Internet Buzzing about K2's LIGHTER TEXT

[DD]

I'm glad you were able to get things back to normal DD. I would have been freaking out (I actually did something similar when jailbreaking my iphone last week..I TOTALLY lost it...all is well though).

Please post the instructions to get into recovery mode just in case other members run into the same issue you did.

Yeah, luv, my heart just returned to a normal rhythm!  I will direct everyone to the instructions for recovery mode.  I think I should do it in a new thread so that everyone sees it.  Coming soon...

[Law. Sorreneson]

Thanks Law!

New fonts work like a dream. Gorgeous!  I hope Amazon reads Ted-san's letter and conducts the font experiments.  You'd think their  Q&A/programmers would've come up with a solution already. Really!

My reaction to the enhanced text was straight out of 2001: "My God...It's full of stars!" 

UPDATE (4/19; 7:03 PM): I'm not encouraging anyone to conduct these experiments since they seem to be meant for Amazon.  But if an intrepid Amazon developer DOES install a .bin file, Ted-san left out an important step: after you've copied the .bin file to the K2's root directory, DON'T USE THE SLIDER TO RESTART. Instead, select "Update My Kindle" from Home/Menu/Settings/Menu/Update My Kindle.  The same process goes for using the uninstall .bin., Amazon.

I'm happy that it's worked out for you. My original posting of Ted-san's letter, I think is still a HUGE DEVELOPMENT.  It demonstrates how a small community of tech-savvy Kindle Lovers have put their collective heads together to optimize the kindle's functionality. It also provides Amazon with some files with which to experiment with.  Exposure to how GREAT the fonts could look and how easy it is to implement might go a long way towards a potential FIRMWARE UPDATE.

Now, "Amazon" can be interpreted to mean many things, I suppose. But I think the safest approach would be to DIG INTO the research of Ted-San and the early Beta Testers

                           https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/enhancing-your-image
                           https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files
                           http://www.blogkindle.com/unicode-fonts-hack/ )

BEFORE broadening the meaning of "Amazon." 

Having said that, the research on the blogkindle site offered other beta testers some very detailed step-by-step instructions that (taken together with Ted-san's font installs) might be useful for intrepid Kindled Spirits who are fond of "Experimenting with New Technology" (to borrow from a recent Stephen King novellete!). And by "intrepid Kindled Spirits" I mean "Amazon," of course! 

[DD]

Glad to hear it! You may want to post instructions for the "Recovery mode" in case anyone else runs into the same problem. 

Recovery Mode tip posted as an update and moved to Tip, Tricks, & Troubleshooting:

http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,7019.msg143706.html#msg143706

[DD]

I'm happy that it's worked out for you. My original posting of Ted-san's letter, I think is still a HUGE DEVELOPMENT.  It demonstrates how a small community of tech-savvy Kindle Lovers have put their collective heads together to optimize the kindle's functionality. It also provides Amazon with some files with which to experiment with.  Exposure to how GREAT the fonts could look and how easy it is to implement might go a long way towards a potential FIRMWARE UPDATE.

Now, "Amazon" can be interpreted to mean many things, I suppose. But I think the safest approach would be to DIG INTO the research of Ted-San and the early Beta Testers

                           https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/enhancing-your-image
                           https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files
                           http://www.blogkindle.com/unicode-fonts-hack/ )

BEFORE broadening the meaning of "Amazon." 

Having said that, the research on the blogkindle site offered other beta testers some very detailed step-by-step instructions that (taken together with Ted-san's font installs) might be useful for intrepid Kindled Spirits who are fond of "Experimenting with New Technology" (to borrow from a recent Stephen King novellete!). And by "intrepid Kindled Spirits" I mean "Amazon," of course! 

Thanks, Law.  The  fonts are great!  What a relief it is to read without eyestrain now.

I want to make it clear to other Kindlers that, if you try this hack, the Kindle is to be "Updated" from the Settings menu and that "Restart" is not the equivalent.  Others may miss this fact as I did with dire results.  After I fixed my mistake, the hack worked like a dream for me.

[Anthony34]

An elegant solution might be for Amazon to mimic the user option on Xerox machines.
You know, that button that says: lighter--light--normal--dark--darker.
Maybe fit it in on the pop-up window for font size/Text-to-Speech?

That way Amazon would NEVER have to admit that their text is too light.  Just give users the option of toggling light to dark!

Thoughts?

[Kindgirl]

Wow, what a difference... I chose the bold narrow arial font and it's SO much darker, smoother, easier on the eyes.  Loving it!  God bless hackers!   

[Law. Sorreneson]

To Replace or not to replace. That is the question. I went through 6 replacement K2's and was never lucky enough to receive a unit with darker text than my original purchase. But I did notice HUGE variations of contrast/light text amongst the 6 inferior replacements.

Ted-san has been hard at work again, and has demonstrated that there are, indeed, variations in text sharpness/darkness amongst the Kindle 2's:

https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/k2-differences

I also read that he thought that his ORIGINAL K2 was one of the "good ones!"  What this evidence (the microscopic blow-ups are kind of freaky  ), seems to confirm is that people are not "imagining" things, and it's not just a matter of perception -- in the "eye of the beholder."

Bottom Line: ALL of the K2's have slighlty lighter text than the K2 (say, 10-15%). Many are even lighter (15-20%). Some even fade in the sun (which would probably mean at least 25% lighter). It will be up to each individual to decide whether to "marry up" via the replacement route (which is a crap shoot). Or to be patient and wait for an Amazon FIRMWARE UPDATE. Some brave souls have reported AMAZING results through "font enhancement":

https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files
(Addressed to "Amazon"  )

Choices...

[FlannelE]

Wow, what a difference... I chose the bold narrow arial font and it's SO much darker, smoother, easier on the eyes.  Loving it!  God bless hackers!   

Seriously, Amazon should hire Ted-san right now to work on their fonts!  I absolutely LOVE my darker text.  Like I said before, even better than PAPER since the light gray and BLACK text work better than bright, bright white.  What a difference, indeed!

[K.L. Christy]

Thanks, Law.  The  fonts are great!  What a relief it is to read without eyestrain now.

I want to make it clear to other Kindlers that, if you try this hack, the Kindle is to be "Updated" from the Settings menu and that "Restart" is not the equivalent.  Others may miss this fact as I did with dire results.  After I fixed my mistake, the hack worked like a dream for me.

I'm so happy that your Kindle recovered and that "you can see clearly now, the rain is gone" (I think I'm showing my age!).

For me, the enhanced fonts took me back 10 months to when I first laid my eyes on the Kindle 1.  Instantly taken aback and CHARMED!

[Anthony34]

combined with a darker skin and the new fonts, I feel like I've upgraded to the Kindle 3!

https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/more-than-skin-deep

[sjc]

Anthony34:  We hope you are around for a long time on these boards.  I see that you've helped many.  THANKS (from all of us, I'm sure). 

I have the K1 and have not modified anything; though, it is my 3rd.  First two had fading in the sun issues...it wasn't only the K2 with the sun fading thing, though more frequent with the K2 than the K1.

Hope Amazon gets a move on with the issues.  I'm sure that things like this hurt sales; which in turn hurts us in the long run.

[tedsan]

Hey folks,
check out this press release from Vellum Publishing!

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/vellum-publishing-incs-digital-books-for-kindle-2-are-easiest-to-read-97613.php

I encourage everybody to send Vellum their positive feedback. Let's show the world some positive Buzz!

[K.L. Christy]

Hey folks,
check out this press release from Vellum Publishing!

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/vellum-publishing-incs-digital-books-for-kindle-2-are-easiest-to-read-97613.php

I encourage everybody to send Vellum their positive feedback. Let's show the world some positive Buzz!

Oh, so YOU'RE Ted-san!!?!  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL FONTS!

With regard to Vellum Publishing, why not take it a step further: Let's all download a book from them. I heard that all their books are under seven bucks.  This way, we can prove that darkening the font can be a commercially viable business tactic. 

Here's their company's website:   http://www.newkindlebooks.com/   

[tedsan]

You are very welcome! It's been my pleasure to demonstrate how people can get the most out of this  great product.

I've just been lurking for a while.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much better the display could get with just a few "tweaks" and glad that others agree.

I'm still surprised that Amazon refuses to acknowledge the issue and just give us the option to do this officially.
As someone who started and ran a software/hardware company for about 20 years, I saw the value of addressing problems and giving workarounds to issues that might vary user-to-user. It's not difficult to add an option to a menu and provide a couple different fonts.

There's no shame in acknowledging that your product could be improved. Even the best products can be made even better! In fact, this creates a loyal user base that becomes your marketing arm. Some companies get this. When your users rave about how wonderful your products and service are, your sales multiply.

I do give them credit for replacing people's defective units time and again, that's much better than most companies. But this issue has been  poorly addressed.

This is a very common issue when companies license their device business. They see devices to be like toasters and TV sets and cars - they are what they are. You bought them "as is" and if you want something better, wait for the next version and buy a new one. They don't "get it."

Amazon likely hired Lab126 (the company that designed the K2) with a contract that included "bug fixes" but not functionality issues.  While we could argue about the level of severity of the font issue, legally, it's not a "critical" issue. So Amazon would have to contract with Lab126 for any alterations in the software, which involves lots of red tape and, money. What would be a trivial modification for an in-house development team becomes a big hoo-hah with this type of development arrangement.

While I originally was hopeful that Amazon would  release a patch for this issue, I'm less confident now. I believe their silence on this issue is more of a tacit approval of the hacks to improve it. If they wanted to discourage them, they'd release a nasty letter warning against using them. They probably feel that their hands are tied by Lab126 so they can't make an official statement in either direction. As such, I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff Bezos was actually applauding the efforts of Andrei Pushkin (the font hack developer) because he knows that it's improving his product in a way he wishes he could!

I'm not totally giving up yet. I'll keep working at this, and maybe we'll get lucky and hit some critical mass where Bezos can take it no more, bites the bullet and just makes this right!

Ok, that's probably more than enough.
Cheers to all!
-Ted

[Leslie]

Hi Ted, welcome. Thanks for all his info.

My K2 was not plagued by the fading fonts and poor contrast issues that so many have had problems with, so I didn't pay too much attention to this conversation. But curiosity got the better of me and I decided to try a few of your fonts. First off, let me say, the download and installation worked flawlessly. Thanks for that! First I downloaded the bold narrow native -- it looked good, nice and familiar. Yes, it was clearer and easier to read. But looking at the website, something about the Droid appealed to me. Maybe it's because I like san serif fonts. I downloaded that and...wow! I can actually read it on Font size 3 which I've never been able to do -- on this Kindle or my previous K1. It's amazing!

Like someone said, Amazon should hire you as a consultant and make this fix widely available. It is terrific. Thanks so much for developing this and sharing it with all of us.

L

[FlannelE]

I can actually read it on Font size 3 which I've never been able to do -- on this Kindle or my previous K1. It's amazing!

The enhanced, optimized, supplemental, wonderkind FONTS work like a charm!  But it's important to note that the lighter text/poor contrast issue on ALL OF THE K2's is only really an "issue" with font sizes 1, 2, 3. To be fair, I would even argue that some of the new fonts are best suited for 1, 2, 3, and NOT 4, 5, 6 (a bit TOO bold).  Although I have to say that Arial Bold Narrow is superb-looking at size 4.

Let's keep the dialogue moving and the BUZZ humming...I have a feeling that Spring time will finally wake Amazon up and force them to listen to its loyal customers. 

Oh yeah, the firmware update IS comming.  How can it not?  And it'll probably be called 2.2 (not 2.000004)!

[tedsan]

I agree - on the larger sizes, the bold fonts can be a bit much.

Ideally, Amazon would implement enhanced fonts by allowing the user to set a lower size threshold. At or below this size, it would use a bold version of the fonts, above this, the normal version would apply. It requires a tad more thinking on the part of the developers, but not much!

[Luvmy4brats]

I have to say, I also did not really follow this conversation too closely. I haven't had any contrast or fading issues with my K2. Additionally, I usually read with anywhere from font 3-5. A couple of days ago I decided I'd at least give the font hack a shot. I downloaded and installed/uninstalled each of them (except the droid...Now I'm going to have to try that one) My first reaction was that they were too dark (I had it on font 5). Once I moved it down to a 3, I decided I'd live with it for awhile and see how I liked it. I REALLY like the Arial Bold Narrow font. I've discovered I can read at the smaller fonts (at least during the day..not so much when I'm reading in bed at night)

The same way that the firmware update for folders/tags is NOT coming.

<Sigh> My Kindle would be perfect if it had folders or tags.

[FlannelE]

The light text/poor contrast was never an issue for anyone at fonts 4, 5, 6.  When the letters are that huge (5, 6), gray dental floss would be clearly legible.  That's invariably why many K2 Users are/were completely happy with the readability of their Kindles. If I were reading at font 5, I would be happy, too. 

But I don't like clicking next page every 15 seconds; and I don't want to read text that's bigger than my 7 year-old daughter's storybooks.
I'm sorry if I sound blunt, jaded, even coarse. The reality is, many posters on many threads turned their noses up to ANY criticism of their beloved Kindles. If you examine the K1 side-by-side with the K2, you WILL see that the text on the K2 is lighter on fonts 1, 2, 3 (the font size in the vast majority of published novels).

I loved my K2, gave it 8.5/10 stars...The font hacks just make the Kindle 2 better - way better.  Believe me, they are an absolute marvel - 10/10 stars.   

[K.L. Christy]

Note:  I rant because I NOW see how beautiful reading can be on my beloved Kindle 2
https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files

I tried the flavors at "Ted-san's font shack" last week. It is unfathomable that Amazon with its Billion dollar coffers and 100 Million dollar profits couldn't do what a couple of amateur 'radio-shack' enthusiasts did in their downscale basements. In other words, the enhanced fonts absolutely deliver a 5-star product; why couldn't Amazon have done the same?

Reading on the Kindle 2 is now glorious, downright divine with the bolder fonts that Ted-san has provided. If Amazon would only swallow its pride and WORK ON THE PROBLEM (they wouldn't even have to admit they were wrong), then I would be the first to say, "All is forgiven."
Amazon, please get off your a*s and wash the dishes!!!

Yes, it's personal because READING IS PERSONAL. I expected so much more from a $360 2nd-Generation product in the year 2009. After all, this is America: We cured polio, put a man on the moon, elected an elegant President.
I think we can make the fonts on an e-reader darker.

[DD]

Just noticed there is a new updated font added this morning at 7:12 AM (update_cmodLarge_fonts_install.bin).

https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files

[Anthony34]

Just noticed there is a new updated font added this morning at 7:12 AM (update_cmodLarge_fonts_install.bin).

https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files

Thanks for the heads-up, DD...and the update, Ted-San.  A little too bold for my tastes...I'll stick with my favorite enhancement, the awesome Arial Bold Narrow (so easy on the eyes!)

On a lighter note (no pun intended), the across-the-board LOVE FEST for the enhanced fonts combined with some users "downgrading back to the K1" (http://www.pcworld.com/article/163089/users_lament_kindle_2_upgrades.html), has taken me back to my college days, Philosophy 101:

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

- Arthur Schopenhauer: Three stages of Truth

It's hard to accept, but the K2's text is, indeed, lighter than the K1. On ALL units. People laughed and poked fun at the early postings; people waved their Kindled-fists and tried to deny it; people then said, "duh."
 

[DD]

Thanks for the heads-up, DD...and the update, Ted-San.  A little too bold for my tastes...I'll stick with the awesome Arial Bold Narrow (so easy on the eyes!)

On a lighter note (no pun intended), the across-the-board LOVE FEST for the enhanced fonts combined with some users "downgrading back to the K1" (http://www.pcworld.com/article/163089/users_lament_kindle_2_upgrades.html), has taken me back to my college days, Philosophy 101:

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

- Arthur Schopenhauer: Three stages of Truth

It's hard to accept, but the K2's text is, indeed, lighter than the K1. On ALL units. People laughed and poked fun at the early postings; people waved their Kindled-fists and tried to deny it; people then said, "duh."
 

Well said, Anthony. 

I haven't had a chance to try the new large text font yet and it will probably be too bold for my taste also.  However, this could mean I might be able to buy my 82 yr. old Mom a Kindle.  She is not able too see even the largest text on either Kindle because of macular degeneration.  I am very hopeful...

[Luvmy4brats]

It's hard to accept, but the K2's text is, indeed, lighter than the K1. On ALL units. People laughed and poked fun at the early postings; people waved their Kindled-fists and tried to deny it; people then said, "duh."
 

This is not true. I have both a K1 and a K2. The text is virtually the same on both of my Kindles..I CHOOSE to read at the higher fonts because I choose not to use reading glasses. I could use the smaller fonts without problems on either of them if I choose to. I generally read at a font 3 and as I grow more tired, I up the size of the font. Just because SOME people are having problems, not everybody does. The Arial Narrow Bold that I added a few days ago actually makes the text on my K2 much darker than the text on my daughter's K1..even on fonts 1 and 2. I happen to prefer the Arial over the default and if I had the option when I had my K1, I would have used it on there. Some people (like me) like the font hack just for the ability to use different fonts, not just the contrast issues.

I don't think anybody here has laughed or poked fun at any of the issues others have had. You seem to be under the impression that many of us don't believe that there is an issue just because we say we don't have an issue. That isn't the case. I DO wish Amazon would do something about this. Especially for the people this is affecting. It just doesn't affect me.

[DD]

This is not true. I have both a K1 and a K2. The text is virtually the same on both of my Kindles..I CHOOSE to read at the higher fonts because I choose not to use reading glasses. I could use the smaller fonts without problems on either of them if I choose to. I generally read at a font 3 and as I grow more tired, I up the size of the font. Just because SOME people are having problems, not everybody does. The Arial Narrow Bold that I added a few days ago actually makes the text on my K2 much darker than the text on my daughter's K1..even on fonts 1 and 2. I happen to prefer the Arial over the default and if I had the option when I had my K1, I would have used it on there. Some people (like me) like the font hack just for the ability to use different fonts, not just the contrast issues.

I don't think anybody here has laughed or poked fun at any of the issues others have had. You seem to be under the impression that many of us don't believe that there is an issue just because we say we don't have an issue. That isn't the case. I DO wish Amazon would do something about this. Especially for the people this is affecting. It just doesn't affect me.

Luv, you are right.  Most people on the boards have been like you and have been very understanding about the problems many of us are having with light text on our K2's.  However, there have been posts that have been very negative toward the idea that the text could be lighter, though they are not the majority.  Most people here are kind and accepting.  That's why I love it here so much.  But, I have personally been told by one poster that he has never heard of anyone getting eyestrain from reading a K2 and that I should see an eye doctor.  At least one other poster called those of us with light text problems 'whiners and complainers' because she herself did not see any difference between the text on K1 and K2.

So, you just go on being you - sweet, understanding, and accepting of others' plights.  But, not everyone is that way.  Perhaps those few have created the perception that the light text issue is not being viewed as 'real';  that, and Amazon's silence on the issue.