KINDLE 4 BASIC USER'S GUIDE IS NOW AVAILABLEThe PDF and Kindle versions are both available at the top of the Kindle Documentation page.
This is for the Basic Kindle, 4th generation, without Touchscreen or Keyboard, $79 with Special Offers, and $109 without Special Offers.
Here are a few notes I took:
The Basic Kindle with no touchscreen or keyboard does have Previous and Next page buttons on both sides of the Kindle (as in past models), which makes it possible to hold it with one hand.
My favorite button the 'Back' button, and there's one here, on the left (bottom) and now a "Keyboard' button next to it, which will bring up a keyboard not unlike the diagram that is displayed when you press the "Sym key" on earlier Kindle 3's.
You can select alpha or numerical characters, one by one, for input. Very slowly, of course, but this is a model for those who don't do much typing while reading and who want the smallest, lightest e-reader.
Home and Menu buttons are there as well. The familiar 5-way controller is in the center of the row.
The Kindle "can be charged via connection to a computer."
The Kindle power adapter is sold separately. This is a first. One way to keep the price lower, I guess. But, what was that about Amazon Kindle customers not requiring a computer ?
Dictionary selection will be done with a click of the center of the 5-way controller and selecting "full definition" and ending with another center-click.
To view page numbers when they exist in a book, press the Menu button -- That means they have not made this optional for showing/hiding... a menu press is still needed to see page (and location) numbers.
I like that you can set the current local time, which was new with Kindle 3.
Despite the painful mode of inputting words or even phrases, the social network features such as Twitter and Facebook are available for sharing notes and highlights.
The Basic Kindle CAN highlight and annotate (slowly) PDF files (a newer feature they haven't given the DX Graphite (which costs $379 and was born 2 months before the Kindle 3, which uses the same Pearl screen).
Under Battery Safety the Guide reiterates:
" Your Kindle is not shipped with an AC adaptor. Your Kindle should only be charged using the USB
cable included with the device, or another USB cable approved for use with your Kindle, with
a compatible USB charger or USB port that meets the following requirements: USB-IF Battery
Charging Spec, Rev 1.2."
That's it. It's a very short User's Guide, which points you to Amazon online Help pages for more details.
Product Specifcations
Model Number — D01100
Display — 6" diagonal display, 600 x 800 pixel resolution, 16-level gray scale.
Size — 6.5 inches by 4.5 inches by 0.34 inches (165.75 mm by 114.5 mm by 8.7 mm).
Weight — 6 ounces (170 g)
Storage — 2GB internal storage, with approximately 1GB available to the user.
Power — AC power adapter (sold separately) and rechargeable lithium polymer battery.
Connectivity — USB 2.0 (micro-B connector). 802.11b/g/n wireless modem in Kindle with
international wireless.
Operating temperature — 32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C).
Storage temperature — 14°F to 113°F (-10°C to 45°C).
Wi-Fi — 802.11b/g/n
For daily free ebooks, check the following links:
| Temporarily-free books - Non-classics USA: by: Publication Date Late-listed Bestselling High-ratings UK: PubDate Popular What is 3G? and "WiFi"? Battery Care Highly-rated under $1, | Most Popular Free K-Books U.S. & Int'l (NOT UK): Top 100 free UK-Only: Top 100 free USEFUL for your Kindle (U.S. only, currently): 99c Notepad 1.1, 99c Calculator, 99c Calendar, |
I think this would be good for families that already have Kindles that want a model for the children. I would be more comfortable giving it to my children in that it would be harder to run up a bill with that keyboard.
ReplyDeleteI expect the separate power cord is to keep the base price down.
ReplyDeletehi andrys,
ReplyDeletethanks for the coverage on your blog. my go-to place.
what do you think amazon will do regarding the larger, dx model? i really want one but with a touch screen. do you think they will update the dx anytime soon, or phase it out altogether?
cheers,
sara
Also, I wish they wouldn't use the book covers on their promotional material since they don't allow for the cover to appear as a screen saver (a la Kobo). The books don't even automatically open to the covers. I know you can see them, but if Amazon is going to promote them, lets see them with a little less effort, shall we.
ReplyDeleteCarmen,
ReplyDeleteYes, that was my guess, as mentioned. Some have had previous Kindles so do have the wall plug already.
Sara,
Thanks :-) I would say there's zero chance they'll do a DX Touch. I'm still hoping they'll do a software update on the DX and not phase it out but I just have no idea. When I access Kindlestore, DX still often comes up at the time as an image, so some hope remains, in my case.
Hugh,
I haven't missed the covers because I'm aware the screen would take longer to load as they're image files and I've felt it was the right decision as we can opt to GoTo the cover when we want.
And, directly, I can see so many more titles the other way.
So no keyboard makes this a device for children? I have used the keyboard on my K3KB twice in a year. In fact, if I could switch the position of the forward and back buttons, I would use the device upside down. Like me, I suspect a majority of users never use the social features, notes or annotations features, or any of the other features used with the keyboard, and therefore don't need a keyboard. I guess it's nice to have one available, but for a majority of us, I suspect the virtual keyboard will be more than sufficient. For someone to pigeonhole the device as inferior or for children is inane. It's an e-reader without a keyboard and it will still perform its primary purpose, facilitating the reading of electronic texts, very well without a keyboard.
ReplyDeleteMy kindle has a keypad - about 3 years old. When I turn it on it says it has no wireless range (which is true - I use the cell phone technology to download books) Anyway, it won't let me get out of the message so I can read the book. I've gone to the settings and said off to wireless, but it still does it. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, am late in seeing this note. Hope you've been able to contact "Kindle Support" directly for customized support within one minute, at 1-866-321-8851 -- you can also contact them to have them call you instead, at http://amzn.to/kcallme.
Delete-- I've not heard of this message before. BUT you should probably just "restart" the Kindle by pressing the Power button or lever and *holding* it for 21 seconds or more. Then let go. After a couple of minutes it should restart and clear any memory problems that may be causing this. If it doesn't restart on its own, then tap or push the power button to get it going.
Good luck - and if that last part doesn't work, contact the Kindle Support number or page that I gave you. Let me know what happens if you can.
ireally don't know how to find the books I order from the library.. random touching under home icon? eventually they come up what are the directions..I got no directions with the kindle I bought
ReplyDeleteAnonymous -- It's supposed to automatically show up on your Kindle, with enough time. The few I ever borrowed did.
DeleteIf you sort by "Recent" it would be the first one to show up unless you ordered or recently read another one, but it should be high on the Kindle device's listing if just ordered from the library. You click and read it as you would any other Kindle book...
Mainly you need to have WiFi On and then automatic sync'g happens and Amazon downloads the library book to your Kindle...