Keyboard localization (hack)

[Sir Alex]

I'm glad to present to you, my Keyboard Localization hack. It enables ALT-SYM menu in Kindle 3.
Also this hack changes 12h to 24h time format in Header bar.

** Currently supported Languages **

• Russian/Ukranian
• Sweden
• Norwegian
• European

P.S. Russian users can read this topic in russian language.

** Manual **
To see standard symbols, press 'SYM' key. Press 'ALT' + 'SYM' keys to see localized symbols.

** Installation **
1. Install jailbreak
2. Install Keyboard hack with install.bin file according your device:
- k3w - Kindle 3 Wi-Fi [B008]
- k3g - Kindle 3G [B006]
- k3gb - Kindle 3G UK [B00A]
2.a Place install.bin file into Kindle's root directory
2.b Place your *.keyb file into Kindle's root directory, in example: use Sweden.keyb file if you want to have Sweden symbols.
You can create your own keyb file. You must use UTF-8 encoding.
2.c Start Kindle update

** Uninstall **
1. Use appropriate uninstall.bin file from archive

** Downloads **
Keyboard hack: update_keybru_0.05.zip

** Screenshots **

[FethryDuck]

Very nice, Sir !

If you have plenty of spare time, I would not mind a Norwegian layout. Possible you say a few words how you did it ? Any chance a similar thing could be done for Duokan ? Here is a link to layouts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout

with letters, we kind of have 3 extra in this sequence:

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzæøå

[centaurian]

Hi. It is possible to add central European chars (Windows-1250 encoding)?

Some characters:
ěščřžýáíé
úů ťďň ĺó
ĚŠČŘŽÝÁÍÉ
ÚŮ ŤĎŇ Ĺó

Thank you.

[peca007]

I tried take some notes on Kindle. But typing with using (sym) key quite suck :-( Especially if I need to type longer text (a few sentences).

I very appreciate if someone could make hack for key "remap". In example: key "." (dot) in combination with (Shift), (Alt) and (Shift+Alt) could type "," (comma), ";" (semicolon) and ":" (colon). Good feature would be if keyboard could be set in "typing mode" and ignore standard hot keys. This could allow use (Alt) key as shift for national chars (ie (Alt) + c -> č, (Alt) + (Shift) + c -> Č).

Is something as described features possible? (I doesn't mean to ask Sir Alex personally. I ask anybody competent, if it is possible or not. Thank for you answers.

[FethryDuck]

Originally Posted by peca007

......Is something as described features possible? (I doesn't mean to ask Sir Alex personally. I ask anybody competent, if it is possible or not. Thank for you answers.

I may try to give some sort of an answer, but will first say I am sorry that I may have caused the thread to go a little astray.

1. The system presented here seem like a nice independent application. It does not involve the keyboard at all. You simply pick and click the symbols with the "mouse" or 5-way key.

I will include a question to Sir Alex: in the screenshot at the lower right corner, an arrow is seen. Is it possible to call up another character map with it ? An example: you got what you show here, but may call yet another symbol table, say mathematical symbols, greek letters, etc.

2. @peca007 - yes, this was what I was thinking too. And it is possible to do as well. However, it is difficult to make a sort of universal recipe. Every country seem to have their own heap of keyboard layouts. It is rather messy. I am not a programmer, but can create some ideas:

Layout generator: we all have a working computer with the layout we seek. Let us say one used a simple spreadsheet with a layout of the Kindle. Then simply entered "our" keys at our regular computer - some Html page and scripts might do it to. Sir Alex are terrible close to have all what is needed.

We somehow collect these layouts here on site, and then try to figure out what to do

But then all sorts of difficult questions appear. I don't know how the system uses the keyboard. Perhaps someone may understand my drivel here, if I ask - should it be, or is it an "evdev" thing. ( event device driver, combining mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, keyboard, 5way-key ? Do we have an X-terminal ? Can we utilise mouse info ? In a way we could, say ssh over wifi, or usbnetwork, think there are some serial connectors, and there are lots we can stick under the hood. So ? Somewhere between this and altering some key-codes is doable. )

Well, just some thoughts. Delete if inappropriate.

My 2 cents of quack ..

[RexGalore]

And I would positively LOVE if you (or someone) made a Swedish version of this! i.e. adding å,ä and ö to the SYM menu.

[peca007]

@FethryDuck: 1/ I undestand how Sir Alex's hack replaces original symbols in symbol "menu" with others. But it is unusable for longer typing (ie for annotation or comments) - IMO. For Russian Azbuka (or maybe Japan Kana) it has reason, but for other languages that mostly latin alphabet with diacritics it can be made as diacritics symbol + following letter. Ie, in Czech we use caron "ˇ", acute ´ and ring ° (with some other for foreign names, see diacritics on wiki). This is common on standard kbd to typ caron and then letter (ˇ+ C = Č) for upper case (less common) - most use lower case letter we are mapped instead of numbers (+ěščřžýáíé/1234567890). I understand that someone that use only a few accented letters (å,ä and ö as RexGalore :-) ) like to have them all in symbols sheet - so this should be done as user choice.
@FethryDuck: 2/ Yes, it seems that Kindle use some own kbd driver which complicated such things as layout modification. :-/ Regrettably I doesn't have skill to do this myself.

Sir Alex: If I take it right, You just changed symbols in symbol table (in some internal config file), didn't You? So my idea about diacritics (type diacritic mark as symbol and then type letter to get letter with diacritic mark (ˇ+ C = Č) can't be done. Right?

[Sir Alex]

@All, Sorry but I don't know how to localize Kindle's physical keyboard.

Hack updated to 0.03 version. Now it is universal. It uses special *.keyb file with chars which will appears in ALT-SYM menu.
I have created some default keyb files for: Russian, Sweden, Norwegian, European keyb files.

P.S. Please, read installation instruction before install.

[veezh]

@Sir Alex: Thanks for this! Great work.

[peca007]

Sir Alex: Nice work!
Just one idea: On screen shot is "(press SYM to close) -- Page 1 of 1" visible. Is chance to make 2nd page of symbols? Or it will be created automagically when there is too many symbols to view?
Anyway - thank You for your work. :-)

[Sir Alex]

@peca007, You are right! Pages generated automatically if there too much symbols to fit.

@All, You also can use search in books with your localized symbols!

[FethryDuck]

Oh, !!

I had not thought much of it at all, then there must be something very wrong here. Christmas have appeared early in Russia ( hope my geography lessons has payed off ) This was a huge surprise in fact ( or you have the date wrong, but the clock is correct and much appreciated !)

There is no political background motive. It was the only book from your parts ( I assume ) of the world.

What it says ? - well..

Dear SirAlex,

This is unbelievable ! Now I am able to write Norwegian on a Kindle !
We have so many words with æøå. A huge problem that has now been solved.
With humble and heartfelt thanks, from Norway and FeathryDuck

[veezh]

Just in case someone else might get some use out of this, here's the symbols file I made which is optimised for French (but it also contains the accented characters for Dutch and German).

There are two pages of symbols, the first with punctuation and lowercase accents and the second with uppercase accents and numbers.

[vlas]

I´d like to know, if Keyboard localization (hack) exist for Kindle Dx too.

[Sir Alex]

@vlas
DX version exists only in DXG Russian GUI localization, there is no keyboard only hack