Special Pages - Reports

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Kindle Software Update v2.5 broad rollout may be starting

AMAZON KINDLE SOFTWARE UPDATE VERSION 2.5 
is said to be ready for roll out, per a conversation with a Kindle support staffer that was reported in a Kindle forums post by ebook addict

The basic Amazon description of the Kindle Software Upgrade version 2.5 features is at the v2.5 help page.

  My (1) intro and hands-on look at the new Kindle features explaining further some of the most interesting features, along with Amazon screen shots pertaining to what's described plus (2) an excellent hands-on look from another website, are both in another Kindleworld blog article on Update v2.5, which will help when getting the suddenly appeairng software update (over Whispernet).   It wasn't said when a file for manual download for those in non- or low-Whispernet areas (or who'd rather not wait) might be ready for 'on-demand' download.

HISTORY
  On April 28, Amazon announced, on their help pages, that a version 2.5 Kindle update was to be sent out to a "limited group of users," presumably to obtain feedback and reactions to the update, with a "broad release date in late May this year."

  On May 28, Amazon modified the message to say that they'd "...received great feedback from the early customers.  Based on this feedback, we are making some small adjustments to improve the experience further.  We will be rolling out the 2.5 software update to more users over the coming weeks. '

UNOFFICIAL WORD TODAY, JUNE 3
As mentioned at the top, Kindle owner ebook addict posted a report of a talk with a Kindle Tech Support representative who readily gave her good news about the update and said that the announcement should be up on the Amazon help pages (it isn't, about 2 hours later, but could be up tomorrow, I guess).

   Here is the gist of what the rep said in ebook addict's own words.
' I just got off the phone with a very nice young man from Kindle Tech support and he told me the bugs have been worked out of the 2.5 update and they are beginning the new roll out now! Here are the specs he gave me:

The update is rolling out over the course of this month by geographical region. No download link as of yet.

The download is large and takes a while but will download all in one file and not over the course of several days as previously posted. At least according to what he knows.

It will update when whispernet is on and has been in extended sleep mode but they are attempting to push [it] out overnight due to the size.

Clicking on "sync and check for items" will not check for updates, only your kindle content like books, blogs, etc. so don't bother wasting your time on this.

Tech support has not been told any order of regions, but someone please post if you get the update after or slightly before this post and tell us what part of the country you are in. I am sure we will begin to see a trend ... '


 Guide to finding Free or Low-Cost Kindle books and Sources  Top 100 free bestsellers
   Check often:  Latest temporarily free non-classics or late-listed ones.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Andrys,

    If I leave my Kindle in sleep mode, will the screen saver cause any damage to the screen like burn marks? This can happen with CRT and LCD monitors but I don't think it would with a Kindle.

    Cheers,
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Patience -
    The Kindle customer service team recommends leaivng the screen images on instead of turning the unit off. No draw on battery unless a pixel changes and there's no screen burn-in that isn't fixed by typing Alt g (pressing Alt key at left and the 'g' key at the same time). I sometimes do that a couple of times to get best refreshed image. I just about never turn mine off, over the last couple of years. But I do charge them when the bar gets below 75%. They recommend it never go below 25%.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello! Thank you for your informative posts. Your blog went a long way toward convincing me to take the plunge and get a Kindle.

    My new Kindle (6") arrived yesterday and I am learning my way around. I wanted to create collections to sort my books (I had already bought a number of books for my iPod Touch via Kindle-for-iPhone), but I was surprised to discover that my device has software version 2.3.3. Would you recommend I update to 2.5? Or will Amazon do this automatically at some point?

    I know I should be asking Amazon customer service this question, but I was interested in your expert-user take on it. Many thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Melissa,
    Congratulations on the new arrival :-)

    The Kindle 6" models were assembled before the new software update arrived.

    1. S/W will likely arrive by wireless automatically, given time. Amazon is not clear on how they choose the time and why some seem to never get it -- but a lot depends on your wireless reception.

    2. If you'd rather not wait, they have the install file for the Kindle 2 International (which is what you would have bought) on their site and it's not difficult to do.

    I made an Intro and Guide, which includes the steps for downloading and installing the new v2.5.x file and it introduces you to the new features, describes them from my point of view a bit and links you to the specific help pages from Amazon for them.

    It also links to a terrific hands-on guide on a gadget site.

    To check it out, go to http://kv25xintro.

    If you'd rather not wait and don't want to install the software on your own, you can call Kindle support at 866-321-8851 and they can either "force" the download to your Kindle or if that doesn't work, walk you through it.

    Also, I think you might enjoy the Amazon Kindle forums at http://amzn.to/kindlecommunity.

    But do take a look at the Intro - it covers what I've seen by trying the new update out and includes info from the Kindle Community forums as well (they're a great source). The right-hand column of the blog has links to other short blog articles on the new software version.

    If you get stuck on anything, don't hesitate to write here though.

    Hope you're enjoying it but it's a good guess you are :-)

    ReplyDelete

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