# Pay to remove ads?



## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

When I originally got my Kindle, I paid $20 less and stuck with the ads.  The longer I have had it, the more frustrated I am getting with having them, not being able to just open and read, etc.  

I am thinking of paying the $20 to have them removed, but I also keep thinking that is money I could use for books and so on.

Has anyone else decided later to pay to remove ads?  Do you not mind having them?  What are your thoughts?

I realize nobody can tell me what is right for me, but I like hearing what others have to say.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

That is what I did on my Voyage and then Oasis. I bought them with the ads. I kept the ads on the Paperwhite I gave to my husband. But I just wanted to get straight to me books on my newer devices. 

Ads are also still on my basic with buttons. So if I need to see them, they are still there. But I just feel more comfortable without them at this point.


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks, Atunah!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I've never paid to remove ads...but the ads have never bothered me.  It was still so quick to get to books, just a tap to get rid of the ad.  Like taking the bookmark out of the book.

Betsy


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks, Betsy!


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I have 4 Kindles at the moment.  Also 4 Fire tablets.  I've paid to have the ads removed on all of them.  Except in one case I bought them without ads.  In that one situation where getting it without ads meant a delay I got it with ads and the first thing I did was have them removed.  In fact I did that before it even arrived.

Personally I don't care if these ads are less offensive than most.  All ads are always offensive on a device that I've paid for.  I would never buy a shirt that had the manufacturer's name above the pocket.  I'm not a billboard.

I haven't owned a TV most of my life because I find the ads so unpleasant.  I watch lots of TV shows these days as long as there are no ads, from Prime videos and Netflix.  I rarely get ads on Youtube these days but if that changes I'll sign up for Youtube Red, meaning I pay for no ads.

I have an ad blocker on my browser.  I'll disable it for a few sites but only a very few.  Most sites that require that I disable it I just avoid.

I guess you can tell I don't like ads.  In general I'm a pretty rational guy but where ads are concerned I'm a serious nut case.  I don't like them on my stuff.  I avoid them whenever possible.

Actually I'm not against advertising in principle.  I am against ads that interfere.  For example, and ad that I have to swipe off.  $20 for the many years I'll be rid of it seems cheap.  Another example is a TV show ad that changes my mood between scenes.  That, to me, in my madness, is interfering.

Sometimes I'm liberal and sometimes I'm conservative in my politics.  In general I'm against the death penalty.  But I think I might be willing to vote for an exception for advertising people. 

Anyway, you'll be surprised to learn that my suggestion is that you pay to get rid of the ads. 

Barry


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

This



mwvickers said:


> The longer I have had it, the more frustrated I am getting with having them, not being able to just open and read, etc.


tells me you'll be happier without 'em.

Me? I have a mixture:

My Voyage -- my primary Kindle -- does not have ads. They didn't _bother_ me; I just prefer it without 'em.

My Oasis does have the ads; I use it most nights before bed. I mostly see ads for books as it wakes up from its deep sleep. I've occasionally seen one that looked interesting and checked it out more completely.

My Fire also has ads. But I hardly use it so really don't pay attention to what they're trying to sell me on it at all.

I paid to have the ads off my husbands basic kindle. He was borrowing my Oasis and didn't like seeing an ad for not the book he was reading -- often he'd accidentally tap it rather than swipe it away and then he'd wonder where his book was. So when I got him his own I decided it'd be easier for ME  to have it just open to what he was reading or his home page which has covers of books he might want to read.


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks, Barry!


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> So when I got him his own I decided it'd be easier for ME  to have it just open to what he was reading or his home page which has covers of books he might want to read.


Ann, that was too funny!

Thanks for the input.


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## Muddypawz (Jan 13, 2009)

I've always paid the $20 extra to remove the ads.  I tried them once for a day but hated not being able to immediately open the cover and begin reading.  One of my indulgences.


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## mwvickers (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks, Muddypawz!


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I got my Voyage with ads and paid to have them removed. For starters, they kept putting book covers on it I really didn't want to see, and as time passed having to do that extra swipe to get started annoyed me more and more.

So then I bought an Oasis and swore to myself I'd leave the ads on it since the thing was so expensive and getting it when I had a perfectly functional Voyage was gross self-indulgence. (I also have a perfectly good Kindle Keyboard if I need a backup.) I'm not sure how long that vow lasted, but not very long. People right here told me I could do something or other to keep the ads for books with covers that offended me off the thing, but I never tried it. The ones that bothered me were horror, or at least they struck me as horrific. So I added to my self-indulgence by getting rid of the ads on the Oasis too. Why that extra step in waking it up is so intolerable I can't say, but for me it is.

At this point I'm accepting my own weakness in this regard and will never order a Kindle with ads again.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

ellenoc said:


> At this point I'm accepting my own weakness in this regard and will never order a Kindle with ads again.


I have a hard time seeing that as weakness. It's more like recovering your good sense. After paying that kind of money for a premium device it seems silly to ruin it for $20. I think you should be patting yourself on the back.

Would you go barefoot to dinner at the White House? Would you buy a Rolls Royce and not hire a chauffeur?

Barry


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

So, gee, thanks.  I guess those of who don't mind the ads don't have common sense and would go barefoot to dinner at the White House.  . (I've actually been to the White House, not as a tourist, though not to dinner...and I didn't go barefoot, by the way. )

I would never say someone who got rid of them has a weakness, even though they don't bother me.  Everyone is different.  I think it's great that both sides can choose the path that works for them.

Betsy


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## Koi (Apr 28, 2010)

My reaction to adds is the same as Barry's but I could never be so diplomatic about it.  He's downright restrained.  The whole world is riding us like a night hag, trying to wrench a few more bucks out of our very skin, and no place is sacred where they won't intrude.  Adds inside my book?  (this is where the swearing starts, if I don't stop typing)


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## isamilis (Dec 8, 2016)

I don't like ads, but my last Oasis have ads and asked Amazon support to remove (considering Oasis price is already high). Fortunately, they gave it for free.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Koi said:


> My reaction to adds is the same as Barry's but I could never be so diplomatic about it. He's downright restrained. The whole world is riding us like a night hag, trying to wrench a few more bucks out of our very skin, and no place is sacred where they won't intrude. Adds inside my book? (this is where the swearing starts, if I don't stop typing)


There are no ads inside the books, unlike that brief period with paperbacks, that I'm old enough to recall, where there would be a hard paper insert that I would tear out.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

barryem said:


> I have a hard time seeing that as weakness. It's more like recovering your good sense. After paying that kind of money for a premium device it seems silly to ruin it for $20. I think you should be patting yourself on the back.
> 
> Would you go barefoot to dinner at the White House? Would you buy a Rolls Royce and not hire a chauffeur?
> 
> Barry


Yeah, this is pretty insulting. You don't like ads? Fine . . . you can buy out. But characterizing those who are not bothered by them in this fashion is pretty rude. Way beyond jovial curmudgeonliness, sorry.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> There are no ads inside the books, unlike that brief period with paperbacks, that I'm old enough to recall, where there would be a hard paper insert that I would tear out.


Oh yeah . . . I remember those . . . they were SOOOO annoying . . not just because they were advertisements (and usually NOT for other books) but because they were that hard card stock stuck in a book of lighter weight very flexible pages. They'd make the book hard to read from the first page on! Like you, I'd tear 'em out . . . or, cut them out, because I learned that sometimes if you just tore it out, you'd get into the edge binding and make other pages loose.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Koi said:


> My reaction to adds is the same as Barry's but I could never be so diplomatic about it. He's downright restrained. The whole world is riding us like a night hag, trying to wrench a few more bucks out of our very skin, and no place is sacred where they won't intrude. Adds inside my book? (this is where the swearing starts, if I don't stop typing)


There's nothing wrong with vehemently not liking the ads. I get it. My husband hates ads. I listen to the rants all the time. And, in the days of the mechanical push button radios in cars, our radios would wear out because he'd change the station every time a commercial would start. He's also extremely cheap, so it makes me wonder what he would do about the ads on a Kindle. . Fortunately, he has zero interest in technology, so we're unlikely to find out. 

Betsy


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Yeah, this is pretty insulting. You don't like ads? Fine . . . you can buy out. But characterizing those who are not bothered by them in this fashion is pretty rude. Way beyond jovial curmudgeonliness, sorry.


I think you should re-read my post. She said she felt bad about getting rid of the ads on her Oasis and I said she shouldn't feel bad about it. I wasn't insulting anyone.

Barry


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## Jodi O (Mar 3, 2010)

I bought the ad-free version of my first Kindle, the Kindle Keyboard. When I bought my Paperwhite (7th gen), it was on the installment plan, and a financially questionable move, so I bought it with the ads. Later I bought the Premium Cover on a warehouse deal. At that point I wanted to be able to get the most out of the magnetic cover, and I was getting ads for trash bags , so I happily bought out of the ads.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

I removed the ads on my kindle because there was a cover to a book that was being advertised that when glancing at looked like a broken screen. That freaked me out a lot, and I decided it was worth not letting my kindle have whatever the advertisers want on my screen if they will freak me out with it.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

isamilis said:


> I don't like ads, but my last Oasis have ads and asked Amazon support to remove (considering Oasis price is already high). Fortunately, they gave it for free.


Well, Barry's post didn't bother me, maybe because I wouldn't go to the White House if I got a personal invitation, and I wouldn't buy a Rolls Royce if I had more money than the person who is going to be living there soon.

However, I've seen several posts like isamilis's, and they do bother me. Not at her or the other posters, but at Amazon since I did pay to get the ads off and obviously Amazon just gifts that to people here and there. Maybe the next time I get a Kindle, I'll get the ads and then call Amazon and gripe about something and see if I too can get the ads off without paying.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

ellenoc said:


> Well, Barry's post didn't bother me, maybe because I wouldn't go to the White House if I got a personal invitation, and I wouldn't buy a Rolls Royce if I had more money than the person who is going to be living there soon.


I'm glad I didn't make you feel bad. My intention was exactly the opposite of that. The part about the White House and the Rolls was intended as humor. I guess I should have used a smiley but I didn't realize it would be misunderstood. I'm starting to think sardonicism doesn't always work here.

For what it's worth I don't insult people in forums, at least not intentionally. I have a love of irony that sometimes gets misinterpreted and gets me in trouble. I've learned to just accept that.

Barry


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

isamilis said:


> Well, Barry's post didn't bother me, maybe because I wouldn't go to the White House if I got a personal invitation, and I wouldn't buy a Rolls Royce if I had more money than the person who is going to be living there soon.


Or, maybe because his post was in support of you. And, he was right. You shouldn't feel bad, or like it's a weakness, to not want ads on your device. But people like me should not be made to feel that they don't have common sense or are somehow uncouth ("would you go barefoot to dinner at the White House") for not caring enough to get rid of the ads. I believe Barry was trying to be supportive to you and didn't realize how it sounds to someone who's on the other side.



ellenoc said:


> However, I've seen several posts like isamilis's, and they do bother me. Not at her or the other posters, but at Amazon since I did pay to get the ads off and obviously Amazon just gifts that to people here and there. Maybe the next time I get a Kindle, I'll get the ads and then call Amazon and gripe about something and see if I too can get the ads off without paying.


I kind of agree with you. Amazon took the ads off one of my device without my asking when I complained about a particular ad--not the presence of ads but one particular ad. It did bother me that they would do it for free when they charge people. I'll not complain about an ad again. I don't begrudge people who do get them removed for free, but I think if they are so willing to do it for some people, they should rethink the program.

Maybe, if enough people complain about the ad program, they'll change it. I kind of doubt it, but maybe.

Betsy


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## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

Personally, I'd rather go barefoot to dinner at the White House than have ads on my Kindle.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm a little amazed that anyone felt that I was insulting them.  Plain and simple, I wasn't.  I don't like ads.  I have strong negative feelings about ads.  I don't expect other people to agree with me.  I'm glad we're all free to do what we believe is right and to express our feelings about that.  When someone disagrees with me I might make fun of them at times but it's always gentle fun.  I like to get along in forums.

I also like to be myself and I realize some people are more sensitive to that than others.  If I make you feel bad you can be sure it's not intentional and if you feel like telling me that I've made you feel bad I'm ready to listen.

It's been my feeling so far that I've been getting along with everyone in here except the moderators.  I like this forum and I like participating in it but I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to be able to stick around.  I seem to generate a lot of hostility among moderators here.  I don't mean to but it happens and it's not fun.

Barry


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

barryem said:


> I also like to be myself and I realize some people are more sensitive to that than others. If I make you feel bad you can be sure it's not intentional and if you feel like telling me that I've made you feel bad I'm ready to listen.


Barry,

I've been trying to tell you in two separate posts now that you have made me feel bad. Not as a moderator, but as someone who has their own feelings about the ads. Moderators are people, too.  I'm not disagreeing with you on how you feel about the ads--how can I disagree with someone about how *they* feel about ads? I'm disagreeing with you about whether common sense has anything to do with whether one likes ads or not. I understand that you didn't mean to be insulting. But words have power. That's why we read.

And, again, it's good that there are options. I do have issues with Amazon's administration of the program, which seems to be inconsistent.

Betsy


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> You shouldn't feel bad, or like it's a weakness, to not want ads on your device.


Actually you both misinterpreted my post - I don't feel not wanting ads is a weakness. I do feel buying an expensive item I don't need and promising myself that I'd keep the ads on it to keep the price down a little and then not keeping that promise was a weakness. - although maybe that's not the right word. I was trying for a little humor there too and failing too.

Having said that, since people seem to be having pre-holiday sensitivities here, I'm going back to the Writers' Cafe and staying there a while.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ellenoc said:


> Actually you both misinterpreted my post - I don't feel not wanting ads is a weakness. I do feel buying an expensive item I don't need and promising myself that I'd keep the ads on it to keep the price down a little and then not keeping that promise was a weakness. - although maybe that's not the right word. I was trying for a little humor there too and failing too.
> 
> Having said that, since people seem to be having pre-holiday sensitivities here, I'm going back to the Writers' Cafe and staying there a while.


Sorry to drive you off, ellenoc. I'll do better!


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

I bought a Voyage refurb when they were on sale a month or so ago.  I honestly didn't read it close enough to realize it came with ads.  Found them annoying.  Contacted customer support.  Admitted I hadn't read it well enough and they took them off for free without any fuss.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

I'm one of those people who doesn't like having the extra step to wake up my Kindle.  I've bought out of the ads on all of my e-ink devices - and it was worth it for me.  I've still got them on my latest Fire and since they aren't annoying me yet, I'm leaving them on.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Starting to feel like I'm the only person whom the ads don't bother.   

I was just moving between a device with ads and one without (from which Amazon removed the ads though I didn't ask them to) and I can't say I thought much about it.  Oh, well.  Different strokes.

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Starting to feel like I'm the only person whom the ads don't bother.
> 
> I was just moving between a device with ads and one without (from which Amazon removed the ads though I didn't ask them to) and I can't say I thought much about it. Oh, well. Different strokes.
> 
> Betsy


"Bother" is such a harsh word. 

They don't "bother" me, either -- and I have them on my Oasis which I read on nightly. I find I do actually look at the ad -- once or twice have even clicked through. I don't think I've ever bought directly from the device, but have wishlisted some books.

OTOH, I do enjoy opening my Voyage to exactly where I left off.

And, as I mentioned, I enjoy not having to remind Ed to swipe away the ad every time he opens his kindle.


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## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> "Bother" is such a harsh word.


I agree, to the extent that "bother" doesn't begin to express the harsh negativity that I feel towards ads. Betsy, if they don't bother you, then more power to you. Me, I'm paying the $20 to get rid of them faster than I'd shed a shoe to expel a sharp stone that's digging into my foot.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> "Bother" is such a harsh word.
> 
> They don't "bother" me, either -- and I have them on my Oasis which I read on nightly. I find I do actually look at the ad -- once or twice have even clicked through. I don't think I've ever bought directly from the device, but have wishlisted some books.
> 
> OTOH, I do enjoy opening my Voyage to exactly where I left off.


Hmm...didn't think bother was a very harsh word? What word would you use? It seems to me that if you are paying to get rid of them, they *must* "bother" you on some level? I literally feel no different doing a quick tap to start reading my book than I do reading without tapping it. (And, in both cases, I start reading exactly where I left off. ) In fact, I was just thinking yesterday, after playing with my Voyage for the first time in ages, that I kind of missed the ads and may turn them back on. I found some good books that way.



> And, as I mentioned, I enjoy not having to remind Ed to swipe away the ad every time he opens his kindle.


Well, since Fred is unlikely to every use a Kindle, I don't have to think about it. But if h*ll freezes over and he starts using one, he's certainly welcome to pay to remove the ads if he wishes. 

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Hmm...didn't think bother was a very harsh word? What word would you use? It seems to me that if you are paying to get rid of them, they *must* "bother" you on some level? I literally feel no different doing a quick tap to start reading my book than I do reading without tapping it. (And, in both cases, I start reading exactly where I left off. ) In fact, I was just thinking yesterday, after playing with my Voyage for the first time in ages, that I kind of missed the ads and may turn them back on. I found some good books that way.
> 
> Well, since Fred is unlikely to every use a Kindle, I don't have to think about it. But if h*ll freezes over and he starts using one, he's certainly welcome to pay to remove the ads if he wishes.
> 
> Betsy


O.K. the  was to indicate that I was joking . . . guess that was a fail on my part. Sorry. 

For me, it's six of one/half dozen of the other. I'm absolutely o.k. with saving $20 and having them on one device, and having paid $20 and not having them on the other. The Voyage wakes right away and there's my page. Cool. The Oasis takes its time anyway because I only read right before bed so it's gone into deep sleep since the night before when I put it down!  While I'm waiting for it, I look at the ad. I do sometimes see books I decide to wishlist, as I noted before.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

GBear said:


> ...faster than I'd shed a shoe to expel a sharp stone that's digging into my foot.


I don't do that very fast either, probably because I go barefoot outside most of the time except the dead of winter and it takes a lot to bother the soles of my feet....



Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> O.K. the  was to indicate that I was joking . . . guess that was a fail on my part. Sorry.


Naah, got you were poking me. But at the same time, I felt like there was kind of a mixed message, just curious.

Betsy


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## GBear (Apr 23, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I don't do that very fast either, probably because I go barefoot outside most of the time except the dead of winter and it takes a lot to bother the soles of my feet....
> 
> 
> 
> Betsy


Awesome. I used to go barefoot all the time but my podiatrist has convinced me that I need to wear orthotics to keep my feet and knees happy. I even wear orthotics in my house shoes!


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I don't do that very fast either, probably because I go barefoot outside most of the time except the dead of winter and it takes a lot to bother the soles of my feet....


I did that for decades. When I was in college my finances were extremely limited so I moved into a commune with a bunch of hippies, most of whom went barefoot. I was never really a hippy but the barefoot part was pretty nice and before long I was even going to school barefoot.

When I went to work I'd take my shoes off when I got home at the end of the day. I rode a 10 speed a lot so I'd have to put them back on for that but I spent most of my free time barefoot.

I could walk down a hot sidewalk on a 100 degree day for a good long way before it would bother me. Gravel had to be fairly rough to be bothersome.

When I got diabetes about 30 years ago the doctors started me wearing shoes again and now it hurts to step on a spec of dust. I miss being barefoot. 

Barry


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## northofdivision (Sep 7, 2010)

One vote for spending that 20 bucks to rid yourself of ads. Nothing better than just opening the cover and it being the page you're on, away from the universe of consumerism. If you read with the case off, I strongly recommend getting the ads off and adding the screensaver hack which shows the book. Development is amazing these days for seamless screensaver control. I have it rotate the five covers of the books i'm reading. 

For the other side, a dear friend I always see at the coffeehouse loves the ads so I suggest you try it out. If you don't like it, ditch it.


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

northofdivision said:


> One vote for spending that 20 bucks to rid yourself of ads. Nothing better than just opening the cover and it being the page you're on, away from the universe of consumerism. If you read with the case off, I strongly recommend getting the ads off and adding the screensaver hack which shows the book. Development is amazing these days for seamless screensaver control. I have it rotate the five covers of the books i'm reading.


I knew there were screensaver hacks at one time that let you put your own screen savers on your Kindle but I thought Amazon had somehow blocked them. What I'd love to have is a screensaver that shows the last page I was reading so I could just pick the device up and start reading. If I could do that I'd keep one of my Kindles without a cover.

The Kobos have a feature that lets you show the cover of the current book, which is nice. That's particularly useful if you have multiple devices and keep short stories on one. But this is a small thing. If I could have the last page that would be great.

Anyway can you tell us more about that hack?

Barry


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## northofdivision (Sep 7, 2010)

It's all pretty simple if you're willing to spend some time reading through the instructions. I'm a Psychologist so I have no special skills on a computer. They are horribly helpful as well at Mobileread and enough developers are helping where they've created a cool little app that exists right in your library to manage updates and install cool things (like Fonts and such)



This is what i'm currently reading so when I touch the top power button or when it falls asleep this is what shows. There is a very easy process where you can have the last page saved. With screensaver function, you basically have three options: 1-put any photos you want in random order or just one, 2-have it show the cover of the book you're reading, or 3-show the last page that was read (Also, VERY COOL is that the latest update allows you to put in some personal information on your cover).

It's essentially a two step process. First, the jailbreak (http://www.kboards.com/index.php?action=post;topic=245436.25;last_msg=3425690) and then the screensaver hack (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195474)...This is probably better explored in the developers area but you can PM me if you need any urls and assistance.

Staying on topic, none of this is possible unless you remove the ads. And once again, a lot of people have zero interest in spending 40 minutes tinkering with their device just to get screensavers but I did and having screensavers on all of my Kindles has made me extremely happy.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

northofdivision said:


> For the other side, a dear friend I always see at the coffeehouse loves the ads so I suggest you try it out. If you don't like it, ditch it.


This is a good point. For someone who doesn't have a kindle yet, and you're not sure whether you'll mind the ads or not, the smart move is to buy the device with them. Use it for a few weeks and decide how you feel about them. If you decide you want to be rid of them, it's dead easy to pay the extra $20 later and 'buy out' of them.

Regarding the sleep picture hack and alternate font styles and sizes, it is important to recognize that by doing so you are _technically_ violating the terms of service which says you won't modify or alter the software. If you are still under warranty you need to be aware that, having done such a modification, Amazon would be within its rights to refuse to replace or repair a device that goes bad. I have not heard that Amazon has ever actually refused to honor the warranty on a device that has been so hacked, but they could.

Most folks who decide to do this, figure the risk is exceedingly small, but it is something to take into consideration.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Some people wait until the warranty period is over on their Kindles before doing any tinkering.  Something to think about.

Betsy


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks for the links.  I'll look them over.  I've done hacks in the past although not many on the Kindle.  I've been pretty happy with it's interface overall.  Even having the last page showing is a small thing, as is having he cover showing on my Kobo.  I like the cover on the Kobo but I'm not sure I'd have bothered with a hack to get it.  Or maybe I did.  I can't recall if that's a hack on the Kobo or a feature.

I participate at Mobileread but in the past few years I haven't been reading the developer stuff.

One of my interests there is their discussion of e-ink Android ereaders.  Unfortunately those are from Europe and with shipping they're expensive and returns would be expensive as well.  They seem to have a lot of problems.  As soon as I find one that looks really good and holds up for a while I'll be very tempted.  They have screens comparable to the Kindles and they can use the Kindle app.  Most even come with the Kindle app installed.

I like my Kindles a lot but I don't pretend they're really what I want.  I'm not sure these European ones are my answer but at least they add more options.

Lately they've had a lot of discussion of the Russian Yotaphone, which used to be very expensive but now is priced reasonably.  That has an LCD screen on one side and an e-ink screen on the other side.  Unfortunately it's not a lighted screen, which is what I'd want.  But it's pretty close to what I think an ereader should look like. 

Barry


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## northofdivision (Sep 7, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Regarding the sleep picture hack and alternate font styles and sizes, it is important to recognize that by doing so you are _technically_ violating the terms of service which says you won't modify or alter the software. If you are still under warranty you need to be aware that, having done such a modification, Amazon would be within its rights to refuse to replace or repair a device that goes bad. I have not heard that Amazon has ever actually refused to honor the warranty on a device that has been so hacked, but they could.


Important for Kboarders to know, for sure. Always a risk you'll brick your device as well (however small). I will say that I jailbroke my Paperwhite years ago and used it for a few weeks with personalized screensavers on before returning it and didn't have any problems getting my money back. Even returned it with the screensaver showing with a note saying that they should add this personalization option so the user didn't have to put legwork in to do it. Hopefully the technician got a chuckle


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

northofdivision said:


> Important for Kboarders to know, for sure. Always a risk you'll brick your device as well (however small). I will say that I jailbroke my Paperwhite years ago and used it for a few weeks with personalized screensavers on before returning it and didn't have any problems getting my money back. Even returned it with the screensaver showing with a note saying that they should add this personalization option so the user didn't have to put legwork in to do it. Hopefully the technician got a chuckle


yes . . . as I noted, we've not seen _any_ reports here where Amazon refused to take back/work on a broken/failed device that had been "personalized". But they could, arguably, by the terms of the ToS. They're likely way too customer oriented to bother, but still, especially if it's that it's determined to be a software problem that has caused the failure, they _could_ blame the software modification and say, 'too bad, so sad'.

FWIW, I kinda feel like they're missing a money making opportunity: they could SELL alternate font packs as well as sleep picture packs. I get that they don't want to pay licensing fees for images that are trademarked or copyrighted, and I'd have no problem with them not being available for devices with the ads still on. It seems, though, that it would be easy to come up with some 'theme' packs with fairly generic line drawings of things -- akin to the 'dead authors' they had on the original devices. Those images were all from the public domain.

Couple reasons I think they don't:

1. It would have to be restricted to the non-sponsored devices. It's extremely popular here to remove the ads, but I'm guessing this group isn't representative of Kindleers over all. I suspect most of the millions don't care one way or the other, maybe have the ads and don't even realize they CAN be removed. As a result, the potential customer base is, possibly, relatively small.

2. They sell the 'sponsored ads' based on being able to say "this many people will see it". If they offered alternative images for sale, it's likely more people will decide they like that better. The Zon would briefly collect $20 a piece while people paid to have the ads removed, and maybe another $1 to $5 a piece to buy a picture set. But, that's when that particular revenue stream dries up. Some people may buy more than one picture set, but the fewer people looking at the ads, the less they can charge advertisers. There may even be something in the agreement with ad buyers that says they won't compete by offering alternatives to the ads other than the basic pictures that come on the thing so as not to serve as an encouragement for people to "buy out".
THAT SAID . . . . . lately the 'ads' I've been seeing have been almost completely for Amazon imprint books or advertising Amazon videos, so it occurs to me that there might be many fewer outside advertisers than there were originally and it's possible that selling ad space on kindle sleep screens isn't really a very big income stream anyway.

3. Even with font packs, I expect, commentary here again notwithstanding, most people just use the default that comes on the device and never change it. Or play with it when they get it, pick one, and then never change it. I doubt there are many who formally request alternatives and, when there have been enough, then they add one. Hence the addition of Bookerly a year or so ago and the Ember Bold in the last couple of months.

4. It's not as simple as just using fonts or images that already exist -- they need to be made dead easy to load/use. So development/programming costs: Amazon would, for sure, want to make it as invisible and painless as possible because one of the main goals of the device from the beginning is that it just lets you read, and you don't have to worry about anything technical at all. You ought to be able to get it, turn it on, and have it work as advertised without any tinkering. (And, actually, this sort of personalization is kind of outside that goal.) But even if the process is made to be virtually automatic, like an update, there'd still be questions. So also count the cost of training needed for CS people so they can competently answer questions and assist the people BUY the things and then can't follow the steps to load them on.

Bottom line: sure it can be done, but is it worth doing? Can the packs be sold for enough to recoup the cost of development/implementation? I expect the analysis has been done and the answer is "not at this time."


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## barryem (Oct 19, 2010)

When I got my first Kindle, and from time to time since then, I went through the various fonts available and picked the one I preferred.  There have always been enough good choices for me.

On my Kobo, which does allow custom fonts, I never used one till Bookerly became available to the Kindle and someone on Mobileread posted a copy of Bookerly that could be used on the Kobo.  I installed it on one Kobo to try it out and it worked fine but I didn't really care enough to bother installing it on the other Kobos.  It was just an experiment.

Using Calibre it's trivial to install custom fonts in any ebook without DRM and then read with that font in a Kindle.  So if we want custom fonts on our Kindles we can have them with very little effort.  I've done it as an experiment but I don't normally bother with it.

When I read paper books they'd all have different fonts and different margins and different spacings and probably other differences I wasn't aware of.  I never really cared.  I just read the book. 

That said, it would be nice to be able to make the fonts a bit bolder at times.  I can do that on my Kobo, and do, and also on my phone using Moon+ reader.  I do like that.

Barry


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## alarsen77 (May 28, 2016)

I ended up having the ads removed on my voyage as I couldn't stand them after a while. I actually ended up chatting in to amazon to get rid of them and the representative I talked with actually removed them free of charge for me since I was a prime member. I don't know if they do this all the time but I was able to get them removed without paying.


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## northofdivision (Sep 7, 2010)

alarsen77 said:


> I ended up having the ads removed on my voyage as I couldn't stand them after a while. I actually ended up chatting in to amazon to get rid of them and the representative I talked with actually removed them free of charge for me since I was a prime member. I don't know if they do this all the time but I was able to get them removed without paying.


Wow. That's pretty great. Nice little find with Prime and congrats. I'm curious if anyone else has been able to pull that off. A good way to use my Prime in the future if it actually is something that works for people.


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## alarsen77 (May 28, 2016)

northofdivision said:


> Wow. That's pretty great. Nice little find with Prime and congrats. I'm curious if anyone else has been able to pull that off. A good way to use my Prime in the future if it actually is something that works for people.


Yeah I had read it somewhere that someone chatted in with amazon and asked how to remove the ads on their kindle and they removed them for them for free since they were prime members. So I thought I would give it a try. I was fully prepared to pay the $20 for it should they require it. I wasn't going to argue with them but sure enough they offered to remove them for free for me this one time since I was a prime member.


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