Missing Feature On All Kindles

Richwood · 01-28-2018, 02:36 PM

IMO a feature missing on all Kindle ebook readers, other than hacked ones, is the ability to choose your own photo(s) to be displayed when the reader is in sleep mode. If you have the "special features" you get an advertisement and if you have one without that you get a dozen or so Amazon chosen photos. Sony had the ability to choose your own sleep mode photo since the PRS-X50 models from 2010 until their consumer ebook readers were discontinued. In fact you could choose a number of photos and each time the reader entered sleep mode it would show one of the selected group of photos. A very nice feature.

rcentros · 01-28-2018, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richwood

IMO a feature missing on all Kindle ebook readers, other than hacked ones, is the ability to choose your own photo(s) to be displayed when the reader is in sleep mode. If you have the "special features" you get an advertisement and if you have one without that you get a dozen or so Amazon chosen photos. Sony had the ability to choose your own sleep mode photo since the PRS-X50 models from 2010 until their consumer ebook readers were discontinued. In fact you could choose a number of photos and each time the reader entered sleep mode it would show one of the selected group of photos. A very nice feature.

I don't quite understand this either. I understand subsidizing their eReaders with ads (and not having the a Sleep Screen choice in that case) but if you have paid the ransom and freed your screen, it seems like you should be able to load your own Sleep Screen images. On my main Kindle Keyboard I've chosen the ads over the Kindle images because the portraits of authors Amazon chose are so danged ugly.

HarryT · 01-28-2018, 03:35 PM

Not a feature I have the slightest interest in, personally. I keep my Kindle in a case. When I open the case, it wakes up; when I close the case, it goes to sleep. Hence I rarely see the screensaver image.

Richwood · 01-28-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

I don't quite understand this either. I understand subsidizing their eReaders with ads (and not having the a Sleep Screen choice in that case) but if you have paid the ransom and freed your screen, it seems like you should be able to load your own Sleep Screen images. On my main Kindle Keyboard I've chosen the ads over the Kindle images because the portraits of authors Amazon chose are so danged ugly.

And the current pictures of pens and typefaces etc are not any better. Sony readers came with photos of a palm tree, the Eiffel tower from the Seine, a cup of coffee drawing and a snowy road through a forest plus you could add any photos you wanted.

rcentros · 01-28-2018, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richwood

And the current pictures of pens and typefaces etc are not any better. Sony readers came with photos of a palm tree, the Eiffel tower from the Seine, a cup of coffee drawing and a snowy road through a forest plus you could add any photos you wanted.

Yeah, I noticed some of the pictures for the 950 that I liked. Now those I would have liked a whole series of them.

cvkemp · 01-28-2018, 05:44 PM

This is something I really do not care about. Seeing I have it in a cover that wakes my kindle to I can read my books, then I close the cover to put it back to sleep.

barryem · 01-28-2018, 05:49 PM

My Kobo shows the cover of my current book. My Kindle and Nook don't. It's a nice feature and I like it but I still prefer the Kindle and the Nook.

What's the old saying about not judging an ereader by it's cover!

Barry

Shad Plante · 01-28-2018, 06:06 PM

The one thing I miss about paper books is that sometimes a conversation would start based on the book I had with me. Having the screen saver be the last cover could spark some conversations. But, as Harry said, I keep my Kindle in a case so I don’t see it enough for it to be even a little deal to me.

patrickt · 01-28-2018, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Not a feature I have the slightest interest in, personally. I keep my Kindle in a case. When I open the case, it wakes up; when I close the case, it goes to sleep. Hence I rarely see the screensaver image.

I'm with Harry. When I open my cover I see the page in the book I'm reading. That's what I see as I close the cover, too. If I get busy and the Kindle goes to sleep I don't sit there stunned staring at the screen. I either hit the power button or close and open the cover.

I wouldn't notice if every sleep screen was a photo of Jeff Bezos in various historic costumes.

Atunah · 01-28-2018, 06:48 PM

Although I am with Harry now, I don't ever see my screensavers anymore, I do miss the dead authors on the older kindles. I know, I am probably the only one.

But that was before we had the auto covers so I did look at them as they took a tad longer to wake up. But now, since I have had the lighted line of kindles, I don't notice them anymore.

But that doesn't mean they couldn't give the option for those that would like to put their own on. Wouldn't take away from my reading business. Maybe they don't want to deal with tech support when folks load bad files on the device? Wasn't it possible on the K1 to put your own screensaver files onto it? I think I remember something. I didn't care as I liked the authors.

Now I just open cover, take out kindle and read.

rem736 · 01-29-2018, 03:45 PM

a member mentioned that this feature was available early on. but people kept loading images that were not up to specs or something and it caused problems. so amazon decided to take it away completely. not sure if this is true or not, though.

spindlegirl · 01-29-2018, 04:07 PM

My kindle has a cover that sleeps on contact, then wakes up to the current page when open. So a custom screen saver is not necessary if you have this kind of cover. The only time I look at the screen, really, is when I am reading, or choosing a book.

jhowell · 01-29-2018, 04:18 PM

Custom lock screen images is a pretty standard feature on modern devices that have screens. I suspect that the real reason Amazon doesn’t support this is that they do not want to encourage too many customers to remove special offers.

Deskisamess · 01-29-2018, 05:15 PM

This is a feature I don't care about. My readers are always in a closed cover unless I'm reading. Amazon forum lore has it that Amazon removed that option on the 2nd gen Kindle, and those models to follow, because of too many CS calls about how to properly format a picture to the correct size and aspect ratio. I've no idea if that is true, but it makes sense to me as a possibility.

I like the pictures on my 2nd gen Kindle, with the exception of Emily Skeletor Dickinson. When she came up, I would wake my Kindle up and put it to sleep again to skip her.

barryem · 01-29-2018, 07:22 PM

There is an easy solution to all this. If you want the cover of your current book, regardless of the device you use, as long as you have a case for it, simply find it in a Google search, print it out at the right size and paste it to the front of your cover.

Unless it's a steamy romance, of course.

Barry

01-28-2018, 02:36 PM	#1
Richwood Astronomy Nut Posts: 519 Karma: 3700000 Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Reno, NV Device: Kindle (All), Kobo (Multiple), Sony (most) and Nook Glowlight Plus	Missing Feature On All Kindles IMO a feature missing on all Kindle ebook readers, other than hacked ones, is the ability to choose your own photo(s) to be displayed when the reader is in sleep mode. If you have the "special features" you get an advertisement and if you have one without that you get a dozen or so Amazon chosen photos. Sony had the ability to choose your own sleep mode photo since the PRS-X50 models from 2010 until their consumer ebook readers were discontinued. In fact you could choose a number of photos and each time the reader entered sleep mode it would show one of the selected group of photos. A very nice feature.

01-29-2018, 03:45 PM	#11
rem736 purpose priority passion Posts: 645 Karma: 9002000 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: socal, usa Device: sony prs-350, b&n ngp, rM2, kindle scribe, boox poke5	a member mentioned that this feature was available early on. but people kept loading images that were not up to specs or something and it caused problems. so amazon decided to take it away completely. not sure if this is true or not, though. Last edited by rem736; 01-29-2018 at 03:47 PM.

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01-28-2018, 03:35 PM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Not a feature I have the slightest interest in, personally. I keep my Kindle in a case. When I open the case, it wakes up; when I close the case, it goes to sleep. Hence I rarely see the screensaver image.

01-28-2018, 05:44 PM	#6
cvkemp Loving life Posts: 1,413 Karma: 7991496 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Hot Springs Village, Arkansas Device: PaperWhite 5,iPhone 13, IPad, MacBook Air	This is something I really do not care about. Seeing I have it in a cover that wakes my kindle to I can read my books, then I close the cover to put it back to sleep.

01-28-2018, 05:49 PM	#7
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	My Kobo shows the cover of my current book. My Kindle and Nook don't. It's a nice feature and I like it but I still prefer the Kindle and the Nook. What's the old saying about not judging an ereader by it's cover! Barry

01-28-2018, 06:06 PM	#8
Shad Plante Groupie Posts: 160 Karma: 1822810 Join Date: Oct 2017 Device: 6th Gen Kindle Paperwhite	The one thing I miss about paper books is that sometimes a conversation would start based on the book I had with me. Having the screen saver be the last cover could spark some conversations. But, as Harry said, I keep my Kindle in a case so I don’t see it enough for it to be even a little deal to me.

01-28-2018, 06:48 PM	#10
Atunah Wizard Posts: 1,817 Karma: 23400001 Join Date: May 2012 Location: USA Device: K1/K3/BasicK Voyage/Oasis1/Oasis3	Although I am with Harry now, I don't ever see my screensavers anymore, I do miss the dead authors on the older kindles. I know, I am probably the only one. But that was before we had the auto covers so I did look at them as they took a tad longer to wake up. But now, since I have had the lighted line of kindles, I don't notice them anymore. But that doesn't mean they couldn't give the option for those that would like to put their own on. Wouldn't take away from my reading business. Maybe they don't want to deal with tech support when folks load bad files on the device? Wasn't it possible on the K1 to put your own screensaver files onto it? I think I remember something. I didn't care as I liked the authors. Now I just open cover, take out kindle and read.

01-29-2018, 04:07 PM	#12
spindlegirl Wizard Posts: 1,594 Karma: 21245891 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra h20, Paperwhite 2017, Phone & Tablet w Moonreader	My kindle has a cover that sleeps on contact, then wakes up to the current page when open. So a custom screen saver is not necessary if you have this kind of cover. The only time I look at the screen, really, is when I am reading, or choosing a book.

01-29-2018, 04:18 PM	#13
jhowell Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,620 Karma: 85000001 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Tampa Bay, Florida Device: Kindles	Custom lock screen images is a pretty standard feature on modern devices that have screens. I suspect that the real reason Amazon doesn’t support this is that they do not want to encourage too many customers to remove special offers.

01-29-2018, 05:15 PM	#14
Deskisamess Wizard Posts: 2,639 Karma: 43070209 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Ohio Device: iPhone 7+, iPad mini, 2021 iPad Pro 12.9",Paperwhite 6.8"	This is a feature I don't care about. My readers are always in a closed cover unless I'm reading. Amazon forum lore has it that Amazon removed that option on the 2nd gen Kindle, and those models to follow, because of too many CS calls about how to properly format a picture to the correct size and aspect ratio. I've no idea if that is true, but it makes sense to me as a possibility. I like the pictures on my 2nd gen Kindle, with the exception of Emily Skeletor Dickinson. When she came up, I would wake my Kindle up and put it to sleep again to skip her.

01-29-2018, 07:22 PM	#15
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	There is an easy solution to all this. If you want the cover of your current book, regardless of the device you use, as long as you have a case for it, simply find it in a Google search, print it out at the right size and paste it to the front of your cover. Unless it's a steamy romance, of course. Barry

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