Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (3 page)
Read Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies Online
Authors: Leslie H. Nicoll
Tags: #Computers, #Hardware, #Mobile Devices, #General
Where to Go from Here
Have fun exploring your Kindle Paperwhite. For most activities, it’s an intuitive and user-friendly device. This book helps you get started and guides you to some of the more advanced features that the Kindle Paperwhite offers. Tap the screen on your Kindle Paperwhite to advance to the next page and keep reading, or use the helpful links in the text and in the table of contents to jump to the section or chapter that covers a particular topic you’re interested in.
If you want to go deeper with your Kindle Paperwhite experience, consider joining an online Kindle forum. You’ll be able to share tips, e-book recommendations, and more with thousands of other Kindle owners.
Your Kindle Paperwhite opens a new world of reading, with vast libraries of e-books at your fingertips. Enjoy the trip!
Chapter 1
Hello, Kindle Paperwhite
In This Chapter
Figuring out which version of the Kindle Paperwhite you want
Taking a short history class
Finding out why your device is a delight
W
elcome to the wonderful world of Kindle reading. Getting started with your Kindle Paperwhite is quick and easy. This chapter introduces the basic features of the Kindle Paperwhite and discusses the first steps in becoming a successful
Kindler
(a Kindle user and reader).
Choosing a Kindle Paperwhite
Before you purchase your Kindle Paperwhite, you need to consider the following:
How you connect to the Internet:
Decide whether you want to connect to the Internet using only Wi-Fi (the Kindle Paperwhite) or Wi-Fi plus 3G (the Kindle Paperwhite 3G).
Throughout this book, we use
Kindle Paperwhite
when referring to both models. When we need to differentiate between the two models, we call them the Wi-Fi–only Kindle Paperwhite and the Kindle Paperwhite 3G.
Whether you want offers and ads on your screensaver:
You can purchase a Kindle Paperwhite that has special offers and sponsored screensavers, or you can buy one with traditional screensavers, which do not display advertising.
A brief Kindle history
The first Amazon Kindle became available in November 2007 and sold out in less than six hours. Many users back-ordered their Kindles and waited months to receive them. The following year, when Oprah Winfrey announced on her television show that the Kindle was her “new favorite gadget,” sales skyrocketed, and again, the Kindle went out of stock. For two years in a row, the Kindle wasn’t available for Christmas shopping!
At a press conference in 2009, Jeff Bezos, accompanied by author Stephen King, announced the second-generation Kindle. Also in 2009, the Kindle DX — the larger Kindle — and Kindle applications for the PC, Mac, and iPhone became available. To the joy of readers around the globe, an international version of the Kindle also came out in the fall of that year.
The third-generation Kindle, known as the Kindle Keyboard, became available in 2010; it was the first Kindle offered with Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi plus 3G. A few months after it was released, Amazon started offering a version of the device with special offers and sponsored screensavers.
The Kindle had a windfall year in 2011, with three new devices announced and released in a two-month span: a basic Wi-Fi –only model, the Kindle Touch, and an Android tablet called the Kindle Fire. One of the most exciting innovations at that time was the introduction of a touchscreen for the e-ink family of readers.
Kindle had another banner year in 2012, with the debut of a number of devices with more options, including the Kindle Paperwhite.
Mixing and matching among these choices gives you four versions of the Kindle Paperwhite:
Wi-Fi–only Kindle Paperwhite with special offers and sponsored screensavers ($119)
Wi-Fi–only Kindle Paperwhite with traditional screensavers — that is, no special offers and no advertising ($139)
Kindle Paperwhite 3G with special offers and sponsored screensavers ($179)
Kindle Paperwhite 3G with traditional screensavers ($199)
In this section, we help you choose your best Kindle Paperwhite.
Wi-Fi only versus Wi-Fi plus 3G
How do you decide whether you want a Wi-Fi–only Kindle Paperwhite or the Kindle Paperwhite 3G? Good question!
The Wi-Fi –only Kindle Paperwhite requires a Wi-Fi wireless connection to download content from Amazon and other sources. If you have Wi-Fi set up in your home, you can use it as your Wi-Fi hotspot. You can connect your Kindle Paperwhite also to Wi-Fi hotspots in public locations, such as Starbucks and McDonald’s.
The Kindle Paperwhite 3G operates not only on Wi-Fi but also on the same cellular network as cellphones. In essence, the device is available to you everywhere — in your home, office, car as well as in public areas such as airports, train stations, and restaurants. Although 3G is widely available, some places in the United States don’t have coverage. Amazon provides a coverage map, which can be accessed atwww.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200375890&#whispintl.
Best of all, the Kindle Paperwhite 3G, unlike a cellphone, accrues no additional charges for 3G coverage. Amazon covers the 3G costs.