New to Kindle (former Kobo user)

[eschwartz]

1) Kindle Collections plugin of course.

2) AZW3 is also known as "new mobi" because MOBI is mobipocket format 7 and AZW3 is mobipocket format 8. AZW3 is just a new and improved MOBI with proper support for CSS, cover images, embedded fonts... internally it is much closer to EPUB. (mobi7 predated EPUB.)
In other words the only reason to use MOBI is for ancient, legacy devices that never got updated to support AZW3. The K1/K2/DX(G) that is -- because even the K3 got support via a firmware update.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

1) Kindle Collections plugin of course.

2) AZW3 is also known as "new mobi" because MOBI is mobipocket format 7 and AZW3 is mobipocket format 8. AZW3 is just a new and improved MOBI with proper support for CSS, cover images, embedded fonts... internally it is much closer to EPUB. (mobi7 predated EPUB.)
In other words the only reason to use MOBI is for ancient, legacy devices that never got updated to support AZW3. The K1/K2/DX(G) that is -- because even the K3 got support via a firmware update.

Another reason to convert to MOBI is if you are sending the books to your Kindle Cloud (very convenient if you sometimes read on a different device and want to sync)

If you want to send to the cloud and still have the advantages of AZW3, Calibre can also convert to "Dual Mobi" which contains both the MOBI and AZW3.

Shari

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by shalym

Another reason to convert to MOBI is if you are sending the books to your Kindle Cloud (very convenient if you sometimes read on a different device and want to sync)

If you want to send to the cloud and still have the advantages of AZW3, Calibre can also convert to "Dual Mobi" which contains both the MOBI and AZW3.

Shari

There is one disadvantage of dual Mobi, though, which is that Calibre can't write the metadata to such a book, so if you've edited the book's metadata in Calibre, the changes won't show up in the book itself.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

2) AZW3 is also known as "new mobi" because MOBI is mobipocket format 7 and AZW3 is mobipocket format 8. AZW3 is just a new and improved MOBI with proper support for CSS, cover images, embedded fonts... internally it is much closer to EPUB. (mobi7 predated EPUB.)
In other words the only reason to use MOBI is for ancient, legacy devices that never got updated to support AZW3. The K1/K2/DX(G) that is -- because even the K3 got support via a firmware update.

Periodicals also have to be original MOBI, because Amazon have never bothered to update the periodical viewer or the custom periodical file format for newer ebook formats (or update the application, or add landscape mode, or etc etc ad nauseam: the periodical viewer is a seriously undermaintained part of the Kindle firmware).

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There is one disadvantage of dual Mobi, though, which is that Calibre can't write the metadata to such a book, so if you've edited the book's metadata in Calibre, the changes won't show up in the book itself.

Actually, that's only true if you change the metadata of a dual mobi book. If you make sure to get the metadata in the form you want *before* you convert to dual mobi, your changes will show. I just tested this with an epub. I changed the title, converted to dual mobi, and then emailed it to my Kindle cloud from Calibre. The changed title stayed. This will also work if you don't explicitly convert first. I changed the title on a different epub, then just triggered Calibre to email it to my Kindle. Calibre automatically converted to dual mobi before it sent the book to my Kindle cloud with the title change intact.

Shari

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by NullNix

Periodicals also have to be original MOBI, because Amazon have never bothered to update the periodical viewer or the custom periodical file format for newer ebook formats (or update the application, or add landscape mode, or etc etc ad nauseam: the periodical viewer is a seriously undermaintained part of the Kindle firmware).

This seems to have been largely supplanted by interactive magazines. They are available only on devices with LCD screens and use Amazon's latest file format, KFX.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by shalym

Actually, that's only true if you change the metadata of a dual mobi book. If you make sure to get the metadata in the form you want *before* you convert to dual mobi, your changes will show. I just tested this with an epub. I changed the title, converted to dual mobi, and then emailed it to my Kindle cloud from Calibre. The changed title stayed. This will also work if you don't explicitly convert first. I changed the title on a different epub, then just triggered Calibre to email it to my Kindle. Calibre automatically converted to dual mobi before it sent the book to my Kindle cloud with the title change intact.

Shari

A valid point, but unfortunately there's one metadata change that's always made at the time that the book is sent to the device, and that's the title change applied by a plugboard. I rely on plugboards to add series information to my books, so I can't use dual Mobi for that reason.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

A valid point, but unfortunately there's one metadata change that's always made at the time that the book is sent to the device, and that's the title change applied by a plugboard. I rely on plugboards to add series information to my books, so I can't use dual Mobi for that reason.

Hmmm...I don't use plugboards, but I would think that it would depend on the timing. When you choose to send an epub to your Kindle, Calibre automatically converts to the format you have set as default (in my case, that's dual mobi) So I guess it depends on what is done first when you send the file to your Kindle...the plugboard or the conversion.

Shari

[melovesflying]

I'd probably have to go with converting to azw3 since I won't really rely on cloud services. I'd need the plugboard with the series name more.

As a rule, do you guys keep epubs on your computer and use the Calibre convert to azw3 or mobi format option when transferring to your devices? I haven't tried using that feature on Calibre so I'm curious how it would handle large numbers of books.

[eschwartz]

It handles it pretty well. Of course, conversion takes time but I am rarely in a rush when adding books to my Kindle, so I don't bother to convert on import.

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by jhowell

This seems to have been largely supplanted by interactive magazines. They are available only on devices with LCD screens and use Amazon's latest file format, KFX.

That's only 'supplanted' if you're reading something that emphasises style over content, though, surely. (And also if you consider something that only works on LCD devices a suitable replacement, which I surely don't.)

From Amazon's perspective, I fear you're right.

[melovesflying]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

It handles it pretty well. Of course, conversion takes time but I am rarely in a rush when adding books to my Kindle, so I don't bother to convert on import.

Great to hear when transferring, does it also include the metadata in one go? I'm used to plugging it twice in Kobo - first to transfer books and the second time to transfer the metadata - and I wonder if Kindles don't need the 2nd step.

[eschwartz]

Kindles do not need the second step. The Kindle reads all the metadata directly from the ebook file, and unlike the Kobo, new books appear ~immediately.
The search index is built separately, in the background.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by shalym

Hmmm...I don't use plugboards, but I would think that it would depend on the timing. When you choose to send an epub to your Kindle, Calibre automatically converts to the format you have set as default (in my case, that's dual mobi) So I guess it depends on what is done first when you send the file to your Kindle...the plugboard or the conversion.

Shari

Calibre attempts to set the book's metadata as a part of the process of sending the book to the device, and that's also the time at which any metadata changes imposed by the plugboard are applied, so unfortunately any conversion has already been done by that time. Plugboards simply don't work if your output format is "Dual Mobi", unfortunately.

[melovesflying]

It was mentioned in the jailbreaking thread that new Kindles shipped by Amazon no longer ship with firmware 5.6.5. Is there a way I can find out the firmware of my device before I turn it on, e.g. by looking at the files using the computer? Or should I do a downgrade and jailbreak it if it indeed ships with the latest firmware?

But just in case I won't be able to jailbreak it, can sideloaded books be added to the collections that were created in the non-jailbroken Kindle itself? I've read that there's an option in the Kindle to add a new collection and manually add books.