SOFTWARE UPDATES for new KINDLE FIRE HDX and HD lineup
1. Amazon has rather quietly made a software update available for the already-shipped (Oct. 2) new Kindle Fire HD 2nd Gen tablet (which replaces last year's basic Kindle Fire that had no HD, no camera, and no HDMI-out and which sold, retail, for $159).
This now current Kindle Fire HD 7" tablet, the new basic model this year, has an even lower price, but has been given an HD (High Definition) display. However, as with last year's basic model, it has no camera for Skype and no HDMI-out port. (Don't confuse it with last year's "HD" model, which had all that for $199. Amazon has now titled this year's basic tablet model the Kindle Fire HD (2nd Gen) in the lineup at its all-encompassing Kindles Help page as well as at its software update pages.
The ever vigilant and often prescient Jesslyn of MyKindleStuff wrote early Friday to let me know she'd seen news of and pages for software updates for the new Kindle Fire HDX and HD line at Softpedia. They, in fact, were mirroring what is at Amazon's software update pages, and after being alerted by Softpedia, I'd always actually get the latest update at Amazon itself. So, here are the pages for those updates. (This new trio of tablets will go International later on, with "Stay tuned" the word.)
For the above-described Kindle Fire HD 7" 2nd Gen tablet, software update v11.3.0.1 can be downloaded from its update page if you'd rather not wait for Amazon to send it "over the air," and one method is to merely do it from the tablet. Instructions are on that page.
' This software update will be delivered wirelessly and includes feature enhancements and general improvements for your Kindle Fire HD 2nd Generation. This update automatically downloads and installs on your Kindle Fire HD 2nd Generation; however, you can also manually download the software and update your device via USB cable. '
2. The HDX tablets have not shipped yet and are not scheduled to, until Oct. 18 (for the 7" HDX w/o 4G/LTE) and Nov. 7 (for the 8.9" HDX w/o 4G/LTE).
However, there is already an update waiting for the HDX's, and once your Kindle HDX arrives, it will probably automatically install the update once you are connected to your WiFi network, which means it will reboot at least twice, at that point, since they tend to come with battery power at a 60% level, which is high enough for a software install process. It's important to not interrupt the re-boot process. Wait until it's done, even if eager to try it out. I actually plug mine into the wall socket, to be sure.
If the software update does not automatically install for you after awhile, you can make it happen at the Kindle Fire HDX software update page. The changes in this update:
' This software update will be delivered wirelessly and includes feature enhancements and general improvements for your Kindle Fire HDX. This update automatically downloads and installs on your Kindle Fire HDX; however, you can also manually download the software and update your device via USB cable.
The software update includes the following enhancement:
Mayday Button
Tap the Mayday button from Quick Settings to get in touch with an Amazon Tech advisor from your device when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. '
KINDLE PAPERWHITE 1 Software Update v5.3.8
Kindle Paperwhite Software Upgrade to v5.3.8
I incorrectly thought that I'd blogged this update and found today I hadn't when I actually received this "over the air" and couldn't remember what the improvements were and looked up Kindle Paperwhite 1. See Paperwhite (US); (UK Paperwhite: here;
Amazon Kindle Forum Notice
"Initial post: Sep 5, 2013 9:56:10 AM PDT
David A. - Forum Moderator says:
' We have a new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite which can be found [here] [U.S.]
[Here's the UK-only software update page]
This update automatically downloads and installs on your Kindle Paperwhite; however, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable.
The software update includes general improvements and the following feature enhancements:
* Search terms highlighted in search results
When you search for a word or phrase within a book, the search terms will appear highlighted within the search results. When you tap a result to go to that location in the book, the search terms will appear highlighted on the page.
* Select other dictionaries when looking up a word
When you look up a word in the dictionary, you can choose to look up the word in other dictionaries on your device from within the dictionary definition window.
* View other definitions of a word [within same window]
When you look up a word that has multiple meanings for the same spelling (homonym), you can navigate through each of the available definitions from within the dictionary definition window. '
As ever, note that keeping your Kindle always connected to a Wi-Fi network can drain your battery faster. So, once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" via the 'Settings' option on the Menu -- the option lets you toggle Wireless Off with the "Airplane On" choice.
They still have not put the "Wireless Off" and "On" back on the front menu as they recently did for the Kindle Touch, removing the 'airplane mode' icon, which many of us wish they would do, as it is very inconvenient to have it on a secondary menu and many do not even know about the wireless-off feature, causing more battery drain and confusion over that. Amazon: please do this in the next update; the Kindle Touch team has the right problem-avoiding idea.
I realize they prefer Wireless 'On' due to delivery of Special Offers but the battery-drain problem can occur when circumstances involve subscriptions that are downloaded regularly or due to a weaker connection that results from the distance from the router, in which case the device keeps trying to connect when a download is due (and that can be for the special offers that Amazon regularly needs to send for those who choose to opt for the less-expensive special-offers feature).
Only if you'd rather not wait - DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US: Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.3.8 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK: Go to the same for the UK-only page
Well, that should do it for today's software update alerts. Expect more soon, since someone posted in the Kindle forums that they had received v5.4.0 on their Paperwhite (which may have been for the Paperwhite2, but this is all I know for now).
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"...someone posted in the Kindle forums that they had received v5.4.0 on their Paperwhite (which may have been for the Paperwhite2, but this is all I know for now)."
ReplyDeleteI don't recall them ever releasing a software update and not making it available as a download, but I don't see any such version number on their support pages. If 5.4.0 is real, and it's for Paperwhite 2 only, it may portend good news for Paperwhite 1, since the version number implies they are both working off of the same code revision set. Historically some new software features in a new device trickle down to the previous generation, so I am reasonably confident that the same will be true here, just not right away. The new features add value to the new device, so it needs some time on the market before Amazon would want to upgrade the previous gen device. All very reasonable.
Hi, Blackbeard - it's been awhile! I agree with everything you say here. Since I wrote this entry, I see that Paperwhite2 does have v5.4.0 on it. So, yes, that's definitely hopeful and probably, as you point out, may take awhile to get to the original Paperwhite (whatever features do make it onto those).. The page flip is what I want most. But I think I may trade mine in to get the speed of the new Paperwhite. Trade in value last week by some Mobileread forum posts was about $90!
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