Kindle Questions and Answers

(Picture courtesy of the Amazon web site).

I recently received an Amazon Kindle (my husband knows I am a Gadget Gidget) and I've explored the device AND figured out how to get my books loaded on it. Here are the questions I've been asked about the Kindle and information about how to load e-books on it.

Q. What is Kindle?

A. The Kindle is a proprietary e-book reader and web browser, all in one. For complete details, go to Amazon.com and click on the Kindle link. You can view video, read information, and get a good product overview there.

Q. How does it work?

A. The Kindle uses a wireless infrastructure (the Sprint network, actually) to access Amazon's web site where you can download digital books, magazines, and newspapers. You can also listen to MP3 files and audio books on the Kindle.

YOU DO NOT NEED WIFI TO USE KINDLE. This is a common misconception. You don't have to have a WiFi account with any carrier to use a Kindle. The network comes with the device.

The Kindle uses a proprietary format (.amz) for digital books which is similar to the .lit, .txt, .rb, or .html formats other publishers use.

Q. How do I buy an e-book with my Kindle?

A. When you get your Kindle, it will be registered to your account at Amazon (if you get it as a gift, you can easily change that registration). To get a book from Amazon, just fire up the Kindle and choose "Shop in Kindle Store." You must have the Amazon "One-Click" account set up (this means your credit card number has to be on file with them).

Once you access the Kindle store, you'll see listings of books, magazines, etc., that are available. You can download a sample of the book before purchasing or purchase it while you're connected.

Q. But I don't see YOUR books there!! I want Cerridwen and Wild Rose books -- how do I get those on my Kindle??

Don't panic.

Not all publishers are supporting the Kindle format yet (the .amz format). All this means is you'll need to do a couple of extra steps to load those books onto your device. Here's how:

1. Purchase the book at the normal web site (Cerridwen or Wild Rose, for example). Buy the book in unprotected Mobipocket format if it's available or in HTML if Mobi is unavailable.

2. Download the book to your computer and save it there.

3. If you have a Mobi document, the document has been saved as a .prc file. Just plug your Kindle into your computer with the provided USB cable. Copy the .prc file to the /documents directory on the Kindle device.

4. If you have an HTML document, you need to email the document to your Kindle device. Each Kindle has its own unique email (established when you bought the device). Simply email the HTML as an attachment to the Kindle email. The HTML is converted to Kindle format and will appear on your device after you select "Check for New Items" from the Home menu. (I think I read that there is a charge for this, but if I recall correctly, it's very small, like a dime or something)  You can also email this to yourname@free.kindle.com and Kindle will convert the doc and mail the converted doc back to you. You can then save the file and transfer it via the USB cable at a later time.

I also managed to email a .pdf file to myself and it converted okay for the Kindle, but again, I didn't get the cover art and the formatting was slightly off (chapters didn't start on new pages, and paragraphs weren't all consistently indented). But if you have PDFs already stored and would like to transfer them, this might be an option for you. I assume there's a charge for this but I'm not sure how much. 

I'm just getting the hang of using this device, but so far I love it. It's very lightweight, easy to use and has great battery life (as long as you turn off the WiFi option: that's a battery-drainer).

If you have comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you. Just email me at jaye@jayellwilson.com.