the install. Grrrr. Guess I'll try again!


----------



## elmoglick

meglet said:


> Hah. Apparently I posted about the font hacks, but forgot to post the actual link. Here it is: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666941&postcount=19
> 
> Pushka, that is correct. Uninstall your current hacks (I know the old screensaver hack came with an uninstaller, not sure about the old font hack) install 2.3 (which includes any Kindle updates you might have missed, so you only have to do this once) and then install the updated hacks. Total time it took me was about 15 minutes.
> 
> cloudyvisions, there is a link in the Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting forum here for "Kindle Screensaver instructions as easy as I can get them." Those instructions are still valid, you just need to download the screensavers from the link I posted here earlier instead of the link in that thread.


It should be noted that the hack referenced above ONLY works with K2i, and not the DX, as it predates the 2.3 firmware update.

El


----------



## Seamonkey

Well I'll go look but I bet I got it on my DX .. today I kept noticing that it wasn't going to screensaver for a long time.. and that is part of it

Kindle DX 
Better cropping of PDF files: In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen.

Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.

*View pages longer: We've extended the time before Kindle DX switches into screensaver mode - from 5 minutes to 20 minutes - giving you more time for reviewing your content. *


----------



## Seamonkey

Wrong.. I was on version 2.1.1.. so not sure why it started staying awake so long this morning but it did.

I just started the update after moving the file over to the kindle dx.


----------



## Seamonkey

Now I have 2.3 and Ralph Ellison.. will check the rest later..


----------



## Pushka

I am thinking, I have a K2 International which already had the encoded files on it and required different hacks to get it to work.  I wonder if that means I dont have to uninstall them before doing the update.  Megs, is your kindle an International version?


----------



## luvmy4brats

I'm really happy to see this new update. I think I'm going to wait a bit before I try doing it myself. The technology gods are not happy with me and with the way things are going, I'd probably wind up with a brick. Both my netbook and iPhone (my lifelines) have failed with the past 2 weeks. If something happens to my Kindle, I'll just go postal!


----------



## cloudyvisions

Well, I reset my Kindle back to factory settings twice and still no success with the update. So I called Amazon customer support, and then got transferred to someone in the Kindle department. We tried to restart and run the update through again, which no success. And I kept getting this "U006" error on the bottom of my screen. So I turned on the wireless and he accessed the logs to my Kindle, and is going to e-mail me around Friday with what the next step is. 

At least Amazon had great help support (and at 1:30 AM EST too!) to get an idea of what to do next.


----------



## DeoreDX

I tried several of the font hacks on my US K2 and none of them worked for me.  I get the fail on the manual update.


----------



## Keyser Soze

Jesslyn said:


> THis has to be the stupidest response to the Amazon upgrade. Are they serious?! http://www.businessinsider.com/kindle-opens-the-door-to-pirated-e-books-2009-11


Wow, that guy's a straight up moron. If people really wanted to read pirated pdf's, they could of already done that months ago through the email conversion feature.


----------



## kb7uen Gene

Did anyone notice that you have three settings for the number of words on a page?  The default setting has the most words, and the lowest setting has the least.  The fewer words you have the more narrow the area of text is from left to right.

Seems kind of odd to me to offer this feature and landscape display orientation at the same time, but there must have been a good reason for it.  I can think of an example where it would be good with people, who have limited fields of view.  With this feature, they wouldn't have to pan their heads as much to read a line.

As another person said earlier, I would like to see the option of different fonts, the ability to bold and unbold, and taking the font sizes up even more, maybe another four steps, for people with more severe vision loss.

I would also like to see a negative image option, so that the background is that the text is gray.  The benefit of this option is reduced glare, and for some people, better contrast.  

Finally, to have the ability to adjust the spacing between letters, words, sentences, lines, and paragraphs.

Oh, almost forgot this one, and it is really important, at least for me, and that is to be able to apply all these options or settings to the home screen, menus, dialog boxes, experimental screen, and especially the Kindle store while shopping and buying books on the Kindle.  Well, that's it for now, I would be curious to hear what the rest of you think of these suggestions.  While they may seem really odd, or would drive some crazy, these features are part and parcel when dealing with low vision.  Any be completely honest in your responses, I am just curious partially because I think most of us are middle aged or older.  And we all know how that changes things.

Gene


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Susan in VA said:


> Didn't I look at your Kindle to see an example of the font hack, just a few months ago?  Or am I losing my mind?


I'd tried alternate fonts. . .but I took them back off. . . .



Susan in VA said:


> Reading through all these posts, I think maybe I don't really want this update for myself... No need for rotation, and no need for pdf files until the day I land a full-time job again and splurge on a DX to celebrate that.
> 
> Unfortunately, even though I've been meaning to do it for _months_, I have neither hack installed... even though I already have a file with a _huge_ collection of screensaver images collected from KB, thanks to all of you who make such cool ones.
> 
> So I guess what I have to do now is install one or both ASAP, _before_ I turn on WN again... Somehow I don't think that's what Amazon intended.


Well, to me, that would be a little silly. . . . I can see not removing hacks already installed because they really work for you and not needing what the update provides. . . . but to sort of sabotage yourself so you can't get the update seems silly. The update isn't going to make anything but the hacks _stop_ working.

I know: you're just gun shy after your recent experience with the Windows auto update!


----------



## teiresias

It would be great if we could drag and drop .pdf files into a folder on the Kindle and they would become available screensaver pictures.  I've taken a few pictures from my Lightroom library and simply converted them to pdf (color pdf as a matter of fact) and simply dragged them onto the Kindle and they look pretty great, even in the monochrome.  Macs make converting practically anything to pdf easy as pie since converting to PDF is available right in the pdf menu.

By default, the pdf doesn't take up the whole screen (since it uses the border to display page number, etc.), but it would be cool if they did that and perhaps negate the need for a "hack".


----------



## kendall

I think I successfully applied the 2.3 update --> it says "Version: 2.3" at the bottom of my Kindle 2 screen when I am in settings; also, when I select the "Aa" button, I have the ability to rotate the screen.

Unfortunately, when I drag a .pdf file from my computer to the Documents folder of the Kindle, I do not see the document in my list of documents. I see books I've purchased and .txt files I've previously dragged over, but no .pdf files.

It was my understanding that the 2.3 update provided .pdf support.

Any suggestions?

Thank you,


----------



## meljackson

kendall said:


> I think I successfully applied the 2.3 update --> it says "Version: 2.3" at the bottom of my Kindle 2 screen when I am in settings; also, when I select the "Aa" button, I have the ability to rotate the screen.
> 
> Unfortunately, when I drag a .pdf file from my computer to the Documents folder of the Kindle, I do not see the document in my list of documents. I see books I've purchased and .txt files I've previously dragged over, but no .pdf files.
> 
> It was my understanding that the 2.3 update provided .pdf support.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> Thank you,


Did you drag them to your documents folder on the kindle? That's where I was having trouble. I was dragging them to the root.

Melissa


----------



## Susan in VA

Ann in Arlington said:


> I'd tried alternate fonts. . .but I took them back off. . . .


Oh. It seems that you liked the one you had... I certainly liked it, I even made a note of the two fonts I looked at that day for when I finally got around to installing the hack.



Ann in Arlington said:


> Well, to me, that would be a little silly. . . . I can see not removing hacks already installed because they really work for you and not needing what the update provides. . . . but to sort of sabotage yourself so you can't get the update seems silly. The update isn't going to make anything but the hacks _stop_ working.
> 
> I know: you're just gun shy after your recent experience with the Windows auto update!


LOL! Yeah, that may be it... It's partly that I really don't think I need this update, and partly that I want to be sure that I _can_ do the hacks if and when that task percolates to the top of the to-do list. So far it seems iffy whether that will be possible after the update. So I guess I'd have to do it now, or take my chances... no, better yet, I'll do nothing for a day or two, leave WN off, and wait to see whether someone writes a new hack!  See, no stress, no worries, and one fewer urgent item on the list....


----------



## kendall

Yes, that's a good suggestion, but unfortunately my pdfs are in the documents folder along with all the other documents. I see .txt files and other books, but the pdfs never appear in the list of documents when I hit Home.

I also emailed Amazon support - I was just hoping it was something silly I was doing wrong...



meljackson said:


> Did you drag them to your documents folder on the kindle? That's where I was having trouble. I was dragging them to the root.
> 
> Melissa


----------



## auntmarge

bzImage said:


> To confirm. I just installed the UFH_Droid_Sans font hack from this link:
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666912&postcount=18
> 
> on my 2.3 Kindle 2 Int. (using the -k2i.bin file) and everything works as expected.
> 
> (no jailbreak needed)
> 
> Here is a screenshot of that font in landscape mode:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW The Newest Screen saver hack also works.. !!


*If only the Kindle screen background was actually that light!*


----------



## marianneg

kendall said:


> Yes, that's a good suggestion, but unfortunately my pdfs are in the documents folder along with all the other documents. I see .txt files and other books, but the pdfs never appear in the list of documents when I hit Home.


Check the date on the document. Copying a file to another device doesn't change the timestamp, so it probably won't appear at the top of the list unless you just downloaded it. Eg., I put a PDF on my Kindle that I had downloaded sometime in August. It didn't show up on the first few pages (I have a lot of books!), so I just sorted by title to find it more easily. Once you touch (ie., open) it, it should appear at the top when you're sorting by most recent first.


----------



## kendall

Resolved!

Yes, I was doing something silly.

Someone pointed out that there's an option, just under your Kindle name, to filter the items being shown. So the default seems to be "books", but you need to select "All my items" for pdfs to appear. Evidently .txt files are considered books, but .pdf files are not.

So thanks for all the suggestions!

Best,



kendall said:


> I think I successfully applied the 2.3 update --> it says "Version: 2.3" at the bottom of my Kindle 2 screen when I am in settings; also, when I select the "Aa" button, I have the ability to rotate the screen.
> 
> Unfortunately, when I drag a .pdf file from my computer to the Documents folder of the Kindle, I do not see the document in my list of documents. I see books I've purchased and .txt files I've previously dragged over, but no .pdf files.
> 
> It was my understanding that the 2.3 update provided .pdf support.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> Thank you,


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Kendall--

thanks for letting us know what solved the problem!  Who woulda thunk it?  We all learn from these threads.

Welcome to KindleBoards, congratulations on your first posts!  When you get a chance, head over to Introductions and tell us a little bit about yourself.  In addition to the great tech support here, there are Free and Bargain Book threads in the Book Bazaar and lots of great offerings by our resident KB authors.

Betsy


----------



## V

And K1s gather dust as if never created...


----------



## DeoreDX

This font hack worked on my 2.3 K2US.

http://www.avenard.org/kindle2/ufh-kindle2.3.tar.gz

from this thread over at Mobile Read.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63225


----------



## vermontcathy

Jo said:


> Has anyone tried to move a PDF that has DRM on it. I had a free download of a book in PDF form that has DRM. When I moved it over it show up on the Kindle as PDF but when I try to access it an error message comes up "your kindle has encountered an unexpected error. If the problem persist, please restart your kindle."


I don't know if it's DRM, but I have a PDF that requires you to type a password, and it won't work on the kindle. I get a message that says something like "this PDF can not be opened because it uses PDF features not yet supported by the kindle."


----------



## Jesslyn

kb7uen Gene said:


> Did anyone notice that you have three settings for the number of words on a page? The default setting has the most words, and the lowest setting has the least. The fewer words you have the more narrow the area of text is from left to right.
> 
> Seems kind of odd to me to offer this feature and landscape display orientation at the same time, but there must have been a good reason for it. I can think of an example where it would be good with people, who have limited fields of view. With this feature, they wouldn't have to pan their heads as much to read a line.
> 
> As another person said earlier, I would like to see the option of different fonts, the ability to bold and unbold, and taking the font sizes up even more, maybe another four steps, for people with more severe vision loss.
> 
> I would also like to see a negative image option, so that the background is that the text is gray. The benefit of this option is reduced glare, and for some people, better contrast.
> 
> Finally, to have the ability to adjust the spacing between letters, words, sentences, lines, and paragraphs.
> 
> Oh, almost forgot this one, and it is really important, at least for me, and that is to be able to apply all these options or settings to the home screen, menus, dialog boxes, experimental screen, and especially the Kindle store while shopping and buying books on the Kindle. Well, that's it for now, I would be curious to hear what the rest of you think of these suggestions. While they may seem really odd, or would drive some crazy, these features are part and parcel when dealing with low vision. Any be completely honest in your responses, I am just curious partially because I think most of us are middle aged or older. And we all know how that changes things.
> 
> Gene


FYI, I am checking all my old keyboard shortcuts, but the line spacing one still works (Whew!). Its. ALT+SHIFT+# --9 being the widest line spacing. This is working on my K2u. I can't imagine getting it to work on a DX because of the removal of the numbered row, but am interested if it works on the K2i as well


----------



## Ann in Arlington

I did notice with my DX. . . .even before the latest update. . . .that PDF's go in Personal documents.  So you have to set it to show personal docs or show all to see them. . . . .but you figured that out before I got to the end of the thread. 

If you're in a PDF, you can't change font size and that might be why that option is grayed out.  Try using a regular book and see if it's there.  I would think you should be able to still change font size even when you're in landscape -- but remember you can't change font size on the home page either.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

vermontcathy said:


> I don't know if it's DRM, but I have a PDF that requires you to type a password, and it won't work on the kindle. I get a message that says something like "this PDF can not be opened because it uses PDF features not yet supported by the kindle."


Yep, that's DRM. Can't be used on the Kindle. 

Betsy


----------



## LauraB

Jesslyn said:


> FYI, I am checking all my old keyboard shortcuts, but the line spacing one still works (Whew!). Its. ALT+SHIFT+# --9 being the widest line spacing. This is working on my K2u. I can't imagine getting it to work on a DX because of the removal of the numbered row, but am interested if it works on the K2i as well


I updated my k2I and the shortcuts for line spacing still work


----------



## mistyd107

should I worry if my update is not loaded yet? via whispernet.  I really do not want to do it manually I'm scared to death I mess something up and my update kindle option is greyed out


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Whispernet upgrades are rolled out slowly.  It could take up to a week to receive it via Whispernet.  Unless you really need to be able to read PDFs, you can just wait for it to happen naturally.  

Betsy


----------



## mistyd107

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Whispernet upgrades are rolled out slowly. It could take up to a week to receive it via Whispernet. Unless you really need to be able to read PDFs, you can just wait for it to happen naturally.
> 
> Betsy


ok Wonderful thanks Betsy


----------



## Someone Nameless

I really don't think you can mess it up. Scroll down and read the instructions on the manual update here and follow them step by step. This is what I did.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200324680


----------



## AppleBlossom

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Yep, that's DRM. Can't be used on the Kindle.
> 
> Betsy


Betsy, does that apply to books from eHarlequin that require Adobe Digital Editions? They still won't read on the K after this update? Thanks.


----------



## ed_lisle

I have a Kindle 2 with 2.0.3 (327610024). Does anybody know how to tell if your unit is Global or US Wireless  
Is there an advantage one way or another - assuming it's all about G3 compatibility?
Since I'm in the US, I'm assuming that I should download the US Wireless version.
Thanks in advance.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Guessing the Adobe Digital Editions are protected PDF files and likely won't open. . . but I don't know for sure.. .

As to telling whether your K2 is US or Global. . . .go back to check your original order.  Keeping in mind that if it was before last month sometime (someone here I'm sure can tell you the exact date when the Global Kindle was released, and when they stopped completely with the US except for refurbished units), it's definitely US.  If it's a recent purchase, well, your order should say which one you purchased pretty clearly.  The difference is really just whether it uses the Sprint or the ATT network.


----------



## ed_lisle

Thank you Ann, going back to my purchase history it was in Feb '09 - and also indicates it was the US version.


----------



## markmcak

DeoreDX said:


> This font hack worked on my 2.3 K2US.
> 
> http://www.avenard.org/kindle2/ufh-kindle2.3.tar.gz
> 
> from this thread over at Mobile Read.
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63225


I just installed the updated versions of both the fonthack and the screensaver hack on my DX. Worked like a charm.

Mark


----------



## tsemple

kendall said:


> Yes, that's a good suggestion, but unfortunately my pdfs are in the documents folder along with all the other documents. I see .txt files and other books, but the pdfs never appear in the list of documents when I hit Home.
> 
> I also emailed Amazon support - I was just hoping it was something silly I was doing wrong...


I've noticed that PDFs that I drag over don't necessarily show up as the most recent items. I'd filter your list to show only 'Personal Docs' and see if it is not there after all.


----------



## Annalog

ed_lisle said:


> I have a Kindle 2 with 2.0.3 (327610024). Does anybody know how to tell if your unit is Global or US Wireless
> Is there an advantage one way or another - assuming it's all about G3 compatibility?
> Since I'm in the US, I'm assuming that I should download the US Wireless version.
> Thanks in advance.


According to the new Kindle User's Guide, 4th Ed., it appears that there may be another way to tell if you have the US or Global Wireless versions that would work when you are not in a 3G area but are in a slower wireless area. The US Wireless version will display 1X while the International Wireless version will display EDGE or GPRS. If someone did not know which Kindle they had, this is an instance that might require travelling out of a 3G area instead of travelling to one. 

From the User's Guide:


> Kindle with international wireless: EDGE and GPRS wireless networks are slower than the 3G Whispernet service. Your Kindle will automatically switch to the faster 3G network when available.
> 
> Kindle: The 1X icon indicates that your Kindle is connected to the 1XRTT wireless network. Your Kindle will automatically switch to the faster 3G network when available.


----------



## LauraB

I don't suppose someone would be willing to do the step-by-step "as easy as I can make it font hack directions for us technoslows, any volunteers? I read the mobile read stuff and well, I'm  clueless. I had the font hack on my kindle before without a problem, removed it, updated to newest upgrade but don't understand the mobileread directions. I actually didn't understand before, I followed the directions given by the kindle soul who did the thread I (probably misquoted   ) in my question here)


----------



## Ann in Arlington

ed_lisle said:


> Thank you Ann, going back to my purchase history it was in Feb '09 - and also indicates it was the US version.


Which begs the question: if you've had your Kindle since February, how come you're only just now getting to KindleBoards!? 

Anyway. . . .welcome. . . .good luck with the update.


----------



## Tip10

Annalog said:


> According to the new Kindle User's Guide, 4th Ed., it appears that there may be another way to tell if you have the US or Global Wireless versions that would work when you are not in a 3G area but are in a slower wireless area. The US Wireless version will display 1X while the International Wireless version will display EDGE or GPRS. If someone did not know which Kindle they had, this is an instance that might require travelling out of a 3G area instead of travelling to one.
> 
> From the User's Guide:


Yet another way of determining US vs Global is to turn the wireless on, go to the Settings page and punch in 611.
This should bring up a screen with Modem Details on it. Scan down the list of stuff and if you see CDMA somewhere on the page you are definitely US, not sure (since I have not seen one) but I suspect you will see GSM somewhere on the page if you are Global. 
You'll usually see the CDMA for RF Mode or Phone State. Probably the same for GSM.

Would be nice if someone with a GSM could confirm what they see.

CDMA is the technology utilized on the Sprint network, GSM is the technology utilized on the AT&T network.


----------



## Annalog

According to the new Kindle User's Guide, 4th Ed., it appears that there may be another way to tell if you have the US or Global Wireless versions that will work if you don't have a skin making it impossible to read the model number on the back (just below the serial number). However, this may require a magnifying glass if small print is a problem. 



> *Model Numbers: --*
> Kindle - D00511
> Kindle with international wireless - D00701


I am not at home so cannot check to see if the box had the model number on the outside or if any of the paper documentation had the model number. However, I suspect that if the box you opened had a black interior with shiny black letters, it is probably the US version. 

In the user guide intended for the two models, a search for "international" only had 9 hits. It appears that the EVDO/CDMA in the Kindle (K2) and the HSDPA/GSM wireless modem in the Kindle with international wireless is the only significant difference.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Red said:


> I don't suppose someone would be willing to do the step-by-step "as easy as I can make it font hack directions for us technoslows, any volunteers? I read the mobile read stuff and well, I'm clueless. I had the font hack on my kindle before without a problem, removed it, updated to newest upgrade but don't understand the mobileread directions. I actually didn't understand before, I followed the directions given by the kindle soul who did the thread I (probably misquoted  ) in my question here)


There are threads around here about the various hacks. . .and I expect a new one will be started (if it hasn't already) as soon as the updates are hacked. . . .for the fonts, I'd assume the directions are the same, it's just a different file, but I don't know. It might be best to wait until some of the geekier of us figures it out and then posts a step by step.

Do keep in mind that, technically, the hacks are not supported by Amazon and if they cause your Kindle to fail, well, they may not honor the warranty; for sure they won't be obliged to help you fix anything that the hacks corrupt. Now, to my knowledge, no one has had this happen, but one should know the risks.


----------



## DeoreDX

Annalog said:


> According to the new Kindle User's Guide, 4th Ed., it appears that there may be another way to tell if you have the US or Global Wireless versions that will work if you don't have a skin making it impossible to read the model number on the back (just below the serial number). However, this may require a magnifying glass if small print is a problem.
> 
> I am not at home so cannot check to see if the box had the model number on the outside or if any of the paper documentation had the model number. However, I suspect that if the box you opened had a black interior with shiny black letters, it is probably the US version.
> 
> In the user guide intended for the two models, a search for "international" only had 9 hits. It appears that the EVDO/CDMA in the Kindle (K2) and the HSDPA/GSM wireless modem in the Kindle with international wireless is the only significant difference.


I was about to mention that the FCC-ID on the back would be different but the model number is much easier to differentiate


----------



## Annalog

Tip10 said:


> Yet another way of determining US vs Global is to turn the wireless on, go to the Settings page and punch in 611.
> This should bring up a screen with Modem Details on it. Scan down the list of stuff and if you see CDMA somewhere on the page you are definitely US, not sure (since I have not seen one) but I suspect you will see GSM somewhere on the page if you are Global.
> You'll usually see the CDMA for RF Mode or Phone State. Probably the same for GSM.
> 
> Would be nice if someone with a GSM could confirm what they see.
> 
> CDMA is the technology utilized on the Sprint network, GSM is the technology utilized on the AT&T network.





DeoreDX said:


> I was about to mention that the FCC-ID on the back would be different but the model number is much easier to differentiate


Thanks Tip10. That method works even with Kindles in skins! Also, the print size is at least twice as large.  All three pages of the 611 Page on my Kindle (US) either have text referencing CDMA or EVDO. I would expect to see either HSDPA or GSM on each of the pages on the 611 Page info on the International Kindles.

DeoreDX, It would be interesting to know what the FCC-ID is on the International Kindles. But I agree that it is easier to remember the model numbers.


----------



## LauraB

I did the 611 on my k2i and it lists ATT as "Network name".


----------



## Anju 

i turned on my WN and so far nothing, but I have noticed that when I wake it up to see if anything has happened I notice I have no bars.  However, as soon as it wakes up, the bars show up.  Since I am not in any hurry I think I"ll wait to see what happens, and eventually do it manually.  I have no hacks, SS or fonts so no problems there.


----------



## Pushka

kb7uen Gene said:


> Did anyone notice that you have three settings for the number of words on a page? The default setting has the most words, and the lowest setting has the least. The fewer words you have the more narrow the area of text is from left to right


That option was available before the update.


----------



## LauraB

Annalog, if you go to settings and type 611 and lookunder carrier, it will show carrier as AT&T on k2i. I don't have k2 us anymore, but assume it wouldn't lust AT&T.


----------



## angelad

Red said:


> Annalog, if you go to settings and type 611 and lookunder carrier, it will show carrier as AT&T on k2i. I don't have k2 us anymore, but assume it wouldn't lust AT&T.


My brother is getting a new K, I'm going to try to verify this on his unit.


----------



## LauraB

Uuummm... Ok. But I did check it. My k2i lists AT&T as network carrier and dx lists sprint. So if someone with k2us wants to varify it lists network carrier as sprint we have one answe on how to tell. At least until the change things again, lol


----------



## Jesslyn

Pushka said:


> That option was available before the update.


I never saw it. In fact, comparing two K2u, one updated and one not, don't see the same menu.


----------



## LauraB

The words per line was available on dx before update. Not on k2. At least not on my k2us.


----------



## luvmy4brats

I installed the 2.3 update. No issues at all. 

Took me a few minutes to figure out how to extract the hack files (whoever posted about peazip in another thread thanks!)

Screensaver hack is installed. I tried the 2 fonts that they have for the font hack, but I'm not crazy about either. I don't know if I'm missing something..are those the only 2 right now? If so, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they do the Georgia or Helvetica font soon.


----------



## Shizu

luvmy4brats said:


> I installed the 2.3 update. No issues at all.
> 
> Took me a few minutes to figure out how to extract the hack files (whoever posted about peazip in another thread thanks!)
> 
> Screensaver hack is installed. I tried the 2 fonts that they have for the font hack, but I'm not crazy about either. I don't know if I'm missing something..are those the only 2 right now? If so, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they do the Georgia or Helvetica font soon.


Luv, here's Georgia font. I haven't install the hack though.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=668959&postcount=41


----------



## JeanneB

Shizu:  OMG...your little dog is precious!!!


----------



## luvmy4brats

Thanks. I just tried it. It's much darker and quite a bit smaller than the one I was using before. So far I'm happiest with the standard font. I'll give them a bit to get some others done. I have my screensavers, so I'm happy


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Having seen them, I'd be happy with your screensavers, too, LOL!

Congratulations on 4000 posts, Heather!

Betsy


----------



## NogDog

Shizu said:


> Luv, here's Georgia font. I haven't install the hack though.
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=668959&postcount=41


Thanks, that's what I was using before, and it looks just fine installed on my 2.3-upgraded K2 now.


----------



## Shizu

JeanneB said:


> Shizu: OMG...your little dog is precious!!!


Thank you. He is a cute little boy.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Love the "Pilgrim" NogDog!









Betsy


----------



## cloudyvisions

I finally got the 2.3 update to work on my Kindle! And I understood the new screensaver hack just fine, so hooray! They're all back! Now I just need Helvetica for a font hack, and I'll be a happy girl. 

I like the new Kindle start up page, with the person sitting under the tree. And I put a couple PDFs on and they are readable in landscape format. I hope it's something they will continue to improve on since it could definitely use some fine tuning, but it's a great step in the right direction. My K also seems to be starting up a LOT quicker than it used to! Like, it used to take anywhere from 5-10 seconds for it to start, and now it just comes right up immediately. So, all in all, a good update. Although I'll be even happier once Helvetica is out for a hack. The default font looks weird to read now!


----------



## luvmy4brats

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Having seen them, I'd be happy with your screensavers, too, LOL!
> 
> Congratulations on 4000 posts, Heather!
> 
> Betsy


Lol! I have a feeling you're not talking about Tinkerbell!


----------



## 911jason

luvmy4brats said:


> Thanks. I just tried it. It's much darker and quite a bit smaller than the one I was using before. So far I'm happiest with the standard font. I'll give them a bit to get some others done. I have my screensavers, so I'm happy


I felt the same way, but I think there is one more font size available to pick, and I went all the way up to the 3rd or 4th one and it looks alright.... but not spectacular. I am definitely hoping to see the original Georgia font hack updated to work with the 2.3 firmware.


----------



## ak rain

wow I go away for a bit and the thread doubles. anyway did someone say that the font hack works after update for DX?  (this I am tracking for a friend) and for K2 (mine)
sylvia


----------



## cloudyvisions

I think there is Georgia for the K2 and for the DX there are a couple available, the links are in this thread but maybe 1 or 2 pages before this one. But all of the fonts haven't been updated to work with 2.3 yet.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

luvmy4brats said:


> Lol! I have a feeling you're not talking about Tinkerbell!


Ummmmm, no. 

Betsy


----------



## srmalloy

Red said:


> I miss the Oscar Wilde on my K2 already, he is one of my favorite authors.


This one? (Click on thumbnail to go to full-size image) I made sure to save all of my original screensaver images when I installed the screensaver hack; I should uninstall it, wipe the screensaver directory, and reinstall it to get copies of the new ones.


----------



## Anniehow

Sorry if this question has been answered.  Can you turn off the rotating screen feature?  I usually read in bed laying on my side and I DON'T want it to rotate it.  
Thanks
Gisele


----------



## chevauchee

Gisele, you have to go into the menu and tell it to rotate, no worries for lying down.


----------



## Anniehow

Thanks chevauchee,  That's a relief!


----------



## jderouen

I'm updating right now! Yay! 

As someone said in this thread before me, change is fun.


----------



## jaspertyler

Is there a way to get the new font off?  I put it on but do not like it.


----------



## LisaW.

I just got the update and the first thing I noticed was how much faster the toggle button scrolls through the items on my home page and menu options.


----------



## Snorkledorf

I just updated my K2i to 2.3 with screensaver hack and UFH Georgia hack, with nary a problem!



Annalog said:


> I no longer see:
> 
> Edgar Allen Poe
> Kindle definition with falling letters
> Oscar Wilde
> John Milton
> Lewis Carroll


These people were never on my K2-International (which was v2.2 from the start) even before the update. Hmph! Who wants them! I've...I've never heard of any of these guys anyway...  

The PDF display is nice, though I'd like an option in portrait orientation to fit the width of the page to the screen, rather than only the height. And being able to set a manual zoom/margin setting per document would help get the text bigger on documents that don't have unblemished white edges. For example I'd often like to push the page numbers offscreen if I could, to get the body text that much bigger.

Landscape mode is great, but only serves to underline the nice ergonomics of the next-page buttons...when they're on the top and bottom, I keep wanting to use the space bar to turn pages...

Waking from sleep seems significantly faster. Is page-turning faster too, or is that just a placebo effect?


----------



## esper_d

cloudyvisions said:


> I finally got the 2.3 update to work on my Kindle! And I understood the new screensaver hack just fine, so hooray! They're all back! Now I just need Helvetica for a font hack, and I'll be a happy girl.


Ahh I'm going crazy reading all these threads trying to figure it all out. Can someone direct me to this "new screensaver hack"? thank you!!!!


----------



## cloudyvisions

esper_d said:


> Ahh I'm going crazy reading all these threads trying to figure it all out. Can someone direct me to this "new screensaver hack"? thank you!!!!


It's at this link: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63225, the last link in the first post in the thread.

Oh! And for people who prefer the Helvetica font, the Droid font is really nice. I like it better than the Georgia font.


----------



## artsandhistoryfan

Shizu said:


> Thank you. He is a cute little boy.


That picture of him is one of the delights of this earth !


----------



## kb7uen Gene

A couple things, I learned that Miles is CDMA, so he is a US version.  Also, if you type in 411, you will get another page with different information alltogether, and the screen orientation feature doesn't work on the 611 or 411 pages.  I also checked last night to see if the screen orientation and font resizing feature would work while viewing the Kindle Store on the Kindle, and unfortunately, it doesn't.  That settings dialog box won't even come up.

So all I can say regarding these discoveries, is "BUMMER!!!"

Gene


----------



## kb7uen Gene

"If you're in a PDF, you can't change font size and that might be why that option is grayed out.  Try using a regular book and see if it's there.  I would think you should be able to still change font size even when you're in landscape -- but remember you can't change font size on the home page either."

Changing the font size on the home screen, menus, experimental screen, and Kindle Store, has never been available since I have had the Kindle 2, which showed up on March 2nd, and now the PDFs are not resizable either.  But I wasn't completely surprised to see that.  Enlarging information regardless of where or what it is used for is still rather gimmicky on most devices.  The Kindle is six of one and half a dozen of another. It wouldn't be hard to remedy this since it is all firware, and I think, Linux based at that.  But then you have to divert corporate money and man power to make it happen.  Thank God, we have the Baby Boomers, they won't sit still or give up if they run into an accessibility problem with a mainstream product they want to own and use.  Text to speech was also gimmicky for many years, but now companies are starting to use it in well thought out ways.  I am sure the visual equivalent of that will happen as well.    BTW, how do you zoom in on images and PDFs?  Finally, I have always been amazed that the font resizing feature works when on the web, but not the Kindle Store.  Aren't they both web pages?  Or is the Kindle Store set up like some sort of intranet arrangement you might see internally within a company or corporation.

Gene


----------



## Ann in Arlington

jaspertyler said:


> Is there a way to get the new font off? I put it on but do not like it.


If you just installed the update. . . .I don't think you can go back.

If you did the font 'hack' on top of it, go back to where you got that file. . . . there should be one that has 'uninstall' in it's name. . . .run the same steps with that file and you'll go back to how it was.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

kb7uen Gene said:


> Finally, I have always been amazed that the font resizing feature works when on the web, but not the Kindle Store. Aren't they both web pages? Or is the Kindle Store set up like some sort of intranet arrangement you might see internally within a company or corporation.
> 
> Gene


Don't do font resizing, but you can enlarge the entire web page by using CTRL + or CTRL - to zoom out. (CTRL plus or CTRL minus)

Betsy


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Betsy, I think he's talking about the Kindle Store as accessed via the Kindle. . . . . .

Or maybe I'm not understanding?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Ah...I rarely do that, forgot about it!

Betsy


----------



## MrTsMom

bzImage said:


> To confirm. I just installed the UFH_Droid_Sans font hack from this link:
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666912&postcount=18
> 
> on my 2.3 Kindle 2 Int. (using the -k2i.bin file) and everything works as expected.
> 
> (no jailbreak needed)
> 
> Here is a screenshot of that font in landscape mode:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BTW The Newest Screen saver hack also works.. !!


I'm not stupid. I'm really not. I managed to get the old hacks off and download the new update by USB. I got the new screensaver hack on (see, I'm really NOT stupid!). However, I really, really want the Droid font hack, and I can't for the life of me get it to work. I am almost ready to ask my 22 year old (who has managed to turn his iphone into a wireless router for all the computers in his house), but I'm not sure I'd like the results. Do I really WANT my Kindle turned into an XBox or something?

So, can someone walk me through the steps, using very small words that the average grandma can understand, please?


----------



## Flechette

Um - while we're at it - could someone tell me how to uninstall a font?

I got the file here http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=666912&postcount=18 and used the packager also found @ mobilr, but I swear I don't see an uninstall file

Help please? sometime after all the turkey gets eaten?


----------



## pidgeon92

Flechette said:


> Um - while we're at it - could someone tell me how to uninstall a font?


try using the uninstaller that is in the package in this post:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=668959&postcount=41

I would like to suggest to anyone who is going to install any hack: Find an uninstaller and save it _before_ you install anything. Make yourself a note as to where you got the files, and what the versions are. This will save you lots of trouble the next time you go to upgrade the Kindle software.


----------



## Flyinlite

Ok all you wonderful people
I did the update,
I downloaded the screensaver hack
I'm using a mac
I hook up Luna to mac, 'open' Luna.......I see various folders, document.......
where do I 'put' the hack file? I'm going bleary eyed reading back through the posts and I don't want to misinterpret. Then once the hack is loaded I can make my own screen saver??
OR simply point me in the direction
Many
Turkeys
Colleen


----------



## NogDog

Flyinlite said:


> Ok all you wonderful people
> I did the update,
> I downloaded the screensaver hack
> I'm using a mac
> I hook up Luna to mac, 'open' Luna.......I see various folders, document.......
> where do I 'put' the hack file? I'm going bleary eyed reading back through the posts and I don't want to misinterpret. Then once the hack is loaded I can make my own screen saver??
> OR simply point me in the direction
> Many
> Turkeys
> Colleen


It goes in the "root" directory, i.e. not in any of the folders that you see, but right in the top-level of "Luna".


----------



## jpmorgan49

I downloaded the "Georgia" Hack, I'll give it a try.
jp


----------



## jheydt

Well, I tried a manual install of the 2.3 update without success.  I downloaded the file from Amazon to my documents folder, connected my K2 to the computer, copied the Amazon file to the Kindle and then followed the directions to install the update.  It went thru the whole process but when I checked the settings my version was still 2.03.  I did have a font installed and I then deleted the 4 files in the Kindle root directory that were font files but when I tried to update again, copying the Amazon upgrade file to the Kindle root directory it went again thru the whole upgrade process without success.  I did this 4 times and was unable to upgrade.  As far as I'm concerned I did it correctly.  Any suggestions?

John


----------



## cloudyvisions

MrTsMom said:


> However, I really, really want the Droid font hack, and I can't for the life of me get it to work. I am almost ready to ask my 22 year old (who has managed to turn his iphone into a wireless router for all the computers in his house), but I'm not sure I'd like the results. Do I really WANT my Kindle turned into an XBox or something?
> 
> So, can someone walk me through the steps, using very small words that the average grandma can understand, please?


I got the Droid hack here: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60897&page=4 in post #57. Download that, and then make sure you pick the correct one for your version K (US, International, DX) to drag over to the Kindle. Put it in the top/main directory and then install the update, just like you did for the screensaver hack. Hope that helps!


----------



## pidgeon92

jheydt said:


> I did have a font installed and I then deleted the 4 files in the Kindle root directory that were font files but when I tried to update again,


In order to uninstall the font, you need to install the "uninstaller." Assuming you still have the font folders you downloaded, look in that file, it should be in there. Just deleting the files doesn't do anything, as a matter of fact, you can delete them immediately after installing, they have already altered the operating system.


----------



## cloudyvisions

jheydt said:


> Well, I tried a manual install of the 2.3 update without success. I downloaded the file from Amazon to my documents folder, connected my K2 to the computer, copied the Amazon file to the Kindle and then followed the directions to install the update. It went thru the whole process but when I checked the settings my version was still 2.03. I did have a font installed and I then deleted the 4 files in the Kindle root directory that were font files but when I tried to update again, copying the Amazon upgrade file to the Kindle root directory it went again thru the whole upgrade process without success. I did this 4 times and was unable to upgrade. As far as I'm concerned I did it correctly. Any suggestions?
> 
> John


I had the same problem, but when I contacted Amazon and they looked at the logs on my Kindle, they said I still had a font hack on it. I tried resetting it to the factory defaults three times and also tried deleting the folders as well, but you really need to run the font hack uninstall program before the update will work. I thought I had the fonts off too, but there must be some hidden folders or something that we don't have access to. I would grab the older font uninstall file from here: https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files and then try again.


----------



## jheydt

Finally solved my problem.  My font was still installed so I downloaded the uninstaller and updated my system which removed the font.  I then was able to upgrade to 2.3.  Thanx for your help.

John


----------



## pidgeon92

cloudyvisions said:


> I thought I had the fonts off too, but there must be some hidden folders or something that we don't have access to.


When you install a font on the Kindle, you are altering the system software. There is no file to remove. When you "uninstall" the font, you are restoring that part of the system to its default setting.


----------



## cloudyvisions

Ohhh, I had always assumed the font was put into a hidden folder once installed. Thank you for the corrected into then.


----------



## back2nature

LisaW. said:


> I just got the update and the first thing I noticed was how much faster the toggle button scrolls through the items on my home page and menu options.


I noticed that too. I thought maybe it was just me, imagining things. When I went to select a word to look up in the dictionary, the cursor moved really fast. I liked that.


----------



## ELDogStar

Leslie said:


> I love the font hack, though. I can't imagine going back to the original fonts.
> 
> I could care less about the screensavers, in fact, I am looking at Oscar, Harriet, Edgar et al. and I don't even notice them anymore.
> 
> So...I am guessing that I'll never get the upgrade automatically if I have the font hack installed? Has anyone verified this? Right now I am at 2.0.3.
> 
> L


I am 100% with you on this I too am still at 2.0.3 and would rather just keep my font hack.
Will wait for that to be worked out before I update the K2

Miss ya all!


----------



## Pushka

Yesterday I decided that I would do the kindle upgrade as the Hacks for my font and screensaver had already been worked out.  My main problem firstly was finding the uninstaller for the screensaver hack.  (K2 International).  I just couldn't unzip it and save it to my file.  Finally got that sorted, but the font uninstall was easy.  Downloaded 2.3 manually and got the font hack working straight away after.  Tried doing the same with the screensaver hack and LOST the ability to put the kindle to sleep.  I couldn't remove the home screen!   Just a little, um, panic!
Uninstalled it again and I was actually glad to see all the passed authors!  But that lasted for all of a minute so I tried again, and phew, it worked.  Then I decided I wanted to try the droid font, so got that fixed up too!

It took me around 2 hours!  But I have learnt to keep all the uninstall folders in a special place on my PC so next time, hopefully a FOLDER upgrade, and I can do it all in around five minutes.


----------



## Flechette

pidgeon92 said:


> try using the uninstaller that is in the package in this post:
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=668959&postcount=41
> 
> I would like to suggest to anyone who is going to install any hack: Find an uninstaller and save it _before_ you install anything. Make yourself a note as to where you got the files, and what the versions are. This will save you lots of trouble the next time you go to upgrade the Kindle software.


You ROCK!

That worked - and yeah - my bad... with the screensaver hack; the uninstall has been in there w/ the install, and I simply didn't think to look hard at the font hack. I love my custom screensavers, but I think I'll be holding off on any more of the fonts for now 

Thanks a bunch!

M


----------



## JimC1946

I got tired of waiting for the wireless upgrade, so I downloaded the upgrade file and manually dragged it into our two K2s. It worked perfectly. Both of our Kindles were clean, with no hacks, screensavers, or extra fonts installed.


----------



## Anju 

ELDogStar said:


> Miss ya all!


We miss you too El - hope you had a good Turkey Day


----------



## ELDogStar

Anju No. 469 said:


> We miss you too El - hope you had a good Turkey Day


You remember me?! (Thank you.)
I work on most holidays, but that's alright...

I will look in more often.
Promise.


----------



## back2nature

We all know this forum is a wealth of information. Because of everyone input, I'm happy to say that I did the Kindle upgrade on my K2 (not K2i) and now I have the screensaver hack working and a font hack working. It's not the font I had before, but at least it's not the default font. Soon I am sure the other fonts will follow. Thanks everyone.


----------



## 911jason

Edge777 over on Mobileread posted a new version of the Georgia2 font hack that works with the 2.3 upgrade. Looks perfect to me! This file contains the hack for K2/K2i/KDX.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40109&d=1259217600


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

I uninstalled the hacks, installed the new update and then installed the new hacks.  Easy peasy.

When I installed the new screensaver hack, my old screensavers where already there...I didn't have to delete all the default ones


----------



## luvmy4brats

911jason said:


> Edge777 over on Mobileread posted a new version of the Georgia2 font hack that works with the 2.3 upgrade. Looks perfect to me! This file contains the hack for K2/K2i/KDX.
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40109&d=1259217600


Downloading it now....


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

911jason said:


> Edge777 over on Mobileread posted a new version of the Georgia2 font hack that works with the 2.3 upgrade. Looks perfect to me! This file contains the hack for K2/K2i/KDX.
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40109&d=1259217600


That is the font I used, looks good. I liked my other one better but this one is still good


----------



## KindleKay (aka #1652)

<sigh> I cannot get the screensaver hack to work. I downloaded the new file, which is titled " screensaverhack-0.1.tar.gz " and stuck it in the root directory but the option to "update your kindle" is greyed out. Stonewalled! No idea how to fix this one...


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

That is the zipped file...you have to open that file to get to the one you actually need.  The zipped file contains the file for the K2, K2i and the DX.


----------



## luvmy4brats

KindleKay (aka #1652) said:


> <sigh> I cannot get the screensaver hack to work. I downloaded the new file, which is titled " screensaverhack-0.1.tar.gz " and stuck it in the root directory but the option to "update your kindle" is greyed out. Stonewalled! No idea how to fix this one...


You need to extract the file first (it's a zipped file) I had to figure that one out yesterday too. I downloaded peazip from download.com

http://download.cnet.com/PeaZip/3000-2250_4-10602256.html?tag=mncol

Once I did that, it worked.

FYI, you'll probably have to extract it twice.

ETA ~ Check your twitter DM...


----------



## luvmy4brats

Installed the Georgia2 font hack. I think it's perfect. Much closer to what I'm used to.


----------



## NogDog

luvmy4brats said:


> Installed the Georgia2 font hack. I think it's perfect. Much closer to what I'm used to.


Where did you get this one? The Georgia I installed seems a little less bold than the one I had before; so I'm wondering if this might be a bit closer to what I'm used to? Thanks!


----------



## KindleKay (aka #1652)

Seriously, luvmy4brats and hilandevil SAVED me with my SS hack!!!  I needed the PeaZip to extract the SS file!!!  Yea!!!  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!


----------



## Pushka

How excited are we when we finally get something to work - especially when like me, it took two hours of finding, extracting, copying and updating!  Yay!


----------



## luvmy4brats

NogDog said:


> Where did you get this one? The Georgia I installed seems a little less bold than the one I had before; so I'm wondering if this might be a bit closer to what I'm used to? Thanks!


Jason 911 posted it just a bit ago:



911jason said:


> Edge777 over on Mobileread posted a new version of the Georgia2 font hack that works with the 2.3 upgrade. Looks perfect to me! This file contains the hack for K2/K2i/KDX.
> 
> http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40109&d=1259217600


----------



## NogDog

luvmy4brats said:


> Jason 911 posted it just a bit ago:


Thanks: looks better now.


----------



## rho

I got the update on with no problems - now I want to try putting on a pdf from my computer - how do I do that?


----------



## NogDog

rho said:


> I got the update on with no problems - now I want to try putting on a pdf from my computer - how do I do that?


Just connect your Kindle to your PC and drag and drop the PDF file into the "documents" folder on the Kindel.


----------



## Pushka

And when looking for PDF's make sure on the home page you have selected 'view all documents' (top of the screen)


----------



## PaulGuy

Alrighty! The 2.3 is in, got my personalized screens back in and the Georgia 2 font.
I am one happy camper!


----------



## rho

thanks - - I was forgetting the part of putting it in the documents folder - I had just dragged it to the file -- it works great -- 

It was a knitting pattern so I am thrilled to announce that some knitting patterns will work great --


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

PaulGuy said:


> Alrighty! The 2.3 is in, got my personalized screens back in and the Georgia 2 font.
> I am one happy camper!


The little things make us happy Kindle campers!


----------



## mlewis78

Tonight I updated my K2, got my good screensavers back and put the Droid font hack on.  Will be keeping an eye out for possible future Helvetica 2 font hack.  My KDX is not updated and still has my favorite screensavers and fonts.


----------



## srmalloy

I noticed something that got changed in the 2.3 update that isn't mentioned in the documentation; it's a little thing, but it is a useful update, nonetheless.

Prior to 2.3, when you reset your Kindle 2, the first screensaver to be displayed was the last one in the screensaver list. After the 2.3 update, the first screensaver to be displayed _is_ the first screensaver.

I.e., if you have custom screensavers installed with filenames 01_XXXX.png, 02_XXXX.png, ..., out to 10_XXXX.png, when you reset your kindle, with an update version prior to 2.03, when you turned it off, you would get 10_XXXX.png as the first screensaver. After the 2.3 update is applied, when you reset your Kindle, it displays the file 01_XXXX.png. Not exactly an earth-shattering change, but it shows that the programmers working on it are fixing even little oddities that don't really make a difference.


----------



## luvmy4brats

srmalloy said:


> I noticed something that got changed in the 2.3 update that isn't mentioned in the documentation; it's a little thing, but it is a useful update, nonetheless.
> 
> Prior to 2.3, when you reset your Kindle 2, the first screensaver to be displayed was the last one in the screensaver list. After the 2.3 update, the first screensaver to be displayed _is_ the first screensaver.
> 
> I.e., if you have custom screensavers installed with filenames 01_XXXX.png, 02_XXXX.png, ..., out to 10_XXXX.png, when you reset your kindle, with an update version prior to 2.03, when you turned it off, you would get 10_XXXX.png as the first screensaver. After the 2.3 update is applied, when you reset your Kindle, it displays the file 01_XXXX.png. Not exactly an earth-shattering change, but it shows that the programmers working on it are fixing even little oddities that don't really make a difference.


I noticed that too.


----------



## sebat

I now have the "screensaver hack" downloaded to my computer.  I was ready to install but noticed that there isn't an "uninstall screensaver hack" available.  Have I over looked that?  I've been combing through all the threads for the past hour and can't find one.  I'm hesitant to install it to my K without making sure I have the correct uninstall for later use. 

I hated the Droid font, BTW.  It's not any bolder than the standard K font.  I sure hope Helvetica gets converted soon.


----------



## luvmy4brats

When you unzip the file, the uninstall file is in there. You'll have 3 versions of the hack and 3 versions of the uninstall.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

I was messing around with the landscape view since I installed the update.  When I first got my Kindle, I was forever flicking the screen to turn pages, like I would do on my iphone.  After switching to landscape and trying to read, I found myself repeatedly pressing the side of the screen where the next page button would be if I was reading it before the update LOL


----------



## sebat

luvmy4brats said:


> When you unzip the file, the uninstall file is in there. You'll have 3 versions of the hack and 3 versions of the uninstall.


I don't have a zipped file, I have a GZ file ready to be put directly onto the Kindle.

I guess the next questions is...where did you get the complete Screensaver hack? I haven't found a complete screensaver hack anywhere.


----------



## luvmy4brats

sebat said:


> I don't have a zipped file, I have a GZ file ready to be put directly onto the Kindle.
> 
> I guess the next questions is...where did you get the complete Screensaver hack? I haven't found a complete screensaver hack anywhere.


The gz file is a zipped file. You'll need to unzip that (I downloaded peazip from download.com). Once you unzip it, you'll see what I'm talking about

http://download.cnet.com/PeaZip/3000-2250_4-10602256.html?tag=mncol

Once I did that, it worked.

FYI, you'll probably have to extract it twice.


----------



## NogDog

luvmy4brats said:


> The gz file is a zipped file. You'll need to unzip that (I downloaded peazip from download.com). Once you unzip it, you'll see what I'm talking about
> 
> http://download.cnet.com/PeaZip/3000-2250_4-10602256.html?tag=mncol
> 
> Once I did that, it worked.
> 
> FYI, you'll probably have to extract it twice.


Not necessarily any better or worse than PeaZip, but I've used 7zip for several years now and have been very satisfied with it.


----------



## cloudyvisions

Whee! Looks like they just put up Helvetica2 Up: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60897&page=5 in #73 on this page. Yay! That's my favorite font of them all, so I'm glad they got it up so fast.


----------



## sebat

Thanks!  When I right clicked on the file, it didn't say anything about needing to be unzipped.  Kind of strange that my standard extractor would not work.  Guess I was being a little more dense than normal.  I didn't recognize the conversation before my post as being about the screensaver hack.


----------



## luvmy4brats

sebat said:


> Thanks! When I right clicked on the file, it didn't say anything about needing to be unzipped. Kind of strange that my standard extractor would not work. Guess I was being a little more dense than normal. I didn't recognize the conversation before my post as being about the screensaver hack.


It took me a bit to figure it out too. I'd never seen a gz file before. I happened to read another thread yesterday that mentioned peazip.



cloudyvisions said:


> Whee! Looks like they just put up Helvetica2 Up: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60897&page=5 in #73 on this page. Yay! That's my favorite font of them all, so I'm glad they got it up so fast.


Very cool. I'll have to try that one tomorrow.


----------



## sebat

cloudyvisions said:


> Whee! Looks like they just put up Helvetica2 Up: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60897&page=5 in #73 on this page. Yay! That's my favorite font of them all, so I'm glad they got it up so fast.


Looks great! I'm thrilled!!!


----------



## 911jason

cloudyvisions said:


> Whee! Looks like they just put up Helvetica2 Up: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60897&page=5 in #73 on this page. Yay! That's my favorite font of them all, so I'm glad they got it up so fast.


Yep, Edge777 posted it on Mobileread earlier tonight, he's been great getting this stuff out quickly! Here's a link to the actual file download for Helvetica2...

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40211&d=1259299096


----------



## Pushka

It is so easy to do all these hacks once you get organised!  And I am making sure I have a very good 'save' system of the winzip file plus the install/uninstall for the K21 in folders marked with each font, and the screensaver.  When I will ever get time to read!


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

ELDogStar said:


> You remember me?! (Thank you.)
> I work on most holidays, but that's alright...
> 
> I will look in more often.
> Promise.


Good to see you here, EL! Do check in more often!

Betsy


----------



## MrTsMom

cloudyvisions said:


> Whee! Looks like they just put up Helvetica2 Up: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60897&page=5 in #73 on this page. Yay! That's my favorite font of them all, so I'm glad they got it up so fast.


Finally, success. I don't know where my brain was yesterday. Unzip the file. Duh! I'm just glad I got it figured out without going to my kids.


----------



## marianneg

The .gz extension is from gzip. If anyone is interested, here is some information.


----------



## NogDog

*One-stop shopping for your hacks*

I have created a web page with the screen-saver and several font hack files in one location. See this thread if you have any comments or other files to add to it.

http://charles-reace.com/Kindle_Hacks/


----------



## chilady1

God Bless you NogDog - thanks!  There are posts all over the place and it was getting difficult to track them all.  Appreciate you taking the time to organize them in one spot.


----------



## legalbs2

jmiked said:


> The latest software update for the K2 is on Amazon's support page. It can be downloaded and installed from your computer.
> 
> Adds PDF support and landscape screen.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200324680
> 
> Mike


Wow, that's great news for K2 owners, but makes me wonder why I bought the KDX now. They sure have done nothing to improve the KDX. I could have waited and paid less for more. I am not happy about that. Maybe Amazon will do something for us KDX owners too. I'm just saying....

I bought the KDX for the native PDF and the landscape mode. Duh!


----------



## ak rain

legalbs2 
don't feel too bad you have that large lovely screen
sylvia


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

legalbs2 said:


> Wow, that's great news for K2 owners, but makes me wonder why I bought the KDX now. They sure have done nothing to improve the KDX. I could have waited and paid less for more. I am not happy about that. Maybe Amazon will do something for us KDX owners too. I'm just saying....
> 
> I bought the KDX for the native PDF and the landscape mode. Duh!


Ummm...legal, if you read farther down on the same page it says:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200324680

Kindle DX Kindle DX

* Better cropping of PDF files: In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen.
* Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.
* View pages longer: We've extended the time before Kindle DX switches into screensaver mode - from 5 minutes to 20 minutes - giving you more time for reviewing your content.

Not a huge update, but Amazon is working on the KDX. And from what I've read and seen, the PDFs still look better on the KDX. That gorgeous big screen still wins.

Betsy


----------



## Leslie

So, I uninstalled the font hack, installed version 2.3, then reinstalled the font hack. It all worked just fine. I downloaded a PDF and yes, the print is tiny but in landscape mode, it is readable. Not sure how much I'll use that feature but whatever....I have it.

L


----------



## marianneg

Has anyone noticed certain functions on their Kindle being quite a bit _slower_? For me, it seems to be mostly stuff involving the home page - pressing home from inside a book or sample or waking it up when it was last on the home page seems to take _forever_. At first I thought maybe it was because of the PDF file I had put on it, but I deleted that and it still seems slow. Anyone else notice something similar?


----------



## LauraB

Leslie said:


> So, I uninstalled the font hack, installed version 2.3, then reinstalled the font hack. It all worked just fine. I downloaded a PDF and yes, the print is tiny but in landscape mode, it is readable. Not sure how much I'll use that feature but whatever....I have it.
> 
> L


What font hack did you reinstall? I've been attempting to from NoDog's thread but have gotten no where. I unistalled the font hack, installed the 2.3 but can't get the font on NoDog's thread to work.


----------



## Leslie

Red said:


> What font hack did you reinstall? I've been attempting to from NoDog's thread but have gotten no where. I unistalled the font hack, installed the 2.3 but can't get the font on NoDog's thread to work.


Helvetica 2

You need to download the folder and unzip the file. Make sure to pick the right font to transfer to your Kindle (there are three to choose from: DX, K2 and K2i for the international version).

I had to use the uninstall file from TedSan's site. 
https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files

but the font from NogDog worked just fine.

L


----------



## NogDog

Leslie said:


> Helvetica 2
> 
> You need to download the folder and unzip the file. Make sure to pick the right font to transfer to your Kindle (there are three to choose from: DX, K2 and K2i for the international version).
> 
> I had to use the uninstall file from TedSan's site.
> https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files
> 
> but the font from NogDog worked just fine.
> 
> L


Thanks for reminding me of that: I'm going to add a link to that file on my page, too.


----------



## legalbs2

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Ummm...legal, if you read farther down on the same page it says:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200324680
> 
> Kindle DX Kindle DX
> 
> * Better cropping of PDF files: In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen.
> * Option to convert PDF files to Kindle format. If you prefer to have your personal PDF documents converted to the Kindle format (so that they can reflow), type "Convert" in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address.
> * View pages longer: We've extended the time before Kindle DX switches into screensaver mode - from 5 minutes to 20 minutes - giving you more time for reviewing your content.
> 
> Not a huge update, but Amazon is working on the KDX. And from what I've read and seen, the PDFs still look better on the KDX. That gorgeous big screen still wins.
> 
> Betsy


Yes, I read all that, but still not worth the extra $230. The lovely large screen is great, but I read mostly on my iPod Touch and hubby on the KDX. I was thinking about buying the K2 before the changes, but now will seriously give it more thought. Color would be nice and the choice of black on white, white on black and sepia screens for daylight, night and cloudy reading. I have those options on the iPod Touch and love them. No eye strain at all.


----------



## LauraB

NogDog said:


> Thanks for reminding me of that: I'm going to add a link to that file on my page, too.





Leslie said:


> Helvetica 2
> 
> You need to download the folder and unzip the file. Make sure to pick the right font to transfer to your Kindle (there are three to choose from: DX, K2 and K2i for the international version).
> 
> I had to use the uninstall file from TedSan's site.
> https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files
> 
> but the font from NogDog worked just fine.
> 
> L


Thanks, I followed your directions and it worked. I have Helvetica on my DX 2.3.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

marianner said:


> Has anyone noticed certain functions on their Kindle being quite a bit _slower_? For me, it seems to be mostly stuff involving the home page - pressing home from inside a book or sample or waking it up when it was last on the home page seems to take _forever_. At first I thought maybe it was because of the PDF file I had put on it, but I deleted that and it still seems slow. Anyone else notice something similar?


Yes! I thought maybe I was just tired but it does seem to be significantly slower after I installed the update last night.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

legalbs2 said:


> Yes, I read all that, but still not worth the extra $230. The lovely large screen is great, but I read mostly on my iPod Touch and hubby on the KDX. I was thinking about buying the K2 before the changes, but now will seriously give it more thought. Color would be nice and the choice of black on white, white on black and sepia screens for daylight, night and cloudy reading. I have those options on the iPod Touch and love them. No eye strain at all.


Now I'm confused. The K2 doesn't have color or sepia or the white on black choice....

Betsy


----------



## telracs

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Now I'm confused. The K2 doesn't have color or sepia or the white on black choice....
> 
> Betsy


No, Betsy, legalbs is referring to her iPod which has those choices.


----------



## Greg Banks

My DX tried to update itself the last two nights after turning on wireless for a few minutes, but when the version number didn't change, I figured there must have been an update that was failing because of my screensaver hack. So I come here to check, and sure enough, all the info I need is right here.

This place ROCKS!


----------



## LauraB

We miss you Greg!


----------



## Greg Banks

legalbs2 said:


> Wow, that's great news for K2 owners, but makes me wonder why I bought the KDX now. They sure have done nothing to improve the KDX. I could have waited and paid less for more. I am not happy about that. Maybe Amazon will do something for us KDX owners too. I'm just saying....
> 
> I bought the KDX for the native PDF and the landscape mode. Duh!


Um, have you SEEN the difference in reading on the larger screen? That's what you paid for, and even though the K2 owners now have native PDF support too, the larger screen will still be far better for reading PDFs, and for me, reading in general.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

scarlet said:


> No, Betsy, legalbs is referring to her iPod which has those choices.


Well, I know, but Legal says she's seriously thinking of a K2 now (even though she has a KDX) and those are the things she says she wants, but the K2 won't give them to her.  Time for a beer. Everything makes more sense to me when I have a beer. My brother brought some good Sam Adams for Thanksgiving that we haven't finished yet. Sorry for getting far afield from the 2.3 update. 

Betsy


----------



## telracs

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Well, I know, but Legal says she's seriously thinking of a K2 now (even though she has a KDX) and those are the things she says she wants, but the K2 won't give them to her.  Time for a beer. Everything makes more sense to me when I have a beer. My brother brought some good Sam Adams for Thanksgiving that we haven't finished yet. Sorry for getting far afield from the 2.3 update.
> 
> Betsy


Things usually make less sense to me when I have a beer. I read it that she was interested in the DX over the K2 but they didn't have those features so she was holding back on either.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

scarlet said:


> Things usually make less sense to me when I have a beer.


Maybe it's just that I THINK they make more sense. 

BTW, NogDog, thanks for setting up the one stop source for our members, that's a great resource! Greg is right, this place rocks!

Betsy


----------



## Ann in Arlington

A difference I noticed after updating my DX:  the headlines in my subscriptions seem larger.  But I don't see a difference in either of the books I'd had open.  It also does not seem to any more show the progress dots on the home page for subscriptions, though they're still there for books.  It's also definitely not going to sleep as quickly as it used to -- which is one thing they said.

I'm not noticing any real speed issues. . .though I did buy a book from a sample and it took a while to come down, but that could just be the nature of the book which was a Win 7 book and has a lot of screenshots and other non-text stuff.

I don't notice a huge difference in the display of PDF's in landscape mode, but don't use that all that often anyway.


----------



## mlewis78

I doubt that I will be using the PDF function on my K2.  The PDF files I put on my KDX were reduced because that screen is a bit smaller than 8.5" x 11" originals and some of it is too small or light for me to read comfortably.  They would only be smaller on my K2.


----------



## marianneg

ravenclawprefect said:


> Yes! I thought maybe I was just tired but it does seem to be significantly slower after I installed the update last night.


Oh, good, glad it's not just me  Do you have a lot of books on your Kindle? My gut says that 63 pages of books and samples may be the problem; maybe it's trying to re-read all the metadata before displaying or something.


----------



## telracs

I've noticed my DX seems a little sluggish from the home page, but thought it was just because I was tired.  I did notice a couple of new screensavers.


----------



## angelad

scarlet said:


> I've noticed my DX seems a little sluggish from the home page, but thought it was just because I was tired. I did notice a couple of new screensavers.


I noticed the same.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

marianner said:


> Oh, good, glad it's not just me  Do you have a lot of books on your Kindle? My gut says that 63 pages of books and samples may be the problem; maybe it's trying to re-read all the metadata before displaying or something.


No, I have about 10 pages on mine so I don't think it is the amount of books on there.


----------



## sebat

Everyone that is complaining of a sluggish K...Have any of you tried to do a hard reset to see if that takes care of it?


----------



## Leslie

sebat said:


> Everyone that is complaining of a sluggish K...Have any of you tried to do a hard reset to see if that takes care of it?


Good suggestion. Personally, for me, performance seems the same after the upgrade.

L


----------



## legalbs2

scarlet said:


> Things usually make less sense to me when I have a beer. I read it that she was interested in the DX over the K2 but they didn't have those features so she was holding back on either.


You guys are so funny. I have a KDX. I would not have purchased it had the K2 had the new features it has today. I had thought about purchasing a K2 to go with my KDX and didn't, but may now with the new features. Got it? Hubby has the KDX. I read on my iPod Touch.

By the way, I have been unsuccessful in updating to the 2.3 version and even CS could not help me. I am to call back by Dec. 4th if the KDX does not update automatically.


----------



## legalbs2

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Now I'm confused. The K2 doesn't have color or sepia or the white on black choice....
> 
> Betsy


Sorry I confused you, Betsy. I was talking about my iPod Touch having those choices and how I WISHED the K2 or KDX would offer them.


----------



## luvmy4brats

legalbs2 said:


> You guys are so funny. I have a KDX. I would not have purchased it had the K2 had the new features it has today. I had thought about purchasing a K2 to go with my KDX and didn't, but may now with the new features. Got it? Hubby has the KDX. I read on my iPod Touch.
> 
> By the way, I have been unsuccessful in updating to the 2.3 version and even CS could not help me. I am to call back by Dec. 4th if the KDX does not update automatically.


That's one of the hazards of buying electronics. They're constantly improving them.

If you don't have any hacks, I'd let it update on it's own. If you do have hacks, you have to uninstall them first.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

Did you pass the KDX onto your husband because you didn't like reading it or do you need to be a 2 Kindle family?  I'm concerned that the upgrades in the K2 may not be sufficient to you, since it's essentially the same screen color, etc, only smaller.  Some have already commented that reading PDFs on the upgraded K2s is still difficult.  It would be great if you could see one before you actually purchased.  Of course, you can always return it.

And don't worry, I'm frequently confused.  

Betsy


----------



## luvmy4brats

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Did you pass the KDX onto your husband because you didn't like reading it or do you need to be a 2 Kindle family? I'm concerned that the upgrades in the K2 may not be sufficient to you, since it's essentially the same screen color, etc, only smaller. Some have already commented that reading PDFs on the upgraded K2s is still difficult. It would be great if you could see one before you actually purchased. Of course, you can always return it.
> 
> And don't worry, I'm frequently confused.
> 
> Betsy


I have to agree with Betsy. I remember you had some problems with the size of the font on PDFs you had on your DX. Imagine how much smaller those will be on the K2.


----------



## cloudyvisions

So I've noticed a drastic slowness in start up speed, mostly whenever I hit the first button - whether it's the home page or the next button in the book that comes up, ever since updating to 2.3. It will come up like normal, its just that it take forever for anything to first happen. Now, I don't know if it's the hacks - either the screensaver or the font hack, which are both on my K2 - but when I first turn it on, the little circle in the upper left corner that rotates just sits there and rotates a bit before I'm allowed to really do anything. Has anyone else noticed a major slowness in speed on the US K2?


----------



## legalbs2

Actually, I purchased the KDX for my hubby for Father's Day, and I have not had a chance to read it much since.  So, I bought my iPod Touch and love reading on it even in bed.  I just thought maybe owning another Kindle would be better fun.  I do like the Nook too, but you cannot read Nook books on Kindles or vice versa.  If they were compatible and you could share between the Nook and the Kindle, I would buy the Nook.  I do not like the Sony at all.


----------



## mlewis78

Just updated my Kindle DX and got the screensavers and Helvetica 2 font back onto it.  It took a long time for the "Update Your Kindle" to take effect on it.  Glad that both kindles are done now and that we have the Helvetica 2 font hack.  Thanks to Ted San and friends.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

cloudyvisions said:


> So I've noticed a drastic slowness in start up speed, mostly whenever I hit the first button - whether it's the home page or the next button in the book that comes up, ever since updating to 2.3. It will come up like normal, its just that it take forever for anything to first happen. Now, I don't know if it's the hacks - either the screensaver or the font hack, which are both on my K2 - but when I first turn it on, the little circle in the upper left corner that rotates just sits there and rotates a bit before I'm allowed to really do anything. Has anyone else noticed a major slowness in speed on the US K2?


Yep, a few people (including me) have noticed the same thing. I don't have a huge number of books and it didn't do this before the new update. It is not a major thing, just kinda annoying.


----------



## cloudyvisions

ravenclawprefect said:


> Yep, a few people (including me) have noticed the same thing. I don't have a huge number of books and it didn't do this before the new update. It is not a major thing, just kinda annoying.


Well, I have a lot of books and files on my Kindle, and it dragged a little bit initially starting up, but not what it's doing with the little spinning circle immediately after I start it up. As long as it's not something bad for the Kindle software in the long run, I can manage with it, but sometimes it's a pain to have to wait for it to finish thinking before I can read!


----------



## chilady1

cloudyvisions said:


> Well, I have a lot of books and files on my Kindle, and it dragged a little bit initially starting up, but not what it's doing with the little spinning circle immediately after I start it up. As long as it's not something bad for the Kindle software in the long run, I can manage with it, but sometimes it's a pain to have to wait for it to finish thinking before I can read!


I have noticed the same thing also, wasn't sure if it was the upgrade to 2.3 or something else. Like others, I can live with it, just somewhat annoying. Glad to know I wasn't the only one to notice this. Again, reason 1 billion and one why I come to this boards, verification that I am not crazy!


----------



## cloudyvisions

Yeah, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one! I was worried it was just me!


----------



## chiffchaff

hmm, I haven't noticed any sluggishness since updating.  Just went to my Kindle and tried several things mentioned in the notes about performance and the response time was very quick on all of them.  I only have 7 pages of docs on my home screen, though.


----------



## mtcoco

Hi everyone. I really need big help with update to 2.3 from 2.03.... (I'm not good with PC at allllll) I really need to have baby steps to get there,,
few months ago I saw on here about screen savers hack so I finally got it (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,11566.0.html)
but now I want to update to 2.3 but noticed everyone talking about an-install the screen savers first right? I don't think I got font hack ... ( I plug my kindle and open the folder thing and just removed from that is ok? or where is the root ? do I have to go control panel thing.. etc..?)
Since I deleted screensaver hack from the folder area my kindle 2 has only originals screen saver pictures only.....

but it still doesn't update.... soon as start updating on kindle and stop in middle of process saying "unable to update" and just restart... go back to 2.03....

Am I suppose to put that 2.3 update folder to one of these other folders?(like music, audible, document, system ) 
I wanted try myself without calling amazon C/S...

please help me with baby steps... 
thank you.
Mt


----------



## Pushka

Hi mtcoco, the new update does not go into any of the folders, it is placed with them. Assuming you have correctly uninstalled the hack for screensavers, the pictures will all return when you do the upgrade. So then you just need to do the UPDATED hack for your kindle brand.

If this is what you did first time then I think your uninstall for the screensaver hasnt been done properly. Make sure you download the OLD uninstall for the K2 (and not the K2International); update the kindle, then put the upgrade into the root (ie first) directory next to (but not into) those other folders, update the kindle again and all should be good.


----------



## legalbs2

I have had the same problem.  I removed the screen saver folder that contained my personal screen savers.  Then updated my Kindle and the original screen saver folder returned with the original screen savers.

I then downloaded the 2.3 update and placed into the root directory of my Kindle next to, but not inside the four folders.  It installed the 2.3 update.  I ejected my Kindle, disconnected all the USB cords and updated my Kindle.  It also stopped in the middle of installation and rebooted my Kindle.  I still have 2.1 version.

I had CS go through the process 4 times and still no upgrade to version 2.3.  I was told that it would automatically update if I leave the Kindle in sleep mode with the Whisper Net on.  I did that for a couple of hours while charging the battery and nothing.

I was told if I did not get the update by December 4th to call them back and they gave me the direct phone number.

I was also told that with the Kindle DX there was not that much of a change and that I really did not need it.


----------



## 911jason

Removing the screensaver folder is not the same thing as uninstalling the screensaver hack. You need to use the uninstall hack file that should have come with the original screensaver hack. Copy it to your Kindle's root (where you see the Documents folder and the other folders), then update your Kindle. Once that's done, you can now copy the 2.3 firmware update file to your Kindle's root and update again.


----------



## geoffthomas

legalbs2 said:


> I have had the same problem. I removed the screen saver folder that contained my personal screen savers. Then updated my Kindle and the original screen saver folder returned with the original screen savers.
> 
> I then downloaded the 2.3 update and placed into the root directory of my Kindle next to, but not inside the four folders. It installed the 2.3 update. I ejected my Kindle, disconnected all the USB cords and updated my Kindle. It also stopped in the middle of installation and rebooted my Kindle. I still have 2.1 version.
> 
> I had CS go through the process 4 times and still no upgrade to version 2.3. I was told that it would automatically update if I leave the Kindle in sleep mode with the Whisper Net on. I did that for a couple of hours while charging the battery and nothing.
> 
> I was told if I did not get the update by December 4th to call them back and they gave me the direct phone number.
> 
> I was also told that with the Kindle DX there was not that much of a change and that I really did not need it.


Not sure what else may have gone on, but...you need to eject/safe remove your kindle before trying to do anything else. Your post indicates that you started the update before ejecting. That probably aborted the update.


----------



## luvmy4brats

911jason said:


> Removing the screensaver folder is not the same thing as uninstalling the screensaver hack. You need to use the uninstall hack file that should have come with the original screensaver hack. Copy it to your Kindle's root (where you see the Documents folder and the other folders), then update your Kindle. Once that's done, you can now copy the 2.3 firmware update file to your Kindle's root and update again.


what he said ^^


----------



## marianneg

sebat said:


> Everyone that is complaining of a sluggish K...Have any of you tried to do a hard reset to see if that takes care of it?


Good thought. It does seems to be showing the home screen faster after restarting, but I'm still getting the spinning icon in the corner for a bit. Definitely wouldn't hurt.


----------



## vg

I haven't received my update yet and trying to decide whether to force the download or not.  Is there any reason that things would go more smoothly if I wait for whispernet - or is it the same either way?


----------



## Shastastan

Mine has not come through WN yet , but I'm not leaving WN on either.  I only turn it on for a few minutes everyday to download the blogs.  A poster above was told by Amazon CS to contact them if she didn't have it by Dec. 4th.  I'm going to wait until then and if I don't have it yet, I'll just download it via the PC.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

It likely will not come down automatically if you only turn WN on for a few minutes a day.  What I might suggest is to turn WN for overnight. . .and leave it plugged in if you're worried about the battery draining.


----------



## legalbs2

geoffthomas said:


> Not sure what else may have gone on, but...you need to eject/safe remove your kindle before trying to do anything else. Your post indicates that you started the update before ejecting. That probably aborted the update.


Thanks for the advise, but I did state that I ejected the Kindle. I have done everything by the book, but CS stated that he did not know in what order the Kindles were being updated. It seems we update according to our purchase date.


----------



## vg

I left it on all day yesterday.  I did have the font hack and removed it the day the update was announced.  Don't think I could have missed my chance, but it seems weird that nothing has happened.  I've even downloaded samples and stuff to see if that would force it.


----------



## legalbs2

911jason said:


> Removing the screensaver folder is not the same thing as uninstalling the screensaver hack. You need to use the uninstall hack file that should have come with the original screensaver hack. Copy it to your Kindle's root (where you see the Documents folder and the other folders), then update your Kindle. Once that's done, you can now copy the 2.3 firmware update file to your Kindle's root and update again.


Since I no longer have the hack screensaver installed and the original screensaver is now on my Kindle, I see no reason to use the uninstall application. The instructions that I downloaded with the screensaver hack stated that I could remove the hack screensaver folder and update my Kindle and the original screensaver folder would return with all the original screensavers. It has done that.

It would seem unnecessary to uninstall a hack that is no longer there. But thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## legalbs2

Ann in Arlington said:


> It likely will not come down automatically if you only turn WN on for a few minutes a day. What I might suggest is to turn WN for overnight. . .and leave it plugged in if you're worried about the battery draining.


Ann is correct. According to CS, if you leave your WN on AND your Kindle in sleep mode, the chances of the new updated downloading correctly is very, very good. But, that being said, if you do not get the update by December 4th, you should call CS. Their quote, not mine.


----------



## marianneg

legalbs2 said:


> Since I no longer have the hack screensaver installed and the original screensaver is now on my Kindle, I see no reason to use the uninstall application. The instructions that I downloaded with the screensaver hack stated that I could remove the hack screensaver folder and update my Kindle and the original screensaver folder would return with all the original screensavers. It has done that.
> 
> It would seem unnecessary to uninstall a hack that is no longer there. But thanks for the suggestion.


Well, the reason would be to get the update from Amazon.


----------



## luvmy4brats

legalbs2 said:


> Since I no longer have the hack screensaver installed and the original screensaver is now on my Kindle, I see no reason to use the uninstall application. The instructions that I downloaded with the screensaver hack stated that I could remove the hack screensaver folder and update my Kindle and the original screensaver folder would return with all the original screensavers. It has done that.
> 
> It would seem unnecessary to uninstall a hack that is no longer there. But thanks for the suggestion.


Well, if you want the update, you'll have to uninstall the hack. Just removing the folder does not equal uninstall. It may be unnecessary in your mind, but I can assure you, it's quite necessary.


----------



## Greg Banks

legalbs2 said:


> Since I no longer have the hack screensaver installed and the original screensaver is now on my Kindle, I see no reason to use the uninstall application. The instructions that I downloaded with the screensaver hack stated that I could remove the hack screensaver folder and update my Kindle and the original screensaver folder would return with all the original screensavers. It has done that.
> 
> It would seem unnecessary to uninstall a hack that is no longer there. But thanks for the suggestion.


That would make sense IF your Kindle were updating properly. The fact that it's not suggests you should be trying whatever the heck you can to make it work, since most everyone else isn't having a problem. Besides, I ran the uninstall without actually deleting the screensaver folder, and my update when perfectly. If you don't want to take the initiative to try actually running the uninstall as you're supposed to, then you really don't have much desire to get the update.

The only thing deleting the screensaver folder does is reinitialize the original screen savers. It in no way undoes the actual alteration to the operating system that the hack performs, and if you aren't removing the hack, it will not update.


----------



## pidgeon92

Yes, we have had several people insist that their hack was gone, when it in fact was not uninstalled. You can tell by looking at your system software version. If you have numbers/letters beyond 2.03 or whatever you were at, there is a hack installed, and you will not be able to update the system software until you restore the system file.

Just to be clear, you don't _have_ to update the system software, nothing bad will happen if it stays on an older version.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

To clarify what Verena said. . . your version number will be 2.x.x (xxxxxxxxxx) .  . where the x's can represent various numbers. If it also says "+ UFhack x.x" or + "SSHack x.x" or something of that nature, you have a hack installed and the update will not work until you run the appropriate uninstall file.

Kinda like deleting all the documents from your computer doesn't mean you no longer have a word processing program, you just don't have anything for it to open.


----------



## marianneg

pidgeon92 said:


> Just to be clear, you don't _have_ to update the system software, nothing bad will happen if it stays on an older version.


Well....except that Amazon will probably not support if if there is a problem.


----------



## ak rain

I think they will just encourage you before they try something else
sylvia


----------



## Pushka

The hacks actually changes the operating system of your kindle.  That process has to be reversed - by running the uninstall.  Removing the folder only does not reverse the changes that were made by the hack.  Until that has been done for both screensaver and font hack, the Amazon update will fail.

Doing the update manually is extremely easy to do.


----------



## JimC1946

Pushka said:


> Doing the update manually is extremely easy to do.


Yes, it's very simple.


----------



## The Hooded Claw

I left my K2 plugged in with wireless on over the holiday weekend, and no update.  I am not in an urgent hurry for the update, so I will just start leaving wireless on overnight.


----------



## mtcoco

Hi, everyone, I now understand that I need to uninstall the hack... now...  is someone can tell me or show me the link of uninstaller for the screen saver hack ?  I can't find anywhere....

Thank you.
Mt


----------



## legalbs2

marianner said:


> Well, the reason would be to get the update from Amazon.


But the hack is no longer on my Kindle.


----------



## legalbs2

luvmy4brats said:


> Well, if you want the update, you'll have to uninstall the hack. Just removing the folder does not equal uninstall. It may be unnecessary in your mind, but I can assure you, it's quite necessary.


This is the instructions regarding why you do not need to uninstall the screensaver hack:

"If you would like to restore the original screen savers without removing the
hack, simply delete the screen_saver folder and reset your kindle, and the
folder will be recreated with the original images in it.

Any official kindle DX updates that patch the file will fail (gracefully)
if this is installed (ie. 2.1 to 2.1.1). Use the remove procedure,
to restore the default screen savers, then apply the official update, and
all will be well."

But, if I do not get the upgrade by Dec. 4th automatically, I will, indeed uninstall the already removed hack.


----------



## luvmy4brats

legalbs2 said:


> But the hack is no longer on my Kindle.


Yes. It is. The screensavers are no longer on your Kindle. There's a difference. Really. The ONLY way to completely remove the hack is to run the uninstall.


----------



## legalbs2

luvmy4brats said:


> Yes. It is. The screensavers are no longer on your Kindle. There's a difference. Really. The ONLY way to completely remove the hack is to run the uninstall.


Okay, I shall run the uninstall. Ann's comment convinced me when I checked by Kindle and saw the SSDX 0.1 notation after my Kindle 2.1 (######). I still have the hack software on the Kindle. Thanks guys.

I uninstalled the hack and have now installed the 2.3 upgrade!!! Thanks again. I never realized that the hacks actually appeared in your Kindle's settings.


----------



## legalbs2

mtcoco said:


> Hi, everyone, I now understand that I need to uninstall the hack... now... is someone can tell me or show me the link of uninstaller for the screen saver hack ? I can't find anywhere....
> 
> Thank you.
> Mt


Here is the link:

www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30871& d=1245195868

Inside the folder will have instructions and both the install and uninstall bins.


----------



## Leslie

legalbs2 said:


> Here is the link:
> 
> www.mobileread.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30871& d=1245195868
> 
> Inside the folder will have instructions and both the install and uninstall bins.


Please note that this link is for the DX only. I also corrected your URL so it works properly.

L


----------



## legalbs2

Leslie said:


> Please note that this link is for the DX only. I also corrected your URL so it works properly.
> 
> L


Thanks. I have installed the SS Hack and added my screensavers; however, it did not take. I have only Amazon's screensavers. I think maybe the new upgrade will not allow the hack install.

When I installed the SS Hack the notation on my settings did not appear. Therefore, I do not think the hack is working with the new 2.3 upgrade on the KDX. I am going to run the uninstall again then try to install after it reboots.


----------



## RavenclawPrefect

legalbs2 said:


> Thanks. I have installed the SS Hack and added my screensavers; however, it did not take. I have only Amazon's screensavers. I think maybe the new upgrade will not allow the hack install.


It does. Many of us have reinstalled both the screen saver and font hack after installing the Amazon update.


----------



## legalbs2

ravenclawprefect said:


> It does. Many of us have reinstalled both the screen saver and font hack after installing the Amazon update.


Is there a notation on your settings that appears showing the hack? I have uninstalled the hack, removed the screensaver folder and replaced it with my screen_saver folder per instructions with my screensavers. I have no indication of the hack and only have the original Amazon screens.


----------



## luvmy4brats

legalbs2 said:


> Thanks. I have installed the SS Hack and added my screensavers; however, it did not take. I have only Amazon's screensavers. I think maybe the new upgrade will not allow the hack install.
> 
> When I installed the SS Hack the notation on my settings did not appear. Therefore, I do not think the hack is working with the new 2.3 upgrade on the KDX. I am going to run the uninstall again then try to install after it reboots.


Did you install the old screensaver hack or the new screensaver hack that was released just a few days ago. The old screensaver hack does not work with this update.

To make sure you have the correct version, I recommend you download it from here: http://charles-reace.com/Kindle_Hacks/

You're going to want to download::

font_Georgia2_2.3.zip (4986 KB) 
font_Helvetica2_2.3.zip (4564 KB) 
font_droid_2.3.zip (4129 KB) 
font_liberation_2.3.zip (7713 KB) 
font_uninstall_2.3.zip (9 KB) 
kindle_hacks.zip (21419 KB) 
*screensaverhack-0.1.zip (16 KB) *  <<<<THIS FILE


----------



## legalbs2

Duh!  That is probably the problem.  I only have the hack from November 7, 2009.


----------



## davem2bits

mtcoco said:


> Hi, everyone, I now understand that I need to uninstall the hack... now... is someone can tell me or show me the link of uninstaller for the screen saver hack ? I can't find anywhere....
> 
> Thank you.
> Mt


Here is a link to the screensaver hack for a Kindle 2 US version with O/S 2.0# installed.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=400528&postcount=150

If that is the version of Kindle that you own, then download the zip file, unzip it and read the README.TXT file. That will explain how to install and uninstall the hack. Again this is for the US version of the Kindle.

If you own a Kindle DX, here is the link for it.

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/KindleDX_Screen_Saver_Hack

Good luck.


----------



## legalbs2

Well, now that I followed all of your good advice everything works!!!!  Thanks, again.  Next time I will have to remember to download the latest hack upgrades after a Kindle upgrade.  First time for either for me.  Boy, you sure learn a lot around here.


----------



## mtcoco

davem2bits thank you so much!! very nice of you!!    I really wanted to try my own (I always depend on my husband about PC things..)
but finally I gave up and he helped me with your link.  
  
  Now I got my 2.3 update on my k2    
much I have troubles to do  anything on PC....  I don't think I will install screen saver hack again....
I think I'll leave mine original ...... till I can handle PC and zip folders and etc..

everyone thank you again.
Mt


----------



## ak rain

do not feel alone Mt I am the same in leaving the hacks to more computer savvy people
sylvia


----------



## Pushka

Funny how when you follow the instructions explictly, things actually work.


----------



## mtcoco

oh... thank you Ak rain I feel better to hear that....

but funny thing is.... I am fallowing the instructions (at least I think I'm doing right..) but never get through.... 
mt


----------



## Anniehow

Will this this ever download automatically??!!?  
It's been 5 days since I received the email and still nothing.  I know that I could hook it up to the computer however I don't really want to, that's why I got the Kindle (so that I wouldn't have to).
Call me lazy...but anxious.


----------



## Adele

I haven't received mine yet either - also feeling lazy.


----------



## ellesu

I wonder if updates have anything to do with purchase date? My 2.3 update's there but I never received an Amazon email.  I didn't know my Kindle was updated until I read about it here on the boards.

If it means anything - I ordered my Kindle in Jan. (before I knew K2 was on the way).  I received it in March.

Do you have to check settings to know if an update's been loaded, or does it show up on the home screen and I'm just not paying attention?


----------



## pidgeon92

ellesu said:


> Do you have to check settings to know if an update's been loaded


Yes....


----------



## Shastastan

ellesu said:


> My 2.3 update's there but I never received an Amazon email. I didn't know my Kindle was updated until I read about it here on the boards.
> If it means anything - I ordered my Kindle in Jan. (before I knew K2 was on the way). I received it in March.
> Do you have to check settings to know if an update's been loaded, or does it show up on the home screen and I'm just not paying attention?


Sounds like you have it--at least you said you do. Here's how to check. Go to Home. Go the Menu. Go to Settings. Look at the bottom of the screen. It will show the latest ver. you have.

Mine is not here yet, but I wondering if they are updating in the order of purchase date. I bought mine in August. I'm also just going to wait.


----------



## ellesu

Thanks much! I definitely have it and I definitely love it.  I wonder what else is hidden in this little device?


----------



## KindleKay (aka #1652)

Just a note to let you all know that the "Screensaver Hack Instructions as Easy as I can get them" and the "Font Hack instructions as easy as I can get them"  threads has been UPDATED to include links to new hack for 2.3.  I did also leave the "old" hack link in case someone needs the uninstall file.  It is there in the old link.  My apologies for doing this so many days after the update was released.  I know that many people got confused... Hopefully the new instructions will alleviate some of the confusion for folks!!


----------



## larryb52

I don't have mine downloaded yet either & I'm not worried as I'm happy with it as is & I do not use pdf...it is a book reader. One question that I was wondering about is how is it that publishers allow so many different forms of the copy righted matter to exist. I mean Kinle has one the Nook will have another same with Sony. The music industry allows mp3's that's it, why is it different with books, just wondering...


----------



## pidgeon92

^^^ There are plenty of audio formats.... The ones sold in the iTunes store are in the AAC format.

The thing about different formats is that for the most part, as long as there is no DRM attached, they can be converted to other formats.


----------



## pzw

marianner said:


> Good thought. It does seems to be showing the home screen faster after restarting, but I'm still getting the spinning icon in the corner for a bit. Definitely wouldn't hurt.


I noticed the same problem with general slowness and the spinning circle. I originally had over 100 pages of files, so I downsized to 35 pages. No help there. I did the dreaded factory reset to try and solve these problems. Didn't seem to make any difference. Strangely enough, I ended up with the new update loaded on my Kindle after the reset, rather than the original version that came with it. Also, has anyone else had very slow deletion of files since downloading the update?


----------



## Susan in VA

Peeking into this thread again to see whether the dust has settled yet. Looks like some helpful techno-savvy people have figured out new hacks, and looks like enough people have tested those in the meantime... soo... <deep breath> I guess I'll turn WN on again, and see what happens.

(Ann, you were right. It took me DAYS to get over my Sony experience.  )


----------



## lynninva

I finally gave up & installed the update manually.  Amazon states that the update will happen automatically the next time you turn Whispernet on, but that did not happen for me.  I have left Whispernet on for the past several days, have shopped in the Kindle Store, deleted samples, and retrieved items from my archive, but nothing triggeredd the update.  My K2 was still at 2.0.3. 

So I did it the manual way.  Then I copied a PDF to my Kindle & changed the rotation and they both worked.  I don't know that I would ever read in the landscape mode, but it did make the PDF type more readable.


----------



## Annalog

Red said:


> Annalog, if you go to settings and type 611 and look under carrier, it will show carrier as AT&T on k2i. I don't have k2 us anymore, but assume it wouldn't lust AT&T.


Finally back to Internet access.  However, I am currently in an area of 1X instead of 3G. My 611 pages do not have an entry for carrier or anything that lists AT&T. I will check tomorrow when I will be where the Kindle connects at 3G to see if there is a difference.


----------



## Richard in W.Orange

Ok, when last I looked (last night) I did not yet get the upgrade. But I have to say if there are improvements coming I'm gonna be really impressed as I converted a bunch of 'operational documents' to PDF and so I looked very techno-geek running the board meeting last night from my DX as opposed to a lot of paper. (And then I had to show off the device.) Was also really impressed as I now have a full copy of _Ragtime_ on my DX, including the vocal score (by song) and its quite usable! Next big thing to put on the DX, script and vocal score for _RENT_ for upcoming auditions.


----------



## Ann in Arlington

The improvements to the DX with the 2.3 update are not as drastic as the K2 since the DX already has PDF support. . . .mostly a little better magnification in landscape orientation because they eliminate white margins.  It would be good if they'd do that in portrait too. . . .then I'd hardly need landscape for many of the PDF's I have.


----------



## mwb

Ann in Arlington said:


> The improvements to the DX with the 2.3 update are not as drastic as the K2 since the DX already has PDF support. . . .mostly a little better magnification in landscape orientation because they eliminate white margins. It would be good if they'd do that in portrait too. . . .then I'd hardly need landscape for many of the PDF's I have.


That's what really surprised me. It is really needed in the Portrait mode that would make it really perfect on the DX. I'm still surprised it is just in landscape.


----------



## Tigress780

Excellent! I was able to successfully uninstall my SS and font hacks, update to 2.3 and put SS & Font hacks back on! I love the screen rotation. I have to load a PDF to see how I like it.


----------



## markmcak

pzw said:


> I noticed the same problem with general slowness and the spinning circle. I originally had over 100 pages of files, so I downsized to 35 pages. No help there. I did the dreaded factory reset to try and solve these problems. Didn't seem to make any difference. Strangely enough, I ended up with the new update loaded on my Kindle after the reset, rather than the original version that came with it. Also, has anyone else had very slow deletion of files since downloading the update?


I'm definitely noticing slower file deletion on my DX since the 2.3 upgrade. Everything else seems fine, including the screensaver and fonthacks.

Mark


----------



## Annalog

Annalog said:


> Red said:
> 
> 
> 
> Annalog, if you go to settings and type 611 and lookunder carrier, it will show carrier as AT&T on k2i. I don't have k2 us anymore, but assume it wouldn't lust AT&T.
> 
> 
> 
> Finally back to Internet access.  However, I am currently in an area of 1X instead of 3G. My 611 pages do not have an entry for carrier or anything that lists AT&T. I will check tomorrow when I will be where the Kindle connects at 3G to see if there is a difference.
Click to expand...

After checking when my K2 had a 3G connection, my 611 pages still do not list a carrier. There are sections for MODEM, 1xRTT, EVDO, DMD PARAMETERS, and MS WAN ACCESS. None of these sections with a label for carrier or contain AT&T or ATT. The closest I see is under EVDO where the first instance is AT State: 3-IDLE. I suspect that if you see a named carrier, then it is an international model. I now will need to check my husband's DX when I get home to verify that his 611 pages name Sprint. If so, then I will check which other 611 entry sections differ.


----------



## marianneg

FYI, I was having home page slowness after updating my K2, but that seems to have resolved itself fter a restart, although not immediately.  I think that my books may have been re-indexing or something.  Deletes are still slow, though.


----------



## cloudyvisions

Mine is continually getting slower every time I do something after it starts up. Whether it's just hit next or home, it starts loading with that rotating circle, and it takes forever. UG. Tonight it even half way loaded and then froze, part of the book and part of the screensaver on the screen. I did a restart but it's still going slow. Does it sound like I might need to do a restore to factory settings and try it all again?


----------



## legalbs2

I uninstalled the SS hack then downloaded and installed the 2.3 upgrade, then installed the latest version of the SS Hack for the 2.3 upgrade.  All is working great.

For you K2 owners, welcome to the fun world of reading in landscape mode and getting native pdfs.


----------



## NogDog

cloudyvisions said:


> Mine is continually getting slower every time I do something after it starts up. Whether it's just hit next or home, it starts loading with that rotating circle, and it takes forever. UG. Tonight it even half way loaded and then froze, part of the book and part of the screensaver on the screen. I did a restart but it's still going slow. Does it sound like I might need to do a restore to factory settings and try it all again?


I'd probably contact Kindle Customer Service and see if they want you to do that (it's a pain because you have to re-download all content) or re-install the upgrade somehow, or something else they know about that might deal with this issue. (Or for that matter decide it should be replaced?)


----------



## pidgeon92

cloudyvisions said:


> I did a restart but it's still going slow.


Restart or reset? They are not the same thing, and the problems you are having call for a reset.


----------



## dsgdmd

I have been reading across my K2 my iphone and my pc.  Since the 2.3 update I have been having problem with the "sync to furthest point read"  I will read 20-30 pages on my k2 then again on the iphone and it just says you are at the furthest point read.  The same thing happens in reverse.  But this had only happened since the 2.3 update.  Is anyone else having this problem?


----------



## cloudyvisions

pidgeon92 said:


> Restart or reset? They are not the same thing, and the problems you are having call for a reset.


No, I did mean to say a restart. While upgrading to 2.3 I did a reset three times and then moved all my files back onto my Kindle, so at first I thought it was just that it was taking forever to index. But it's still continuing to run incredibly slow for the first minute I turn it on and the indexing is done.



NogDog said:


> I'd probably contact Kindle Customer Service and see if they want you to do that (it's a pain because you have to re-download all content) or re-install the upgrade somehow, or something else they know about that might deal with this issue. (Or for that matter decide it should be replaced?)


Would customer service be able to help since I have the hacks on and I want to keep both of them on? Like, I know whenever I call Comcast they won't help with the cable modem b/c we have a wireless adapter and they won't help with 3rd party software. Would the CS be willing to help despite the hacks I have on the Kindle? I don't think it should be replaced because it's been working perfectly since I got it in May, so I really think it has something to do with either 2.3 or the hacks. But, like I said, it works fine after the initial slowness.


----------



## pidgeon92

cloudyvisions said:


> But, like I said, it works fine after the initial slowness.


Then is it really enough of a problem that you want to call customer service?

If I were experiencing the problems you are, I would reset the Kindle again.

It that did not work, I would remove the hacks, then reset the Kindle again.

I am confused about your statement re: resetting the Kindle, and having to move the files back to the Kindle.... Do you mean your e-books? Resetting does not delete your books.


----------



## cloudyvisions

pidgeon92 said:


> Then is it really enough of a problem that you want to call customer service?
> 
> If I were experiencing the problems you are, I would reset the Kindle again.
> 
> It that did not work, I would remove the hacks, then reset the Kindle again.
> 
> I am confused about your statement re: resetting the Kindle, and having to move the files back to the Kindle.... Do you mean your e-books? Resetting does not delete your books.


Well, it's just annoying. The Kindle itself works fine, so I'm not worried it's breaking or anything, it's just annoyingly slow. I turned it on right now and the book I'm reading came up and when I pressed the Home key it took 67 seconds for it to come up. It used to be like...10.

Yes, resetting it back to the factory settings did remove all my books, so I had to put them back and have them index again.


----------



## pidgeon92

cloudyvisions said:


> Yes, resetting it back to the factory settings did remove all my books, so I had to put them back and have them index again.


Resetting a Kindle, and restoring to factory settings is two different things. In order to reset a K2, you simply slide the on/off/sleep switch to the right and hold for ~30-40 seconds, and the Kindle resets itself. This process does not delete your books, or change any settings, and it fixes many odd problems.


----------



## cloudyvisions

pidgeon92 said:


> Resetting a Kindle, and restoring to factory settings is two different things. In order to reset a K2, you simply slide the on/off/sleep switch to the right and hold for ~30-40 seconds, and the Kindle resets itself. This process does not delete your books, or change any settings, and it fixes many odd problems.


Well then, when I meant "restart" then I was essentially resetting the Kindle then. The screen went blank and flashed and then came back up. Restart. Reset. Whatever! I've tried that. That's why I'm wondering if I should go back to factory settings and start over completely. I would still need to run the uninstall for both hacks, correct?


----------



## NogDog

pidgeon92 said:


> Resetting a Kindle, and restoring to factory settings is two different things. In order to reset a K2, you simply slide the on/off/sleep switch to the right and hold for ~30-40 seconds, and the Kindle resets itself. This process does not delete your books, or change any settings, and it fixes many odd problems.


Just to get everyone on the same track here, the menu options in question are

*Restart* - this is like rebooting your computer
*Reset to Factory Defaults* - this is the one that will remove all of your documents.

So the confusion here is that what you are referring to as "resetting" is actually labeled as "restarting", while your "restoring" is actually labeled as "resetting" [to factory defaults].


----------



## cloudyvisions

That's what I thought! But yes, I tried restarting a couple times now, so I'm going to back up my files and stuff and reset my Kindle now to see if that will work instead.


----------



## NogDog

Note that after you reset to factory settings and then reload all your files, things may be slow for awhile depending on how many documents, as the Kindle will be indexing them as a background process. Taking a minute to load a document is too long, though. If after having it on for several hours and it's still taking that long, I'd be on the phone with customer service, myself.


----------



## cloudyvisions

Yeah, I remember it took a while when I did the reset the first time. Do you think customer service will still help me even if they look at my logs (when I called last week they accessed the logs on my Kindle) and see the hacks are there?


----------



## 911jason

You can remove the hacks and if they like they can access your Kindle again through Whispernet to verify that there are no hacks installed.

The only thing I can think of is that either one of your books is causing a problem, or possibly the specific font hack you used (which one did you install, by the way?), or else it's a hardware problem. You can eliminate the possibility of the hack(s) being the problem by removing them. You can always reinstall them later. Does the long delay in opening the book apply to every book you've tried?


----------



## cloudyvisions

911jason said:


> You can remove the hacks and if they like they can access your Kindle again through Whispernet to verify that there are no hacks installed.
> 
> The only thing I can think of is that either one of your books is causing a problem, or possibly the specific font hack you used (which one did you install, by the way?), or else it's a hardware problem. You can eliminate the possibility of the hack(s) being the problem by removing them. You can always reinstall them later. Does the long delay in opening the book apply to every book you've tried?


Well, I'm more worried that it's the hacks themselves that are causing the problem. I installed the Helvetica2 font and the screensaver hack. It doesn't delay in every book. What happens is, if I turn on my kindle and if there is a book I was reading when I turned it off last on the screen, if I hit the Home button that's when it will take like...over a minute to go to the home screen, and it never used to take that long. And then the circle up in the left corner keeps spinning and spinning but nothing happens. So it's not every book, just when I initially start it up.

Anyway, as soon as I find my cable...because I've been looking for it with no success for the past 30 minutes, I'm going to remove the hacks and see what happens and then possibly reset the kindle.


----------



## 911jason

cloudyvisions said:


> Well, I'm more worried that it's the hacks themselves that are causing the problem. I installed the Helvetica2 font and the screensaver hack.


No need to worry about it being the hacks, I'd say that's the best possible scenario, since many people are using the hacks problem-free. If it turns out that everything runs smoothly after removing the hack, I'd just re-download the hack file (don't use the hack install file that you already used) and try again. I'd use TedSan's Helvetica2 that he just posted on Monday.



cloudyvisions said:


> It doesn't delay in every book. What happens is, if I turn on my kindle and if there is a book I was reading when I turned it off last on the screen, if I hit the Home button that's when it will take like...over a minute to go to the home screen, and it never used to take that long. And then the circle up in the left corner keeps spinning and spinning but nothing happens. So it's not every book, just when I initially start it up.


Just to be perfectly clear, you've had this happen at start-up with multiple different books, right? I only ask because a corrupt book file could also possibly cause your Kindle some hiccups, and I want to eliminate that as a factor here.


----------



## cloudyvisions

911jason said:


> No need to worry about it being the hacks, I'd say that's the best possible scenario, since many people are using the hacks problem-free. If it turns out that everything runs smoothly after removing the hack, I'd just re-download the hack file (don't use the hack install file that you already used) and try again. I'd use TedSan's Helvetica2 that he just posted on Monday.
> 
> Just to be perfectly clear, you've had this happen at start-up with multiple different books, right? I only ask because a corrupt book file could also possibly cause your Kindle some hiccups, and I want to eliminate that as a factor here.


Is the Helvetica2 I should download different from the one over on the MobileRead forum? Nevermind, I see. I went to the K Design Works site and saw it there - I'm assuming this is the place you meant! 

Yeah, it's with any e-book I have up. I thought at first maybe it was having PDFs on there, but they've been removed and nothing changed.


----------



## jaspertyler

Ted San has all the hacks on his site now!  I'm not sure if everyone knows this.  I am so happy


----------



## gir

Just some additional info for all of you having slow-down problems: I have zero hacks on my Kindle, and have noticed significantly *faster* processing since I manually updated to 2.3. The pages turn faster, books open up faster, wireless turns on faster, etc.

good luck!


----------



## Shastastan

gir said:


> Just some additional info for all of you having slow-down problems: I have zero hacks on my Kindle, and have noticed significantly *faster* processing since I manually updated to 2.3. The pages turn faster, books open up faster, wireless turns on faster, etc.
> 
> good luck!


Thanks for the tip. I haven't manually downloaded the upgrade yet. I did get an email from Amazon about it and I'm wondering if they expect the folks they sent emails to to manually download since I haven't received anything via WN.

Stan


----------



## Saylorgirl

Mine has still not updated!!


----------



## Tip10

gir said:


> Just some additional info for all of you having slow-down problems: I have zero hacks on my Kindle, and have noticed significantly *faster* processing since I manually updated to 2.3. The pages turn faster, books open up faster, wireless turns on faster, etc.
> 
> good luck!


Hmmm, If I get a chance tonight I'll try and run mine and tthe DW's side by side and see how they react. 
I'll try same positions in same book (although I have a bit more on mine than she has on her's).
I've manually downloaded the upgrade and DW's is currently un-upgraded (still 2.0.4 I believe).
Got some meetings tonight but we'll see -- if not I'll get it done for sure tomorrow night.

As a side note -- I've not noticed any appreciable change in mine since the upgrade -- neither faster nor slower. It does flash OPENING upon wakeup where it did not before but still seems to open book about the same speed....


----------



## dnagirl

I have no hacks on my K and since the upgrade, it's been slower when going to the homepage from a book and selecting a book.  I'm also getting a lot of shadowing on my page turns, which is slightly annoying.


----------



## Greg Banks

Don't know if this is true, but I suspect that once you do an upgrade, the Kindle has to index everything again. I think those having slow downs should wait a few days and see if the speed doesn't improve before making much out of it. Maybe even plug your Kindles up and leave them plugged up overnight. That's what I like to do when I think my DX has a lot of indexing to do.


----------



## dnagirl

I've been upgraded since Saturday and have had the K plugged in for hours to recharge, so that doesn't seem to be it, at least in my case.  Thanks for the suggestion though!


----------



## marianneg

Shastastan said:


> Thanks for the tip. I haven't manually downloaded the upgrade yet. I did get an email from Amazon about it and I'm wondering if they expect the folks they sent emails to to manually download since I haven't received anything via WN.
> 
> Stan





Saylorgirl said:


> Mine has still not updated!!


Folks, CS has said to allow until 12/4 (Friday) for the wireless download. You also will have to leave your Whispernet on and the Kindle asleep for a while in order to receive and apply the update. Last update that came out I just left my WN on and my Kindle on the charger overnight and it was updated when I woke up.


----------



## ddavino

I performed the manual update yesterday.  It took about two minutes for the entire process - that means downloading the BIN file into the Kindle File (root directory) on my laptop, plugging in the device and executing the update.  I downloaded and plugged and the Kindle did the rest.  No change in speed of the device as a result of the update.  Nice having the landscape aspect.  Now I can turn my Oberon cover to its side and use the front of the cover as an easel while I read at lunch time.  My advice?  Go on and perform the manual update, even if you are not a computer rocket scientist..... I'm surely not and things worked out fine.  Remember that the Kindle customer service is great and will help you with any issues you may have.  Their accents are a little thick to listen through, but they are always helpful.


----------



## MrTsMom

I did the 2.3 update and installed both the screensaver and the font hacks a week ago. I really hadn't paid much attention to speed on things until I started reading this thread. Just checked, and mine is going much, much faster on everything than it used to. Even deleting a book took all of maybe 3 seconds. I'm thinking something is going on with your Kindle.


----------



## meglet

cloudyvisions said:


> Well, I'm more worried that it's the hacks themselves that are causing the problem. I installed the Helvetica2 font and the screensaver hack. It doesn't delay in every book. What happens is, if I turn on my kindle and if there is a book I was reading when I turned it off last on the screen, if I hit the Home button that's when it will take like...over a minute to go to the home screen, and it never used to take that long. And then the circle up in the left corner keeps spinning and spinning but nothing happens. So it's not every book, just when I initially start it up.
> 
> Anyway, as soon as I find my cable...because I've been looking for it with no success for the past 30 minutes, I'm going to remove the hacks and see what happens and then possibly reset the kindle.


Is WhisperNet on during this time? Because my understanding is that the Kindle syncs your last read location when you return to the home screen, and if you have just woken the Kindle up then hit the Home button, it may be trying to sync but waiting for the WN to connect, thus getting "frozen" until WN connects and it can sync.

Just a theory, anyway.


----------



## cloudyvisions

No, I usually don't have the wireless on when I first turn it on. 

I removed both hacks, did a reset back to factory settings and then first reinstalled the newest Helvetica font and then the screensaver one. While it is still running slowly when I first start it up, it's not AS slow as it was before. I waited to test it this evening after everything had finished indexing so that wouldn't be the reason for a slow down. 

So, I think it might have something to do with the hacks. But I can't go back to reading the default font after having Helvetica on for 5 months, so I'll deal with some delayed reaction time for easier-on-the-eyes-reading.

Thanks for everyone who tried to help me during this process!


----------



## Tip10

I was able to do a quick side by side comparison between my DW's un-updated K2 and my updated K2 -- neither of us running any hacks.  
The results were that the machines were identical in performance -- was simultaneously doing the same actions on each and it was pretty hit and miss as to which would "win" sometimes one sometimes the other but in all cases it was by only fractional seconds -- maybe a second at most.  In all probability due entirely to differences in exactly when I pushed the buttons (i.e. left hand maybe slightly quicker or slower than right).
Did not have a whole lot of time to run them through their paces but did try the following -- coming out of sleep, going to sleep, positioning to a particular place in a book, and page turns forward and backward.  
Bottom line was I saw no difference at all between the performance of the two.


----------



## jason10mm

I manually applied the patch and reinstalled UFhack. I have noticed a slight loading delay, as well as the "Loading" message which I have not noticed before when loading books. Page turns seem unaffected. I also seem to have a little bit of screen saver shadowing on the first page, but that resolves after the second page turn. Very insignificant for me and probably mostly perception, not reality.

PDFs seem to work well, I loaded up a bunch of game manuals for board games and even the images render well and are readable.


----------



## MLPMom

Mine hasn't updated yet either. I left it on all night last night hoping it would update on its own, and since I am really not suppose to be playing with it (it is a Christmas gift) I may just have to wait until after the holidays to manually install it.


----------



## Rhiathame

Since installing the update and the hacks I have noticed a delay in page turns but only for specific books. It may very well be that those same books had a delay before the update and I am just noticing it now because I am looking for differences. I do know that at least one of these books is formatted a bit differently because I had to change the font size on it.


----------



## HappyGuy

Shastastan said:


> I'm a little unclear about the practicality of .pdf on the Kindle. I can see why some might want to read business pdf stuff, but can someone tell me what else might be useful in the non-business area? I'm really not knowledgeable about Kindle pdf app's at all. Thanks.


There are a great number of public domain documents available in PDF format that will now be available to users in a more user friendly venue.

I wonder if this will be available for the K1?


----------



## HappyGuy

Oops - guess I should have read farther down into the thread.  No update for the K1? Booo!


----------



## Andra

MY DX has updated and the main thing I notice is that the selection cursor moves MUCH FASTER when I'm trying to look up a word or add a highlight.
I am planning to do the K2 this weekend since the new font hack is available.


----------



## Anju 

MLP you are going to have to play with it for it to update, you need WN on and if you don't keep charging it you will lose all battery charges - sorry but thems the facts Ma'am


----------



## Ann in Arlington

Anju No. 469 said:


> MLP you are going to have to play with it for it to update, you need WN on and if you don't keep charging it you will lose all battery charges - sorry but thems the facts Ma'am


Which is to say: either turn it off and put it back in the box and wait for Christmas. . . .or plug it in turn it on, turn on WN and just leave it that way until the update comes down. _Then_ you can unplug it, turn it off, and put it back in the box and wait for Christmas. 

Or just declare it Christmas (lots of folks give presents on Dec 6: the Feast of St. Nicholas) and wrap the empty box to put under the tree!!


----------



## MLPMom

Lol! You guys are terrible....very bad influences indeed, and let me tell you, I don't need much help in that department!
I think I will have to give in though and just accept that I need my Kindle now. I can always wrap up all the accessories and call it good. I wouldn't want my Kindle to die because it wasn't being used now would I? 

Think the husband will go for it?


----------



## Anju 

Ann gives great advise!  I would go with whatever she says, kindlewise anyway


----------



## R. M. Reed

I gave up today and downloaded the update. I don't really need the new features, but I had to have them.


----------



## Pushka

R. Reed said:


> I gave up today and downloaded the update. I don't really need the new features, but I had to have them.


it is a bit like all the covers and skins I seem to be accumulating......


----------



## Shastastan

R. Reed said:


> I gave up today and downloaded the update. I don't really need the new features, but I had to have them.


Someone said to be patient and that the downloads would be done by Dec. 4th, but we didn't get ours as of this morning. I received my email upgrade notification from Amazon on Nov. 25th. It did say that they would send out the upgrades *over the next few weeks.* I decided to manually do it for our K2's today. The instructions were very easy to follow and all went well. If you don't know what a "root directory" is, I recommend that you just wait for it to download via WN or have someone with that knowledge do it for you. FWIW


----------



## Shastastan

MLPMom said:


> Lol! You guys are terrible....very bad influences indeed, and let me tell you, I don't need much help in that department!
> I think I will have to give in though and just accept that I need my Kindle now. I can always wrap up all the accessories and call it good. I wouldn't want my Kindle to die because it wasn't being used now would I?
> 
> Think the husband will go for it?


I don't know if it will work, but you might want to read the 1st chapter of Mike Huckabee's book, "A Simple Christmas." There are some very definite parallels to your situation, FWIW.


----------



## Anju 

There is another thread about someone who got a kindle for their daughter, and the battery drained completely down and she had to get a replacement, so be forewarned - you NEED to be sure your battery is charged and you have to keep looking at it to make sure it does not drain down, and you might as well read while you are doing all this checking out.  Just be sure and wrap the box it is in so you will have something to open


----------



## VictoriaP

So I may very well be the last person on the boards to upgrade, but I finally caved and did it.  I'm profoundly glad I waited for ted-san's font hack upgrade to come through before I did though; once I'd uninstalled the first hack he provided, I was appalled at the look of the original, unaltered text.  UGH, how did I ever read that!

So--uninstalled screensaver & ted-san font hack.  Turned on wireless and told K2us to sync & check for upgrades.  It pulled down the update over wireless.  Let it do its thing.  Reinstalled new versions of screensaver & font hacks (font choice is CModNarrow).  Overall time spent:  38 minutes.  I'm glad we're no longer at the point of having to do this sort of thing every couple of weeks, and I wish Amazon would just provide the functionality for both of these features as part of their system software!


----------



## Susan in VA

VictoriaP said:


> So I may very well be the last person on the boards to upgrade, but I finally caved and did it.


<waving> nope, that would be me.

WN has been on for days, but no sign of any updates... I thought it was supposed to happen by the 4th?

(Eventually I'll do it manually, I suppose, but I'm in no hurry.)


----------



## mlewis78

Now that the Nook is out and has 3 changeable font styles, you'd think that Amazon would be getting with the program on that.


----------



## Toby

I'm still waiting for the update as well.


----------



## Shastastan

@Toby

I'm not sure how they are getting those upgrades out.  I spoke to a person who bought their K2 months after we got ours and she got her update quite some time ago.  I finally just downloaded ours just to have it done with.


----------



## Saylorgirl

Now I am getting annoyed that I still have not been updated!!  My new nook will be here to play with before I get this Kindle upgraded!!


----------



## pidgeon92

Saylorgirl said:


> Now I am getting annoyed that I still have not been updated!! My new nook will be here to play with before I get this Kindle upgraded!!


Maybe Amazon knows you ordered a nook, and this is how they are punishing you.


----------



## Anju 

Thanks Verena, I wanted to say the same thing


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

pidgeon92 said:


> Maybe Amazon knows you ordered a nook, and this is how they are punishing you.


You all are so bad, don't pick on poor Saylorgirl!

(ROTFL!)

Betsy


----------



## Adele

I broke down and did the manual upgrade - it was worth it to get some new sleep mode pictures - I like the fish!


----------



## Saylorgirl

Betsy the Quilter said:


> You all are so bad, don't pick on poor Saylorgirl!
> 
> (ROTFL!)
> 
> Betsy


Thanks Betsy!! sniff sniff!!

I really want the update I have had the wireless on since the day the e-mail came out!! I wonder if its just been forgotten? I could do the manual but now I just want to wait and see how long it takes!! I keep checking it all day long!


----------



## Anju 

Has Leslie gotten hers yet?  So maybe you are not the last


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

I remember back in February, the last Kindle 1 update, Leslie waited forever for that update but she was determined to let it happen "naturally. " 

Maybe we need epidurals for all the folks trying to wait it out.    Or at least some kind of better meds.

Betsy


----------



## Susan in VA

Don't you mean episiotomies?  

Or did you mean meds to dull the pain of waiting?

I still don't have mine.  But that ranks pretty low on my things-to-worry-about list.


----------



## kevindorsey

Adele said:


> I broke down and did the manual upgrade - it was worth it to get some new sleep mode pictures - I like the fish!


Yea, I've been impatient enough to do the same a few times.


----------



## ELDogStar

MY K2 updated yesterday.
But I am confused... I have the font hack installed and it updated right over it.

I thought I could not get updates if a hack was installed?

What I am not understanding ehere?

Appreciate the input as always...
Eric


----------



## LauraB

Is your font hack continuing to work?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter

ELDogStar said:


> MY K2 updated yesterday.
> But I am confused... I have the font hack installed and it updated right over it.
> 
> I thought I could not get updates if a hack was installed?
> 
> What I am not understanding ehere?
> 
> Appreciate the input as always...
> Eric


El,

Just to be clear--you can now look at books landscape? (Trying to be sure the update actually installed.) And as Red said, you still have the improved fonts?

Betsy


----------



## ELDogStar

Betsy the Quilter said:


> El,
> 
> Just to be clear--you can now look at books landscape? (Trying to be sure the update actually installed.) And as Red said, you still have the improved fonts?
> 
> Betsy


I will check later I just saw it updated last night when I went to sleep.
Haven't looked into it yet. Too busy with cold weather dog lesssns!

Eric


----------



## Shastastan

I thought that some folks said that they received new sleep mode screen images.  I think one mentioned fish?  Neither my wife nor I received any new screen images that I can see.  We are not running any hacks and never have.  It's not a big deal to us, but I am just curious.  The Settings show 2.3 and we do have the landscape feature so I'm sure that it installed okay.  We did ours manually.


----------



## vg

It took almost a week for the fish to show up on my Kindle, and I read a few hours everyday.  I still get the older ones most of the time.


----------



## ak rain

I wish we could go to a check list and select the sceen savers we want and go back and change our minds and reclick to hearts content. I know there is a hack but it is not the same for me. I will cave and go back to the font hacks eventially but not likely on screen savors.
sylvia


----------



## Pushka

I think I read somewhere that when you install new screensavers, even with the hack, it takes a while for the kindle to use the new ones?


----------



## Greg Banks

Screensavers show in "alphabetical" order, which gets complicated when many of the files have long numerical names, like the default screensavers. So you can set the display order by manipulating the filenames.


----------



## Pushka

Greg Banks said:


> Screensavers show in "alphabetical" order, which gets complicated when many of the files have long numerical names, like the default screensavers. So you can set the display order by manipulating the filenames.


Ah, thanks Greg, will look into that. Another question then, with a K2, whenever you 'play' with the screensavers, do you need to 'update the kindle' in order for the changes to take effect?


----------



## NogDog

Pushka said:


> Ah, thanks Greg, will look into that. Another question then, with a K2, whenever you 'play' with the screensavers, do you need to 'update the kindle' in order for the changes to take effect?


I believe you have to do a "Restart" for that. (The update is only for when a new ".bin" update file is loaded to your Kindle's root directory.)


----------



## Pushka

Hey thanks Nog Dog.  I have been doing so much uninstalling, updating, and reinstalling that I have lost track of everything I need to do. That makes sense though.


----------



## Shastastan

No sooner did I ask about the "fish" screensaver than when I turned on my K2 , there it was.  Mine is not to reason why......ad nauseum.


----------



## Adele

I kinda like those fish, goes well with the birds!


----------



## mwvickers

I miss Poe, Carroll, and Milton.


----------



## 911jason

mwvickers said:


> I miss Poe, Carroll, and Milton.


I have the original screensavers in a zip file I can e-mail to you if you like. Then you'd just need to do the screensaver hack and add in the ones you want back.


----------



## talleylynn

I have decided to wait for Amazon to send the update to my kindle, but after a week of waiting with Whispernet on all the time, I still have not received the update. I'm wondering, is there anyone else who hasn't received it yet?


----------



## jheydt

I read somewhere on these boards that it was mentioned that with this upgrade the DX had better battery life.  I have a K2 and was wondering whether the battery life was also extended on my Kindle?  I have been reading lately in fits and starts so I am not getting a true indication of battery life as I'm only reading about 15 minutes or so at a time.  I hate to go thru all these pages on this topic and was hoping someone could enlighten me.

Thanx

John


----------



## Prazzie

jheydt said:


> I read somewhere on these boards that it was mentioned that with this upgrade the DX had better battery life. I have a K2 and was wondering whether the battery life was also extended on my Kindle?


Yes, the update will extend the K2's battery life with wireless on to one week without needing to be charged. It does not affect the battery life with wireless off, which is still 2 weeks, according to Amazon.


----------



## kevindorsey

talleylynn said:


> I have decided to wait for Amazon to send the update to my kindle, but after a week of waiting with Whispernet on all the time, I still have not received the update. I'm wondering, is there anyone else who hasn't received it yet?


Why not just go manual here?


----------



## pidgeon92

jheydt said:


> I have a K2 and was wondering whether the battery life was also extended on my Kindle?


The way I understood it, the upgrade only extended the battery on the _international_ K2....


----------



## Prazzie

That's possible, the Amazon Help page is a bit confusing.

Kindle Version 2.3 Highlights

The latest update brings several improvements to Kindle (Global Wireless), Kindle (U.S. Wireless), and Kindle DX devices.

*Kindle (Global Wireless) and Kindle (U.S. Wireless)*

*Longer battery life for Kindle (Global Wireless): You can now read for up to 1 week on a single charge with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to 2 weeks.

Longer battery life is listed under the Global and US heading, but within the sentence itself, it specifically mentions the Global one. However, in the Amazon press release about the update, they stated:

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 2009-- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced two new enhancements to the latest generation Kindle-85 percent more battery life and a native PDF reader. Kindle now has battery life of up to seven days even with wireless turned on, a significant improvement from the previous battery life of four days. Battery life with wireless turned off remains at the previous level of up to two weeks. Battery power management for portable wireless devices is a complex technical area, and the battery life improvement announced today is the result of a six month firmware improvement and testing program.

Does anyone have a definitive answer to this?

Update: BlogKindle says "Kindle 2 International (wireless by AT&T) got a significant battery life boost." with the update, but the U.S. version of Kindle 2 that uses Sprint for wireless connectivity is not affected.

So I guess the US K2 does not get increased battery life, then.


----------



## skp23

talleylynn said:


> I have decided to wait for Amazon to send the update to my kindle, but after a week of waiting with Whispernet on all the time, I still have not received the update. I'm wondering, is there anyone else who hasn't received it yet?


I'm still waiting....


----------



## mwvickers

911jason said:


> I have the original screensavers in a zip file I can e-mail to you if you like. Then you'd just need to do the screensaver hack and add in the ones you want back.


I'll keep that in mind. I'm not sure if I want to do a hack or not. I've never done one, and I don't know if I want to have to have something there I'll have to remove again later if another update comes through.

I appreciate the offer.


----------



## geneven

Based on my observations, the non-international Kindle 2 DOES get battery improvements (when online) with the update. It seems to me that all has been done is that even when you're online, the amount of time you are in battery-intensive mode has been cut. It's as if you are manually turning wireless off all the time, but automatically, and then turning it on when you are REALLY using the Internet. Amazon has made this switch happen automatically when you have wireless turned on. 

So this change applies to Kindle 2's whether international or not. As I understand it, the international Kindles had especially bad battery life because of the nature of the AT&T wireless, and the improvement between really awful battery life and decent battery life on the international Kindles makes the difference really noticeable. But I find a distinct improvement on the non-international Kindles as well.

I also noticed some other small but cool improvements. It seems to me that the changeover from displaying a screen-blank image to reading text is faster, for example. 

I installed the improvement and didn't wait for it to happen automatically; it's very easy.


----------



## geoffthomas

I believe that there is some slight confusion.
The only K2 that you can now purchase new is the "International" one.
So if you have an original K2 - one that uses SPRINT - it will not have any battery improvement.
If you have the current K2 - the one that uses AT&T (and has been referred to as the international one) - you will get an improvement in battery life during use of whispernet.

Just sayin.....


----------



## modkindle

no update for me either. I haven't gone manual because I am not in a rush


----------



## modkindle

Speak of the Devil! Mine just updated.


----------



## Susan in VA

Still no update for me... WN on for well over a week now.... no hacks.... <sniff> did Amazon forget me?


----------



## artsandhistoryfan

geneven said:


> Based on my observations, the non-international Kindle 2 DOES get battery improvements (when online) with the update...
> 
> So this change applies to Kindle 2's whether international or not.


Oh my goodness. You made that statement based on your own perceptions of your situation?

BOTH my Kindle and DX have shorter battery life since the update. But for me, it's one of those things. I figured maybe it's doing a lot more these days underneath 



> As I understand it, the international Kindles had especially bad battery life because of the nature of the AT&T wireless, and the improvement between really awful battery life and decent battery life on the international Kindles makes the difference really noticeable. But I find a distinct improvement on the non-international Kindles as well.


 These both were speculations/conjecture by one blogger and, to my mind, a case of wishful thinking. It's so easy for speculation to become Word. It started with a misinterpretation of a paragraph (but for all we know Amazon forgot to include the 'domestic' designation and it wasn't a misinterpretation, but Amazon has not said a thing). And this theory would have made that reading of what Amazon didn't write, correct, and assumes Amazon just didn't want domestic Kindle users to know they get the improvement too (it would be one if battery life were extended to 7 days).

Re AT&T, the NYTimes has an interesting article today re AT&T, saying that the probs have not been due to AT&T but something in the process of the iPhone interacting with AT&T.

If the premise you mention getting were valid, everyone's Kindle 2's would now get about 7 days
with wireless On. I don't think so. The only common much-reported after-effect is slower handling of file-opening and some movement processes -- and these may be due to a slow re-indexing of entire Kindles (if so, I wish they'd tell people). Others report battery drain probs.

I can't know what the rest of the Kindle world is experiencing quietly, but I haven't read
of people suddenly getting a week with wireless On. This is what would happen if the bad-Int'l Kindle battery interaction as speculated were brought up to par with the domestic model's situation.



> I installed the improvement and didn't wait for it to happen automatically; it's very easy.


 I agree. But some people have less experience with working with a computer and file/folder systems so it's less easy for some of them. Some find it's easier than they thought, others are begging for help on the forums after trying to do it and just not getting their Kindles updated.


----------



## Pushka

artsandhistoryfan said:


> These both were speculations/conjecture by one blogger and, to my mind, a case of wishful thinking. It's so easy for speculation to become Word.


Ain't that the truth. I have found this with the media, and (Australian) politicans as well. They wish for something, find one piece of soft evidence for it, ignore hard evidence that disputes it, and suddenly we have "Facts".


----------



## HedgeHog

Susan in VA said:


> Still no update for me... WN on for well over a week now.... no hacks.... <sniff> did Amazon forget me?


You're not alone. I've had mine on continuously since receiving the email notice form Amazon that the update would be coming. Nada. Zilch. I still get the daily Amazon news updates so I know that my WN is working. Only thing I can figure is I had my original K2 replaced back in March due to the fading screen in the sun problem. Just wondering if the replacements are the ones not being updated. I know I can download and install it myself but was just waiting (patiently?) to see how long it would take. Not sure how much longer I'll wait.


----------



## HedgeHog

BTW, Mine still says that I'm on the 2.0.3 update which means that I guess I never even got the 2.0.4 one!


----------



## Shastastan

HedgeHog said:


> BTW, Mine still says that I'm on the 2.0.3 update which means that I guess I never even got the 2.0.4 one!


Yeah, I don't understan that either. I bought my K2 in Aug. and the 2.04 update came automatically. My wife got her K2 in Sept. and it was 2.03 and never update. I did the current update for both manually since making sure they were both on overnight to receive the update. It was easier to just do it myself. It does not appear that there is a system of consistency, IMHO.


----------



## Anju 

Well my battery life has not increased at all.  I am having to charge every few days, but I don't let it get below half.  I do read a lot, several hours a day, but I would think the battery life would be better on a K2i anyway, that is only a month or so old.


----------



## Varin

If I could go back to the previous version, I think I would...

My DX has been working very slowly for me... page turns seem faster but everything is working a lot slower than I remembered it before the update...

I don't know what it is but I hope the next update cleans up the code or whatever it is that makes my kindle act this way!


----------



## Shastastan

Anarel said:


> If I could go back to the previous version, I think I would...
> 
> My DX has been working very slowly for me... page turns seem faster but everything is working a lot slower than I remembered it before the update...
> 
> I don't know what it is but I hope the next update cleans up the code or whatever it is that makes my kindle act this way!


My K2 does seem faster, especially page turns. I have no clue about the battery life, though. I get a couple of blogs, but WN is only on for a couple of minutes.


----------



## LauraB

Anju No. 469 said:


> Well my battery life has not increased at all. I am having to charge every few days, but I don't let it get below half. I do read a lot, several hours a day, but I would think the battery life would be better on a K2i anyway, that is only a month or so old.


From what CS told me the battery life on the k2i on shows improvement with whispernet on. Mine goes to about 3/4 in 36 hours. So, I can't see it making a week. I only do the Kindle store maybe once a day, never use web browser (for anything but the store) and only have 1 weekly mag., one biweekly mag and two blogs. So I don't think it would be "going home'" searching for updates often enough to cause the drain. Or, maybe what I get would last a week, I just haven't tried it yet.

Anarel, my Dx got slower after the update, then I _reindexed_ per Buffo Calvins instructions on the Amazon forum and it really helped.


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## Rayne

Finally recieved the update!  I happened to be in the Kindle Store, on the Kindle Daily Post when the screen all of a sudden said it was updating; I was just about to get it manually too.  Maybe being there helped me get it faster? lol 

Anyway, I love the new rotatation, it gives me an excuse to get a third cover. (I'm getting my second one for xmas)


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## kevindorsey

This has to be the weirdest update of all.  How come people get them so randomnly?


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## Rayne

Yeah, it is strange.  My previous version was 2.0.3, I never recieved the 2.0.4. Didn't even know there was a 2.0.4 until I read this thread.  Usually, I've gotten updated right away.  And I have no hacks.

Maybe due to the upcoming holidays??


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## markel

Battery life is still dependent on the signal itself. The harder the Kindle has to search for a 3G signal, the more battery power it expends. I haven't looked since my area gets a good 3G signal, but if you are in an area that doesn't - if there is a way to turn 3G off, it will extend battery life.

I have found a noticeable increase in loading a book and turning a page with the update. I truly hope they issue another one that brings this back to the way it was.


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## drenee

Left my WN on overnight by accident.  I was updated this morning.  
Called my mom, who is not a member of KB, hers is updated.  Not sure when hers happened.
deb


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## Susan in VA

Still on 2.0.3 here....


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## Toby

I got mine this week. Love the rotation, darker contrast, seems faster, new screensavers, & louder TTS sound. I still would like having my battery last longer, but I am always downloading samples & books, so maybe my indexing is affecting my battery besides using the TTS. I think the TTS uses more battery, but don't know for sure if that is so. What's missing is the choice of male/female voice, speed, etc, but that doesn't bother me as I used the male voice at default setting. Oh, I have the K2, USA version.


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## Susan in VA

Toby said:


> What's missing is the choice of male/female voice, speed, etc, but that doesn't bother me as I used the male voice at default setting.


What?!? This is the first I've heard that the update removes that choice. Can someone else confirm this, or is this some glitch on Toby's Kindle?


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## ak rain

male and female on mine or OK I have update K2 usa
sylvia


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## tsemple

Susan in VA said:


> What?!? This is the first I've heard that the update removes that choice. Can someone else confirm this, or is this some glitch on Toby's Kindle?


TTS must be turned on before you can change the options. Otherwise they are greyed out.


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## Prazzie

Toby said:


> I think the TTS uses more battery.


This is definitely true. Without wireless on, normal use of the K2 should see the battery lasting 2 weeks (normal use being reading on it a couple of hours per day, rather than hitting next page all day long). With TTS activated, battery life is depleted to about one day.


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## Leslie

Susan in VA said:


> What?!? This is the first I've heard that the update removes that choice. Can someone else confirm this, or is this some glitch on Toby's Kindle?


I still have both.

L


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## Leslie

legalbs2 said:


> With all the new updates for the K2, I am unhappy that I purchased the KDX for a lot more money. I bought the KDX primarily for its pdf ability and landscape screen. Now that the K2 does all that, I feel I got ripped off in the price. If I had known that the K2 would have had the same features, I would have purchased a K2 for over $200 less. I have decided NOT to buy another Kindle until Amazon finally decides what features and prices they are going to settle on for their products.
> 
> Hubby loves his Kindle, but I have given up on getting another one and am reading on my iPod Touch and computer instead. At least I feel I got my money's worth on both of them.


Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought a major factor in your decision to buy the DX was your concern about the screen fading in the sun with the K2. I know I read many posts from you on that issue, trying to confirm that it wasn't a problem with the DX.

L


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## artsandhistoryfan

legalbs2 said:


> With all the new updates for the K2, I am unhappy that I purchased the KDX for a lot more money. I bought the KDX primarily for its pdf ability and landscape screen. Now that the K2 does all that, I feel I got ripped off in the price. If I had known that the K2 would have had the same features, I would have purchased a K2 for over $200 less. I have decided NOT to buy another Kindle until Amazon finally decides what features and prices they are going to settle on for their products.


 "Settle for" ? And you really would be happier if they never upgraded units for us retroactively? 
So, others complain when Amazon DOESN'T add new capabilities but you feel they ripped you off by adding some in previously sold units?

In this real world, just how do you even read most of those PDFs on the K2 ? I'm glad to have the capability so I can see what the layout was like, but on a 6" I more often than not will convert a copy of the PDF so I can actually read the text. We were given an added *option*.

I do remember that you liked the readability of the DX (which has a really strong display that still knocks me out).



> Hubby loves his Kindle, but I have given up on getting another one and am reading on my iPod Touch and computer instead. At least I feel I got my money's worth on both of them.


 Why don't you just sell your DX ? You'd probably get close to full price on it.
They are out of stock for probably at least 4-6 weeks and most people won't be aware that MAYBE Amazon is coming out with a global version next... (I'd keep mine since Sprint is better for me than AT&T in San Francisco area and I don't travel out of the country that often and if I do go abroad I could download to the netbook to save money.)

Really, if you can be this upset over enhancements sent over the wire, please sell it to someone who'll appreciate it since you don't feel it's worth it. I have read lots of posts by others who wanted one this week but they now can't get any, not even refurbished.


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## luvmy4brats

legalbs2 said:


> With all the new updates for the K2, I am unhappy that I purchased the KDX for a lot more money. I bought the KDX primarily for its pdf ability and landscape screen. Now that the K2 does all that, I feel I got ripped off in the price. If I had known that the K2 would have had the same features, I would have purchased a K2 for over $200 less. I have decided NOT to buy another Kindle until Amazon finally decides what features and prices they are going to settle on for their products.
> 
> Hubby loves his Kindle, but I have given up on getting another one and am reading on my iPod Touch and computer instead. At least I feel I got my money's worth on both of them.


I think that because the features of the KDX were so popular, they worked hard to make them available for the K2. That's something that's very common in technology. If you feel ripped off, you should sell your DX and buy a K2. But reading a PDF on a 6" screen isn't nearly as nice as reading it on a 9" screen. The extra cost of the DX wasn't for those features, it's for the screen size. I'm sure that the K3 is going to have features that the K2 doesn't have. each version is going to have improvements. Does this mean you'll never buy another Kindle? Is this really any different than buying a computer and 6 months later they've come out with one twice as fast with double the memory?


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## luvmy4brats

You don't think the double the screen size is worth the extra $200? It's like comparing a 17" TV to a 42" TV.  Like I said, it wasn't the PDF & landscape that causes the difference in price. If that were the case, they would have lowered the price on the DX when the update came out. It's a chance you take when buying technology. There will always be improvements.  

If I remember correctly, you had difficulty with the size of the font of some PDFs on the DX. I can assure you, those will be even more difficult to read on the K2. Just because it's now available on the K2, doesn't mean it works as well on it. Smaller screen size = smaller unadjustable font size.


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## luvmy4brats

I'm not chastising anybody I'm trying to understand your thinking. 

Please pardon me if I offended you. I am sorry you're upset about the update.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Aw, c'mon, Legal, your hubby is worth the extra money.    It was a wonderful and generous gift!

Betsy


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## legalbs2

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Aw, c'mon, Legal, your hubby is worth the extra money.  It was a wonderful and generous gift!
> 
> Betsy


You are correct, Betsy. He is worth more than the price of a Kindle for sure. Thanks for seeing the humor in my remarks. Any further refinements to the K2, and I will buy one.


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## luvmy4brats

I haven't looked up your past posts. I just happened to remember the conversation. I might not always respond to every thread, but I do read and remember many of them. And my intent was not to ambush anybody, again I was just trying to understand your thinking.

Again, please accept my apologies.


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## artsandhistoryfan

legalbs2 said:


> Can't sell the KDX, it is not mine. It was a gift to my hubby. I have not bought one as yet.


Hmmm! Then, how does your hubby feel?



> Boy, you guys sure take offense if someone speaks honestly about something. Guess it is hard for you to understand why someone might not like paying for features on one device that were given away free to others. No offense taken, so why take offense at an honest observation?


 Your reaction to a vendor making a retroactive upgrade was harsh and unyielding. Read what you said. That kind of writing in response to a vendor's more positive action (updating firmware as much as 8 months later) will cause similar energy in return. That's just life.

Also, we're an honest bunch here and you've heard plenty of complaints from us. Re the "given away free to others" -- since I own a K2 and a DX (as many here do), I will of course see it as a happier event than you have.



> Computers are usually upgraded forwards not backwards.


I have the same computer base I had years ago. I just keep upgrading the parts and the software. But many of us feel it's very nice when the vendor does it for us, especially after half a year of our requesting it be done.



> I bought the KDX for the pdf and the landscape mode, not the screen size.


 Sure. And you got the beauty of the display. I didn't have to look up your past comments -- you have a nicely energetic personality and I just remember how happy you were with the display.

Now if your hubby isn't enjoying it that much and would like to get almost 2 Kindles for the price of one, both with PDF displays, though much smaller, maybe it IS better to sell it and buy e-readers that will be right for where you are in your needs/wants.

The DX won't be available for almost 2 months, maybe, so it's a very good time to sell a used one. They retain most of their value.


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## legalbs2

I am sorry if my honest post of how I was feeling upset anyone.  Please accept my wishes to you all for a very happy holiday season.


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## legalbs2

I have no intention of selling my husband's KDX.


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## artsandhistoryfan

legalbs2 said:


> I am sorry if my honest post of how I was feeling upset anyone. Please accept my wishes to you all for a very happy holiday season.


 It didn't upset us as much as we reacted honestly to what you were saying, similar to your writing honestly about what you were feeling about the retroactive improvements to the K2.

Yes, as we near the big Days, more positive things for all of us 

Re your husband's DX, that seller advice was only if he didn't feel it was worth it or didn't like it anymore.

Good luck on your next reader. A lot of interesting things appear to be happening in 2010.


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## legalbs2

Thanks, but I have gotten all I need from KindleBoards.


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## 911jason

So... how 'bout them Redskins?!


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## legalbs2

911jason said:


> So... how 'bout them Redskins?!


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## Richard in W.Orange

My DX now has the update, and maybe because I'm a newbie user (3 weeks, 10 books) I haven't really noticed any changes, well, excepting that it is even "better" at PDFs than it was before (which is part of why I chose DX).

Maybe I'll ask Ann if its fine when I get there tomorrow. (I'll temporarily be Richard in Arlington ) (not changing my name, thank you)


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## artsandhistoryfan

Richard in W.Orange said:


> My DX now has the update, and maybe because I'm a newbie user (3 weeks, 10 books) I haven't really noticed any changes, well, excepting that it is even "better" at PDFs than it was before (which is part of why I chose DX).
> 
> Maybe I'll ask Ann if its fine when I get there tomorrow. (I'll temporarily be Richard in Arlington ) (not changing my name, thank you)


One thing they did that I like a lot is "In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen."

Affects not only the amount of content shown but the text can spread further to the sides, the text will be that much larger.

3 books a week! That qualifies you for Oldbie status via accelerated reading


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## Ann in Arlington

artsandhistoryfan said:


> One thing they did that I like a lot is "In landscape orientation, white margins of PDF documents are automatically cropped to maximize the amount of content shown on the screen."


That really is an improvement. . . .I wonder why they didn't do it for portrait orientation as well. . . .


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## Richard in W.Orange

artsandhistoryfan said:


> 3 books a week! That qualifies you for Oldbie status via accelerated reading


But I can't post that fast!!! although I've leveled up twice all ready (I think)


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## artsandhistoryfan

Ann in Arlington said:


> That really is an improvement. . . .I wonder why they didn't do it for portrait orientation as well. . . .


 Portrait is usually fine. What used to happen was that when you rotated it, or the DX rotated itself, then the content width would be the same as it was in Portrait mode -- due to some setting in some files, I guess. HUGE margins. That was frustrating. Apparently it watches for that now and corrects it.

But I've never noticed too-wide portrait 'column' length in PDF.


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## Ann in Arlington

Portrait is o.k.  But there are some things that it would be no bad thing to have the margins gone and just the words even in portrait. . ..especially if that increased the print size just a little!


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## smartguy38

Hi, I think the upgrade is great, especially the landscape feature. 

However, I think claiming the battery will last a week on one charge (or two weeks in the ads) is a gross exaggeration.

I use my Kindle a lot, but if I get two or three days between charges I'm lucky.


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## Betsy the Quilter

Smartguy38, welcome to KindleBoards, congratulations on your first post!  When you get a chance, head on over to Introductions and tell us a little bit about yourself.

If I have Whispernet off, I probably don't charge my Kindle 1 more than once every couple of weeks, and I read some every day.

There are a lot of factors; how much reading you do, whether Whispernet is left on, how often you download books (downloaded books require indexing, which sucks up battery).  If you haven't downloaded lately, and all of your books have indexed, and you have Whispernet off, and you still have to charge every few days, you might want to call Kindle CS.

Betsy


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## observer1

PDFs on my Kindle 2 are not very readable, the fonts are too small.  I always just convert them to mobi files and then all is good.


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## Pirate

smartguy38 said:


> Hi, I think the upgrade is great, especially the landscape feature.
> 
> However, I think claiming the battery will last a week on one charge (or two weeks in the ads) is a gross exaggeration.
> 
> I use my Kindle a lot, but if I get two or three days between charges I'm lucky.


I read, quite a while ago, that having auto landscape turned on will all so suck the battery dry quicker.


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## 911jason

Observer, I like your name/avatar... Fringe is an awesome show!!! 



Pirate said:


> I read, quite a while ago, that having auto landscape turned on will all so suck the battery dry quicker.


That must be a DX-only feature... ?


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## CaroleC

911jason said:


> That must be a DX-only feature... ?


Display in landscape mode is standard on the Kindle 2, now. You can choose between portrait and landscape display using the software. If you don't have that choice on your Kindle 2, the present software upgrade to version 2.3.3 should provide it.

I have been reading in landscape mode almost entirely, since buying my Kindle about 3.5 weeks ago. However, most PDF's are still way too small for my aging eyes to see so I don't read them on the Kindle (except for ones that I make myself, with great big fonts). I suppose I could see one with a magnifying glass, but I don't bother.

My battery lasts as long as anyone else's, apparently. It lasts well over a week with the 3G turned off. It looks like it might last over two weeks but I have always recharged after a week or a week and a half.


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## Ann in Arlington

911jason said:


> Observer, I like your name/avatar... Fringe is an awesome show!!!
> 
> That must be a DX-only feature... ?


Yes, *auto*landscape is a DX-only feature. And can be turned off to save battery.

The Kindle also allows selection of landscape mode, but it doesn't have the gyroscope or whatever is needed so that the image will shift based on how you hold the device.


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## 911jason

Yes, I was referring to the "auto" feature that I assumed was only in the DX. Thanks for trying to help though Carole, I sure appreciate it and thanks for the info Ann! =)


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