Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (23 page)

Further, some online periodicals restrict content and make it available only to subscribers. For example, the
New York Times
limits nonsubscribers to ten articles per month online. Subscribers have unlimited access to the online edition, the complete archives of the
New York Times
, plus the convenience of having the paper delivered directly to the Kindle Paperwhite every morning at 4 a.m. (EST).

All Kindle subscriptions come with a minimum 14-day free trial. Special promotions may be offered with 90-day free trials for subscription content. You can cancel any time during the trial, whether it is 14 or 90 days. If you don’t cancel, your subscription begins automatically at the end of the trial period. Of course, you can cancel a subscription at any time, even after subscribing; you’ll receive a pro-rated refund on the unused portion. Please note that the trial (14 or 90 days) is a one-time option — if you cancel and then decide later you want to subscribe, even if many months have passed, your new paid subscription starts immediately.

Kindle subscriptions can be confusing because there are lots of little quirks that are generally not an issue with e-books. Recognize that many of these exist because of the way the publisher has decided to format and distribute the content, and thus these issues are not under the control of Amazon. Here are some things to be aware of:

The Kindle Paperwhite is a grayscale device.
Magazines and newspapers that rely heavily on color photographs don’t look the same on the Kindle Paperwhite. For this reason, your reading experience may not be a pleasurable.

Content in the print edition may not be included in the Kindle subscription version.
For example, the
New Yorker
doesn’t include its full complement of cartoons, and
National Geographic
doesn’t include all the pictures found in the print edition. You should definitely take advantage of the free trial to determine whether you will find the content, as presented, satisfactory.

Not all periodicals are available for all devices, such as smartphones and the Kindle for PC app.
Which devices are supported is clearly identified on the subscription page. For example, if you hope to read your subscription to the
New Yorker
on your iPhone, you’re out of luck.

Unlike e-books, subscription content can be read only on one Kindle.
You can’t share subscriptions among devices, although you can change the device to which the subscription is delivered.

Only recent issues of newspapers and magazines and recent blog entries remain available on your device.
Older issues of e-newspapers and e-magazines and older blog entries are deleted automatically from your Kindle Paperwhite to make room for additional content.

Older issues of newspapers and magazines appear inside the Periodicals: Back Issues grouping, which usually appears at the end of the content listing. Select the grouping by tapping it. The screen displays the back issues you have on your Kindle Paperwhite. Newspaper and magazine issues that are more than seven issues old are automatically deleted to free up space for new content. The word
Expiring
next to a magazine or newspaper issue indicates that it’ll be deleted soon.

If you want to keep a copy of an issue on your Kindle Paperwhite, follow these steps:

1. Open the specific issue from the listing of periodicals.

2. Tap the top of the screen to display the toolbar.

3. Tap Menu
⇒
Keep This Issue.

Alternatively, from the list of periodicals, tap and hold down on the issue you want to keep. When the pop-up menu appears, select Keep This Issue.

You can delete a saved issue by following the preceding steps and selecting Do Not Keep This Issue from the Menu in Step 3.

Expanding on the traditional: Looking for games and apps

Games, such as Mahjong, Solitaire, and Blackjack, are also available for your Kindle Paperwhite. Some people are purists and believe that the Kindle Paperwhite should be used only for reading; others like having the option of playing a game every now and then. Given that many games are offered for free or put on sale on a regular basis, go ahead and download one and see what you think. We’ve become enamored with Every Word, an anagram-type word game developed by Amazon. The touchscreen on the Kindle Paperwhite is ideal for playing this game.

In general, games are played individually, so wireless doesn’t need to be on to play a game.

Games can’t be sampled — if you’re interested in playing Blackjack, you need to buy it. Therefore, it’s a good idea to read the reviews posted at Amazon to decide whether the format and method of playing will be acceptable to you.

Not all the Kindle games that are for sale at Amazon work on the Kindle Paperwhite. Make sure that you see the name of your Kindle Paperwhite in the Deliver To drop-down list (under the Buy Now button) before making a purchase.

Kindle content, including games, can be returned within seven days for a refund. You can return e-books through Manage Your Kindle at your Amazon account. To return games, however, you must contact customer service directly; you can’t process a return for a game from your Kindle Paperwhite or from your Kindle account at Amazon.