5 ms·

Hacking the Kindle Touch

33 points by casca 14y ago

tnorthcutt 14y ago
What are the benefits of hacking/jailbreaking/modifying the Kindle Touch?
- sidmitra 14y ago
  From the wiki: * Use this custom reader to read mobi/epub/fb2/txt/rtf/html/pdb. * pbchess is a powerful chess training program available for Kindle Touch * Audio Recorder and Player and some other apps like VNC!!
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    Like climbing Everest - because it's there !
    - sidmitra 14y ago
      If i understand your comment, you're saying it's pointless? Enabling Kindle to read other formats besides .mobi(like epub) instead of messing around with conversion, makes it useful for me.
      - excuse-me 14y ago
        NO I'm saying the technical challenge and the exercise of your rights to do what you want with your own property is justification enough - even IF it didn't add any functionality to the device
      - ovi256 14y ago
        His comment is a famous paraphrase meaning the technical challenge alone and the fame it brings may be enough motivation for some. The initial jailbreaking is just the door opening that enables useful applications to emerge.
        excuse-me 14y ago
        Yes, I thought the phrase was famous enough http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory
        sidmitra 14y ago
        Yes i got the meaning, but for some reason i detected a hint of sarcasm; hence asked for a clarification :-)
- darkarmani 14y ago
  Removing the ads.
  - tjoff 14y ago
    If you didn't want the ads you should have bought an ad-free version.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    Here I would side with Amazon. It's not like skipping ads on Tivo or being forced to watch unstoppable trailers on a Disney DVD. You have made an honest and fair deal with Amazon. You can buy a Kindle or they will pay you $20 in return for viewing some pretty unobtrusive ads. Hacking this version to skip the ads is basically unfair. In reality few enough people will do it to impact Amazon, and the jailbreakers probably also own other kindles AND buy more books from Amazon than the average person - but Amazon is on the side of the angels here.
    - qq66 14y ago
      How is skipping ads on Tivo any different? The implicit contract of broadcast television is that the ads pay for the content.
      - excuse-me 14y ago
        I haven't been offered a deal by the advertiser to watch ads for a discount or pay more for no ads (plus I'm paying a subscription for the cable) - not watching TV ads isn't stealing whatever Mr Turner says! It would be like going to buy a car and saying and asking for a discount because you had seen their ads on billboards along the freeway!
    - darkarmani 14y ago
      Are there sides? I'm just saying something you can do with it. I don't see this any different than magazine subscriptions like Home and Garden that have about half the pages as ads. I tear any double-sided ads out of the magazine.
- cysun 14y ago
  Even though there are some benefits in this case, hacking/jailbreaking/modifying doesn't need any other reasons except fun doing it.

33 points by casca 14y ago

tnorthcutt 14y ago

What are the benefits of hacking/jailbreaking/modifying the Kindle Touch?

sidmitra 14y ago
From the wiki: * Use this custom reader to read mobi/epub/fb2/txt/rtf/html/pdb. * pbchess is a powerful chess training program available for Kindle Touch * Audio Recorder and Player and some other apps like VNC!!
- excuse-me 14y ago
  Like climbing Everest - because it's there !
  - sidmitra 14y ago
    If i understand your comment, you're saying it's pointless? Enabling Kindle to read other formats besides .mobi(like epub) instead of messing around with conversion, makes it useful for me.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      NO I'm saying the technical challenge and the exercise of your rights to do what you want with your own property is justification enough - even IF it didn't add any functionality to the device
    - ovi256 14y ago
      His comment is a famous paraphrase meaning the technical challenge alone and the fame it brings may be enough motivation for some. The initial jailbreaking is just the door opening that enables useful applications to emerge.
      - excuse-me 14y ago
        Yes, I thought the phrase was famous enough http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory
        sidmitra 14y ago
        Yes i got the meaning, but for some reason i detected a hint of sarcasm; hence asked for a clarification :-)
darkarmani 14y ago
Removing the ads.
- tjoff 14y ago
  If you didn't want the ads you should have bought an ad-free version.
- excuse-me 14y ago
  Here I would side with Amazon. It's not like skipping ads on Tivo or being forced to watch unstoppable trailers on a Disney DVD. You have made an honest and fair deal with Amazon. You can buy a Kindle or they will pay you $20 in return for viewing some pretty unobtrusive ads. Hacking this version to skip the ads is basically unfair. In reality few enough people will do it to impact Amazon, and the jailbreakers probably also own other kindles AND buy more books from Amazon than the average person - but Amazon is on the side of the angels here.
  - qq66 14y ago
    How is skipping ads on Tivo any different? The implicit contract of broadcast television is that the ads pay for the content.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      I haven't been offered a deal by the advertiser to watch ads for a discount or pay more for no ads (plus I'm paying a subscription for the cable) - not watching TV ads isn't stealing whatever Mr Turner says! It would be like going to buy a car and saying and asking for a discount because you had seen their ads on billboards along the freeway!
  - darkarmani 14y ago
    Are there sides? I'm just saying something you can do with it. I don't see this any different than magazine subscriptions like Home and Garden that have about half the pages as ads. I tear any double-sided ads out of the magazine.
cysun 14y ago
Even though there are some benefits in this case, hacking/jailbreaking/modifying doesn't need any other reasons except fun doing it.