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Kindle Version 2.5.2 Software Update: Share Favorite Passages with Facebook & Twitter

Facebook & Twitter Posts: Share book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter directly from your Kindle. 

Originally posted to Kindle Nation Daily 6.12.2010.

  • With the latest Kindle software update in full roll-out mode now, we’ll focus some posts this weekend on the excellent documentation that the Kindle team is providing for the primary enhancements included in the update. This software update is for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX only; aside from a hint or two that some enhancements may be coming for the Kindle 1, Amazon hasn’t shared any substantive information on updates for Kindle 1 owners.
  • If your Kindle has been updated to the first or second beta of the new software update, you should see “Version: Kindle 2.5” or “Version: Kindle 2.5.2” in the lower right corner of the display when you  press “Menu” from the Home screen and select “Settings.” If your Kindle hasn’t been updated yet, check to see that your wireless is turned on, since the roll-out is being done automatically over the Whispernet, and sit tight.

Some Kindle owners will love this, while others will avoid it as a distraction that will keep them from reading. Here’s Amazon’s documentation:

Sharing Highlights and Notes on Facebook and Twitter

Coming Soon – Available with the 2.5 software release.
If you’re reading and happen across a passage you’d like to share with friends or followers through social networking sites, Kindle gives you the option to post it to Facebook or Twitter.

Registering Your Social Networks

Before you can share what you’re reading, you’ll need to link your Amazon.com account to your account on Facebook or Twitter.

To manage your social networks:

  1. Navigate to Kindle’s Home screen and press the Menu button.
  2. Select “Settings” from the Home screen menu.
  3. Select the “manage” option next to Social Networks on the Settings page.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen to link or unlink an account.

Sharing on a Registered Network

Posting to Facebook or Twitter is as easy as highlighting a passage and adding a comment. When you select the share option, your comments will be sent automatically to your registered social networking sites, appended with a backlink to a web page showing the passage you highlighted.

To create a highlight and note to share:

  1. Place the cursor at the beginning of the passage using the 5-Way controller and press down to anchor it.
  2. Highlight the passage using the 5-Way controller.
  3. Enter your note or comment about the passage you highlighted.
  4. Select “save & share” from the options at the bottom of the note window when finished.

If you don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account associated with your Amazon.com account, you’ll automatically be prompted to manage your social network registration before your message is posted.

To share from your existing notes and marks:

  1. Open the book that contains the note or highlight.
  2. Press the Menu key and select “View My Notes & Marks.”
  3. Highlight the item you wish to share in your Notes & Marks.
  4. Press Alt + Image of Enter key on kindle Keyboard. on the keyboard to share.

You can also navigate to a section in your book that contains a note or highlight, select it with your cursor, and press Alt + Image of Enter key on kindle Keyboard. on the keyboard to share.

Kindle Version 2.5.2 Software Update: Popular Highlights

Popular Highlights: See what the Kindle community thinks are the most interesting passages in the books you’re reading.

Originally posted to Kindle Nation Daily 6.12.2010.

  • With the latest Kindle software update in full roll-out mode now, we’ll focus some posts this weekend on the excellent documentation that the Kindle team is providing for the primary enhancements included in the update. This software update is for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX only; aside from a hint or two that some enhancements may be coming for the Kindle 1, Amazon hasn’t shared any substantive information on updates for Kindle 1 owners.
  • If your Kindle has been updated to the first or second beta of the new software update, you should see “Version: Kindle 2.5” or “Version: Kindle 2.5.2” in the lower right corner of the display when you  press “Menu” from the Home screen and select “Settings.” If your Kindle hasn’t been updated yet, check to see that your wireless is turned on, since the roll-out is being done automatically over the Whispernet, and sit tight.

Amazon has added a “popular highlights” enhancement that reveals the passages that have been highlighted most frequently by Kindle readers. Here’s Amazon’s documentation:

Viewing Popular Highlights

Coming Soon – Available with the 2.5 software release.
Amazon displays Popular Highlights by combining the highlights of all Kindle customers and identifying the passages with the most highlights. The resulting Popular Highlights help readers to focus on passages that are meaningful to the greatest number of people. Some books don’t have enough highlighting in them to have Popular Highlights. Popular highlights are marked with a grey dashed underline in your reading. You can see Popular Highlights for all books that have them at kindle.amazon.com.

To view Popular Highlights:

  1. Open a book on your Kindle.
  2. Press the Menu key and select “View Popular Highlights” from the options.

To turn Popular Highlights on and off:

  1. Navigate to Kindle’s Home screen and press the Menu button.
  2. Select “Settings” from the Home screen menu.
  3. Select the desired option next to “Popular Highlights.”

Managing Popular Highlights

If you have a Kindle device, you can turn off having your highlights in popular highlights by turning off Annotations Backup in Settings on your device. If you have a Kindle App, we will be adding this capability soon. Annotations BackUp backs up your annotations and last page read and syncs them across devices. You can also remove highlights you made previously from Popular Highlights.

To turn off Annotations Backup:

  1. Navigate to Kindle’s Home screen and press the Menu button.
  2. Select “Settings” from the Home screen menu.
  3. Select the desired option next to “Annotations Backup.”

To remove previous highlights from Popular Highlights:

  1. Visit the AmazonKindle website and login using the e-mail address and password for the Amazon account you used to register your Kindle.
  2. Select “Your Highlights” from the Browse options at the top of the page.
  3. Select “Delete this highlight” next to each highlight you wish to remove.

Kindle Version 2.5.2 Software Update: Password Protect Your Kindle

Password Protection: Password protect your Kindle when you’re not using it.   

Originally posted to Kindle Nation Daily 6.12.2010.

  • With the latest Kindle software update in full roll-out mode now, we’ll focus some posts this weekend on the excellent documentation that the Kindle team is providing for the primary enhancements included in the update. This software update is for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX only; aside from a hint or two that some enhancements may be coming for the Kindle 1, Amazon hasn’t shared any substantive information on updates for Kindle 1 owners.
  • If your Kindle has been updated to the first or second beta of the new software update, you should see “Version: Kindle 2.5” or “Version: Kindle 2.5.2” in the lower right corner of the display when you  press “Menu” from the Home screen and select “Settings.” If your Kindle hasn’t been updated yet, check to see that your wireless is turned on, since the roll-out is being done automatically over the Whispernet, and sit tight.

One small but important enhancement included in the update allows you to safeguard your Kindle content with password protection. Here’s Amazon’s documentation:

Setting a Password on Kindle

Coming Soon – Available with the 2.5 software release.
If you want to make sure that only authorized users will have access to your Kindle, you can set a password on the Settings screen. You’ll then need to enter the password to access your Kindle if it enters sleep mode or is turned off.

To set your Kindle password:

  1. Navigate to Kindle’s Home screen and press the Menu button.
  2. Select “Settings” from the Home screen menu.
  3. Select the “turn on” option next to Device Password on the Settings page.
  4. Enter your new password twice and also enter a hint to help you remember the password.
  5. Select “Submit” when you’re finished.

If you wish to change or turn off your password in the future, navigate to the Settings menu again and select the available options.
Note: If you forget your password, move the 5-way controller down to view your password hint. Your Kindle will also give you the Kindle Support phone number so we can help reset your Kindle password.

Kindle Version 2.5.2 Software Update: PDF Pan and Zoom

PDF Pan and Zoom: Zoom into PDFs and pan around to easily view small print and detailed tables or graphics.   

Originally posted to Kindle Nation Daily 6.12.2010.

  • With the latest Kindle software update in full roll-out mode now, we’ll focus some posts this weekend on the excellent documentation that the Kindle team is providing for the primary enhancements included in the update. This software update is for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX only; aside from a hint or two that some enhancements may be coming for the Kindle 1, Amazon hasn’t shared any substantive information on updates for Kindle 1 owners.
  • If your Kindle has been updated to the first or second beta of the new software update, you should see “Version: Kindle 2.5” or “Version: Kindle 2.5.2” in the lower right corner of the display when you  press “Menu” from the Home screen and select “Settings.” If your Kindle hasn’t been updated yet, check to see that your wireless is turned on, since the roll-out is being done automatically over the Whispernet, and sit tight.

Viewing PDFs on the Kindle will be a great deal easier now that Amazon has extended the “zoom” feature that I’ve been using to view New Yorker cartoons for over a year to PDF file viewing.  Here’s Amazon’s documentation:

Zooming on Images and PDF Documents

Coming Soon – Some features available with the 2.5 software release.
If you’d like to see a larger size of a picture or image or want to zoom in on sections of a PDF document, Kindle gives you tools to set a custom size.

To zoom on an image in a book, magazine or newspaper:

  1. Position the cursor over the picture using the 5-way controller. You’ll see a magnifying glass icon appear.
  2. Press the 5-way to zoom the image.
  3. Press the 5-way to return to your content.

When Kindle increases the image size, your view may change from portrait or landscape if necessary to maximize the use of the display.

To zoom on a PDF document:

  1. Press the Text key .
  2. Select the zoom percentage from the available options.
  3. Position the zoom box over the section you’d like to view using the 5-way controller and press to select.

You’ll see scroll bars appear at the edges of the page that indicate what section you’re viewing. Use the 5-way controller to move across the page and view different sections. To return to the previous view, press the Text key and select “fit-to-screen.”

Kindle Version 2.5.2 Software Update: Sorting Content and Using Collections

Collections: Organize your books, audiobooks, and personal documents into one or more collections. Subscriptions such as newspapers, magazines, and blogs cannot currently be added to collections on the Kindle.   

Originally posted to Kindle Nation Daily 6.12.2010.

  • With the latest Kindle software update in full roll-out mode now, we’ll focus some posts this weekend on the excellent documentation that the Kindle team is providing for the primary enhancements included in the update. This software update is for the Kindle 2 and Kindle DX only; aside from a hint or two that some enhancements may be coming for the Kindle 1, Amazon hasn’t shared any substantive information on updates for Kindle 1 owners.
  • If your Kindle has been updated to the first or second beta of the new software update, you should see “Version: Kindle 2.5” or “Version: Kindle 2.5.2” in the lower right corner of the display when you  press “Menu” from the Home screen and select “Settings.” If your Kindle hasn’t been updated yet, check to see that your wireless is turned on, since the roll-out is being done automatically over the Whispernet, and sit tight.

The most important feature in the new Kindle software update for most users will be this long-awaited content management enhancement called “Collections.” It uses a “tag” or “label” architecture rather than “folders,” which allows you to include any single ebook in multiple collections. Here’s Amazon’s documentation:

Sorting Content and Using Collections

Coming Soon – Available with the 2.5 software release.
Kindle allows you to choose how the content on the Home screen is sorted.

To change how your content is organized on the Home Screen:

  1. Move the 5-way controller up to the top of the screen to underline the current Sort setting. The default setting is “By Most Recent First.”
  2. Move the 5-way to the right to see the Sort options.
  3. Select your desired option using the 5-way controller.

Here’s a list of the Sort options available.

  • Most Recent First: Sorts your content by the most recently added or recently opened items first.
  • Title: Sorts your content alphabetically by title of the item.
  • Author: Sorts your content alphabetically by the author’s last name or publisher’s name. If you choose this option, periodicals will be sorted by their dates.
  • Collections: Sorts content based on categories you create on your Kindle to organize your content.

Creating Collections

If you store a lot of content on your Kindle, you can create collections to improve your organization. A collection is a category you create on your Kindle Home screen. You can then move your books, audiobooks, and personal documents from the Home screen to the collections you create. Your Kindle will sort your content by collections after you create your first collection.

Kindle Home without Collections

Content Organized into Collections

To create a collection:

  1. Select “Create New Collection” from the Home screen menu.
  2. Enter a name for the collection.
  3. Select “Save” with the 5-way controller when finished.

To rename or delete a collection:

  1. Highlight the collection name on the Home screen.
  2. Move the 5-way controller to the right to reveal the collection options.
  3. Select the desired action with the 5-way controller.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: Deleting a collection from your Kindle does not change the content stored on your device. Items previously placed into the collection that are stored on your Kindle will appear on the Home screen after the collection is deleted.

To sort your Home screen content by collection:

  1. Move your cursor to the top of the Home screen to highlight “Showing All Items” and your current viewing option.
  2. Move the 5-way controller to the right to reveal available viewing options.
  3. Select “Collections” from the options.

Managing Content in Your Collections

After you create one or more collections you wish to use for organizing your Kindle’s content, you’re ready to associate books, audiobooks, and personal documents on your Kindle with those collections. Please note that subscriptions such as newspapers, magazines, and blogs cannot currently be added to collections on the Kindle. Here are a few handy collection features:

  • Collections are stored on Amazon: When you create a collection on a device, we’ll save your collection so it appears in Archived Items on other devices registered to your Amazon.com account. This allows you to transfer collections across registered Kindles.
  • Books are associated with collections until removed: If you add a book to a collection on your Kindle and then delete the book from your device, it remains associated with that collection in Archive Items. If you download the book again, it will automatically appear in the appropriate collection on your Home screen.
  • Books can appear in more than one collection: You can associate a single book or other item from your library with multiple collections if you wish.
  • Collections don’t change device or Archive Items content: If you delete a book from a collection or delete an entire collection from your Kindle, it does not change the actual items saved on your Kindle or in your Archive Items on Amazon. When you delete a collection from your Kindle, any downloaded items from that collection will appear the Home screen instead of in the collection.

To add or remove collection items:

  1. Highlight the collection name on the Home screen.
  2. Move the 5-way controller to the right to reveal the collection options.
  3. Select “Add/Remove Items” with the 5-way controller.
  4. Highlight and select a title you wish to add or remove. Items currently in the collection will display a check mark to the right of the title.
  5. Select “Done” at the bottom of the screen when you’ve finished editing your collection.

To import a collection from another Kindle:

  1. Select “Archived Items” from the Kindle Home screen.
  2. Select “Add Other Device Collections” from the Archived Items page.
  3. Select the desired collection to import and select “ok” to confirm.

Note: Importing a collection from another device does not import the books or other items to your Kindle if they aren’t downloaded already. However, books already on your Kindle that are associated with a collection will automatically appear under that collection name on your Home screen.

New Business Title Leads Today’s Kindle Nation Daily Free Book Alert: Outsmart! How to Do What Your Competitors Can’t

Here’s a new free promotional book just in time for the weekend in the Kindle Store, and it’s a business leadership title for a change! Some excerpted chapters have been offered free in the past, but now you can download the entire book free.

Outsmart! How to Do What Your Competitors Can’t [Kindle Edition] 
Jim Champy (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  (17 customer reviews)
Digital List Price:     $18.99 
Print List Price:    $22.99
Kindle Price:    $0.00 & includes wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet You Save:    $22.99 (100%)
Text-to-Speech: Enabled 

Here are the rest of our updated list of free promotional titles in the Kindle Store as of June 9:

Is Your Kindle Ready for the Beach and the Pool? Now Available in the Kindle Store, the Waterproof M-Edge Guardian Case for Kindle

Congratulations to Patrick Mish and the gang at M-Edge. They have been turning out great Kindle accessories almost from the get-go, but they have really outdone themselves for the Summer of 2010:

We’ve been waiting for this for months, and it has arrived just in the nick of time.

You already know that the Kindle is the best ereader for reading outdoors, but now the M-Edge Guardian Case for Kindle makes it absolutely safe to take your Kindle to the pool, the beach, or the bath.

Here’s what M-Edge has to say about the Guardian:

Made of molded plastic, the Guardian safeguards Kindle in all water environments up to 1 meter deep, from the bathtub to the pool to the ocean. The Guardian Case allows for full functionality of Kindle’s navigation buttons and keyboard through flexible sealed button cutouts. Users can even read hands-free in the water, because the Guardian floats level on the water’s surface.

The Guardian keeps a secure, watertight seal around Kindle by utilizing a dual-hinge, integrated O-ring gasket and four-latch closure system. Three internal buoyancy chambers provide distributed flotation to keep Kindle afloat and upright for in-water reading. An anti-reflective film protects the Guardian’s screen area while allowing for uninhibited reading in sunny environments. There is a ring located at the bottom of Guardian so that the user can attach the included lanyard for additional device security. Made of a transparent polycarbonate, the Guardian’s hard shell exterior provides impact protection while the custom molded interior and soft mounting pads provide gentle support for the device.

Technical Details

  • This red waterproof case floats level on water’s surface for hands-free reading (patent pending)
  • Flexible sealed cutouts maintain full functionality of buttons and keyboard
  • Custom-molded interior and mounting pads provide cushioned support for Kindle
  • Utilizes dual hinges, integrated O-ring, and four closure latches for a watertight seal up to 1 meter in depth. Includes anti-reflective film to protect case screen and reduce sun-related glare.
  • Ring at the bottom of Case is to attach lanyard (included) for additional device security. Available colors include: black, red, cobalt blue–For more colors options visit our other detail product pages on Amazon.com!