Great news for those (like me) who "read" books by listening to them. Audible and Amazon have tied up to allow audiobooks to be accessed through the Kindle.
Second, your Audible books can be transferred to your Kindle via USB as indicated in the FAQ page of Audible:
To transfer audiobooks to your Kindle, follow these steps:
Step 1. Connect your Kindle to your computer, using the USB cable that came with the device.
Step 2. Your Kindle should appear on your computer in the same location you would normally find an external USB drive.
Step 3. Open your Kindle. You should see a folder entitled "audible." Drag any audiobooks you want to play on your Kindle into this folder.
By default your Audible audiobooks file will reside in the following locations:
▪ Windows XP Users: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Audible\Downloads ▪ Windows Vista/7 Users: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Audible\Downloads ▪ Mac OS Users: Location of your Audible Audio files will vary
Audible.com offers four versions of its audiobook format. Kindle is compatible with format 4 (file extension: .aa) and Audible Enhanced Audio (file extension: .aax). Formats 2, 3, and audiobooks provided from other sources are not supported.
Step 4. Using your computer, eject your Kindle from your computer. The content you transferred should now appear in Home.
As you may already know, Amazon has come out with an "early preview release" of the Kindle's software (version 3.1). Because it's a preview, it is not yet being pushed to our devices. It is, however, available for download. Please note that the "early preview release" is only for the newest generation Kindle 3.
Public Notes -- This feature lets Kindle users choose to make their book notes and highlights available for others to see. Any Kindle user -- including authors, their fans, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere -- can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community of people who love to read. This is a new way for readers to share their excitement and knowledge about books and get more from the books they read. To review and turn on Public Notes in your own books, view the Public Notes of people you follow, track your reading activities, see Popular Highlights and your annotations, and view your full library of books, go to https://kindle.amazon.com. Learn more.
Real Page Numbers -- Our customers have told us they want real page numbers that match the page numbers in print books so they can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class. We've already added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions and thousands more of the most popular books. Page numbers will also be available on our free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps in the coming months. If a Kindle book includes page numbers, press the Menu key in an open Kindle book to display page numbers. Learn more.
Before You Go ... -- When you reach the end of the book, you can immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author. Learn more.
New Newspaper and Magazine Layout -- We're introducing a new and improved layout for newspapers and magazines. This new layout gives you a quick snapshot of the news and helps you decide what you want to read first.
PC Mag likewise has an article with a slideshow detailing the changes brought about by the new software.
And here, according to Amazon, are the instructions for download:
Determine your software version: From Home, select Menu, then Settings. On the Settings screen you will see the Kindle version at the bottom of the screen. If you see "Version Kindle 3.0.3" or earlier (3.0.3, 3.0.2, 3.0.1, or 3.0), please proceed with the steps below to update your Kindle to the latest software.
Download your software: Click on the appropriate link below to download the software update file directly to your computer:
Transfer software to your Kindle: Turn your Kindle on and connect it to your computer using the USB cable. Drag and drop the new update file from your computer to the root Kindle drive. (The drive contains a number of folders - such as "audible," "documents," and "music" - and is typically displayed as a "device" icon).
Monitor file transfer and disconnect: Check your file transfer progress to ensure file transfer to your Kindle is complete before disconnecting. After the file has transferred successfully, eject the Kindle to safely disconnect Kindle from your computer. Disconnect the USB cable from your Kindle and your computer.
Start the software update: Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select "Settings." Press the Menu key again, and then select "Update Your Kindle." (This option will be grayed out if the most recent update has already been installed or if the file transfer was not successful.) Select "Ok" when prompted if you want to perform an update. Your Kindle will restart twice during the update. After the first restart, you will see "Your Kindle is Updating".
Once the update is complete: Your Kindle will automatically restart a second time. When you go to the Settings page, you should notice Version: Kindle 3.1 at the bottom of the screen. Once you see this, you know your update is complete.
I downloaded the new software and promptly installed it in my device. The Kindle will display this message while it is updating the software:
Thereafter, if the update is successful, the following message will be displayed on the screen:
This process will be repeated twice and then you get this screen:
You can check that you have the current software version in the Settings menu.
You may:
a. Order direct from Amazon US and have it shipped directly to the Philippines. You will be charged US$20.98 for shipping and roughly US$20 (at least for the wi-fi only version) for "Import Fees Deposit", what Amazon calls an "estimate of the Import Fees that will be levied on the items in your order for shipment to countries outside of the US." In short, you will not have any problems with the folks at the Bureau of Customs and the Kindle will arrive at your doorstep with no further charges.
b. Order from Amazon US and have it shipped to a forwarder like Johnny Air (JAC). Shipping to JAC's office in New York will be free (c/o Amazon's free super saver shipping option) and you will pay roughly US20.00 to JAC for the service.
c. Buy from reputable sellers in Pinoydvd, Tipidpc and the like.
At this time, Kindle book lending can only be initiated by customers residing in the United States. If a loan is initiated to a customer outside the United States, the borrower may not be able to accept the loan if the title is not available in their country due to publisher geographical rights.
In these cases the borrower will be notified of this during the Loan redemption process, and the book reading and lending rights will return to the lender at the end of seven days from loan initiation. You can always check the status of a loan by viewing the book on the Manage Your Kindle page.
For Kindle users in Asia-Pacific, here's how to get a hold of those classics without paying the US$2.00 which Amazon charges.
The folks at ManyBooks.net give you the very same books (in their own words) "at the best price: free!"
Just pick a book, choose the Kindle format and download. To transfer to your Kindle, here's how Amazon says you should do it:
1. Plug the larger end of the USB cable into an available USB port or a powered USB hub connected to your computer.
2. Connect the other end of the USB cable to the micro-USB port on the bottom of your Kindle. Your Kindle will go into USB drive mode and appear in the same location you would normally find an external USB drive.
3. Use your computer's file browser to drag and drop files to and from Kindle making sure to drop files in the 'Documents' folder on Kindle.
4. When finished, use your computer's undock, eject, or unmount feature to remove your Kindle.
I got a Kindle 3 (wifi only version) last Christmas.
I was going to write about its features except that I found this great post from The Bookish Pinoy, describing it in great detail with a lot of pictures to boot. Read on, folks!
Here's a video from MobileTechReview, if you don't feel like reading:
After about 2 weeks with my Kindle 3 (wifi only version), I decided to write a letter to Amazon's customer service:
"I got a Kindle as a gift this Christmas and I love it.
Because of my location (in the Philippines), I am considered to be in the Asia-Pacific region.I am writing to complain about the rather shabby treatment we (Asia-Pacific users) are getting from Amazon.
Remember that, for reasons known only to you, all the books you sell to us are at least US$2.00 more expensive than the US price (including otherwise free e-books which are available, for free, to your US and UK customers but are being sold for US$2.00 to us).
In exchange for the considerably higher prices on e-books:
1. We, Asia-Pacific customers, get a crappy webpage which, when opened, shows a listing of "bestselling" e-books.
In contrast, the Kindle store website for UK customers shows links to "Kindle bestsellers", "award winners", "editor's picks", "free e-book selections" (which you probably cannot show here as there are only maybe 3), "e-books under 7 pounds", "kindle editions with audio/video" etc.
There are also listings for the Top 100 paid books, and the Top 100 free books and the best of 2010. There are book suggestions, for history buffs, the globe trotters, entertainers etc.
I mean, really, you can't be bothered to do the same for us Asia-Pacific customers especially since we pay US2.00 MORE per book?
2. We, Asia-Pacific customers, get none of the game applications. Granted, none of these are really good and we can probably play better games using other devices, but I'm not sure I understand the basis for the lack. Are there copyright restrictions for Hangman, Monopoly and Scrabble as well?
3. We, Asia-Pacific customers, do not get any special promotions or sales. In contrast, and for example, your UK customers have a "12 days of Kindle sale", where certain books are available for only a pound.
4. We, Asia-Pacific customers, don't have dedicated Twitter or Facebook pages. Only your US customers do. So, none of your "special offers", "deals" and amazing discounts are ever applicable to us.
It's bad enough that not all e-books available for US customers can be sold to us. But we understand that there are legal impediments as of the present time. What I don't get, because it is something totally within your control, is the lack of regard you have for your international customers. Items #1 and 4 above won't even cost you extra money (as you already have people maintaining the Kindle store for Asia-Pacific customers, and opening Twitter and Facebook accounts is free). I hope you do something about this disparity in treatment as soon as possible.
Your very disappointed international Kindle owner,
x x x"
Lest I be misunderstood, I love the Kindle 3. As advertised, it's like reading a book - there's no glare at all. It's very light. I love that you can download samples (or excerpts) of a book before you buy. I wrote the letter above and this blog just to give the user's experience of someone who's not from the United States or the UK.
For the gadget itself, here's Engadget's review. CNET (which included it among its recommended holiday gifts for 2010) chimes in as well with a video review:
By default your Audible audiobooks file will reside in the following locations:
▪ Windows XP Users: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Audible\Downloads
