Why hasn't anyone hacked the Kindle?
by Ryan Block 
posted Feb 28th 2008 at 6:18AM
Update: Good news! Reader Thomas did us a solid with some obscure links on how to get hardware access to the Kindle's console (some soldering req'd), where you can muck around with the bootloader. Also found: the complete and impressively extensive list of keyboard shortcuts. Now, let's parlay this stuff into something useful, shall we? And by "we" we mean, "you", since we're merely editors of a gadget site.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
trumpton @ Feb 28th 2008 6:25AM
You can only admire Engadget managing to fit in yet another iPhone reference when the topic is a completely unrelated product.
Way to go fanboyze!
JJV @ Feb 28th 2008 9:50AM
actually it is relevant. thinnk about it the iphone keeps getting hacked, they want the kindle to be hacked. see hacked appears for iphone and the kindle.
ScooterDe @ Feb 28th 2008 4:55PM
enough troll polls already.
Cory @ Feb 28th 2008 6:29AM
No one hacked it cause you can get an Eee PC for $100 less.
JAmerican @ Feb 28th 2008 7:25AM
I got an EEE and its sexy in black :D
Cleverboy @ Feb 28th 2008 8:41AM
You know... I suspect people do not "get it", as to WHY someone would want to hack the Kindle. Let's put it this way, I'll slide the knife in nice and slow.
#1. Kindle has free wireless Internet.
#2. A BETA web browser allows browsing the web.
#3. HACKED = PROXY SERVER
All three of those points lead to the fact that using the Kindle, you CAN actually access the real Internet... and at 3G speeds. If you wanted, you could hack the Kindle into a high-brow, thin, wireless modem for your laptop or ultra-portable with NO MONTHLY FEES.
Who cares about runing Doom on it, or putting in some feature that it was never meant to have. Hello... FREE INTERNET calling!
matthewmrussell @ Feb 28th 2008 8:45AM
Exactly. Everyone has and wants an iPhone which is why the hacks flooded out. To hack the Kindle that means that 1) you have to have one and 2) you need to see merit in it. I wouldn't mind a Kindle, but I would primarily use it for reading. Sad as it is to say, how many of the hackers are reading full on books and not busy with school work and or brushing up on text books?
Besides exposing the Kindle to piracy I'm also curious as to what could really be done.
rv @ Feb 28th 2008 10:21AM
Exactly. No one has hacked it because no one has one
rutsy5 @ Feb 28th 2008 11:00AM
@ Cleverboy
that would be extremely cool and all, but i was wondering how it would handle input?
AAPL45 @ Feb 28th 2008 6:34AM
I have no need for a "Kindle"
Ryan Trevisol @ Feb 28th 2008 7:38AM
Exactly. Even if you could hack it, it's still got a monochrome screen. Not much graphics power driving it, methinks. I mean seriously, what would anyone WANT to do with it other than its intended purpose?
And in that respect, it's an excellently designed product.
cmonkey @ Feb 28th 2008 8:14AM
I disagree. It has a decent resolution screen, a qwerty keyboard, and free EVDO. There are a lot of possibilities there beyond reading books.
Ryan Trevisol @ Feb 28th 2008 10:07AM
Sure, like browsing the web, I thought of that at first. I guess it would be great for reading blogs like this one. But the image-heavy web we now know and love wouldn't render too well. And it doesn't exactly have an easy way to navigate said web.
I think 80% of the people who bought the Kindle are satisfied with what it does out of the box. If they can drop that kind of coin on an e-Book reader, then they've likely already got their other tech needs covered.
But then again, that's based on my priorities and perceptions.
Liam @ Feb 28th 2008 6:34AM
Well, that's a fairly one-sided response. Normal books ftw.
Alex @ Feb 28th 2008 7:41AM
i see what you did there
samirss @ Feb 28th 2008 6:36AM
Cause you cannot really play Doom on e-ink??
But i do wish somebody figures out a easier way to put docs on it, and use the free EVDO tethered to the laptop. u know in case of a pinch.
Travis L Addington @ Feb 28th 2008 6:45AM
Actually, it is very easy. You can use MobiCreator to change just about anything to the proper format (and it does a surprisingly good job on OCR'd pdfs - better than most of the top commercial OCR software when it comes to actually creating a readable document from the work.)
About 80% of the content on my Kindle is either scholastic journal articles (pdf's that I emailed to the Kindle), books I've scanned myself (and then emailed or converted and then put there manually), and other various documents - syllabi, some of the thousands of free, pre-converted books (from feedbooks.com, MobileRead.com, etc.) misc. stuff from the net, etc.
It's actually pretty robust in that regard. It can't take standard PDF's without converting it - but the Sony Reader 505 can - and it works like crap, even with zoom. Unless the PDF is actually configured for a small screen, there really isn't a good way to work with it in that format.
I read pretty voraciously... but I find with the Kindle I read even more. It's great waking up, having the New York Times and Washington Post ready to read as I go about my business, I get to drag dozens of books around (I could more, of course, but that's all I need) so whatever I need to read or want to read, I can. Given the sheer amount of stuff I MUST read, it really makes my life much better.
Sorry, didn't mean to get all "propganda," but after my iPhone it's the best device I've ever owned as far as "it actually changes how I live."
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 6:38AM
man I am so sick of these snarky iPhone remarks. Get over it man , its been the most news making gadget in forever. I'm using it right now.
As to the kindle, which I have and love... I think its really the last one. No one has one. That I'd getting better, I hear. Ebay prices are nearly at amazons and the waiting period is like a week or two now.
Brilliant device. Uses the Sony 505 which was great in a number of ways, but the ease of periodicals, wikipedoa and amazons selection (and simple conversion process) really clenched it.
At the same time, do to the slow evdo and redraw speeds I'm not really sure how much that I'd useful can be added. The main area, I'm supposing, would be in DRM related activites. Adding additional file support would be handy too but even that really comes down to DRM primarily, as non-protected content isn't too hard to manipulate. PDF supper sounds nice but due to the nature of the format and the ereader it isn't terribly practical.
kupman @ Feb 28th 2008 7:19AM
re: wikipedoa, "clenched it"
enjoying your iphone's soft keyboard much?
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 7:27AM
Heh... I don't normally write that much on the iphone. That being said, I don't particularly want to be writing that much on any device like that. Also... having had multiple "hard keyboard" devices I was able to type all that, with a few mistakes, in about a third of the time any hard keyboard would take with less mistakes. Definitely gets a bit dodgy when it comes to certain letters and punctuation, but generally... very nice. I should have proofed it before posting.
So... yes, I am.
David @ Feb 28th 2008 7:39AM
LOL replying to blog posts on the iPHONE, and bragging about it.
After the 10th typo, I stopped counting.
I'm so impressed with its e-mail/blog/text abilities!
How embarrassing -- for you.
Meanwhile, I'm replying on my Eee, at full touch-typing speeds, I might add.
David @ Feb 28th 2008 7:41AM
A third the time? How do you figure that? I type at 80 wpm. You type at 240 wpm on the iPhone's soft keyboard?
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 7:50AM
I'm not really considering the EeePC in the same device category here. I'm looking more towards Nokia's N95, HTC phones, Treos, Blackberrys, etc. You know - phones. If we're talking "how many inane online conversations I can get into" sure - the EeePC or any other computer-type device wins for speed and accuracy. I wouldn't contest it. My point, however, was that the iPhone is going to keep coming up and it's best just to get used to it. There's good reason it made news, and whatever people's personal axe to grind is, it isn't going away.
And I really didn't mean to "brag" about it. It just turned out that when I ended up replying I was, and found it funny.
Again, I don't find it to be a device good for such things - it's more about getting content than producing it. Yes, I was typo nuts. I'm glad we've all worked that out.
Dante @ Feb 28th 2008 6:40AM
Thankfully, Ryan did us the favor of preempting the inevitable "But will it play Doom?" comments with that picture.
FSK 1138 @ Feb 28th 2008 6:54AM
apparently you did not Google -Kindle Hack-
been hacked since Friday, December 14, 2007
Ryan Block @ Feb 28th 2008 11:09AM
Yes, I did -- I certainly don't see anything interesting done there. Where's the added PDF support? 3rd party apps? USB tethering? Anything of use?
Taylor @ Feb 28th 2008 1:48PM
And apparently you guys (Engadget) don't read Hackaday.com...
-Taylor
w00t @ Feb 28th 2008 6:48AM
To be honest I think that's way too big and cumbersome for me.
I read books on my iPhone using the awesome 3rd party books application. It's great, I've always got it with me even when I don't have a bag, I can comfortably read it sitting anywhere or even laying in bed (Imagine laying in bed with that monstrosity!) and I can put as many non-DRM'ed books as I want on it in good old HTML format :)
Also I love the way it scrolls... way better than turning pages!
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 6:52AM
I really found the iPhone too small for that. But that's just me... I've had so many devices along these lines, I've never been able to use any of them as an ebook reader. Also, my iPhone is one of those that since the last patch has been running out of juice in no time - reading a book would just be too much.
The Kindle was, happily, much tinier in person than I expected. I won't argue that it possible the worst designed piece of consumer tech I've seen in years - but when you actually have it in hand it is much less clunky and big than it appears in all the videos. It's not as sleek as the Sony device, but nice. The controls, which also got a lot of flack, were very irritating at first but after using it for a bit I found that they worked wonderfully (much better than the sony's).
Still, each to their own. :)
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 6:52AM
I really found the iPhone too small for that. But that's just me... I've had so many devices along these lines, I've never been able to use any of them as an ebook reader. Also, my iPhone is one of those that since the last patch has been running out of juice in no time - reading a book would just be too much.
The Kindle was, happily, much tinier in person than I expected. I won't argue that it possible the worst designed piece of consumer tech I've seen in years - but when you actually have it in hand it is much less clunky and big than it appears in all the videos. It's not as sleek as the Sony device, but nice. The controls, which also got a lot of flack, were very irritating at first but after using it for a bit I found that they worked wonderfully (much better than the sony's).
Still, each to their own. :)
David @ Feb 28th 2008 7:44AM
Until they can fix that eINK "flash" that occurs with every page turn, I would never consider one.
I think it's completely unacceptable and distracting from "the experience".
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 7:51AM
I thought so too... but you get used to it after a half hour or so. You barely even notice it after that. Well, for most people... I've heard of people that it continues to drive nuts, but everyone I know who has one got over it quickly and really enjoys the device.
Mike @ Feb 28th 2008 6:55AM
I always figured it was due to the screen. Doesn't e-ink have a low refresh rate?
Johannes @ Feb 28th 2008 7:02AM
Kindle? I had been looking into getting one of those, but acquiring them in Europe is an arducous and very expensive task, so when I stumbled upon the iRex iLiad, it was an easy choice.
Sure it's a tad more expensive, a big 'tad' that is, but the sheer wealth of formats it supports, the design and the very enjoyable haptic properties of this reader did convince me. I am now 3 weeks into using it, and have to say it definitely changed certain elements of my life-sytle. Having just finished my MA in Philosophy and getting ready for my PhD, the amount of books I can carry around, annotate and then print out including all hand-written addendums is absolutely fantastic.
I wonder why it hasn't been more popular, but I guess competing with amazon and Sony is a bit of a mission.
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 7:16AM
Price, and damn hard to get them in the states. Also, book selection is a bit bleak. Real nice device, though.
Jay @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:09PM
I don't think it really comes down to competing against Sony and/or Amazon. I think it along with Sony and Amazon are battling a common "enemy"... apathy.
Not particularly convenient devices (certainly no more convenient than just carrying a copy of a book), no real benefit in terms of the cost of new books (similar pricing), and nasty DRM, all combine to make these devices something that the broad general market, just don't give a damn about.
Johannes @ Feb 28th 2008 9:43AM
@Jay:
Are you being serious? Current average consumer apathy aside, the convenience is as you stated equivalent, if not more so, to carrying ONE copy of a book, yet you have several hundreds at your fingertip of you so wish.
Also, the incredible wealth of academic journals available from JSTOR and the likes offer a vast pool of free, non-DRM crippled and easily resizable material. The same goes for freely available ebooks. Even protected pdfs can have their content copied to html or txt with apps such as FoxIt Reader and the likes.
IMHO arguing against the increasing importance of ebooks and ebook readers is alike to arguing in favour of good old CDs and against mp3s and mp3 players.
JayMonster @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:19PM
Johannes,
You can't put consumer apathy "aside" in my comment, because that is who I am addressing the issue towards. Sure there are plenty of people that feel they want or need a "library" of books at their fingertips at all times.
Most consumers don't (at least not yet), and if this thing is no easier to carry along than the latest Grisham novel, then they don't care (carrying an MP3 player is infinitely more convenient than carrying a a sleeve full of CDs thus the difference there).
Add to this the fact that once you own a book, you are stuck with it, you can't sell it at the next garage sale, or list it on eBay (or Amazon) for resale. You are stuck with it, and don't even have a pretty spine to add to the bookshelf.
Are there people right now who want it or "need" it now? Sure. But with the drawbacks (i.e. unable to resell) and no real benefit (books cost the same PLUS the cost of the Kindle itself), and as I started out, the general consumer will yawn and look at this as nothing but another "nerd toy"
darkstar @ Feb 28th 2008 7:24AM
we are busy hacking the PS3 now.
kindle? maybe later...
Rynth @ Feb 28th 2008 7:24AM
Cba , tbh.
John @ Feb 28th 2008 7:39AM
it's an E-ink display, so what exactly would you put on it if hacked?
Sergey Solyanik @ Feb 28th 2008 3:14PM
Kindle is already hacked, as stated here. But Kindle hardware sucks a lot.
Netmagix @ Feb 29th 2008 6:40AM
Hackers are sensible people you know!!
Who would want to hack something that rarely anyone's interested in.
Jose Esinosa @ Feb 28th 2008 7:48AM
too busy voiding warranties on devices people actually use.
Maestro @ Feb 28th 2008 7:50AM
I also think device doesn't really appeal to the gadget freak in all of us...I mean yeah, it's a gadget...but it's just not something that screams buy me...
nonamo @ Feb 28th 2008 7:53AM
erm.... THEY HAVE!
check hack-a-day
Gideon @ Feb 28th 2008 8:00AM
Well, Igor's done some good work - but he's just kind of scratched around and not done much with it (by which I don't mean to disparage his work, he's done a lot of good stuff - just not a lot of practical application yet). He got the device "open" basically, but no one has really gone anywhere since then.
Also, ebook communities... it's not exactly a big world. It's not a PSP or iPhone or Console. "Books" don't get many a hackers heart a flapping. And, ultimately, 99% of what you can do on a Kindle is going to be about the books.
Right now you can get a Mobipocket book and put it on the Kindle from some merchants in some formats, but.. that's about it. Also given the prominence of the online component, I'm not sure what could be done and how much Amazon would tolerate along these lines. I mean, we could play a rivoting game of "catch the hacker" but it may not be worth it in the end depending on how aggressive Amazon is about it.
Saad Rabia @ Feb 28th 2008 8:07AM
Kindle is by far the worst product design for a hyped device I have ever seen, and I'm did serious. This thing is ugly, has the worst button placement in handheld product designs' history, and is shockingly overpriced!
I really mean it when I say: I hate this product. It isn't a "I love Microsoft so I hate Apple" type of hate, it is pure, fully considered disgustful feeling of it in all ways possible.
Thank you Amazon for the online market, but you really suck with product design.
Saad Rabia @ Feb 28th 2008 8:08AM
did = dead*
TT @ Feb 28th 2008 8:19AM
I use my Kindle every day, in the morning, while commuting to work, and when flying home on the weekends (and back on Monday mornings).
The technology behind the device is more or less transparent to me. I don't love the device anymore than a newspaper reader loves the physical paper and ink that the words are printed with.
It's neither a love or hate relationship; which I think prevents the kind of emotional bonding that people use words like "hate", "love" and "fanboy".