Mystery Kindle update will block readers from books after Wednesday

UK Register ^ | 3-21-16 | Darren Pauli

[Starstruck]

To update Amazon recommends users plug in their devices to mains power and leave it connected to the internet overnight. Kindles may restart several times while applying the fix.

I have 3 devices. The one that wasn't updated took about 10 seconds.

[grania]

I already spend too much time staring at the computer screen. There's nothing like a book in hand book for the full experience of reading.....in a cozy place, with a 100 watt light bulb providing light and warmth, no worries about downloads and updates and charging the battery.

Just not givin' up my Luddite tendencies. <^..^>

[bert]

ditto.....

One if not the most appreciated gift to my wife was a kindle fire. she is free from her computer to do lots of stuff in the kitchen or in her easy chair. She and my son have all the family recipes some where on the Google place and the kindle lets her have them right where she needs them. She is a voracious reader and the kindle provides the books. She has become a puzzle worker and has them and other games in the easy chair.

I suppose the kindle may not measure up to some tablets but it is certainly a great device to have

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

And this is the reason I don't have a kindle.

I would like one.

Have considered it a time or two.

But actions like this from Amazon make me think twice.

[Blennos]

I have three kindles. I really like them. I have and HDX model that has amazing graphics.

I have an HDX (mine is 8.9) as well. Fine device. I was surprised that they didn't offer an updated model last year. Have you heard anything?

[PAR35]

I got the message several weeks ago, and tried to do the update on my old Kindle ebook. It wouldn’t update anything, so I’ll wait and see what happens. Couldn’t find a relevant update for my Fire. And the message didn’t specify which machine they were talking about.

Poorly managed process from Amazon.

[pgkdan]

There's nothing like a book in hand book for the full experience of reading.....in a cozy place, with a 100 watt light bulb providing light and warmth, no worries about downloads and updates and charging the battery.

Ditto...I love books. But my Kindle is great when I travel. That's about the only time I use it and it's great for that but otherwise I want the book.

[I want the USA back]

Another headline that completely distorts facts. There is no update that will block readers from books after Wednesday.
There is a required update that must be applied by Wednesday. This update normally is applied when the Kindle is plugged in and left charging.
If the Kindle is discharged, this will not happen automatically. Keep it charged.
If the deadline passes and the Kindle still has a dead battery, a manual update will be required. It looks as if the manual update is not particularly technically challenging.
Truth in headlines!

[dangerdoc]

I use ours one week a year when we go to the beach. Only thing that approaches paper for reading in the bright sunlight and easier to pack that the 3-4 books I’ll read during that week.

Inside, I’ll usually read from my 5.5 inch phone screen.

[miss marmelstein]

Thank you! Because of you we are now updating.

[Starstruck]

I got the message several weeks ago, and tried to do the update on my old Kindle ebook. It wouldn’t update anything,

From "home" go to "menu" then "sync and check items". If it doesn't update it probably already did.

[PUGACHEV]

Good grief, I was an early adopter of Kindle, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. I have never had a problem with any Kindle, and they just get better and better. I probably have three or four hundred books on the device at any one time and maybe fifteen hundred in the cloud I can download at anytime. I read much more now than ever before because I can carry the Kindle and it’s collection anywhere. One once in the last eight years or so has book been recalled and I was given a refund at once.

[SelmaLee]

If you check under ‘Device Info’, the firmware version should be Kindle 5.6.1.1 That is the latest software update.

[wrench]

I think beach goers were their target market.

[pepsi_junkie]

“I bought a Kindle a few years ago and I found it very much a pain in the neck. It’s sat in a drawer now about 3 years. I guess after this it won’t have a chance.”

Same here. It is just a one trick pony, not very versatile. For less money, a tablet will do far more. If mine came with a “satisfaction guarantee”, I would have sent it back.

Personally, I love my kindle paperwhite. I tried reading on regular tablets and ended up with eyestrain, plus the glare made them unusable outside. Not the case with paperwhite which reads like a regular paperback. The difference is I have 40 books (right now) loaded into it and it fits in my back pocket. I travel a lot and I read a lot so lugging books around the world was a real pain. Not anymore. Love this thing.

[SamAdams76]

Concern noted but it would wreck their business model to piss off their customer base by suddenly deciding to pull books off the cloud that customers already paid for. In other words, I don't see it happening.

I do maintain a library of old-fashioned books at the house that consists of pretty much all the classics and the really good fiction and non-fiction titles that are out there. In fact, I've purchased electronic copies of many hard-copy books that I already own because the convenience of having them at my fingertips is worth the extra expense. Conversely, if I read a really good book on Kindle, I'll go ahead and purchase the hard copy for my library. I just did that with a book called Appetite for America by Stephen Fried (about an early restaurant chain on the railroad).

Since going electronic, I get way more reading done than I used to. I put the Kindle app on my phone and tablet as well so if I'm stuck in a hospital waiting room, like I was recently for a sick relative, no problem. I can dive into my library and ignore the awful daytime TV that others were stuck watching (or six-month old TIME magazines). Even if I'm waiting in line for coffee or something, I can read a few pages and the time flies right by.

So basically I rule the technology and do not allow it to rule me.

[trisham]

Thanks!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I don't like the idea of them having control of my library.

You are comfortable with it.

Different outlooks.

[nomifyle]

I have three kindles, a Kindle fire and an older touch model. I love all of my kindles, but don’t like the fact that they are linked to the cloud. Several times I’ve complained about it to Amazon, what if the electricity is out, I won’t be able to read any of my books. I never get an answer, just bs. I’ve kinda gone back to reading books because of the cost. I’ve discovered several older authors who have written several good books and don’t want to pay 11.99 for each when I can get each pennies.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I mostly read the free books on Amazon and I have read quite a few that were really good. If its a stinker I just read a few pages and then delete. Theres nothing good on TV anymore so we read most evenings.