A special Kindle v3.3 Software version was used for public library access tests - Update

KINDLE SOFTWARE AND PUBLIC LIBRARY ACCESS


Amazon's info page for the latest Kindle 3 software still shows v3.1. My Kindle 3 (UK: K3) is on v3.1.

  The overall "Kindle Software Updates" page leads to no software version later than v3.1 for the Kindle 3's.

However, Kindle Special-Offers model comes with v3.2.


  However, Michael W. Perry of Inkling Books in Seattle just wrote to say that he was able to download a public library book, looked at his Kindle's Menu/Settings' bottom-right corner and found that the Kindle software version on his Kindle 3 is v3.3.  Thanks to Michael for the captured image.

 Kindle-Special Offers devices have been on v3.2.1 after an update for them, from v3.2 as delivered, but there is no software update page for that on the Amazon servers and v3.2 would have just come with that unit (which would monitor ads exposure etc.).  I could find no v3.3 discussed on any of the Mobileread forums, which would know about them.  Michael mentioned that he saw the update happen (boy reading under tree, which serves as both a screensaver image and a restart image except that there are messages that come with the latter).

  So, yes, they are likely using a further-updated software version, but since it was delivered without comment to a regular Kindle customer, it seems a beta at a quite late stage.

UPDATE: Two commenters from Seattle were still on v3.1 when they were able to get loan books. On Mobileread, two who downloaded from the Library last night wrote today they were upgraded to v3.3. On the Kindle Forum, someone with v3.1 was able to do it.

V3.3 is going to regular Kindles also ( I saw two of these last night) , so since library lending HAS started on Wednesday, 9/21, it probably adds checking for 3G downloads and has something about that not being possible for this type of download.

  Michael said that the loan period there is 21 days, and public-library due-dates are understood by the software.

  I also had thought that Amazon would have to do SOME software upgrading to interact with Overdrive and processes involving a Kindle customer hoping to borrow a book, in that there should be Help Error messages for those using Overdrive, especially when hoping to download via 3G if there was no WiFi in the area (or for the older Kindles, which use only cellular network 3G rather than include local WiFi network access).

  We heard earlier that the Kindle-SO updates for AmazonLocal coming "in a few weeks" would be PART of updates for Latest Gen Kindles.  That also doesn't mean that there wouldn't be separate udpates at the time for older Kindles as well.

  All Kindles will have access to the library, Amazon has said, but those depending on only 3G wireless access will have to download borrowed books by USB cable, as Amazon pays for the 3G access -- and there will be a flood of people downloading as often as possible from the library, in search of free books, for which Amazon won't see revenue to charge the expense against.  People downloading by wireless from smart phones pay for their own 3G data time.

  So, again, things seem to be moving along.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

More encouraging news on Kindle and Public Library Lending - A live "Beta"

First, a Repeat of the header-entry from the blog article from early Sept. here:

MAYBE GOOD NEWS [Sept. 5 blog]

Leslie DeLoose, reference and community services librarian for the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia, New York, writes a monthly column for The Daily News.  In today's edition, she included an encouraging statement:

' Early word is that Kindle owners will be able to borrow eBooks from the library in September.  This is on the library’s webpage and is administered through OverDrive.  Watch for details. '

That was not what I considered just a rumor, although many were wary, tired of being disappointed by so many rumors (mostly tablet) and Amazon appearing to take so long to roll things out this year.

  I gave more credence to that one.  As mentioned in that story, Overdrive CEO Steve Potash had dropped a strong hint at the Digipalooza event, a written summary spelling out "S E P T" as the first letter of each itemized point when asked when Kindle users would be able to download from overdrive.  What a tease.

  The website thisismynext.com (soon to be The Verge) noticed that Kindle forums were "aflutter" with a few users seeing that Kindle public library lending feature is LIVE in some areas, most of all in Seattle (home of Amazon).

  On Twitter, columbiacity tweeted to me Monday a.m. (but I was not online all day to read it) that:

' @kindleworld I notice this a.m. that Library eBooks for Kindle (beta) are live for Seattle and King County Public Libraries! '

And it is expanding through the night.

  Remember that when most were insisting that Amazon would have to go ePub for this, I explained that it had to be Amazon serving their Kindle ('Mobi') format files, when Kindlers requested library books, because of

  1) the 'seamless' wireless delivery promised to TheKindleChronicles in May 2011 by Amazon's Jay Marine (rather than the kludge of computer transfer with most library lending of ePub books),
  2) the by-"location" tracking of annotations, which Amazon does on its servers for its Kindle-formatted books, and
  3) the fact that Adobe DRM would NOT be involved?

  In April, I had described "How it would work" from writings online, including a key one by Karen Estrovich, Overdrive's manager for content sales, and the careful description she gave that made it clear to me.

Amazon has posted now how it will work, and it does match what I had described in April.
  Just to see how closely -- when it involved the controversy over any need for Amazon to do ePub format for this -- here's what I felt at the time, and it has more detail about some concerns that people had over library costs (for an additional format), how books would be identified for loaning, how they'd be put together and delivered, etc.

' [April 21, 2011]

MY INTERPRETATION of this varies from others' I've seen
Caveat: It's only my interpretation and nothing more, but I think it has a good basis.
' Estrovich is writing to partners who have OverDrive-powered ‘Virtual Branch’ websites for the Overdrive library e-books program.  This is important to an understanding of what she's describing.

The existing collection of a partner's downloadable titles will be available to Kindle customers.

  When the partners add new ebooks to their collections available for loan, those titles will be available in Kindle- and ePUB formats for lending.  No one will have to, to my mind, convert from ePUB to Amazon's mobi format, as some have written -- for the reasons given below.

  This indicates strongly that the titles in Amazon Kindle/mobi format will be available from Amazon's servers directly once the requirements are met for the loan of a title to a Kindle customer.

  It's the only way Amazon would be able to (1) synchronize between the various Kindle/compatible devices and (2) back up annotations for a customer.  This would be done via matching the server's usual Amazon-formatted e-book and the copy on the customer's Kindle.

  The partners' libraries will not need to purchase any additional units as the partners are purchasing TITLES from a publisher via Overdrive, and the partners can decide which format a customer will get, depending on the customer selection of "destination" device.  Again, no conversion would be needed.

  Amazon wouldn't be using ePUB-formatted books that are transformed, nor would ePUB books be affected.

  Most important, this would mean the partners' existing copies and units would continue to work, as-is, totally unaffected.

  The reason is that the Kindle ebooks would be handled (and sync'd and backed up) by Amazon servers.  The delivery of the Kindle format books to Kindle customers would not affect the ePub books in the overall collection one iota.  The e-books that Overdrive partners offer will be available in both formats.

 There would still be DRM involved in the library loan but probably Amazon's DRM rather than Adobe's.  I think that Amazon resisted partially because they don't want to pay Adobe for their DRM process when they have their own (and apparently they don't want to switch to ePub).

  This would be a better solution than most had expected. '

True.  And Kindle forums everywhere have members trying this for their cities, with some finding Kindle books downloadable from their libraries although some downloads don't make it through.  This would be another testing session just before an official rollout, and we know that Latest Generation Kindles are getting a software upgrade "in a few weeks" (or earlier), in connection with "Special Offers" of the LivingSocial type going to Special-Offer Kindles (and maybe the option to receive these, with other Latest-gen Kindles).  But all Kindles are slated to be able to use Overdrive when it's all ready.
 It appears updated software is not needed to try this out, but maybe it'll be smoother.

  This is, from all I read, an unofficial "beta" ... quietly available for explorers to test and find any rougher areas and then Amazon would make adjustments for those.

  It won't be long, folks! And it'll be a more pain-free transfer of public library e-books to e-readers, overall, than we've seen in the past.  Best of all, well before December 31, after all.

  Soon, we'll deal with the availability of library books and the queues for them.

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For daily free ebooks, check the following links:

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by:    Publication Date   Late-listed    Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular What is 3G? and "WiFi"?       Battery Care Highly-rated under $1,  Newest: $1-$2, $2-$3

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad 1.1,   99c Calculator,   99c Calendar,   99c Converter

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

Kindle news 6/3: Kindle public-library date? Small Kindle Touch in Fall?

ODD KINDLE NEWS BITS
Library Amazon's Kindle Director, Jay Marine, had mentioned in the Kindle Chronicles podcast that the public library lending would be in place "by the end of the year."

Remembering that Kindle-owner lending was not announced as ready until December 31 last year, I wasn't too hopeful about the public library date being earlier than the end of the year.  More and more, though, libraries have been mentioning that Kindle lending will be ready soon.  Yesterday, the Moorestown Patch, in an article titled "Library Keeping Up with Technology," said:

' (Attention all Kindle users -- Amazon will be making their e-books available on Overdrive starting this fall.) '

I hope they're right.

Smaller E-Ink Kindle?
In the blog article of May 24, I quoted David Carnoy as saying, in a live blogging of the Nook Touch announcement, "Everyone should be aware that Amazon will [likely] do this same device within the next few months.  Just an FYI. There will be a smaller Kindle this fall IMHO (with a touch screen)."

In another CNet article, today, a very positive one about the new Nook's advantages (mainly the touch screen, the deciding factor for Carnoy), he mentions this again:

' Of course, how long those advantages last will depend upon when Amazon releases its own touch-screen e-ink Kindle, which we suspect will arrive as soon as September. '

Nook Touch's missing features vs its new Touchscreen
Carnoy feels the Nook is a 'better' piece of hardware because it has a touchscreen and therefore it's easier to get around and has a 'cleaner' look -- no keyboard 'buttons.'
 For Carnoy, that one capability makes it worth losing:
  . a basic web browser
  . an audio player for mp3's or Audio books Nook),

and not having
  . the ability to zoom into a section or image
  . Landscape mode ('move a page around') which can allow you to actually read the text of a PDF when too much is squeezed into the Portrait mode orientation
  . any Nook apps (the Kindle's apps include some very useful ones -- see box below)
  . text-to-speech for personal docs and books (when publisher allows it)
  . the ability to adjust screen contrast on PDFs
  . support for Microsoft WORD doc files
  . 3G cell phone network access for times when a hotspot is not available.


Carnoy also mentions

' Ideally, it would be a tad narrower, so people with smaller hands could more easily hold the whole device in their hands like they would a smartphone.
  ..the downside to this type of finish [soft-touch paint] is that it does show finger smudges, so you'll regularly have to wipe down the back of the device unless you buy a cover (plenty are available).

  ... Barnes & Noble has made a big effort to reduce the flashing effect of e-ink when a page is refreshed.  Instead of the screen flashing every page turn as it does with the Kindle, the screen flashes about every fifth page turn.
  However, it should be noted that in our side-by-side comparison with the Kindle, the two e-readers turned pages at essentially the same speed. '

There's one feature I do wish the Kindle had.  When holding down the page-turn buttons, you can fast-forward (flip through) or rewind.

Despite Carnoy's heavy leaning toward touch screen navigation as the one shining feature on an e-reader, his review is very thorough.

' ...we did experience one period where we noticed significant ghosting--the previous screen's image still visible after it refreshed a new page.  The problem persisted for a couple of minutes, but once we cycled the power, we were unable to repeat the issue.  If it's common, we assume that B&N will fix it with upcoming software updates. '

For daily free ebooks, check the following links:  (Also, Low-priced Sunshine Deals through 6/15)

Temporarily-free books - Non-classics - USA: by: NEW:  Apr  May  June 2011    Publication Date   Late-listed    Bestselling   High-ratings UK: PubDate   Popular What is 3G? and "WiFi"? Highly-rated e-books under $1

Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK):    Top 100 free UK-Only:    Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently):   99c Notepad,   99c Calculator,   99c CalendarPro,   99c Converter

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($164)   DX Graphite

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Oscar-nominated films on Kindle, Dvd/Blu-Ray. HarperCollins limits library loans.

          OSCAR CENTRAL



Click on the image at the left or on this line to get Amazon's Oscars page.

For books that either inspired or followed Oscar-nominated films, see Kindle Film Reads: 2011 Oscar Nominees and more, on Kindle.   I loved The King's Speech and Colin Firth's performance in it, but for some reason, that particular title is not available on Kindle at this time.

  It's available only in paperback, and the video is to be released April 18 on Blu-Ray and DVD, although there are 114 reviews of the movie when normally we will want to see reviews of the DVD/Blu-Ray quality and any extra features.  People are pre-ordering with a lower-price guarantee.

There are Kindle books for other nominated films though, including The Social Network

Ultimate Movie Quiz, is a recently-released movie trivia game for Kindle, with 10 rounds of questions that increase in difficulty or in a continuous stream, and with a countdown timer if you want a bigger challenge.

NEWS: HARPER COLLINS LIMITS PUBLIC LIBRARY E-BOOKS TO 26 LOANS
New York Times Media Decoder's Julie Bosman reports that while a print book can be checked out of a library countless times, HarperCollins, announced that:

'... it had revised its restrictions for libraries that offer its e-books to patrons."
. . .
HarperCollins said on Friday that ... beginning March 7, its books may be checked out only 26 times before the license expires.

“We believe this change balances the value libraries get from our titles with the need to protect our authors and ensure a presence in public libraries and the communities they serve for years to come,” it said in a statement. The policy does not affect books already licensed by libraries.

Steve Potash, the chief executive of OverDrive, a provider of e-books to public libraries, said HarperCollins was the first publisher to limit how many times an e-book may be checked out.
. . .
While hundreds of publishers make their e-books available to libraries, at least two major publishers, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan, do not.
. . .
Librarians fumed about the limit, complaining that it would require them to pay more for HarperCollins’s books when budgets are being cut.
. . .
Overdrive's Potash said the change would force some libraries, especially those that stock a lot of best sellers, to be more careful about the publishers from which they buy.  “Libraries will have to consider whether they want to invest in titles that, after a year or 18 months or so, they’ll have to replenish or buy additional units,” he said.  “There will be some who may have to be more selective about how they can use their digital book budgets.”

On Sunday, he said that OverDrive would take HarperCollins titles out of its general e-book catalog, which would keep them available but make them less easily accessible. '

Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.