Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

The Kindle Update has made the Kindle much better value for money. Wanted to walk through all the new features and mini-features added.

This covers Kindle Update 2.3 that adds PDF support, screen rotation and more.

Here’s a video discussing features added (it misses the Words Per Line feature) –

Details on the Kindle Update

The big Features -

1. Kindle PDF Support.  
2. 85% longer battery life when wireless is on - supposedly only for Kindle Global.
3. Screen Rotation, including on the Home Page.  

The cool features -

1. PDFs in other languages work.
2. Status Indicator pages that let you know a file is being opened up and also prevent ghosting. 
3. New, improved Search – Found terms are shown in the book itself. You can circle through results. 
4. Everything’s Faster. Definitely loading of books and perhaps even screen refreshes.  
5. 5 way cursor seems to move faster.

Also showing -

1. Words Per Line. Find it in the Fonts Menu (Aa key).  It lets you change the number of words per line – both in portrait and landscape mode.
2. Status Messages in certain situations. 

Did this make it in? Rumored Features

1. Better screen contrast and darker fonts. Some  people think so. 
2. Better Power Management with wireless on for Kindle US. I feel my Kindle 2 US now does better with its battery, as do other people. Wishful thinking?

Lots of these updates were discovered and shared at the official kindle forum – thanks to the people who did.

How to get the Kindle Update – Manual and Automatic Updates

You can find details at this Kindle Update Page at Amazon.

• You should normally get the update for your kindle wirelessly – automatically.
• It should all happen automatically – you get a progress bar saying the update is happening, then your Kindle will restart, and you have a new updated Kindle.

In case you need to do a manual update -

1. Go to the Kindle Update page - it always has the newest update file. It also has instructions.
2. Figure out what Kindle you have – Kindle 1 is the one with an SD card slot. Kindle DX is the one with a large screen (8.9″).
3. To figure out Kindle US Vs Kindle Global – Go to your Settings Page (Home Page > Menu > Settings) and check on the bottom right.
   

   Kindle (U.S. Wireless) devices begin with: 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, and 2.0.4.
   Kindle (Global Wireless) devices begin with: 2.2, 2.2.1, and 2.2.2.
   Kindle DX devices begin with: 2.1 and 2.1.1.

4. Then at the Kindle Update page select the update appropriate for your Kindle. 
5. Download it to your PC and transfer the file via USB to your Kindle.
6. It’s important to transfer it to the main Kindle folder – the one in which the Documents Folder and other folders are.
7. Wait for the file to transfer completely – give it 2-3 minutes.
8. Unplug the Kindle and go to the Settings Page again.
9. Click Menu and select the option to ‘Update Your Kindle’.
10. Choose ‘OK’ to continue and then let the update happen – Please do NOT restart or fiddle with the power button during an update.
11. Congrats – You have updated your Kindle to the latest version.

It’s fair to say that with this update - via big features like PDF support, screen rotation, speed improvements, and better battery life – the Kindle is much better. 

Amazon Kindle has jumped from Kindle 1.5 to Kindle 2.3.

It does make the Kindle the best option for Christmas – edging out the Nook.

Filed under: kindle Tagged: | kindle update, kindle update guide