Amazon has a new home screen for all Kindles made after 2013. One of the big features is that you can save multiple reading settings, selecting the font, boldness level, and orientation settings you prefer all from the main menu and quickly switch between those settings. This is useful if you share your Kindle with multiple people in the family, where some people prefer large fonts and others smaller, you can now jump between saved states, without always having to reconfigure everything. You can also swipe up on your home screen to see additional tips, recommendations, and more based on your reading habits.
The 5.10.1.1 firmware update is available over the air and is slowly being pushed out to most Kindle e-readers. You can manually install the update by visiting the Amazon firmware page and selecting the model that you have and then following the installation instructions.
Here’s the full changelog for the 5.10.1.1 update:
- Swipe-able Home: Swipe up on your home screen to see additional tips, recommendations, and more based on your reading habits.
- Easily personalize your reading: Now save multiple reading settings, selecting the font, boldness level, and orientation settings you prefer all from the main menu and quickly switch between those settings.
- Return borrowed books: You can return Kindle Owners’ Lending Library books from within your library by long pressing on a borrowed book and selecting return.
- Battery percentage: The percent of battery remaining is shown.
- Labels for the standard toolbar: Labels are added under each icon on the standard toolbar for improved navigation.
- Performance improvements and other general enhancements.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
