Amazon recently announced version1.2 for the Kindle 1 operating system. There are some nice features in the update. (If you have Kindle 2, just ignore this.)
On the Kindle Support page, they say:
This update (version 1.2) adds the following features:
- Image zoom: Zoom in on any image in Kindle books or periodicals using the scroll wheel.
- Enhanced content management: Delete items directly from the Home screen with a new short-cut key–scroll to the item and push the “backspace” key.
- Improved character and font support: New support includes Greek characters and monospace fonts.
It also says your Kindle should automatically check for and install updates as they become available…unless, that is, you don’t have access to the Kindle’s Whispernet wireless network. Like out here in the boonies where I live.
All is not lost, however, as you can install the update manually via the Support page.
The image zoom feature is nice. It even rotates the image, if necessary to use the full screen for display.
Deleting items from the Home screen removes one of the major annoyances with the previous OS version.
Since we do a lot of Kindle conversions, the added support for Greek characters and the ability to specify a monospace font are welcome updates. I once had to use small graphics to display some Greek characters in the Kindle version. Hated it, but there was no other choice at that time.
I haven’t tried using monospace fonts yet, but I can see many useful applications of that feature.
Now, if we could only upgrade to the improved 3G Whispernet…
