I updated my Kindle 2 last night with the recently released 2.3.2 firmware update. It came with a couple of nice things. There are a couple of new screen savers. I also like the new viewing modes. One can now choose to read normal, side-way (holding left or right), or you can actually read it upside down.
Now to the bad part, which is the part I was looking forward to the most: PDF support. Kindle PDF support pre-2.3.2 firmware consisted of one emailing yourkindleaddress@free.kindle.com with a PDF, and it would email an AZW file back. The file was then placed on the Kindle. It works well, but is a little tedious. The new firmware supports native PDF rendering, which means you can place a PDF directly on the device and it will display. This is where the support ends. I placed a PDF on the device. It was unreadable. The text was tiny.
Amazon has not implemented two critical features of Adobe’s PDF reader: zoom and text flow. On the Kindle, you cannot zoom in on the PDF nor can you change the text size. Text flow is also not enabled. Pages are shown in their native size, which on the Kindle is small.
I cannot believe Amazon is calling this PDF with a straight face. Come on Amazon! I love you guys. You always treat me right. When you mess up an order you always fix it immediately. Don’t mess with me now. If you don’t have PDF support ready yet, then don’t release it. Software is hard to write and even harder when you are dealing with a device with limited processor like the Kindle. We will all understand if you need to wait.
