Whispersync on Kindle for PC Not Updating Consistently?
I read a lot of e-books, and lately I have been doing that almost exclusively on the Kindle platform. I enjoy reading books on the Kindle 2, but I augment that by reading on both an iPhone 3G and an evaluation ThinkPad x200 Tablet PC. The beauty of the Kindle system is the Whispersync technology that lets me register all three devices with Amazon for interaction with each other. Not only does my library get pushed around to all three devices, but as I switch among them for reading sessions, my current place in the active book gets pushed too. Most of the time.
I admit I jumped from eReader to the Kindle because Amazon always has a lot of free good books. That’s what drew me into the fantastic series I am reading now, as the first book was offered free (and still is). Seamless switching among three readers is important to making this all work. I usually read on the Kindle 2 at home, the iPhone 3G when I’m running around, and occasionally I feel like reading on the ThinkPad in slate mode. The ThinkPad’s 12-inch screen sitting in my lap provides a reading experience much like that of a hardcover book due to the big page size.
One thing that has plagued me with the three reader process is that Kindle for the PC does not always update via Whispersync properly. I open up Kindle for PC on the slate and nothing happens. The reader doesn’t notify me that it found a reading place on one of the other devices that is further than my current position on the slate. My experience is that once this syncing fails, it is not going to redo it properly, even if I close the program and rerun it.
Both the Kindle 2 and the iPhone 3G devices sync properly every time, no matter what. It is only the PC version of the Kindle reader that sometimes fails to do so. It’s not every time — in fact it syncs correctly more often than not. But it is a royal pain when it does fail, as I have no alternative but to manually find my place in the book. I am interested in hearing from other Kindle for PC users about the syncing. Does it always work for you? Do you use three different reader gadgets as I do or do you just use one or two? The presence of the third reader in the rotation may be the cause of my problem, too.
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
One thing that keeps it from updating on any co-device is that the wireless must be ‘On’ and ‘Sync & Check’ done before you close down the last one you were reading or the Amazon servers won’t have your latest page on the server for transfer to the iPod (which is always ‘on’ and will more likely give latest page info to the next device you use).
Since you haven’t had problems with Kindle/iPod, that’s probably not the reason in your case. But it’s been the main reason in general when it doesn’t work.
I’m not in the 3 device category, but have for the past week been between 2 devices. Kindle for the PC, and Kindle for the iPhone. The iPhone App consistently synchs my last place within the book without problems, and also prompts to move to the furthest page read when I start if that was on my HP Tablet PC.
However, where I have been running into problems, is that the PC app is not good at bookmarking and synching when I close the app. So I have taken to going to menu, and manually synching as I exit the PC app. This then works perfectly, and I pick up my place on the iPhone. However, if I just Red-X out of the app, it does not synch my last place. But it does remember it if I return to the PC version. But no synch to other devices.
That may be my problem, I rarely manually sync the tablet. It’s strange how it usually works anyway, just sometimes does it fail.
Since starting the manual synch on exit step, I have had no synch failures when picking back up on the iPhone.
Yes, that’s what I was trying to say.
Kindle iPhone users were having the same problem often, when they didn’t Sync & Check before closing up the Kindle.
Amazon should tell people to “Sync & check” before leaving either the Kindle (where wireless is usually off in the first place) or the Kindle for PC which probably doesn’t relay the info in the same way to the servers unless that’s done.
One last thing.
If you don’t close your book on the Kindle by pressing “Home” before putting the Kindle to sleep, it doesn’t log your last page read but will open up to it if you wake it up. If something causes a reboot, notes and bookmarks won’t have been logged. So it’s best to press Home button before putting it in sleep mode, as it closes the book and records the activity in a more permanent way.
The logging of notes, highlights and last page read are done ON the Kindle, so we will go to the right place on the Kindle. If wireless is not On and you haven’t sync’d and check’d, the Amazon servers won’t know your latest-read page.
If wireless is On, it MIGHT pick it up on a timed interval when it scans for changes, but it’s best to Sync & Check.
The App for PC will have its own log too, so you’ll see the right page when reading with it but your other devices might not have it if the Amazon server, scanning on timed intervals during your internet connection, doesn’t have a chance to pick up changes. That’s the reason a Sync & Check before leaving the app is important.
– Andrys
If you are really having this much problem with your Kindle you might seriously consider UPGRADING to the soon-to-be-released Apple Tablet !
No charge for the advice, I consider it a public service.
- George
aka THE BUS DRIVER because I take everyone to school
James,
I sync between an Iphone, an Ipod Touch and a Kindle 2 and never a sync issue. Must me a Kindle for PC issue
I think so too. I never have the Kindle or iPhone fail to sync.
Others do have such failures though, with just the Kindle and the iPhone/Ipods and they were mentioned for quite some time on the Amazon forums and resolved once people know about the S&C process that sends the info to the servers.
I agree with the others. 3 devices here, a real new Acer 5532 laptop and 2 different TC-1100′s. One is in a dock and functions as a desktop and the other goes with me to coffee all most daily. Have not experienced problems with the Acer or the docked TC-1100 but find it is easier on the togo slate to manually sync. Its either that or have to go searching for where I left off reading.
Mike
A problem I am having is that I accidentally went further in the book than I read and now every time I open the book, it wants to take me to a place almost to the end even though I have only actually read to chapter 6. Anyone encounter this or have a way to fix it? I deleted the book and re-downloaded but the server thinks I want to go to the furthest location.