Older Kindle EBook readers

[billd766]

I subscribe to a forum call How to Geek and one of the topics today is about older model Kindles and that some may be disconnected from the internet.

I have no idea if it will affect anybody but I use a Barnes & Noble Nook so it won't affect me.

The link is here.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/20/11271880/amazon-kindle-emergency-update-unable-to-connect-at-this-time

That old Kindle sitting in your desk drawer is about to get locked out from the internet. Amazon is warning customers of older Kindle e-readers that they must update by Tuesday, March 22nd, or else they will no longer be able to access the Kindle Store or sync with the cloud. That means, most importantly, that you won't be able to download new books. The emergency update is for the original Kindle Paperwhite (2012) and every Kindle before it. If you do not update your Kindle before that date, Amazon says you'll receive this warning when you try to access internet services:

Your Kindle is unable to connect at this time. Please make sure you are within wireless range and try again. If the problem persists, please restart your Kindle from the Menu in Settings and try again.

All Kindles download and install the latest updates automatically if they're connected to Wi-Fi while asleep. If your Kindle is sitting somewhere in your house unplugged, however, it likely isn't updated with the latest version, and you should turn it on and make it pull the new update by clicking "Sync and Check for Items" in the menu.

More on the link

Edited March 21, 2016 by Crossy
fixed the title

[billd766]

I misspelled the title as Olser and not Older but I am unable to edit it.

My apologies.

[Crossy]

Fixed it ^^^

I read the same in the Daily Wail this morning.

[Rsquared]

I have an old Kindle and received that message......luckily I was able to get it updated in time.

Before I had a good internet connection (I couldn't connect my Kindle to the internet)......I just downloaded books I wanted onto my desktop, then attached the Kindle to it via usb cable and transferred the books that way.

I'm sure those who missed the update could still receive their books that way.

Cheers.

[keeniau96]

Saw the notice last week and did the updates on the several Kindles I have.

[rawhod]

Maybe you should read this:-

http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/new-amazon-kindle-e-readers-cannot-be-jailbroken

I tend to download book to my computer and then transfer them to my Kindle. My concern is that they may be able to block books that have not been downloaded from Amazon...

If you miss the 22 March deadline, you can download the update to your computer and then manually update your Kindle. However, once updated, I am not 100% certain, but I think you cannot revert to earlier firmware.

[lungbing]

It isn't that you won't be able to connect to the internet, it's that you won't be able to connect to Amazon without the update.

I am running an older version of the Kindle OS simply because that version allows me to load extra fonts,

darker ones that I can read more easily.

I have a dummy file in my root that is the same name as the update file name Amazon uses so it cannot load

the update. And that's what I want.

And yes, if you allow the update then I suspect you will not be able to go back to the old version.

[Rsquared]

There used to be a great feature on my Kindle......if I came across a word I didn't know the meaning of....I would simply place the cursor over the word and press enter......then I would be shown the dictionary meaning of the word.

Since I have had my Kindle updated, that feature has disappeared.....any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Cheers.

[partington]

Thanks for posting this information.

I almost never use my Kindle's wifi, and hadn't turned it on for at least 6 months.

Just downloaded the update with a few hours to spare - I would have been frustrated and baffled by its failure to connect if I hadn't read this!

[Lannig]

Thanks for the tip. I have this Kindle Paperwhite which has been lying in a drawer for quite a while... not sure whether it's a 1st generation or not, but I'll make sure to bring it online today, hoping that it's not too late already.

[harrry]

If you miss the cutoff it is not the end of the world. You will have to download the files and update manually. Not really a big deal.

[harrry]

I think the update is mainlybug fises and some new cellphone providers....which is the important part.

[Lannig]

If you miss the cutoff it is not the end of the world. You will have to download the files and update manually. Not really a big deal.

Yep, I saw this in a page a few clicks away from the link provided by OP.

I'll dig into this when I have it at hand later today.

Thanks.

Hoping that this update doesn't prevent having our own .mobi files not downloaded from Amazon.

We all have our "personal" documents don't we?

Edited March 22, 2016 by Lannig

[rawhod]

Just a couple of the articles about the Amazon Kindle to read before you update...

http://www.epubor.com/7-kindle-paperwhite-tips-and-tricks-amazon-doesnt-want-you-to-know.html

http://www.teleread.com/kindle-horror-story-shows-risks-of-tweaks-and-amazons-controlling-ways/

[astral]

Thanks just caught this in time

It did raise an odd quirk with my Kindle

It would not connect to my wifi........

I have the channel set as 13 and apparently Kindle does not like that.

A change to a lower number and all was well.