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Micro-USB/Power port — attach the USB cord that came with your Kindle into the micro-USB/power port and into the Kindle power adapter. (Note that not all configurations ship with a power adapter.) The micro-USB/Power port is located just to the right of the headphone jack. Plug the adapter into a U.S.-compatible electrical outlet to charge the Kindle battery. You can also charge your Kindle by detaching the USB cord from the power adapter and connecting it to a computer's USB port or powered USB hub. The charging status light will turn yellow, indicating that the battery is charging; you can continue to use your Kindle while it charges. A green light indicates that the battery is fully charged.
Check to make sure the power adapter is not covered by anything that could cause it to overheat. If the charge indicator light does not light up, make sure that the USB cable is fully inserted into your Kindle and the power adapter or USB port. If Kindle still is not charging, try another electrical outlet or USB port.
To transfer content between your computer and your Kindle, connect the provided USB cable to the Kindle and to the computer's USB port.
Power Switch — puts your Kindle to sleep, wakes it up, and turns your Kindle on or off. The power switch is located just to the right of the micro-USB/Power port. To put your Kindle to sleep, slide and release the power switch; a full screen image appears on the display. While your Kindle is asleep, other keys and buttons are locked so that you don't accidentally change the place in your reading. To turn your Kindle off, slide and hold the power switch for seven seconds until the screen goes blank and then release. To wake up or turn on your Kindle, slide and release the power switch again. If you have set up a device password, you will be prompted to enter the password after turning on your Kindle or waking it from sleep.
If your Kindle does not power on or is unresponsive during use, try resetting the device by sliding and holding the power switch for 15 seconds before releasing.
Tip: Your Kindle will also go to sleep by itself after ten minutes if you are not using it. If your Kindle had wireless on prior to going to sleep, it will continue to receive your regularly scheduled subscriptions while in sleep.
Charge indicator light — indicates the battery status while your Kindle is charging. The charge indicator light turns from yellow to green when the battery is fully charged. The charge indicator light surrounds the power switch, on the bottom right edge of your Kindle.
Back view
The back of your Kindle contains stereo speakers for audio content. The speakers are located near the top right and left edges on the back of Kindle.
1.2 Getting Around
To get around on your Kindle, you use the buttons, menus, and the keyboard—all of which are explained here.
Using the Buttons
In the Welcome section you learned about the navigation buttons (Previous Page, Next Page, and Back). For an explanation of what each button does, see “Front View”.
Using the Menus
In addition to the physical buttons, you also navigate Kindle using the menus. Kindle's menus are context sensitive, but they all work the same way.
You use the 5-way controller to navigate within the menu and press the 5-way to select an item.
The illustration below shows the Home menu; the bold line under "Shop in Kindle Store" indicates that it is ready to be selected.
The Application Menu
You can display a menu from any screen on your Kindle. When you press the Menu button, it displays choices related to the screen you are viewing. The sample screen below shows you the screen you would typically see when you press the Menu button from within a book.
1.3 Entering Text
To use the Kindle keyboard, most people find it easiest to hold the device in both hands, and use the tips of their thumbs to press the keys.
Lowercase and Uppercase Letters
To enter lowercase letters, press the appropriate letter key. To enter uppercase letters, hold down the Shift key , and then press the desired letter key like you do on your computer keyboard. Alternatively, you can press and release the Shift key and then press the desired letter. Only the next letter will be capitalized. The Shift key is located at the bottom left corner of the keyboard.
Numbers, Punctuation, and Symbols
While typing, to enter a punctuation mark, symbol, or number, press the Symbol key located in the second row from the bottom of the keyboard.
Use the 5-way controller to choose the character you want and it will appear in your text entry box. You can continue typing on the keyboard while the Symbol menu is displayed. Press the Symbol key again to dismiss the Symbol menu.
1.4 Screen Rotation
The Kindle screen image can be rotated so you can see the entire width of a page. The buttons work the same in either rotation, but the 5-way controller movements are switched to match the rotation.
To lock your screen into portrait or landscape mode, follow these steps:
Press the Text key located on the bottom row of the keyboard. Screen Rotation is displayed at the bottom of the menu.
Move the 5-way to select one of the four options to lock the display in a set orientation: portrait, landscape with the keyboard on the left, portrait with the keyboard at the top, and landscape with the keyboard on the right.
Press the 5-way to confirm your choice.
Note: You can view Kindle Store pages only in portrait mode.
1.5 Status Indicators
At the top of every screen, you see Whispernet and battery life status indicators to keep you in the know.
Whispernet Status Indicators
The Whispernet status indicator shows you whether the wireless Whispernet service is turned on or off, the signal strength of your Whispernet service, and the connection type. Here are the possible indicators and their meanings.
The Whispernet service is active and your Kindle has a strong signal. The more bars that are filled in with black, the stronger the wireless signal. Note that a weak signal can increase power consumption.
The bars are filled in grey. This means Whispernet is checking for signal strength. This usually lasts less than 30 seconds.
The Whispernet service is turned off. You can turn it on by pressing the Menu button, and using the 5-way controller to navigate to "Turn Wireless On."
- (only for Kindle models with free 3G connectivity) Kindle is connected to Whispernet using the 3G cellular network or one of the slower networks (EDGE or GPRS). Your Kindle will automatically switch to the faster 3G network when available.
Kindle is connected to Whispernet using Wi-Fi.
When you press the Menu button, icons indicating the type (Wi-Fi or 3G) of your Whispernet service appear to the left side of the signal bars.
Battery Status Indicators
You have your Kindle plugged into power and the battery is either charging or is fully charged. The charge indicator light on the bottom of your Kindle also turns from yellow to green when the battery is fully charged. Note that if your Kindle is plugged into a low powered USB port such as those found on some keyboards or older computers, you will not derive enough power to recharge it.
The images above show the various states of the battery as it discharges. As you deplete the battery, less of the battery indicator will be filled in.
The battery is too low to power the Whispernet service. You must charge your Kindle battery to restore wireless service.
The battery state cannot be determined. Restart your Kindle so that the battery state can be accurately determined. If the question mark continues to be displayed after a restart then contact Customer Support.
Keep in mind that subscribing to multiple blogs that update frequently may increase power consumption and decrease the battery life. Weak signal coverage can also increase power consumption.
Activity Indicator
Appears in the top left corner of your Kindle screen when the device is busy downloading new content, checking for new items, searching for an item, opening a large PDF file
, or loading a web page.
Monitoring Download Status
If one or more items are in the process of downloading from the Kindle Store or Archived Items to your Kindle, you can monitor the download progress. From Home, press Menu and select “View Downloading Items” to display a list of the items that are in the process of downloading and their download progress. (If this option is dimmed, then all items have finished downloading to Home.)
Once downloading is complete, your items automatically appear in Home. If downloading is interrupted for any reason (for example, if you move out of wireless range), your items will automatically resume downloading when your Kindle re-establishes a Whispernet connection.
1.6 Wi-Fi and 3G Connectivity
While you're reading, and for many other activities, your Kindle does not need to connect to Whispernet. Other activities such as shopping in the Kindle Store and purchasing books do require a Whispernet connection.
For Kindle models that include free 3G, connectivity to Whispernet is automatic, so if you see one of the 3G network indicators (3G, EDGE, or GPRS) in the upper right corner of your Kindle screen, your Kindle is already connected to Whispernet using 3G. Your Kindle automatically turns 3G coverage off when you connect using Wi-Fi. If you disconnect from a Wi-Fi network or if you move out of Wi-Fi range, Kindle automatically switches back to 3G coverage. If you want to turn off 3G coverage, you can turn Whispernet off. Keep in mind that turning Whispernet off also disables Wi-Fi connections.
Your Kindle can connect to a Wi-Fi network at home, at your favorite cafe, or at Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. Connecting through Wi-Fi offers fast downloads, free delivery of personal documents, and allows your Audible audiobook purchases to be delivered wirelessly to your Kindle, with no computer required. To connect to a Wi-Fi network, see “Connect to a Wi-Fi Network” later in this chapter.
Tip: To check if you have a Wi-Fi only device or a Wi-Fi and 3G capable device, from the Home screen, press Menu, and use the 5-way controller to select “Settings.” Under the “Device Info” section on the Settings page, see “Network Capability.”
U. S. Customers Traveling Outside The U. S.
For U. S. customers traveling outside the United States, there is no additional charge to have your books, periodical subscriptions, and personal documents delivered to your Kindle if you connect to Whispernet using Wi-Fi.
For Kindle models that include 3G, books and single issues of periodicals will be delivered via 3G at no additional cost, but 3G delivery of personal documents will be charged per megabyte. Delivery of periodical subscriptions via 3G is available if you sign up for the International Subscription Service. This service offers the convenience of 3G delivery for a weekly fee. When you travel outside the U. S., Amazon automatically sends a notice to your Kindle Home screen with instructions on how to sign up for the International Subscription Service. If you don't choose to sign up for this service, your periodicals will be delivered at no additional charge only when you are connected to Whispernet using Wi-Fi. Alternatively, you can download your periodicals to your computer and then transfer them to your Kindle via USB.
If Wi-Fi or 3G is not available at your current location, you can purchase items in the Kindle Store using your computer and then transfer them to your Kindle via USB. See “Transferring Files from Your Computer” in Chapter 8 for more information on using your computer to transfer items to your Kindle.
1.7 Using Wi-Fi
Kindle automatically detects nearby Wi-Fi networks and hotspots that broadcast their network name. When you visit a place that offers Wi-Fi access, such as your school, home, or the Wi-Fi hotspot at your favorite cafe, you can set up a Wi-Fi network. Once you set up a Wi-Fi network and connect to it, Kindle automatically connects to it the next time you return to the same place, as long as the Wi-Fi signal is strong enough.
Connect to a Wi-Fi Network
Your Kindle can connect to Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b or 802.11g standard. Kindle does not connect to enterprise or ad-hoc Wi-Fi networks (networks that allow peer-to-peer connections without a wireless access point). Keep in mind that you must be within range of one or more Wi-Fi networks in order to connect to one.
To connect to a Wi-Fi network, follow these steps:
Press the Home button, then press the Menu button.
Navigate to “Settings” by moving the 5-way controller down, then press the 5-way controller to select.
Select “view” next to “Wi-Fi Settings” to display a list of detected Wi-Fi networks. You may have to wait a moment as your Kindle detects networks in range. Kindle automatically scans for available Wi-Fi networks at periodic intervals. To rescan for available networks at any time, select “rescan”.
Select “connect” to connect to a network. If you see a lock symbol next to “connect”, the network requires a password to connect.
Enter the password (if required). Press the Symbol key to enter numbers or characters not present on the Kindle keyboard. You can continue to use the keyboard while the Symbol menu is displayed.
Choose “submit”. Kindle connects to the Wi-Fi network.
Once you're connected to a Wi-Fi network, Kindle automatically connects to it again whenever that network is in range. If more than one previously used network is in range, your Kindle automatically connects to the network that was most recently used.
Once your Kindle connects to a Wi-Fi network, that network displays “forget” next to it in the list of available networks. Selecting “forget” disconnects your Kindle from that Wi-Fi network and also prevents Kindle from automatically connecting to it in the future. For more information, see “Forget a Wi-Fi Network”.
Add a New Wi-Fi Network
If you don't see the network you want to connect to in the list of detected networks, you can add it by choosing “Enter other Wi-Fi network” at the bottom of the list of detected networks.
To add a new Wi-Fi network, follow these steps:
Make sure you are within range of the network you want to add, and that you know the network name and password (if required).
Press the Home button, then press the Menu button.
Navigate to “Settings” by moving the 5-way controller down, then press the 5-way controller to select.
Select “view” next to “Wi-Fi Settings” to display a list of detected Wi-Fi networks.
Use the 5-way controller to navigate down to “Enter other Wi-Fi network” and press to select.
Enter the name of the Wi-Fi network that you want to add.
Enter the password (if required). Press the Symbol key to enter numbers or characters not present on the Kindle keyboard. You can continue to use the keyboard while the Symbol menu is displayed.
Choose “submit”. Kindle connects to the new Wi-Fi network.
If your Kindle fails to connect to the new Wi-Fi network, it will display an “unable to connect” message. You can try manually entering all the network information for the Wi-Fi network by choosing “set up network” when you see the “unable to connect” message, or by following the steps described under “Entering Network Information” in Chapter 7. If you don't know the network information, try connecting to a different network, or contact the network's administrator.
Forget a Wi-Fi Network
You can tell Kindle to forget the Wi-Fi network you're connected to so that your Kindle doesn't connect to it automatically in the future.
To forget the Wi-Fi network that you're connected to, follow these steps:
While connected to the network that you want to forget, press the Home button, then press the Menu button.
Navigate to “Settings” by moving the 5-way controller down, then press the 5-way controller to select.
Select “view” next to “Wi-Fi Settings” to display a list of detected Wi-Fi networks. You may have to wait a moment as your Kindle detects networks in range. The Wi-Fi network you are currently connected to displays the word “forget” next to it in the lis
t of available networks.
Choose “forget” to disconnect from the network.
CHAPTER 2
Getting to Know Kindle Content
The Kindle Home screen gives you an overall picture of what you currently have on your Kindle. It shows you what has arrived recently, what you are reading, and where you are in your reading. It also allows you to remove content from your Kindle and to move content from Amazon to your Kindle. Read below for more details.
2.1 The Home Screen
Your Home screen displays a list of all of your Kindle reading materials — books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, PDF files, personal documents, as well as audiobooks. It serves as a personal bookshelf for all of your reading material, as well as a starting point to access other Kindle features.
To display the Home screen, press the Home button on your Kindle. By default, the Home screen lists all of the items that you have on your Kindle beginning with the most recently viewed (or acquired) items. Each type of content has a slightly different description and label. You can read more about the types of content available in Chapter 3.
Kindle Books
Books are shown by title and author. Below the book title are a series of dots which give you an approximation of how long the book is. Bold dots within the series indicate how far along you are in the book based on the last page you viewed.
