WinterBreak tool can jailbreak most recent Kindle hardware

Amazon’s Kindle devices run a custom Linux distribution that’s locked tightly to Amazon’s ecosystem. But jailbreaking a Kindle opens the door to installing third-party software that can change the behavior and add functionality.

While Amazon doesn’t make it easy to do that, a new tool called WinterBreak takes advantage of a security vulnerability in Amazon’s software to let you jailbreak most recent Kindle devices. Released on New Year’s Day, WinterBreak works with pretty much every Kindle released since 2012 running firmware versions 5.18.0.1.0.1 or earlier.

There’s some risk involved in Jailbreaking a Kindle device – don’t expect any support from Amazon if you break your eReader during the process. And some users have said that their Kindles have been “bricked,” (stuck in an unusable state), by jailbreaking attempts that went wrong, so proceed with caution.

And this is a new tool – while many folks have already used it to successfully jailbreak their Kindles, some users are encountering some problems. So I’d recommend reading the announcement thread at the MobileRead Forums before using WinterBreak to see whether any issues regarding your particular Kindle device have been reported, and if any solutions have been found.

But if you’re willing to accept some risk, the installation instructions are pretty straightforward – basically you just need to put your Kindle into airplane mode, plug it into a computer so it shows up as a storage device, and then extract a file downloaded from the KindleModding site to your Kindle, reboot, and follow some instructions.

That said, you need to do this every time you reboot your Kindle unless you also install a “hotfix” that makes the jailbreak persistent. And once your device is jailbroken, you’ll also probably want to install a few more tools including the Kindle Unified Application Launcher and MobileRead Package Installer to simplify the process of installing and running third-party applications.

Finally, you may want to disable over-the-air updates, because there’s a good chance that Amazon will try to push a firmware update in the future that will patch the vulnerability exploited by WinterBreak. If you have no interest in jailbreaking your device, that’s probably a good thing – Amazon should be patching security vulnerabilities. But if you’ve got a jailbroken Kindle, the easiest way to ensure it stays jailbroken is to prevent your device from installing Amazon’s official firmware updates.

So what you can do with a jailbroken Kindle? Among other things you can install third-party eBook readers to add native support for EPUB of other file formats, manga readers, music or audiobook players, third-party games like chess or NetHack, or even an alternate operating system such as Duokan.

You can find a list of things to do with a jailbroken Kindle in the Kindle Hacks page of the MobileRead Wiki.

via HackerDude at MobileRead Forums

#jailbreak #kindle #kindleHacks #winterbreak

Free and Open E-Reader from the Ground Up https://hackaday.com/2024/07/17/free-and-open-e-reader-from-the-ground-up/ #raspberrypicompute #Kindlehacks #gooddisplay #opensource #e-reader #hardware #calibre #kindle #server #e-ink #ebook #floss #foss #open

Kindle, EPUB, and Amazon’s Love of Reinventing Wheels

Last last month, a post from the relatively obscure Good e-Reader claimed that Amazon would finally allow the Kindle to read EPUB files. The story was picked up by all the major tech sites, and for a time, there was much rejoicing. After all, it was a feature that owners have been asking for since the Kindle was first released in 2007. But rather than supporting the open eBook format, Amazon had always insisted in coming up with their own proprietary formats to use on their readers. Accordingly, many users have turned to third party programs which can reliably convert their personal libraries over to whatever Amazon format their particular Kindle is most compatible with.

Native support for EPUB would make using the Kindle a lot less of a hassle for many folks, but alas, it was not to be. It wasn't long before the original post was updated to clarify that Amazon had simply added support for EPUB to their Send to Kindle service. Granted this is still an improvement, as it represents a relatively low-effort way to get the open format files on your personal device; but in sending the files through the service they would be converted to Amazon's KF8/AZW3 format, the result of which may not always be what you expected. At the same time the Send to Kindle documentation noted that support for AZW and MOBI files would be removed later on this year, as the older formats weren't compatible with all the features of the latest Kindle models.

If you think this is a lot of unnecessary confusion just to get plain-text files to display on the world's most popular ereader, you aren't alone. Users shouldn't have to wade through an alphabet soup of oddball file formats when there's already an accepted industry standard in EPUB. But given that it's the reality when using one of Amazon's readers, this seems a good a time as any for a brief rundown of the different ebook formats, and a look at how we got into this mess in the first place.

EPUB

The history of the EPUB format can be tracked back to 1999, with the version 1.0 release of the Open eBook Publication Structure (OEBPS). Used by some of the very first dedicated electronic readers from the likes of Sony and Intel, it essentially consisted of a manifested ZIP archive that contained pages written in a form of XHTML, with CSS used for styling. OEBPS went through several revisions over the years, and in 2007 it became the official technical standard of the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). At that point it was renamed to EPUB, short for Electronic Publication.

EPUB continued to evolve over the years, and in 2016 the IDPF merged with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in an attempt to bring the publishing industry inline with the latest in web development. The current version of the EPUB format (3.2) was released in May of 2019, and offers features such as the ability for Internet-connected devices to load fonts and other content from outside the container file itself.

While the 3.x branch has introduced some fairly large changes in the core format to better handle multimedia content, EPUB can still ultimately still be thought of as a relatively simple web page contained in a ZIP file. As they are exceptionally easy to parse and render, you can find EPUB reader applications on even very low-end devices.

It's also worth noting that, while the EPUB format does allow for Digital Rights Management (DRM), it is not part of the standard. That means if a vendor wants to implement DRM in EPUB, they have to figure out how to do it themselves. In theory this could lead to incompatibility issues between vendor-specific solutions, but in practice, most people who are using EPUBs are doing so specifically because they are DRM-free.

MOBI/AZW

Even older than EPUB, MOBI has its origins in the PalmDOC format from 1996. Originally conceived as a way of storing large text files on the Palm Pilot, the format offered little in the way of formatting outside the ability to mark the start and end points of paragraphs. It did however offer basic bookmarking capability, which in some cases was used to offer a rudimentary table of contents. Being that PalmDOC was a variation of the standard "Palm Database" file, it also featured the ability to store various bits of metadata in a standardized header, such as the author name, book title, and current reading position.

MobiPocket Reader on Palm OS

While suitable enough for the low-resolution displays of the early Palm Pilots, the lack of any real formatting support in PalmDOC became a liability as the hardware improved. In 2000 MobiPocket, developers of ebook reader applications on Palm, Symbian, and later BlackBerry devices, decided to take matters into their own hands and expand PalmDOC. They added an HTML-like markdown language, improved support for images, and as it was an open format, even borrowed a bit from OEBPS. Since they didn't have the authority to call it an update to the original PalmDOC, they dubbed their creation MOBI.

The story might have stopped here if it wasn't for the fact that in 2005, Amazon purchased MobiPocket, and in turn the rights to MOBI. But rather than use the format as-is for the Kindle, they added a new DRM scheme and cranked the format's LZ77 compression to the maximum. As the first-gen Kindle only offered a relatively meager 250 MB of onboard storage and was limited to downloading new titles over a 3G cellular connection, they wanted to shave off as many bytes as possible.

This tweaked version of MOBI, which became the standard format for Amazon's ebook empire, was dubbed AZW. From here on out Amazon essentially starts using AZW as a blanket term for their ebook containers, and the actual formats underneath start getting a bit blurry. In the early days, it was possible to come across other similarly named file types:

AZW1

Known officially as Topaz, this proprietary Amazon format has little relation to MOBI/AZW beyond a shared DRM scheme and similar metadata header. In addition to supporting larger images compared to the earlier formats, it was unique in that each title could include its own fonts and glyphs rather than relying on what was built into the Kindle itself. This made it well suited for old books or non-English works, as it could better retain the original text and style.

AZW2

This actually isn't an ebook format at all, so don't be surprised if you've never ran across one. Rather, this is a container file for executable Kindle applications and games.

KF8/AZW3

With the release of the first Kindle Fire tablet in 2011, Amazon needed a new format that could handle multimedia content. The answer was KF8, which is essentially a combination of EPUB and MOBI. In fact, it specifically picks up some of the EPUB 3.x features such as support for HTML5 and CSS3. New support for both fixed-layout pages and SVG images makes this format well suited for comic books, which was a big selling point for the large color display of the Kindle Fire.

Rather than maintaining two different file formats, Amazon decided to move all of their readers over to AZW3 and make it the new standard for the marketplace. While the electronic paper Kindles may not necessarily benefit from the features offered by the new format, all of them beyond the first and second generation are able to read them thanks to redundant MOBI header information which is kept specifically for backwards compatibility.

KFX/AZW8

With the release of the Kindle Paperwhite 3 in 2015, Amazon rolled out their latest format, KFX. Technical information about KFX is a bit hard to come by, as it appears Amazon developed it in-house to be their "ultimate" book format. Some of the new improvements include an enhanced typesetting engine, additional fonts, and support for JPEG XR images. It also rolls in support for video and interactivity, theoretically allowing the same format to be used for both books and software applications.

But perhaps the most obvious change was the enhanced DRM, which has caused plenty of headaches for users who wish to read Amazon purchased ebooks on other devices. At this point the format and DRM is understood well enough that it can be handled by third-party software, but it takes additional steps and intermediary tools that aren't required for AZW3 content.

It's generally recommended that anyone who wishes to maintain their own local library of ebook files should avoid this format altogether -- though as more and more of Amazon's library switches over, that may mean you need to purchase your books elsewhere.

Alexandria On Your Hard Drive

If all you ever do is read Amazon-purchased books on your Kindle, then you've probably never had to worry about any of this. To their credit, Amazon has largely perfected the experience of buying and consuming electronic books -- there is, after all, a reason the Kindle has become the defacto ereader. All this technical shuffling about is hidden from view, and for the most part, you just tap the book you want to read and get on with your life.

But for those of us who want to source their books from multiple marketplaces, keep an offline copy of their purchased books, or read their Amazon books on a non-Amazon reader, things can get a bit messy. The best advice I can give you, if you've managed to get this far without hearing it already, is to grab a copy of Kovid Goyal's phenomenal Calibre.

This cross-platform GPLv3 program lets you build a format-agnostic virtual library that lives on your local computer, and seamlessly performs device-specific file conversion when uploading to your reader. It might not be quite as easy as spending your days in Amazon's walled garden, but for users who demand a bit more control over their digital content, it's a price worth paying.

#history #kindlehacks #amazon #ebook #ereader #fileformat #kindle

Inkplate Comes Full Circle, Becomes True Open Reader

Regular readers will likely remember the Inkplate, an open hardware electronic paper development board that combines an ESP32 with a recycled Kindle screen. With meticulous documentation and full-featured support libraries for both the Arduino IDE and MicroPython, the Inkplate makes it exceptionally easy for hackers and makers to write their own code for the high-quality epaper display.

Now, thanks to the efforts of [Guy Turcotte], the Inkplate family of devices can now boast a feature-rich and fully open source ereader firmware. The project started in October of last year, and since then, the codebase has been steadily updated and refined. Nearing its 1.3 release, EPub-InkPlate has most of the functions you'd expect from a modern ereader, and several that might take you by surprise.

For one thing, [Guy] has taken full advantage of the ESP32 microcontroller at the heart of the Inkplate and implemented a web server that lets you manage the reader's library from your browser. This allows books in EPUB v2 and v3 formats to be uploaded and saved on the Inkplate's SD card without any special software. There's currently support for JPG, PNG, BMP, and GIF images, as well as embedded TTF and OTF fonts.

As of this writing EPub-InkPlate supports both the six and ten inch Inkplate variants, and uses the touch pads on the side of the screen for navigation. While it's on the wishlist for the final 1.3 release, the project currently doesn't support the Inkplate 6PLUS; which uses the backlit and touch compatible displays pulled from Kindle Paperwhites. With shipments the new 6PLUS model reportedly going out in November, hopefully it won't be long before its enhanced features are supported.

With the rising popularity of ebooks, it's more important than ever that we have open hardware and software readers that work on our terms. While they may never compete with the Kindle in terms of units sold, we're eager to see projects like EPub-InkPlate and the Open Book from [Joey Castillo] mature to the point that they're a valid option for mainstream users who don't want to live under Amazon's thumb.

Thanks to [Nathan] for the tip.

#kindlehacks #softwaredevelopment #drm #epaper #ebooks #epub #ereader #inkplate #opensourcesoftware

Review: Inkplate 6PLUS

While the price of electronic paper has dropped considerably over the last few years, it's still relatively expensive when compared to more traditional display technology. Accordingly, we've seen a lot of interest in recovering the e-paper displays used in electronic shelf labels and consumer e-readers from the likes of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. Unfortunately, while these devices can usually be purchased cheaply on the second hand market, liberating their displays is often too complex a task for the average tinkerer.

Enter the Inkplate. With their open hardware ESP32 development board that plugs into the e-paper displays salvaged from old e-readers, the team at e-radionica is able to turn what was essentially electronic waste into a WiFi-enabled multipurpose display that can be easily programmed using either the Arduino IDE or MicroPython. The $99 Inkplate 6 clearly struck a chord with the maker community, rocketing to 926% of its funding goal on Crowd Supply back in 2020. A year later e-radionica released the larger and more refined Inkplate 10, which managed to break 1,000% of its goal.

For 2021, the team is back with the Inkplate 6PLUS. This updated version of the original Inkplate incorporates the design additions from the Inkplate 10, such as the Real-Time-Clock, expanded GPIO, and USB-C port, and uses a display recycled from newer readers such as the Kindle Paperwhite. These e-paper panels are not only sharper and faster than their predecessors, but also feature touch support and LED front lighting; capabilities which e-radionica has taken full advantage of in the latest version of their software library.

With its Crowd Supply campaign recently crossing over the 100% mark, we got a chance to go hands-on with a prototype of the Inkplate 6PLUS to see how e-radionica's latest hacker friendly e-paper development platform holds up.

Room to Grow

The average Hackaday reader is well aware of the capabilities the ESP32 brings to the table: right out of the box you've got an impressively powerful processor, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and some of the best power saving features available on a hobby microcontroller. It's a perfect candidate for the sort of tasks most folks would want to do with an electronic paper display, and e-radionica were smart to make it the centerpiece of their product. They even sprung for the ESP32-WROVER version, with an expanded 8 MB of RAM.

Of course, if all you wanted was an ESP32 plugged into an e-paper display, you could get a module from somebody like Waveshare and be done with it. Which is why e-radionica included so many extra features on the Inkplate 6PLUS. You don't need to wire in an external SD reader, because one's already there. Need an RTC? All you have to do is slot in a battery. They even included a lithium ion charge controller and a connector for a battery pack, should you want to roll your very own e-reader.

Hungry for more? As you'd expect, the ESP32's I2C interface can be used to connect up various sensors or even secondary displays should you need them for your project. But if you're worried about the notoriously limited GPIO on the ESP32, don't be. Since the Bill of Materials for the board already included a sixteen channel MCP23017 IO expander that the microcontroller needed to interface with the e-paper display, e-radionica decided to add another one in for good measure.

All of the pins for the secondary MCP23017 are broken out along the edge of the Inkplate 6PLUS, giving you plenty of breathing room for future expansions. The standard width pin header even includes ground and 3.3 V lines, which should make it easy to put together daughterboards which plug right into the back of the display.

Legendary Performance

Even though it's arguably the star of the show, I won't spend much time talking about the 1024 x 758 e-paper display on the Inkplate 6PLUS. That's because anyone who's used a first or second generation Kindle Paperwhite has already seen it. While it might be a couple revisions behind the screen used in the current generation Kindle, it's still a fantastic display. This isn't some hokey panel from a nameless eBay seller, it's literally the same screen that once graced the world's most popular e-reader.

<https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/inkplate6p_video.mp4>

Images and text are crisp, and the lightning-fast partial refreshes really complement its touch capabilities. While full screen refreshes still take a beat or two, the panel is more than up to the challenge of displaying dynamic data and interactive menus.

Hit the Ground Running

Between e-radionica's thoughtful board design and industry standard display technology, there's no denying that the hardware here is excellent. But in this community, that's only half the battle. If you want to succeed, you've got to have competent open source libraries, plenty of example code, and documentation that's clear enough for absolute beginners to understand but still deep enough to satisfy the hardcore hackers.

On all those fronts, I'm happy to say e-radionica has delivered. Getting the display running with the Arduino IDE is about as quick and easy as humanly possible: just add the URL for the board definitions, install the Inkplate library through the browser, and flash one of the examples. Depending on your operating system you might have to install drivers for the board's CH340 USB-to-serial converter, but that's it. At the time of this writing the MicroPython module for the 6PLUS was not available, but looking at the process for getting it up and running on the previous Inkplates, it looks like it won't be much more difficult to get going.

Browsing through the official documentation uncovers a wealth of resources, such as a complete API reference for the Arduino and MicroPython environments, and tools like the web-based GUI designer or image converter can really help jump start your project. Even if you've never worked with an e-paper display or touch screen before, the team has made sure you have everything you need to bring your idea to life.

A Worthy Investment

While overall I found the Inkplate 6PLUS hardware and software to be extremely impressive, I did notice a few odd quirks. The board would often fail to reboot itself after having new code flashed, and on several occasions went into a sort of rapid boot loop. The screen is also inverted in the current version of the library, requiring you to add display.setRotation(2) at the top of each program to get it into the proper orientation. But these are really very minor quibbles, and considering this is still prototype hardware, it's entirely possible these issues will be resolved before it starts shipping to backers.

If there's any real fault with the Inkplate 6PLUS for most people, it's going to be the price. At $159 it's a tough sell for those just looking to dip their toes in the water, but in truth, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If all you want to do is add a little e-paper weather display to your desk, this probably isn't the product for you. Just grab a cheap 2.13 module from eBay and plug it into the header on a Pi Zero, there's plenty of prior art to get you started.

But if you want a serious electronic paper development platform that's fully open source and scalable to whatever project you could come up with down the line, you'd be hard pressed to find a better option than the Inkplate 6PLUS at any price.

#featured #kindlehacks #microcontrollers #reviews #developmentboard #eink #epaper #ereader #ewasterecycling #electronicpaper #esp32 #kindle