Kindle update (minor problems, amazing realization)

Well, my Kindle had a small problem. The other day it ceased waking up from sleep. The only solution was to flip the little guy over on its back, remove the battery cover, and reset it with a paper clip. I had to do this every time it went into sleep mode.

Not cool, obviously.

I called Amazon support and they walked me through some steps and then concluded the device needed replacing. They sent me another one, which arrived today. After charging it I fired it up, and it took a few minutes to find the wireless connection. Then I registered it to my account. But, it had no books on it, even though I had bought a bunch already.

Turns out it was easy to get the books I had already ordered to 'come back' to my new Kindle: all I had to do was go to the "Content Manager" and select the books I wanted to re-download and, bada bing!, there they were. And the best part? When I opened each book it was exactly where I was when I was reading it before. In other words, the books you download are not only kept on Amazon (in case you need to re-download them) but Amazon also keeps track of where you were in the book the last time you were reading it.

I knew that they kept your bookmarks and highlights backed up, but I didn't realize they kept your place in the book backed up too. That means if your Kindle was ever lost or stolen, you could get a new one and replace all your books (for free) and open each one to the page where you last were. Nice.

I'm really glad my Kindle is back up and running. In the short period I've had it I've come to realize that it's not something I can easily live without. I'm reading a lot more, and more easily. The Kindle is now available for immediate shipment (i.e. no long waits anymore). If you like to read books then you should definitely get a Kindle; you'll be glad you did, especially if you read a lot while traveling.

Comments

[Anthony Cardinale]

Do you have any concerns about privacy? How much of this information are they sharing with the publishers? what books you have read, if you finished them, where you lost interest, etc.

I have not read the privacy policy concerning the Kindle...but this information seems incredibly useful to the publishers considering that previously they could only rely on sales and focus groups.

[Ernie]

I don't have concerns about privacy. I generally don't. But it sounds like you do. I'm not sure, as a concrete matter, what you are deeply concerned about. Pretty much everything in life involves tradeoffs. If you want perfect security and privacy then you can live in an underground bunker or in the wilderness. But if you want to commune with other people then you can't really do that. In my case I want the convenience and ease of a simple device that lets me easily download and read books. I don't see any major problems that are so threatening that I'd give up that new found convenience but then maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

[Bob Kraft]

Ernie, I agree the Kindle is very nice to have. I still enjoy the "experience" of reading actual print on paper more than reading on my Kindle, but it's hard to go on a trip and take multiple books and other documents. One nice feature of the Kindle is the ability to upload documents. My son-in-law is writing a novel, and he sends me drafts, which I read on my Kindle. I just got the latest today, while I'm on vacation. It was on my Kindle within five minutes of the time he e-mailed it to me.

Bob Kraft

[Marian]

If you're concerned about privacy (I'm not) you can store your books on a memory card, and simply remove the memory card whenever you turn on the wifi. The data will be saved on the card, not on the kindle (and you can see what *is* saved on the kindle and move any and all of it to the memory card (other than the OS obviously).

I googled to this blog entry because my kindle isn't turning on. I'll have to try removing the battery. (I also can't live without it)

[Susan Lane]

Just got my new Kindle.......everything is great with a big exception....I have the wireless bars, all but 1...and i still can't connect to the Kindle store....I've called Amazon twice and their explanation is that possibly, Sprint is overloaded.........still can't get in! Is anyone else experiencing this issue and if so, how did you resolve it?thanks

[Karen]

Was your Kindle replaced free by Amazon? If not free, was it discounted? Did you purchase an insurance agreement plan? Thanks.

[Jane C]

My Kindle suddenly went to sleep (like the dead) and refused to wake up .As I'm handicapped I panicked immediately. However while on "hold" their suggestion about holding the button 30 seconds worked. Must be a common problem.I appreciate your comments on how you fixed yours and Amazon's reactions to your problem. Liked especially that the replacement kept your books and pages.

[Virginia Schmidt]

I have had my 1st-gen Kindle about a year and a half, and it has fallen into the habit of dying on me. Went into a panic the first time and called help, they talked me through the reset with paperclip. Now I just keep a paperclip handy. I still like it but I love my Kindle decidedly LESS because I cannot depend on it, and I should have been able to continue believing it was invincible. Having a back-up for my Kindle books with the software on my HP mini has been invaluable. It is still better, though, than not having a Kindle.

I have a friend who tells me that the back button on her 2nd-gen Kindle no longer works ... anybody ever hear of that? I wouldn't like it.