Operate the Amazon Kindle

Operating an Amazon Kindle eReader might be easy, but for the untrained user who just started using the device, it may be tricky to learn. Not to worry! Kindles are easy to use once you get the hang of it. See step 1 to get started learning how to use your kindle.

Steps

Learning the Kindle Basics

  1. Turn on the Amazon Kindle. You'll do this by moving the switch, located at the bottom or back of the reader, up or to the right. You will see the On and Off buttons. Turn the Kindle off by sliding the switch to the Off position.
  2. Learn the navigation controls. The Kindle's navigation controls are the 5-way controller, the two next page buttons, the home button, the menu button, and the home button, and the keyboard.[1]
    • The 5-way controller picks an item or an action when depressed (pressed down). You can highlight onscreen up and down or side to side based on which buttons you're pressing.
    • There are two next page buttons, one on either side to allow for different styles of holding the Kindle, but they both take you to the next page in whatever you're reading.
    • The previous page button takes to the page you were just on.
    • The home button, located above the next page button on the right side, takes you back to your library, also known as the content that is stored both in your Kindle and on Amazon.
    • The menu button is used to shows the application and navigation choices of whatever screen you're looking at. It's located above the the 5-way controller.
    • The back button is located below the 5-way controller and is used to retrace your steps. So, for instance, if you follow a link in a book, pressing back will take you back to the page in the book you were reading.
    • Your keyboard is used to enter search terms, notes or URLs. You will also find the symbol key, which shows a menu of different punctuation, and the text key, which manipulates text size and the number of words per page for easier reading.
  3. Turn the Whispernet button on. This will allow you to connect with Amazon and will be how you purchase and download items. You'll also need it to register your Kindle so that you can move items onto the device. The button is located in the back next to the On button.
    • Some Amazon Kindles come without a physical button to turn Whispernet on, but you can easily access the "power" for turning Whispernet on from directly on the device.
    • Press the Menu button from the Home screen.
    • Press the 5-way controller up once, until the cursor stops on "Turn Wireless On" or "Turn Wireless Off" and press enter.
  4. Register your Kindle. You have to register your Kindle to purchase and download items, so that is one of the first things you will want to do. You'll need to make sure that you have access to and have turned on Whispernet.
    • Go to the Menu button and, using the 5-way controller, select Settings. Still using the 5-way controller select the Register option under Settings. Enter your Amazon username and password (your email address and password for your Amazon account, if you have an account).
    • If you don't already have an Amazon account, you'll need to create one on the website before you can register your Kindle.
  5. Navigate the to home screen. The home screen is basically your Kindle bookshelf. It shows all of your purchases that are synced with your Kindle account. You can even store items on iCloud and access them using your kindle, as long as you have access to Whispernet.[2]
    • The home screen shows the following things: show options (what you want shown on the home screen), sort options (how you want your items sorted), title and author of your items, progress indicator (how far you are through an item), archived items (these are the things that are stored on Amazon, but aren't downloaded onto the Kindle).

Using Your Kindle

  1. Purchase and download items. Amazon has lots of options, like newspapers, books, magazines, audiobooks. As long as you have Whispernet coverage, the items that you purchase can be immediately downloaded onto your Kindle.[3]
    • Press the Menu button when you are at your Home screen, then press Enter. When you arrive at the drop-down menu of options, it will default to Shopping in the Kindle Store.
    • Perform a search for your specific item. There are also different lists for items, like bestseller books, popular newspapers, and the like. You can peruse these titles if you aren't looking for something specific.
    • You will have to use 1-click for purchasing Kindle ebooks and other Kindle items, but there are ways to change your settings to make sure that you're using the correct credit or debit card account. You have to go into your online Amazon account. Go to Manage Your Kindle and then to Kindle Payment Settings.
  2. Use a gift certificate. Even though you have to use the 1-click purchasing function for the Kindle, you can still make sure that you use gift certificates if you have them. It's simply a matter of updating your Kindle payment settings and then you can use the gift certificate up until it's finished.
    • Go to your account page on the Amazon website. Go to the payment section and clock "Apply a Gift Certificate/Card to Your Account." Put in your gift certificate number and click "Apply to your Account."
  3. Select an item in the home screen using the 5-way controller. You'll press the Enter key in the center of the 5-way controller to open your new selection and begin reading.
  4. Know which buttons operate the page-turning feature. Most non-touch screen Kindle's have full blown buttons on both of the sides, near the display. They can flip the page back and forward. The key labeled "<" moves the page back one page, while the ">" moves it ahead.
    • On most books, you can use the 5-way controller's left and right arrow sides/buttons to flip around from chapter or unit to the next chapter (again, either backward [left side] or frontward [right side]).
    • On most touchscreen enabled devices(with the exception of the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD), you can just touch the side of the screen, or make a flipping motion while swiping the page in the direction (as if you're trying to turn a real book's pages). Meanwhile, this device has no way to jump from chapter to chapter except for going through the table of contents (if the book has one).
  5. Highlight Passages in a Book on a Kindle 2. Use the 5-way controller to select the passage, starting at the beginning of the passage you want highlighted. Press the Select button to finish highlighting.
    • You can also turn off the "popular" highlights that come with the book. Starting at your homepage, press Menu and then go to settings. In settings you'll find popular highlights. Click this to turn them off.
  6. Share a Passage on a Kindle 2. As you would if you were highlighting a passage, use your 5-way controller to select the passage. Don't hit Enter as you would if you were actually highlighting it. Instead, hit the Alt key and the Enter key. This should bring up a dialogue box. With the 5-way controller, hit the Share button and your passage will be shared.
  7. Add Notes to Kindle. Select the passage you want to take a note on. At the bottom of a screen a text box will show saying "Begin typing to start a note or click to start a highlight." Type your note on the Kindle keyboard and hit Save Note in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

Doing More Advanced Tasks

  1. Download different apps. You can put a lot of different apps and fun things on your Kindle, it doesn't have to just be for reading ebooks and print items. On the home screen go to the top menu bar and hit Apps. [4]
    • There are the main social networking apps for free like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. And if you want to share information about the books and things you're reading it's great to plug into these networks to share passages and notes.
    • You can also get a Netflix app (if you have a Netflix account) or the HBO app, so you can watch shows and movies on your Kindle.
    • You can also get some game apps for your Kindle in the Kindle app store. There are free versions of Candy Crush Saga, Words with Friends, or a variety of action games.
    • Side-loading apps is a great way to get apps that the Amazon store doesn't have. Go to settings on your Kindle, and hit "More." Scroll down to "Device" and select that. Find "Allow Installation of Applications" or "Apps from Unknown Sources" and select On. Once you've done that you'll need to download a third-party android app like the 1Mobile Market app that lets you download their apps to your kindle. On your Kindle go to Web, and go to the website where you'll download the app. Select "download" and hit "okay" when the message box asks you whether you want to download or not. Go to the Amazon app store and download ES File Explorer (which will help you find your third-party app). Open up ES File Explorer, when it's done downloading, and go to the "Downloads" folder. In there, you'll find the third-party app you want to install. Select it, agree to the permissions, and select "Install." When it has finished installing, select "Open."
  2. Convert PDF files. Because Kindle tends to look at PDF files as they would a Kindle file (ie. each page in the PDF page shows up as 1 page) means that the text can get really small and hard to navigate. All you have to do is email the PDF file to your Kindle with "convert" in the subject line and the Kindle should convert the PDF to Kindle format.[5]
    • This is, however, an experimental program so it doesn't always work properly and tables can get a little messed up, but overall it's easier than trying to navigate the PDF file.
    • You can also have your device download regular PDF documents either Wirelessly Transfer a Document to an Amazon Kindle Device or not (so you may read them instead of a book).
  3. Troubleshoot. There are times when you'll get into trouble with your Kindle for a variety of reasons. You may need to get it fixed by an expert, but before you panic you can try to few different ways to get it working. However, if your Kindle is constantly overheating the hardware itself is probably broken and you'll need to get a replacement.[6]
    • If your screen is frozen or slow (or won't turn on) try holding down the power button for 20 seconds. Set the timer to count down and then, after 20 more seconds, press the power button again. Your start-up screen should turn on. There are lots of reasons your screen might be frozen: your software isn't up-to-date, you're downloading something and it has overloaded the system, outside temperature has affected the Kindle, too many apps are running, or the battery is low.
    • Email won't work. Sometimes the email will work for a short period of time and then stop working, or it won't work at all. Either way, it's really annoying. The best way to deal with this is to work through a free third-party app like K-9 mail or Kaiten mail, or buying an app like Enhanced Mail.[7]
    • Internet connection issues with your Kindle can be immensely irritating since it limits your ability to download books. Check your connection by looking at the top right-hand corner of your screen. Try re-starting your Kindle if your connection is low, as that can help boost the signal. Check your battery as well. Sometimes that can affect your Kindle's internet connection.[8]



Tips

  • You can Add a Bookmark to a Location on a Kindle Keyboard.
  • Turn the Whispernet off to prolong battery life. For those who rarely if ever buy books directly on their device, or only transfer their documents via their Transfer a Document to an Amazon Kindle Device (Through a USB Cable) that came with the device, as Amazon states the batteries should last without another charge about once a month. For those that use the device a fair amount with Whispernet on, the battery charge should last about one week, while those who use it verbosely should expect to keep the device plugged in continuously.
  • Whispernet may not be available in all areas. Check Amazon.com for area coverage.
  • Use the roller button to select Check for New Items, if you didn't download the book on your Kindle, but did download it on some other official app designated solely for the Kindle. Documents can synchronize between all your registered Kindle devices.
  • The Kindle can also be used for Use the Experimental (Web) Browser on a Kindle Keyboard and listening to music. The following steps deal only with downloading and reading articles or books.

Warnings

  • There is currently no way to organize your kindle collection by series or series order because the Amazon format doesn't have the necessary information needed for this action.
  • Amazon may be able to collect such information as your bookmarks and where you stopped reading.
  • Currently there is no way to change or set your wallpaper for the Kindle.

Related Articles

  • Love Reading
  • Write Your First eBook
  • Build Your Own PDA
  • Use a Kindle 3
  • Get Music on the Kindle
  • Get the Free App of the Day on a Kindle Fire
  • Put a Password on Your Amazon Kindle
  • Add a Bookmark to a Location on a Kindle Keyboard
  • Manage the Text Size in a Book on a Kindle 2
  • Search Inside a Book on a Kindle Keyboard
  • Use the Experimental (Web) Browser on a Kindle Keyboard
  • Turn Off Your Kindle Fire
  • Get Rid of the Keyboard Text on a Kindle Fire HD
  • Deregister Your Kindle Fire HD Account

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375790
  2. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375510
  3. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375550
  4. ↑ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/12/kindle-fire-tablet-guide/
  5. ↑ http://blog.journals.cambridge.org/2012/05/kindle-part-4-5-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-do-on-your-kindle/
  6. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_kcw_probs?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200829000
  7. ↑ http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/kindle-fire-hd-problems/#!AHDpD
  8. ↑ http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/kindle-giving-you-trouble-three-easy-fixes-and-troubleshooting-steps/
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