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I switched from a Kindle to a Kobo (monochrome), and simply having the book cover as the lock screen makes me like it so much more. I always paid to not have ad

I switched from a Kindle to a Kobo (monochrome), and simply having the book cover as the lock screen makes me like it so much more. I always paid to not have ads on the Kindle, but it would show a bunch of generic images. The book cover is the obvious choice. Kobo gets it. The reading experience is a little more bare bones, but good enough, and still offers things a physical book does not.

notatoad 2y ago
kindles have displayed the book cover on the lock screen for approximately the last decade.
- bongobingo1 2y ago
  https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/16/22387146/amazon-display-cover-lockscreen-current-book-image https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/16/22387146/amazon-display-c... 2021. People have certainly been asking for it for at least the last decade. Jail breaking doesn't count.
  - ffsm8 2y ago
    I bought a Kindle Paperwhite in 2020, it's been doing that since day 1 of my purchase without jailbreaking or anything. It's not a new thing that journalists cover old features as if they've just been added, because they just found out about it and feel they're newsworthy
    - yftsui 2y ago
      It's definitely not "a decade". I have the 2013 Kindle Paper white and it doesn't have that feature without JB, the oldest device supported is Kindle Paperwhite 7th Gen which is released in 2019. It's likely you are just lucky to buy a KPW with that feature just rolled out.
      - ffsm8 2y ago
        I cannot speak on when it was actually introduced. I only added my experience because bongobingo said 2021 and cited a tabloid "article" as proof. The feature definitely predates April 2021, how long? I have no idea, possibly only 6-7 months, as I bought mine in October 2020.
        bongobingo1 2y ago
        Reddit nerds only notice in April 2021, https://old.reddit.com/r/kindle/comments/mo67x9/the_new_kindle_update_5135_gives_you_the_option/ https://old.reddit.com/r/kindle/comments/mo67x9/the_new_kind... More "tabloids" in April 2021 https://www.tomsguide.com/news/amazon-kindle-update-adds-killer-feature-youve-wanted-for-years https://www.tomsguide.com/news/amazon-kindle-update-adds-kil... More nerds in August 2021, https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/30x1qmxj https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/30x1qmxj "the setting that was added a few months ago in Settings/Device Options to show the "Display Cover" of the book you are currently reading" Amazon discussing rolling it out during ... April 2021, https://www.amazonforum.com/s/question/0D54P00008A1VpoSAF/display-cover-option-for-firmware-5135 https://www.amazonforum.com/s/question/0D54P00008A1VpoSAF/di... Maybe you were in a pre-release A/B or region, or simply didn't notice the update.
        goosedragons 2y ago
        I think it's more likely you just didn't notice for 6-7 months. It's not just "tabloid" articles that noticed it in April 2021. This wasn't noticed by users on places like mobileread.com until April 2021 either and that place is comprised of some of the biggest eInk fans out there. By all accounts your Oct. 2020 date is the earliest reported date for it being an official feature. Kobo has had it since day one in 2010, Kindle not so much. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4110557 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4110557
        hiatus 2y ago
        First archive of the amazon announcement page was in April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114306/https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011 https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114306/https://www.amazo...
- sieabahlpark 2y ago
  [dead]
elijaht 2y ago
I have a kindle that just displays the book cover. Are you sure it’s not just a setting?
- al_borland 2y ago
  From some of the other comments, it looks like a rather recent addition by Amazon (around 2021). I got rid of my last Kindle after 2021, but maybe I never got that update. If it takes some competition for Amazon to finally add some very basic features like this after a decade, I will keep supporting that competition. I’ve grown frustrated with Amazon in a lot of areas, this was just one small one. I’m looking to divest my dependence on Amazon, and the Kobo isn’t leaving me missing anything.
kaonwarb 2y ago
Just FYI, this is now a Kindle option too. https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011 https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011
- WalterBright 2y ago
  Finally! But what I'd really like is the last page read is the screen saver.
  - eloisant 2y ago
    That would be weird, it would make it hard to know if the device is on or off.
    - chrisandchris 2y ago
      With these displays, there's not really an "off" because as long as there's no change on the display there's no energy usage. Of course, that dies not account for the OS.
      - eproxus 2y ago
        The problem is, once you want to flip page you’ll try to press the touch screen and nothing will happen since you haven’t turned on the device with the power button (you don’t want the touch screen active always since it will drain the battery). I guess they could add some indication on the screen it’s in ”sleep” mode though, like a frame or icon somewhere…
        TeMPOraL 2y ago
        Honestly, I think they should optimize the time it takes a powered off device to boot up and turn the page after the user presses a button[0]. Sure, those readers tend to be full-blown Linux computers with nontrivial boot time, but approximately none of the features this stack provides are needed for simply turning the page. I'm sure I'm underestimating the complexities of the problem, but the first idea that pops into my head is to add some flash storage that's, say, 5x the size of the framebuffer, and always keep in it the current page + next two and previous two pages (swapping pointers to avoid unnecessary writes), and have an extra microcontroller that would wake on button press, read the appropriate page from the flash buffer, and send it to the display controller. The whole process could take a fraction of the second (+ screen redraw time), all while the main OS wakes up (or boots up) in the background, and the user would experience no delays if all they're trying to do is read their book page by page. Once ready, the OS would update the flash buffer and stay active for a short while, in case the user decides they want to flip pages quickly. -- [0] - Gosh, I keep forgetting the readers only have touchscreens now. Another reason for superiority of hardware buttons for page turning.
dlevine 2y ago
There are a bunch of comments about how this is the default experience now. It's only the default experience if you buy the ads-free version. Since I don't want to pay extra to disable the ads, the trick I figured out is to buy the Kindle for Kids. It comes with a cover, no ads, and a 2 year warranty. You can turn off the kids stuff with one switch, and then it's just a normal Kindle. If you buy it on Black Friday or one of their other sale days, you should be able to get it for the same price or less than the regular edition would be when not on sale.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- 14 2y ago
  I could see you loading up a book they deemed not kid friendly and being told sorry you can not read this book on this device.
- thimabi 2y ago
  > Since I don't want to pay extra to disable the ads, the trick I figured out is to buy the Kindle for Kids. It comes with a cover, no ads, and a 2 year warranty. You can turn off the kids stuff with one switch, and then it's just a normal Kindle. They closed that loophole. Kindles for Kids now show ads when not in Kids mode.
- jorvi 2y ago
  Kindle for Kids is not available outside the US afaik. At least not in a lot of European countries.
hi_hi 2y ago
Wait, you have to pay to not have ads on a Kindle? When did that start being a thing? I've been using a kindle for about 14 years, my current one is a few years old. I've been thinking about upgrading, but it works perfectly fine, and I've never had it display ads, and haven't had to pay anything for that "privilege". It sounds like this will be my last Kindle device if I now have to pay extra for no ads, on a device I've already paid for, to read books I also pay for. When will the madness stop!?
- rdn 2y ago
  Its been that way for years, the ad is on the lockscreen, and its an ad for other books. The version with no advertisement is 20$ more, I don't see the problem if someone wants to get a discount for looking at ads.
  - wkat4242 2y ago
    Yeah I don't find it that bad either. The ads are non-intrusive (only when not using the device) and the standard wallpapers are super boring anyway. As much as I hate advertising, this is as good as it gets
  - dfxm12 2y ago
    As far as problems go, I understand it's been a constant and this specific implementation is pretty low on the list, but generally, greed leading to ads intruding every aspect of our lives and people thinking up with new spots to place ads is a problem. Creating a different experience around reading books for those who have and those who have not is also a problem, given how important literacy and the printing press are to the development of our society.
    - zeroonetwothree 2y ago
      Isn’t it strictly worse if they only offer the $130 no ads version? Why is choice a bad idea in this context? All it means is more people can afford it.
    - vundercind 2y ago
lencastre 2y ago
Both Kindle PW 10 and 11 gen support showing the cover. Personally I actually don’t like to see the cover of the books. Nobody’s business to see what I’m reading.
- grujicd 2y ago
  I'm keeping cover because it helps me remember the title of the book! Otherwise I typically buy book after seeing recommendation on goodreads or elsewhere, start reading and when someone asks me the name of the book or the author - I have no idea! Cover helps with that.
ErigmolCt 2y ago
It’s a small detail, but it adds a lot of personality to the device
dfc 2y ago
I've been a kindle user for so long I'm embarrassed to admit I don't have any concept of what it is like to get ebooks outside of the Amazon ecosystem. Was the change easy to make? Do you feel like you have access to as much content as you did with a kindle?
- HansardExpert 2y ago
  Yes completely. I have both an old Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Gen I think and a Kobo Clara. The kindle 'lives' in the car and the Kobo at home so I always have something to read. I use Calibre to sync to both. Rather than directly accessing Amazon from the Kindle I download bought books to my PC then strip the DRM - so I can read the same book on both the Clara and Kindle. See: https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools I'd say that the initial awkwardness is from deliberately not connecting the Kobo or Kindle to the internet to stop them from 'phoning home' when you set them up. The Kindle is easy - just don't connect it, the Kobo seems to insist but there's a simple step-by-step to bypass the enforced sign up on the Clara I use. See: https://yingtongli.me/blog/2018/07/30/kobo-rego.html https://yingtongli.me/blog/2018/07/30/kobo-rego.html - basically SQL commands. and you can get firmware updates for the Kobo devices via https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html and they are easy to apply - drag / drop. I don't get books from Kobo's site as it used to be hard if not impossible to strip the DRM from them - which meant I couldn't read them on my Kindle. Hope that helps.
- mdorazio 2y ago
  I use a Boox reader, but pretty close to the same experience. For me, I either buy the book from one of the many places that lets you download epub, or buy it on the Kindle store and download it from Libgen. It's really a non-issue. I've only run into one or two books I wasn't able to get an epub of, and those I ended up reading on the Kindle cloud reader on my laptop.
  - tikkun 2y ago
    What are your favorite places to buy books that let you download the epub versions also?
interestica 2y ago
There's a secret slideshow folder(demo mode?) where you can put in your own images that will display when it sleeps. It was kind of fun to use it as an eink display. I never figured out how to remote in/ssh to remotely swap the images though.

notatoad 2y ago

kindles have displayed the book cover on the lock screen for approximately the last decade.

bongobingo1 2y ago
https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/16/22387146/amazon-display-cover-lockscreen-current-book-image https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/16/22387146/amazon-display-c... 2021. People have certainly been asking for it for at least the last decade. Jail breaking doesn't count.
- ffsm8 2y ago
  I bought a Kindle Paperwhite in 2020, it's been doing that since day 1 of my purchase without jailbreaking or anything. It's not a new thing that journalists cover old features as if they've just been added, because they just found out about it and feel they're newsworthy
  - yftsui 2y ago
    It's definitely not "a decade". I have the 2013 Kindle Paper white and it doesn't have that feature without JB, the oldest device supported is Kindle Paperwhite 7th Gen which is released in 2019. It's likely you are just lucky to buy a KPW with that feature just rolled out.
    - ffsm8 2y ago
      I cannot speak on when it was actually introduced. I only added my experience because bongobingo said 2021 and cited a tabloid "article" as proof. The feature definitely predates April 2021, how long? I have no idea, possibly only 6-7 months, as I bought mine in October 2020.
      - bongobingo1 2y ago
        Reddit nerds only notice in April 2021, https://old.reddit.com/r/kindle/comments/mo67x9/the_new_kindle_update_5135_gives_you_the_option/ https://old.reddit.com/r/kindle/comments/mo67x9/the_new_kind... More "tabloids" in April 2021 https://www.tomsguide.com/news/amazon-kindle-update-adds-killer-feature-youve-wanted-for-years https://www.tomsguide.com/news/amazon-kindle-update-adds-kil... More nerds in August 2021, https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/30x1qmxj https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/30x1qmxj "the setting that was added a few months ago in Settings/Device Options to show the "Display Cover" of the book you are currently reading" Amazon discussing rolling it out during ... April 2021, https://www.amazonforum.com/s/question/0D54P00008A1VpoSAF/display-cover-option-for-firmware-5135 https://www.amazonforum.com/s/question/0D54P00008A1VpoSAF/di... Maybe you were in a pre-release A/B or region, or simply didn't notice the update.
      - goosedragons 2y ago
        I think it's more likely you just didn't notice for 6-7 months. It's not just "tabloid" articles that noticed it in April 2021. This wasn't noticed by users on places like mobileread.com until April 2021 either and that place is comprised of some of the biggest eInk fans out there. By all accounts your Oct. 2020 date is the earliest reported date for it being an official feature. Kobo has had it since day one in 2010, Kindle not so much. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4110557 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4110557
      - hiatus 2y ago
        First archive of the amazon announcement page was in April 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114306/https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011 https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114306/https://www.amazo...
sieabahlpark 2y ago
[dead]

elijaht 2y ago

I have a kindle that just displays the book cover. Are you sure it’s not just a setting?

al_borland 2y ago
From some of the other comments, it looks like a rather recent addition by Amazon (around 2021). I got rid of my last Kindle after 2021, but maybe I never got that update. If it takes some competition for Amazon to finally add some very basic features like this after a decade, I will keep supporting that competition. I’ve grown frustrated with Amazon in a lot of areas, this was just one small one. I’m looking to divest my dependence on Amazon, and the Kobo isn’t leaving me missing anything.

kaonwarb 2y ago

Just FYI, this is now a Kindle option too. https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011 https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=23435466011

WalterBright 2y ago
Finally! But what I'd really like is the last page read is the screen saver.
- eloisant 2y ago
  That would be weird, it would make it hard to know if the device is on or off.
  - chrisandchris 2y ago
    With these displays, there's not really an "off" because as long as there's no change on the display there's no energy usage. Of course, that dies not account for the OS.
    - eproxus 2y ago
      The problem is, once you want to flip page you’ll try to press the touch screen and nothing will happen since you haven’t turned on the device with the power button (you don’t want the touch screen active always since it will drain the battery). I guess they could add some indication on the screen it’s in ”sleep” mode though, like a frame or icon somewhere…
      - TeMPOraL 2y ago
        Honestly, I think they should optimize the time it takes a powered off device to boot up and turn the page after the user presses a button[0]. Sure, those readers tend to be full-blown Linux computers with nontrivial boot time, but approximately none of the features this stack provides are needed for simply turning the page. I'm sure I'm underestimating the complexities of the problem, but the first idea that pops into my head is to add some flash storage that's, say, 5x the size of the framebuffer, and always keep in it the current page + next two and previous two pages (swapping pointers to avoid unnecessary writes), and have an extra microcontroller that would wake on button press, read the appropriate page from the flash buffer, and send it to the display controller. The whole process could take a fraction of the second (+ screen redraw time), all while the main OS wakes up (or boots up) in the background, and the user would experience no delays if all they're trying to do is read their book page by page. Once ready, the OS would update the flash buffer and stay active for a short while, in case the user decides they want to flip pages quickly. -- [0] - Gosh, I keep forgetting the readers only have touchscreens now. Another reason for superiority of hardware buttons for page turning.

dlevine 2y ago

There are a bunch of comments about how this is the default experience now. It's only the default experience if you buy the ads-free version. Since I don't want to pay extra to disable the ads, the trick I figured out is to buy the Kindle for Kids. It comes with a cover, no ads, and a 2 year warranty. You can turn off the kids stuff with one switch, and then it's just a normal Kindle. If you buy it on Black Friday or one of their other sale days, you should be able to get it for the same price or less than the regular edition would be when not on sale.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
14 2y ago
I could see you loading up a book they deemed not kid friendly and being told sorry you can not read this book on this device.
thimabi 2y ago
> Since I don't want to pay extra to disable the ads, the trick I figured out is to buy the Kindle for Kids. It comes with a cover, no ads, and a 2 year warranty. You can turn off the kids stuff with one switch, and then it's just a normal Kindle. They closed that loophole. Kindles for Kids now show ads when not in Kids mode.
jorvi 2y ago
Kindle for Kids is not available outside the US afaik. At least not in a lot of European countries.

hi_hi 2y ago

Wait, you have to pay to not have ads on a Kindle? When did that start being a thing? I've been using a kindle for about 14 years, my current one is a few years old. I've been thinking about upgrading, but it works perfectly fine, and I've never had it display ads, and haven't had to pay anything for that "privilege". It sounds like this will be my last Kindle device if I now have to pay extra for no ads, on a device I've already paid for, to read books I also pay for. When will the madness stop!?

rdn 2y ago
Its been that way for years, the ad is on the lockscreen, and its an ad for other books. The version with no advertisement is 20$ more, I don't see the problem if someone wants to get a discount for looking at ads.
- wkat4242 2y ago
  Yeah I don't find it that bad either. The ads are non-intrusive (only when not using the device) and the standard wallpapers are super boring anyway. As much as I hate advertising, this is as good as it gets
- dfxm12 2y ago
  As far as problems go, I understand it's been a constant and this specific implementation is pretty low on the list, but generally, greed leading to ads intruding every aspect of our lives and people thinking up with new spots to place ads is a problem. Creating a different experience around reading books for those who have and those who have not is also a problem, given how important literacy and the printing press are to the development of our society.
  - zeroonetwothree 2y ago
    Isn’t it strictly worse if they only offer the $130 no ads version? Why is choice a bad idea in this context? All it means is more people can afford it.
  - vundercind 2y ago

lencastre 2y ago

Both Kindle PW 10 and 11 gen support showing the cover. Personally I actually don’t like to see the cover of the books. Nobody’s business to see what I’m reading.

grujicd 2y ago
I'm keeping cover because it helps me remember the title of the book! Otherwise I typically buy book after seeing recommendation on goodreads or elsewhere, start reading and when someone asks me the name of the book or the author - I have no idea! Cover helps with that.

ErigmolCt 2y ago

It’s a small detail, but it adds a lot of personality to the device

dfc 2y ago

I've been a kindle user for so long I'm embarrassed to admit I don't have any concept of what it is like to get ebooks outside of the Amazon ecosystem. Was the change easy to make? Do you feel like you have access to as much content as you did with a kindle?

HansardExpert 2y ago
Yes completely. I have both an old Kindle Paperwhite 2nd Gen I think and a Kobo Clara. The kindle 'lives' in the car and the Kobo at home so I always have something to read. I use Calibre to sync to both. Rather than directly accessing Amazon from the Kindle I download bought books to my PC then strip the DRM - so I can read the same book on both the Clara and Kindle. See: https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools https://github.com/noDRM/DeDRM_tools I'd say that the initial awkwardness is from deliberately not connecting the Kobo or Kindle to the internet to stop them from 'phoning home' when you set them up. The Kindle is easy - just don't connect it, the Kobo seems to insist but there's a simple step-by-step to bypass the enforced sign up on the Clara I use. See: https://yingtongli.me/blog/2018/07/30/kobo-rego.html https://yingtongli.me/blog/2018/07/30/kobo-rego.html - basically SQL commands. and you can get firmware updates for the Kobo devices via https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html https://pgaskin.net/KoboStuff/kobofirmware.html and they are easy to apply - drag / drop. I don't get books from Kobo's site as it used to be hard if not impossible to strip the DRM from them - which meant I couldn't read them on my Kindle. Hope that helps.
mdorazio 2y ago
I use a Boox reader, but pretty close to the same experience. For me, I either buy the book from one of the many places that lets you download epub, or buy it on the Kindle store and download it from Libgen. It's really a non-issue. I've only run into one or two books I wasn't able to get an epub of, and those I ended up reading on the Kindle cloud reader on my laptop.
- tikkun 2y ago
  What are your favorite places to buy books that let you download the epub versions also?

interestica 2y ago

There's a secret slideshow folder(demo mode?) where you can put in your own images that will display when it sleeps. It was kind of fun to use it as an eink display. I never figured out how to remote in/ssh to remotely swap the images though.