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From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: Can Multiple People Set Up Credit Card Payments on a Single Multi-Kindle Amazon Account?

March 14, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Thanks to Pam for this question about keeping multiple Kindles and/or Kindle accounts sorted out:

If a person has more than one Kindle registered under their name (Amazon allows up to six under one registration), can each person registered use a different credit card to purchase books?

Okay, Pam, I can see that this can get a bit confusing!

You are correct in observing that there can be as many as six separate Kindles or Kindle-compatible devices registered to a single Kindle account. This can be very convenient when there are several household members or even close friends or relatives who want to share the same Kindle content.

But the central organizing piece for such a multiple-person or multiple-Kindle account is a single Amazon account, set up with a single one-click payment account.

In other words, regardless of how many people may be sharing the Kindles or the Kindle content, Amazon will bill one person’s account — with a single credit card or Amazon “gift card” balance — for all charges to the account.

So if you want to share your Kindle account and content with your sister in Schenectady, your brother in Butte, or your daughter down the hall, you will have to establish direct back-channel reconciliations to keep track of costs and payments, and work out whether more than one of you is authorized to sign in to the active Amazon account to purchase Kindle books, blogs, or periodicals.

Hope this helps!

From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: How Can We Tell if the Kindle is Mainstream?

March 10, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Thanks to Kindle Nation citizen Gary S. for tipping us off to a great cartoon by award-winning editorial cartoonist Jeff Stahler in Monday’s Moderately Confused cartoon.

Thought you might enjoy this comic I came across recently… Thanks for the great service you are providing to the members of the Kindle community! Best regards
Gary

I’ve just pasted a fair-use snippet here so as not to violate copyright, but you can see the full cartoon if you go to the United Features sample page at http://bit.ly/Stahler. Stahler is editorial cartoonist for The Columbus Dispatch.

From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: "What Do I Do if I Lose My Kindle?" – Part 2, with the Focus on What You Can Do Beforehand

March 5, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Since I know that not all Kindle Nation Daily readers, or even have access to, the comments that some readers add to our posts here, I decided that it was important to bring some of the very helpful follow-up/comment discussion right up front here in response to yesterday’s post, From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: “What Do I Do if I Lose My Kindle?” So let’s call this one Part 2, and there are several points I wanted to highlight:

First, Bufo over at the ILMK blog and Kindle Nation citizen Dana M. had good suggestions for tracking services that help you get your stuff back, for a fee, through systems that involve the use of labels or tags, bags, or other identifying tools. Bufo recommends http://www.trackitback.com and Dana suggests http://www.stuffbak.com, and each service has features, importantly, to protect user security.

Then Kindle Nation citizen Ken wrote in with good news following up my suggestion about adding your Kindle to your homeowner’s or renters insurance:

Stephen, after your suggestion about homeowners insurance coverage, I called my agent and added both my Kindle and my notebook computer to a “listed articles” policy. It was $2 per hundred dollars of value, which for the Kindle would be about $5 annually, which IMHO is a better value than the tag system, since it guarantees a new replacement and covers accidental breakage or spills. Your column has to be one of the most helpful ones out there!

The only thing I would want to double-check there would be the deductible. And thanks for the kind words, Ken!

Another reader wrote in with this question: “If he resumes using his account, doesn’t that open it up for the person who has his lost Kindle?” Actually, the answer to that one should be “No,” as long as you de-register the lost Kindle and ask Amazon to disassociate it from your Amazon account. I would also make a point of changing the password on my Amazon account, just to make sure to block the lost Kindle as a channel of access into your account.

Originally posted March 5, 2010 – © Kindle Nation Daily 2010

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From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: "What Do I Do if I Lose My Kindle?"

March 4, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Thanks, and my heartfelt sympathy, to Kindle Nation citizen Terry D, who sent in this tale of woe:

Help – what do you recommend I do – I have lost my Kindle. Heartbreak city!

I called Amazon and had them disable my one click account so that whoever has it can’t access my credit card and keep downloading books.

Why can’t Amazon tell if someone else registers my Kindle?
Also – I then went out and bought an ipod touch – happy days cos I found out I could use the kindle app to get my archived books….BUT – can I/should I attempt to buy any books with my itouch? should I just get a new kindle and reregister with a new name?

I am confused and don’t know what to do next – could you do an article on this?

ps – lost it flying…it fell out of my bag somewhere, I have called lost and found to no avail….

thanks for any advice you can offer!
Love your newletter

TerryD

Terry, I appreciate your kind words about Kindle Nation Daily and I wish I had some “tips and tricks” that could really help you turn this one around. You’ve done the main “after the fact” thing, of course, which is to contact Amazon to de-register your Kindle and disable your one-click account account. You can do this either by calling Kindle Support (Kindle Support Phone Number 1-866-321-8851, or 1-206-266-0927 outside the US), or by going to your Manage Your Kindle page.

Unfortunately, a gadget that costs $259 is too expensive to simply replace without feeling some pain, but probably too inexpensive to be covered in any worthwhile way by any insurance program that I’m aware of. (Although that seems like a great niche for an entrepreneur!) But it may be worth a call to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance agent to make sure that your Kindle was not covered — or to find out if you could add a Kindle to your insurance policy in the future.

One small consolation is that you haven’t lost any of the Kindle books that you purchased. If you haven’t already done so, it’s easy to download the free Kindle Apps for PC, BlackBerry, or iPhone or iPod Touch, and then you can go to your Manage Your Kindle page to send any or all of your Kindle books directly to the device of your choosing. For those of us who have grown accustomed to the pleasures of reading on a Kindle, other devices can take some getting used to, but my best mate has recently read Kindle editions of her last two book group choices — Committed and Of Human Bondage, no less! — on her iPod Touch, and she has enjoyed the experience. You can definitely keep buying Kindle books with your iPod’s Kindle App, and you’ll be able to send them easily to a replacement Kindle should you decide to get one.

If you decide to replace your Kindle — and wouldn’t that really just be a matter of time for most of us? — just be sure to register it to the same Amazon account that was associated with your departed Kindle, and again, you’ll be able to go to your your Manage Your Kindle page to send your Kindle books wirelessly to your Kindle.

Which Kindle to get? While there’s been a great deal of speculation that we may see some new Kindle hardware features or lower Kindle prices soon — driven by any number of forces including the iPad launch — it’s all just speculation, until it’s not. For now, the choices are straightforward:

Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation), for $259
Kindle DX Wireless Reading Device (9.7″ Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation), for $489
Kindle: Amazon’s Original Wireless Reading Device (1st generation), USED, for about $235

It is a little surprising that Amazon can’t provide Kindle owners with information about the registration status, or for that matter even the whereabouts, of their lost Kindles, but I suspect there are Amazon attorneys who could explain why it would not make sense for Amazon to get into the middle of such matters. With some other 3G devices such as the iPhone shown in this photograph from ArsTechnica, it’s possible to send a message that could show up right on the display of a lost device.

Meanwhile, I hope that there’s an enterprising app developer out there who is working on an app that will wake up a Kindle and inspire it to emit some kind of appropriate sound — presumably in response to a command sent via Whispernet — to help a Kindle owner find his Kindle before it’s too late!

Finally, I sincerely hope that there is something I’m leaving out that will just make it all better, Terry, so I am going to send this post along to the fine folks at Amazon to see if there’s some other worthwhile remedy that I have missed, and if so I will post it and send it on to you directly.

From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: Kindle Samples, Deleting Titles, and Kindle Book Archives

March 1, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Thanks to Kindle Nation citizen Howard O. for two very succinctly stated questions:

Hi Stephen:

I have the Kindle 2. It’s been a fantastic experience. After I finish a book, I’ve been wondering; how do I archive it? Also, how long do the sample books I’ve received…stay? I’ll look for your reply.

Thanks
HO

Howard, when you’ve finished reading a book you purchased in the Kindle Store and you’re pretty certain you won’t be referring to it regularly in the future, it’s easy to archive:

Just move your 5-way to the book’s title on your Kindle’s Home Screen and push the 5-way slightly to the left. A “remove from device” button will appear just below the title, and you can finish the removal process by pushing down on the 5-way.
Unless the title in question is a free sample, a periodical, or a title that you acquired from a source other than the Kindle Store, it will be archived and will remain associated with your Kindle account so that you can restore it to your Kindle by going to “Archived items” on your Home Screen, by typing in the title and using the 5-way to select “search my items,” or by finding it on your Manage Your Kindle page and sending it again to your Kindle.
You also have the option of removing a title permanently, not only from your Kindle but from your account, so that you would have to re-purchase the title in order to download it again. To delete a title permanently, go to your your Manage Your Kindle page, scroll down to the section with the “Your Orders” heading, and click the plus sign next to a title to expand your options for that title. In the lower right corner of the pop-up box, you’ll see a “Delete this title” button.

Regarding your question about samples, the answer is very simple. There is no “expiration date” for a free sample you’ve downloaded from the Kindle Store, and it should remain on your Kindle until you delete it. You can also download a fresh sample of the same title any time you choose.

Hope this helps!

From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: How Do I Turn My Kindle Off?

February 28, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Thanks to Michelle for this frequently asked question:

Okay just received my Kindle Love It…. Have a question though how do you know when it is off. When I hold the switch for the required 4 second it looks like it off but I still see the shadow of the words. Am I doing something incorrect. Please advise.

Michelle, unlike most appliances, you do not need to turn your Kindle off when you aren’t using it. The Kindle will generally go into “sleep” mode automatically when you leave it alone, without turning a page or otherwise interacting with it, for ten minutes or so. The Kindle uses almost no battery power in this mode, and it is effectively “off.”

Even when the Kindle is on, the only real drains on its battery power come from page turns, audio features such as MP3 or text-to-speech, and the Kindle wireless feature when the wireless is turned on. You can easily turn the wireless off (or on) by pressing the Menu button and using the 5-way controller to select the “Turn wireless off/on” command at the top of the Menu listings.

If you don’t want to leave this up to the automatic process, you can also follow this process manually:

Move the power switch all the way to the right, just for a second, and your Kindle will go into “Sleep” mode. You will see one of the Kindle’s native screen savers on the display, and the Kindle uses almost no battery power in this mode. If you leave the Kindle wireless in the “on” position when it is asleep, your Kindle will use only a little more battery power, but it will enable your Kindle to receive updated content such as newspaper and magazine subscriptions, blog posts, and new releases of pre-ordered books so that they will be displayed on your Home Screen when you turn on your Kindle.

Occasionally, you may need to do a system restart or cold boot of your Kindle. You can accomplish this either by holding the power switch to the right and holding it for at least 15 seconds or by following these steps:

Step-by-Step: Kindle System Restart

Make sure your Kindle is on.*

Disconnect the Kindle from the USB or Power Adapter cable.

Press the Home button on the right edge of the Kindle.

From the Home screen, press the Menu button on the right edge of the Kindle.

Select “Settings” from the Home Menu.

From the Settings page, press the Menu button again.

Select “Restart” from the Setting Menu.

Wait a couple of minutes for your Kindle to Restart, then give your Kindle another few minutes to update files, blog posts, etc.

*If your Kindle does not come on, or seems frozen, connect it via its Power Adapter to a wall outlet and give it an hour to re-energize itself.

These instructions apply to the Kindle 2 and the latest generation models of the 6-inch Kindle and the Kindle DX. For Kindle 1 instructions see The Complete User’s Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle (First Generation).

From the Kindle Nation Mailbag: Traveling Abroad from the US with a Kindle

January 17, 2010 by Steve Windwalker

Thanks to Kindle Nation citizen Carole for sharing this question about taking her Kindle on the road beyond US borders:

Stephen,

I am going to Eastern Europe and Africa. Do I need something special to charge my Kindle? I bought it so I could read it while traveling and I just realized that the electrical systems are different there. I don’t know how to manuver around the instruction books for my Kindle yet, so this seemed more efficient to ask you.

Thanks, Carole

Bon voyage, Carole!

Here are some of the basics for traveling abroad, for a US Kindle customer, with your Kindle. I hope they’re a help!

Charging Your Kindle While Traveling Outside the US:

You can always charge your Kindle directly from a computer via USB if you have a laptop, netbook, or other computer with you or accessible, unless the Kindle’s battery is empty. For that process, of course, all you need is the micro-USB cable that came with your Kindle. Charging time ordinarily takes 4 to 6 hours. Connect the micro-USB cable to a USB directly on the computer you’re using rather than on a keyboard, monitor, or hub, and make sure your computer stays on, preferably with its own power source engaged, instead of reverting to sleep, hibernate, or standby status. You can use your Kindle while it is charging in this fashion if you go to the computer’s “Finder” or “My Computer” utility and select “eject,” “dismount” or “safely remove” the Kindle from the computer. (If the battery is completely “empty,” you’ll need to charge your Kindle from a power outlet.)
To charge the your Kindle from a power outlet in a country where the wall outlets are incompatible with your Kindle’s US power adapter, connect it to a wall socket using the Kindle micro-USB cable and Kindle U.S. power adapter with a third-party physical plug adapter appropriate for the power outlets in whatever country you’re in. Be sure to read and follow all safety instructions provided by the third-party physical plug adapter’s manufacturer and make sure the third-party physical plug adapter fits the Kindle U.S. power adapter tightly and without gaps.

Wireless Coverage When You Are Traveling Outside the US

If you’re using the Kindle 2 with U.S. wireless coverage only, you’ll want to make sure you’ve downloaded content to your Kindle before you leave, but you also have the option of downloading content to an online computer anywhere in the world at no charge and transferring that content to your Kindle USB cable. Click here for a map of wireless coverage for the Kindle 2 (US).
Click here for a map of global wireless coverage for the latest-generation Kindle (Global).

Access to Content When You Are Traveling Outside the US

If you’re using the latest-generation Kindle or Kindle DX with global wireless coverage, be aware that Amazon charges special wireless fees for US customers traveling abroad with their Kindles if they want to download content via the Whispernet. These fees are summarized here in Amazon’s own words:

International Book Service: Download books from your Kindle’s Archived Items or the Kindle store via Whispernet for $1.99 per book.
International Subscription Service: Receive all of your newspaper, magazine, and blog subscription content via Whispernet for a weekly fee of $4.99.
International Current Issue Service: Download individual issues of newspapers and magazines from your Kindle’s Archived Items or the Kindle store viaWhispernet for $1.99 per issue.
International Personal Document Service: Transfer personal documents to your Kindle via Whispernet for $.99 per megabyte (rounded up to the next whole megabyte). For more information about transferring personal files to your Kindle, see Amazon’s Transferring, Downloading, and Sending Files to Kindle Help page.

In order to avoid the aforementioned wireless charges for personal documents, send (or have them sent) directly to your computer through Amazon’s free transfer and conversion service using your [you]@free.kindle.com email address. You’ll need to make sure that you’ve added this email address on your Manage Your Kindle page, and authorized any sending email addresses from which you expect to receive content. Files smaller than 5 MB are generally sent within 5 minutes, and supported file types include DOC, HTML, HTM, RTF, JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PDF, and DOCX files. Kindle-compatible files will then arrive in the email inbox associated with your Kindle’s Amazon account, and you can transfer them to your Kindle via your micro-USB cable.
In order to avoid the aforementioned wireless charges for items purchased previously from the Kindle Store and archived in your Kindle account, go to your Manage Your Kindle page, find the items under “Your Orders,” and select “Transfer via computer” to download them directly to the computer you are using at the time. You’ll then be able to transfer them to your Kindle via your micro-USB cable.
In order to avoid the aforementioned wireless charges for content purchased anew from the Kindle Store, follow these steps to download items directly to your computer at time of purchase:

Select “Transfer via Computer” from the Deliver to: pull-down menu on the product detail page.
Save the file to your computer when prompted by your web browser.
Connect Kindle to your computer with the USB cable.
Use your computer’s file browser to drag and drop the file to your Kindle.

Other Travel Tips

Make sure to turn off your Kindle wireless when you leave the country, and avoid using Kindle audio unnecessarily, to extend your battery life while traveling.
Consider picking up another Amazon Kindle Replacement Power Adapter as a back-up so that you don’t get caught short if you happen to leave the original in a hotel room or internet cafe.
Before you leave, consider purchasing and downloading one or more translation dictionaries for unfamiliar languages in any countries you plan to visit. You’ll then be able to open the dictionary and search for a word or phrase with ease, without having to connect your Kindle wireless.
Similarly, purchasing and downloading travel guides for destinations you will visit will make it easy for you to check for background historical, travel, and cultural information while you’re on the go.

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