Need advice about buying a new Kindle 8 in 2024

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Not mobi - can't use custom fonts or the boldness slider with mobi. AZW3 is better.

I don't know what's going on. I sent the book to the Kindle as a .mobi, it had no hyphenation and it did allow me to use a custom font and change the to bolder. Than I converted the file to AZW3 and it didn't have hyphenation and I could use a custom font and make it bolder. (So, exactly the same.)

When I first move the book over to the Kindle (via Calibre) I show the file name with a .mobi extension and a folder with .sdr extension (picture 1). When I go into the .sdr folder I see one file with an .apnx extension (picture 2). After ejecting the Kindle and opening the book, when I reconnect the Kindle I see two more files in .sdr folder (picture 3). These have azw3f and an azw3r extensions. Does the Kindle somehow convert the .mobi file into a KFX (azw3) file?

I think I'm just confusing the issue. I know for certain I'm confused.

When I copy the file I've converted to .azw3 to my Kindle, I get the same folder, and when I disconnect and reconnect, I get the same two azw3f and azw3r files in that folder. So, apparently, the Kindle is somehow converting .mobi files to .azw3 files?

As I say. I'm confused and let someone else figure this out. I guess the book I randomly chose had no hyphenation, so the test is flawed. But I'm not sure how my .mobi file is working like an KFX file with the fonts?

[Sirtel]

The mobi file may have been a dual mobi (containing both mobi and azw3). I seem to remember that the Baen mobis are actually dual mobis.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by quentincompson

Mr. Rcentros, i apologise, yeah, there's a lag due to the moderators- i've responded to you message, but its still being moderated.

P.S. There's one more thing i'd like to pick your brain about, if that's ok - do you know if there's some supposed lifespan for the e-ink display as well? I mean, my T2 is ten years old - how many more years the e-ink display is supposed to be good for before it throws the towel, so to speak?

I don't know of any. Over here (in the U.S.) eReaders were selling really cheaply in the 2nd hand stores, so I managed to find some old Sonys (the original PRS-500 is the oldest). The battery is all but dead, but the screen is still good. I have seen swollen (worn out) batteries break screens, however. And, of course, sometimes eReaders are dropped and the screen breaks (since the substrate is made of glass).

Originally Posted by quentincompson

As for playing around with a book's css - i'll try looking it up - i'm not really tech savvy and right now it's all Greek to me.

I haven't got a clue how to do this. Even though I used the eBook editor in Calibre, so far I can't find any reference to hyphenation in the book's two css files. I'm guessing the "hyphenation: none;" command has to be inserted somewhere, but I don't know where to insert it.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The mobi file may have been a dual mobi (containing both mobi and azw3). I seem to remember that the Baen mobis are actually dual mobis.

That makes sense (though I've never heard of dual mobi files before). So if I moved the same file to an older Kindle, it would probably not create those azw3x files. I think I'll try it and see.

Thanks!

EDIT: That must be it. When I tried the same file in my Kindle Keyboard, it didn't create the two azw3x files. So my random .mobi selection was from the wrong source if I really wanted to test a .mobi file.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I haven't got a clue how to do this. Even though I used the eBook editor in Calibre, so far I can't find any reference to hyphenation in the book's two css files. I'm guessing the "hyphenation: none;" command has to be inserted somewhere, but I don't know where to insert it.

Not all ebooks have hyphenation specified in the css, in which case I guess there's some default hyphenation setting the Kobo will use.

The way I do it is as follows:
First, I convert an epub to epub to bulk remove all existing hyphenation rules, if any (I usually do this with several ebooks at once). In the conversion settings (Look & Feel - Styling - Other css properties) I add
-epub-hyphens, -webkit-hyphens, -moz-hyphens, adobe-hyphenate, hyphens

After that, I use the Modify Epub plugin (Append Extra css) to bulk insert the following code in all those converted epubs:

body {
-epub-hyphens: none;
adobe-hyphenate: none;
-webkit-hyphens: none;
-moz-hyphens: none;
hyphens: none;
}

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rcentros

That makes sense (though I've never heard of dual mobi files before). So if I moved the same file to an older Kindle, it would probably not create those azw3x files. I think I'll try it and see.

Thanks!

It must be a very old Kindle, as even the Kindle Keyboard from 2010 can read azw3 files.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It must be a very old Kindle, as even the Kindle Keyboard from 2010 can read azw3 files.

The K3 is actually the oldest for azw3/KF8, and didn't read them till a backport firmware was available.

The DXG can't though the same age, because it is too much an earlier DX / K2 type design, just with an upgraded screen. It probably hasn't enough RAM.

The K1, K2 and DX only read plain mobi/KF7, which was hardly changed from when Amazon bought Mobipocket. The original azw is simply mobi with later Amazon DRM.

The PW3 got FW update for KFX. I don't know which older Kindles don't do KFX, but K3 doesn't.

KFX covers multiple formats internally.


Dual Mobi is mobi KF7 and azw3 KF8 in one file. It does seem to work at least on a DXG (gets mobi version). The K3 Aa menu seems to select original mobi (any not Publisher option) and azw3 in a dual mobi.

Any Kindle without a Publisher option in Aa is old mobi only.

The PW3 I have seems to ignore the old mobi in Dual mobi even if Publisher isn't selected in Aa, but will display actual old mobi.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The mobi file may have been a dual mobi (containing both mobi and azw3). I seem to remember that the Baen mobis are actually dual mobis.

Most mobi from retailers are likely dual mobi. They can't know which kindle you have, llike Amazon does.

Most of the PD used to offer mobi and Kindle (azw3). I think Gutenberg now calls their mobi a "Kindle", but I don't know if it's dual mobi. Many claim to offer a special epub for Send to Kindle, but actually a simple epub2 will work for STK and Kobo, despite what Standard eBooks claim.

Mobi predates Kindles. The prc is a kind of mobi. Mobipocket book also had pdb, but that's actually for the Mobipocket app on the PalmOS and barely better than a typewriter. The prc/mobi is much better, but still atrocious compared to azw3/epub2 or the 1998 Open Electtonnic Book that's really epub1.

You don't want to ever use old mobi, except for the four dinosaur Kindles (K1, K2, DX, DXG), which are terrible anyway, though the DXG has at least a Pearl screen.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It must be a very old Kindle, as even the Kindle Keyboard from 2010 can read azw3 files.

It is a Kindle Keyboard, but it doesn't make the azw3f and azw3r files like the Kindle 8. I have no idea what the files (attached) mean, however.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Not all ebooks have hyphenation specified in the css, in which case I guess there's some default hyphenation setting the Kobo will use.

The way I do it is as follows:
First, I convert an epub to epub to bulk remove all existing hyphenation rules, if any (I usually do this with several ebooks at once). In the conversion settings (Look & Feel - Styling - Other css properties) I add
-epub-hyphens, -webkit-hyphens, -moz-hyphens, adobe-hyphenate, hyphens

After that, I use the Modify Epub plugin (Append Extra css) to bulk insert the following code in all those converted epubs:

body {
-epub-hyphens: none;
adobe-hyphenate: none;
-webkit-hyphens: none;
-moz-hyphens: none;
hyphens: none;
}

Okay, so this can be done directly through Calibre's conversion utility. I'll have to try it. Thanks!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The K3 is actually the oldest for azw3/KF8, and didn't read them till a backport firmware was available. ...

The PW3 got FW update for KFX. I don't know which older Kindles don't do KFX, but K3 doesn't.

KFX covers multiple formats internally.

Dual Mobi is mobi KF7 and azw3 KF8 in one file. It does seem to work at least on a DXG (gets mobi version). The K3 Aa menu seems to select original mobi (any not Publisher option) and azw3 in a dual mobi.

Any Kindle without a Publisher option in Aa is old mobi only.

The PW3 I have seems to ignore the old mobi in Dual mobi even if Publisher isn't selected in Aa, but will display actual old mobi.

Apparently my Kindle Keyboard is working the same as yours. (At least I think it is. I know there is no Publisher selection, but I think I have the newest available firmware installed.)

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Okay, so this can be done directly through Calibre's conversion utility. I'll have to try it. Thanks!

Yes. It can be done in the editor too, of course; but as the process is the same for any epub, this way it can be done in bulk with several books at once and so is a lot faster.

I use the editor to edit the rest of the formatting (margins, line-height, text indents, chapter headings, abnormal font sizes and so on), as that must be done individually to get the best results.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yes. It can be done in the editor too, of course; but as the process is the same for any epub, this way it can be done in bulk with several books at once and so is a lot faster.

I use the editor to edit the rest of the formatting (margins, line-height, text indents, chapter headings, abnormal font sizes and so on), as that must be done individually to get the best results.

Does this work in azw3 files as well?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by rcentros

Does this work in azw3 files as well?

Not sure, because Kindles don't hyphenate azw3 files anyway; so I've never tried it.

[quentincompson]

Originally Posted by Quoth

About 19 for Sony and 17 for Kindle.

I've two Kindles about 14 years old. The batteries (really cells) have been replaced. The displays are OK (Pearl). Some folk here seem to have older viziplex eink.

Physical damage (cracked substrate) or excessive heat (sun on car dashboard) breaks them. I've not heard of one wearing out as such, though the Kobo Touch (c version) I had suffered terrible ghosting.

The Sony PRS-350 (14 years old) I have is far better than the same age Kindles for SW (touch and buttons). It's amazingly still on the original battery, but bits of the plastic are crumbling. I have to turn it on/off via a mapping pin poked in. Screen is lovely and being 800 x 600 Pearl eink 5″ looks better than all the old Pearl 6″ 167 dpi 800 x 600 screens. IR touch and no front-light, so the screen isn't impared by a capacitive or light pipe layers (which need Carta).

Thanks!