

Kindle 3: Some Hidden Features - pietrofmaggi
http://geoplanit.blogspot.com/2010/09/kindle-3-some-hidden-features.html

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devmonk
Nice post.

a full reset takes longer than 15 seconds. for example, there are browser
issues in the original K3 release to consumers that require a longer time
between off/on to clear (like a few minutes I think to be safe- I know it is
longer than 15 seconds though). Check the kindle forums below for additional
detail.

pictures must be in a folder right under the /pictures folder that you have to
manually create. you can't put them in the pictures folder or in a subfolder
of a subfolder. you can have multiple groups of pictures by having them in
different subfolders of /pictures folder, but that ends up cluttering up your
menu, if you like having only a few things in it at a time.

mp3s can go into audible or music folder (have to manually create music).

mp3s in audible show up like books. mp3s in music can be played while
browsing, reading, etc. via experimental in home menu.

PDFs can load slow as hell, and are a pain to have to resize (basically, they
are not usable unless you have a big font in the PDF). Instead try to get free
books from Amazon or in mobi format, which is the un-DRM'd version of the
format Amazon uses for their books (AZW). Mobi format is available from
Gutenberg as the what it calls the Kindle format.

Don't load up your Kindle with a ton of crap books because it is a pain in the
butt to find the one you want. Unless absolutely necessary, you are probably
better off keeping a small collection in it.

Pictures are in b/w so darker pictures are just usable, and this is just a
"neat" feature, not likely to be used much. It might be neat for storing clear
customized b/w blueprints, wireframe designs, simple electronic circuit
design, simple workflows, etc. It is also kind of hard to resize so it makes
good use of the screen (600px × 800px) but then you really want many rotated
to look good right off the bat.

The browser sucks because it is buggy and because you can't zoom or click
easily with the included controls. Buy a Kindle to read, not browse Facebook
or type email. Once the Kindle has touch screen and pinch zoom and color, then
the browser will be ok. No I'm not suggesting an iPad. They are too reflective
in the sun and they aren't meant for reading, and they are overkill for an
e-reader.

For the scoop on Kindles from a good broad section of its (not always super-
technical) users that Amazon watches is here:

<http://www.kindleboards.com/>

~~~
jonhendry
"Don't load up your Kindle with a ton of crap books because it is a pain in
the butt to find the one you want. Unless absolutely necessary, you are
probably better off keeping a small collection in it."

Now you can create folders to manage your books, which is a lot better.

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pietrofmaggi
From the Home, go to the search page and type:

    
    
      ;debugOn <enter>
      ~help <enter>
    

you have some commands available. To exit type

    
    
      ;debugOff <enter>
    
    

What can be done in debug mode? What about a root shell via USB?

<http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97745>

[Edit] The "~exec" hack works only on a small portion of the Kindle 3 that has
some test files left over by Amazon. Otherwise you have to jailbreak the
kindle to gain access to it:
<http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88004>

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fakelvis
From what I understand, an E Ink screen doesn't consume power when simply
keeping an image displayed. Instead, the battery of the Kindle is only
diminished by WiFi and Whispernet use, page refreshes (turning pages, typing,
navigating, etc.) and book indexing.*

If the above is true, I assume Standby merely prevents accidental key presses
and does not help maintain the battery life, right? After all, you can still
send books to your Kindle while it is in Standby mode.

*Right or wrong, can anyone confirm this?

~~~
a1k0n
The Kindle is effectively "off" in standby mode. You can't send books to it,
unless you use a USB cable, in which case it boots up in USB mass storage
mode. Or is wifi still on on the Kindle 3?

~~~
emag
Funny, I send books to my Kindle wirelessly all the time in standby mode, and
when I wake it, they're already there. Perhaps you're confusing standby
(displaying an image, from either the ~4sec power button push or inactivity
timeout) with the off setting (~15sec power button push).

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frou_dh
Having sizable undocumented things like an Image Viewer and games lurking
around bothers me a bit as it brings a sense of sloppiness to a great focused
device.

