Amazon Is Ending Support For Older Kindles
- Reference: 0181419052
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/04/08/1751257/amazon-is-ending-support-for-older-kindles
- Source link:
> The complete list of affected devices goes all the way back to the original Kindle that launched in 2007 with a full keyboard and scroll wheel. [...] Amazon will be notifying affected users over email ahead of May 20th with an explanation of what their older devices can and cannot do. Pre-2012 Kindle Fire devices will be subjected to the same limitations as Kindle e-readers when it comes to books, but other apps and Amazon services on those devices won't be impacted.
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> For longtime users wanting to take the opportunity to upgrade to newer Kindle hardware, Amazon will offer a 20 percent discount on new Kindle devices and a $20 ebook credit that will be added to their accounts after upgrading, valid until June 20th, 2026, at 11:59PM PT. Their older purchases will be available on new devices as long as they log in to the same account they've been using for the past 14 years or more.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/tech/908302/amazon-ending-support-kindle-fire-tablet-e-reader-pre-2012-older
What about epubs you own yourself? (Score:1)
I don't know much (read: anything at all) about kindles other than the name and that they're Amazon's own ebook reader.
My question is, can or could you (still) load epub files that you have downloaded elsewhere onto one of these things?
If so then perhaps there isn't much lost other than direct access to Amazon's bookstore and if that's the case then isn't this more Amazon's loss than the end users?
Re: (Score:2)
On all of my Kindles over the years, yes, you could download and read books in various formats, other than Amazon.
About 50% of the content on my current Paperwhite is not-Amazon.
Re: (Score:3)
You can sideload ebooks, but not in epub format. You must convert the epub to an Amazon format - mobi or, for later Kindles, AZW3. Many programs are available for this kind of conversion. Or for a full featured ebook library manager, check out a great program called Calibre. Calibre will convert an epub to mobi on-the-fly & put it on your kindle with just one click.
Yes (Score:2)
My Kindle 3rd gen can read mobi, prc, azw, and PDFs you load in via the USB cable.
Yet another reason to buy dead tree books (Score:2)
You don't buy electronic copies, you rent them.
Re: (Score:2)
> You don't buy electronic copies, you rent them.
Well, speaking for myself - I may "rent" them but I also immediately decrypt them and store a local copy elsewhere.
I don't buy media I can't decrypt, one way or another.
Re: (Score:2)
Connect to what? My old Kindle connected via 3G. They'd have to rebuild the 3G cellular system to brick that. It will also connect via USB to allow access to its storage for side loading PDFs and open format compatible content. Since that requires no Amazon app, it will be fine. It still has many good years of life ahead of it.
Doesn't matter (Score:2)
You can install linux on them. The hardware is pretty limited, but it will still be a good ereader, and can do more now too.
Re: Doesn't matter (Score:1)
Been trying to do that with my fire 8 for years.
It's been passed around to a couple of gurus, still a fire 8.
A friend gave me a 2024 fire 10. Gave it back to her for donation somewhere else. Won't see my sd card with my 80G library again. For the third time in 5 months
Pulled the sd card and it will go in the jar with the rest until I buy an android tablet I can root. Later this month.
Both kindles are headed for Goodwill.
I obviously won't miss them.
14 years? (Score:3)
I'm not always a fan of Amazon and their policies, but I gotta respect a 14 year support window for portable devices.
Re: (Score:2)
I bought some paper books from Amazon in 1998 and they still work like the day I bough them.
Excellent support after 28 years.
This is probably about DRM (Score:2)
My assumption is that the older devices struggle with the newest DRM and leave an opening for old, broken encryption.
For the record, (Score:2)
this just means you can't purchase, borrow, or download new content for those devices through Amazon . And this was already the case for all the Kindles that don't have wifi, since they killed the "download & transfer via USB" option last year.
I'm sure the thought is that people will buy new Kindles - and I'm sure many people will, especially with the confusing way this news is being shared. But pre-2012 Kindles still work, just with no reason to buy books from Amazon . Seems stupid to me to turn away
So what (Score:2)
I'm still using my Kindle 3. It's still working fine, with the original battery and everything.
I don't let it connect to the Internet and really don't care if Amazon still supports it.
It has pretty limited mods though. I was able to get shell access but you can't do much with it. What's the most mod-friendly e-reader?
Re: (Score:2)
The most mod friendly is you go on aliexpress and buy a screen and a driver. 25-50 bucks will get you a good starter kit I think, depending on your valuation of "good".
Re: (Score:2)
I throw my kindle into my gym bag and then use it on exercise equipment. It occasionally falls out of the bag. My last one stopped refreshing a section of the screen after 10 years.
I make plenty of devices. I could make an epub viewer, using a low power chip and an e-ink display, but I find my manufacturing tolerances to be less than stringent than Amazon's. I'll pay the extra for a fit and finish that might actually last 13 years such that you have to worry about a major electronics company EOLing it.
Re: (Score:1)
When it comes to the question of DIY or buy, I think those are very fair points and agree with the conclusion. I'm not sure if they are points in an argument that was being raised, but I think they're fair. Either that or you're just upset with all mention of DIY on behalf of Louis Rossmans vacuum cleaner mod project.
Re: (Score:3)
I likely would still be using my Kindle 3 Keyboard, except my dog got hold of it at one point.
I still think that was the best form factor they've ever offered.