Steers statues. #publicart #somanyhashtags #dallas #Texas #cattle #longhorn #selfie #cloudyday #winter #winterday #wintertime #ginger #redhead #statue #statues

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Testing in full swing. #sww19 #solidworks

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Justin is the first to show, but this is my burger. Mine!!

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Looong two hour flight to Dallas with so little room. How will I manage? #sww19 #solidworks @solidworks #flight #seatnexttomeisempty #seatnexttome #denver #economyplus

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Kindle Oasis 2017 Tips, Part 2: Screenshots

As with most devices these days, you can take screenshots on the Kindle Oasis.  It's not something I actually expected to be possible until I discovered someone else posting about it.  With every Android or iPhone device, I always have to find and remember the special button combination.

Depending on the device, the button combinations aren't reliable for 100% of the time, due to various reasons.  Sometimes the button combination is difficult to press because of the awkward position of the buttons to each other.  Sometimes the combination is just unusual and super easy to forget.

Kindle Oasis 2017 is none of that.  It's super easy.  You simply touch the upper right and lower left of the screen at the same time.  The screen will quickly flicker.  No other immediate indication occurs.

The screenshots are saved to the main folder on the Kindle Oasis as png with the date and time as the file name, such as "screenshot_2019_02_06-0700.png".  When you plug your USB into Kindle Oasis and a computer, you'll see the png files interlaced between similarly named .txt that describe the png file.  I'm not sure the value of these extra txt files.

The png files can be copied/moved from the Kindle Oasis to the computer with normal Windows File Manager interaction.  My previous tip was possible due to this functionality.

Kindle Oasis 2017 Tips
Making the Home Screen More Homey
Screenshots

Kindle Oasis 2017 Tips, Part 1: Making the Home Screen More Homey

I own an original Kindle.  It is an awkward, yet suprizingly powerful beast.  It didn't take much to form it into a tool of self-expression.  I've not used that device in a long time.  This isn't because I grew tired of it.  Rather, it got put into storage somewhere and I only have a vague idea of where it's at.  In the time its been in storage, it has become an archaic device.  The interface and shape was always very clumsy, even by 2008 standards.

So, I jumped on the Kindle Oasis bandwagon, finally.

The design of the Kindle Oasis 2017 (or is that Kindle Oasis 2, or II or 7", or 9th Generation)...   ...you know, I'm going interrupt myself right here to mention that the Kindle Oasis edition from 2017 has an Amazon page name that reads like a bad Craigslist ad.  The official name for the specific edition I purchased is supposedly just "Kindle Oasis".  The Amazon page is titled "Kindle Oasis E-reader – Champagne Gold, 7" High-Resolution Display (300 ppi), Waterproof, Built-In Audible, 32 GB, Wi-Fi - with Special Offers".

However, the problem with that is you cannot differentiate my Kindle Oasis from the first "Kindle Oasis" of the 8th Generation, which is also just called "Kindle Oasis".  Also, if the generation is such an important factor, why isn't that included in the name?  Very confusion in a very unnecessary way.

Anyway, back to the design of the 7", 9th Generation Kindle Oasis 2017 2/II (whatever it's called).  The design is mostly streamlined.  It is odd in one way.  It has two thicknesses, which makes it easier to hold in your right hand, but makes it a bit awkward for some accessories, such as cases.

OK, enough of the unintentional review.  On to the tip.

Changing your home screen

The original Kindle didn't have ads.  It didn't try to sell me anything directly.  It was easy to buy stuff, but it wasn't in your face.  The Kindle Oasis is constantly trying to sell you books.  The lock screen is an ad.  The home screen has several ads of various subtleties.

Well, there's a way to change your home screen so that it is not ad focused.  Instead, your library is the center, and the ads are mostly out of the way.

It is important to note that Kindle Oasis menus have changed a bit.  Some other online guides for this have never been updated.  This is why I've made this guide.  My guide is current up to January 2019.

My original home:

Touch the vertical ellipsis button (the three vertical dots icon) in the upper right corner of the screen to bring up your More Options menu:

Select Settings.  This brings up the Settings page:

Select Device Options.  This brings up the Device Options page:

Select Advanced Options.  This brings up the Advanced Options page:

Select Home & Library.  This brings up the Home & Library page:

Select Home Screen View to turn off the setting:

Select home button in upper left.  This will bring you to your newly minted home page.  The new home page just displays your library...with a small ad at the bottom.  I'll cover more about that little ad in a future article.

Note to self, "apparently, Amazon really really wants me to read that Shadows of the Stone Benders series."

Kindle Oasis 2017 Tips
Making the Home Screen More Homey
Screenshots