The Kindle Reader
The Amazon Kindle is the most popular e-reader on the market, and you can enjoy reading Kindle books on your Android tablet. You can start reading on one device and continue reading on your Android tablet, right where you left off. This is a process Amazon calls Whispersync. You don’t even have to own a Kindle to use the reader. The Kindle Store carries more than books; you can also order magazines, newspapers, and comic books from the Kindle Store.
The one disadvantage to reading Kindle books is that they currently use a format unique to Amazon. Unfortunately, they don’t support the more standard ePUB format, which makes it difficult to buy books from other sellers and read them in your Kindle app. That said, it’s not impossible to read books in ePUB format on your Kindle app; we’ll cover how to use the Calibre app to do so in the “Converting Books from One Format to Another” section later in this chapter.
The Kindle Store uses your Amazon account; and on your Android, you can purchase books from the Kindle app itself. When you launch the Kindle app and register using your Amazon account, you’ll see a Bookshelf view that resembles Figure 17–6.
Figure 17–6. The Kindle app’s Bookshelf view
If you already have an existing library of Kindle books, they won’t be automatically downloaded to your device. You may not be reading them all, so this is done to save space. However, you can tap any archived book to download it to your tablet. Tap a downloaded book to start reading.
Reading Kindle Books
Unlike the Google Books reader, the Kindle reader does not display a two-page layout when you tilt your tablet horizontally. Instead, it shows a single, wider page. Also, the Kindle reader doesn’t think of book “pages” the same way traditional books do; however, it does keep track of where you last read. As long as you’ve got a data connection to keep your books in sync, you can pick up a book where you last stopped reading.
NOTE: Kindle books don’t have traditional pages. Your place in the book is tracked by word count. You’ll need the Kindle equivalent in order to find a spot in a book someone else references by page number.
Looking up Words
If you want to look up a word, simply long-press the word, and a dictionary definition will appear. The first time you do this, however, you’ll be prompted to download a dictionary, as shown in Figure 17–7. Once your dictionary is downloaded, it will work with any of your books.
Figure 17–7. Downloading a dictionary
You’ll notice there are more options than just the dictionary. For example, you can tap the Wikipedia or Google links on the upper right to look up a word or phrase on the Web using your tablet’s Browser app.
Saving Bookmarks and Taking Notes
The Kindle reader automatically syncs your current location, but you may want to bookmark a particular passage in a book. Follow these steps to do so:
- Tap in the middle of your page or long-press a particular word.
- Tap the Bookmark icon that appears on the upper-right corner of the screen.
- The Bookmark icon will turn blue to indicate you’ve bookmarked the section.
You can follow the same steps and then tap Highlight to highlight the word in the text instead. The process for taking notes is similar. Notes and bookmarks are actually stored online. Follow these steps to highlight text:
- Long-press a word within a publication.
- Tap Note on the top of the screen to take a text note.
- Type your note and press Save.
Follow these steps to navigate to a previously saved note or bookmark:
- Tap in the center of a page.
- Tap the Menu button on the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Tap View My Notes & Marks.
- Tap the Bookmark or Note icon to view the bookmark or note and navigate to that location.
Adjusting Your Kindle Reading Options
If you find the “print” is too small on your Kindle, you can adjust the font size. You can also adjust the screen brightness. Tap the screen once, and then tap the Font or Contrast button on the top of the screen, as shown in Figure 17–8.
Figure 17–8 Adjusting the font size
Purchasing Items for Kindle
You can purchase Kindle books through the Kindle app whenever you’re connected to the Internet. If you’re looking at the Bookshelf view, tap the Kindle Store button on the top of the screen to view items in Amazon’s Kindle Store. If you’re reading a book, follow these steps to visit the store:
- Tap the middle of the screen.
- Tap the Menu button.
- Select Shop in Kindle Store.
You can browse by category, search by author or keyword, or find publications by type. Amazon sells books, magazines, comic books, and newspapers for Kindle. Once you find an item, you can tap it to view a description, details, and customer reviews, as shown in Figure 17–9.
Figure 17–9. A book in Amazon’s Kindle Store
If you want to buy the book, click the Buy button. Or you can click the Try a Sample button to download a preview of the book, so you can decide whether you want to purchase it. Once you click Buy, you can process your payment through your Amazon account, and your book will download to your device.
You can also browse for items through the Amazon.com website and have them delivered to your tablet or any other device.
TIP: When you download a sample and later purchase the book, you end up with two different copies of the book. Be sure to note your place in the sample version at the bottom of the page, so you can navigate directly to that number in your purchased version of the book. Follow these steps to jump to your current location in the book:
- Tap the Menu button on the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Tap Go To.
- Select Location.
- Type in the numeric location.
Buying Magazines or Newspapers
You use the same process to purchase newspapers and magazines from Amazon. The key difference is that you can buy a single issue or a subscription. Figure 17–10 shows the process. Both individual and subscription prices are listed in the Kindle Store. Subscription charges are recurring, usually monthly. When you subscribe to a newspaper or magazine, you’ll automatically receive the latest digital edition as soon as you’re in wireless range. If you want to cancel your subscription, go online to www.amazon.com/manageyourkindlesubscriptions using either your tablet’s Browser app or any other computer connected to the Internet.
Figure 17–10. Subscribing to a magazine
What does a Kindle newspaper look like? It’s much easier to manage than a traditional newspaper. There are no folds, and your hands won’t get dirty with ink. You can also navigate directly to the content areas that interest you, and a Kindle newspaper isn’t filled with bouncing ads like a newspaper website. Figure 17–11 shows a sample issue of the Kansas City Star.
Figure 17–11. The Kindle edition of the Kansas City Star
Kindle magazines and journals have a look and feel similar to Kindle newspapers.
Shelfari
If you’d like to socialize with other Kindle book readers, you can use Amazon’s social site, Shelfari (www.shelfari.com). If you create a profile on this site, you can import your Amazon purchases, display your current reading activity, rate books, and even share the notes and bookmarks you’ve saved on Kindle books you’re reading on your tablet.
Follow these steps to view Shelfari information (see Figure 17–12):
- Launch the Kindle app.
- Go to your Bookshelf view.
- Long-press a book.
- Tap Shelfari book extras.
Figure 17–12. Viewing Shelfari information
Not every book has Shelfari extras, but most do. You’ll notice that each Shelfari entry is a wiki. Any user can edit the information. For example, you can edit and share information about characters, plots, reviews, and so on. All edits and additions are publicly visible.
Sideloading Kindle Books
If you’ve got a book you want to read on your tablet using the Kindle app, you can do so by sideloading it:
NOTE: A book must be in .mobi format before you can sideload it.
- Mount your tablet’s SD card to your computer by using the USB cable or an app like ES File Explorer.
- Open the Kindle folder on your card.
- Place your
.mobifile inside this folder.