2.5(.2) Update: Collections without Wispernet

[MissERG]

So I am currently living abroad with my K2US and love it.  And I was so excited to get the update now that Amazon has announced it on the website.  Unfortunately I went to go start organizing my books only to find out that I cannot make a new collection.  When I called customer service the guy told me that this was because you need wispernet on so that it can sync collections.  Any one else have this experience? Or suggestions on how to fix it so I can organize it?


Fair note: I was having problems with the device so when I called customer service about that they had me reset to factory setting and this might also be the cause of the problem, though the guy I spoke to today said this was not the case.

[Missyrose]

I just did the manual update this afternoon and I have been able to create collections without turning on whispernet once. I have no real expertise, but you might want to call CS back and try to talk to another rep that might have more useful info. Hope this helps!

[Tuttle]

I am definitely able to make new collections without whispernet on. I just did so to check. I'd try rebooting and then calling CS again.

[k_reader]

I just manually installed and was able to create the folders (collections). LOVE THEM.  This is a great improvement to the kindle.  I miss my fonts though... the georgia2 font hack is wonderful. I can't wait to get it back on my kindle.

Love the password protection and the collections.  Thank you Amazon!!!!

[dobes]

I have been without Whispernet for 6 days now.  Everyone in my area has, and Amazon has been cheerful and polite and yet incredibly ineffective in addressing the problem.  I can make collections easily without Whispernet -- they just won't stay in any order.  Those I open do not rise to the top, making my system ineffective, and I have no access to my archived books.  But making collections -- yes, you can make them, but you can't make them work.

[darthjoey]

According to something I read on Mobileread, even with the update, the device still has to have been registered in order to use collections. Has it been registered, with the Kindle itself recognizing that?

[mputtr]

have you made sure that your stuff is listed as recents first? Originally when I first got the update, it sorted everything collection first. I had to switch back to recent first. that might be your problem

[Linjeakel]

I have been without Whispernet for 6 days now.  Everyone in my area has, and Amazon has been cheerful and polite and yet incredibly ineffective in addressing the problem.  I can make collections easily without Whispernet -- they just won't stay in any order.  Those I open do not rise to the top, making my system ineffective, and I have no access to my archived books.  But making collections -- yes, you can make them, but you can't make them work.

If you're sorting by collection, they sort in the most recent order first. If you're without Whispernet coverage for any length of time, you Kindle's clock can't keep itself accurate and that feature won't work properly, whether you have collections or not.

[MissERG]

Thanks all for the responses.  I'm glad to hear that collections work, albeit not at their best, without wispernet.  Unfortunately when the CS agent had me reset it, and I tried to ask if that would screw with registration on the device, I think he was confused because he said no. So simply put the device doesn't know it is registered and wont until I get back to Sprint coverage unfortunately.  Its so annoying/sad because after months of waiting, 24 hrs before the update I managed to screw myself.   

[dobes]

Are you sure you can't register through USB, on the Manage My Kindle page?

[Linjeakel]

Are you sure you can't register through USB, on the Manage My Kindle page?

I'm not sure you even need to connect by USB - I think you just have to enter the serial number (which you can now get from your settings page) at the 'manage your kindle' page.

[s0nicfreak]

But then the Kindle still won't know it's registered...

[Linjeakel]

But then the Kindle still won't know it's registered...

Aah, I see. So the Kindle is probably already registered, it just doesn't know it's registered. Tricky one, that. I still don't think that's the reason the collections are misbehaving though. The sort by collections is based on the most recent first feature and that won't work without Whispernet because the device can't keep track of the time/date. I think the OP will just have to wait till they can get back online.

[mputtr]

right now, I only have 2 gripes:
1) eventhough collections puts books in order.. it still shows the actual book up front under the recent first order (which is annoying for me)
2) the stuff I highlight to share on FB has a limit so the whole quote was cut off. I wish Amazon would be nice enough to offer a bigger quote size in the future.

[Linjeakel]

right now, I only have 2 gripes:
1) eventhough collections puts books in order.. it still shows the actual book up front under the recent first order (which is annoying for me)
2) the stuff I highlight to share on FB has a limit so the whole quote was cut off. I wish Amazon would be nice enough to offer a bigger quote size in the future.

I can't help with problem two, but as for the collections, if you don't want the books in the collections to show up on the home screen pages, you need to sort by 'collections' at the top right of your screen. That will sort your collections by the most recently accessed and hide any books you have assigned to a collection. If you want your collections in alphabetical order and at the top of the screen, you need to put a symbol before the collection name e.g. *fiction or <fiction etc and then sort by 'title'. This will force all your collections to the top as symbols come before letters alphabetically. Beneath the collections you will also have displayed all your individual books, but because all your collections will be at the top you can ignore them. All you have to do is decide which way suits you best!

[mputtr]

Yeah I figured that sorting by collections makes the other books disappear, but I wish they had a mode where they put the most recent up top and the collections on the bottom, but only because I read one book at a time, but it's only a minor personal gripe. I'll live with it and it's not that bad.. like a slight itch on my arm or something ^_^

[Linjeakel]

Yeah I figured that sorting by collections makes the other books disappear, but I wish they had a mode where they put the most recent up top and the collections on the bottom, but only because I read one book at a time, but it's only a minor personal gripe. I'll live with it and it's not that bad.. like a slight itch on my arm or something ^_^

I have a 'currently reading' collection for which I use two symbols at the beginning of the name to force it to the top in a by title search and I put the book(s) I'm currently reading in there so I can have my collections at the top and still get to my current stuff quickly.