Amazon has just released a new firmware update for modern Kindle e-readers, including the latest Paperwhite, Scribe and base model Kindle. There are no new features or functionality. Instead, this is more of a maintenance patch. The change log cites Performance improvements, bug fixes, and other general enhancements.
The last patch introduced a whole host of new features for the Kindle. Settings have been updated for easier discovery and device and reading settings adjustment. A new “Date and time” setting under “Device options” is available to manually or automatically set your local date and time for those of. If you want screenshots, they are now stored in a dedicated folder. Likely, the 5.16.7 update fixes some lingering bugs with the last update; users have also claimed that battery life has been extended.
I like that Amazon has been issuing new Kindle updates every month. Sometimes updates bring new features, but I like that the company focuses on stability and behind-the-scenes updates, where the average user won’t notice anything different.
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.
