Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (34 page)

Unlike the Kindle Touch, which uses an infrared screen, the Kindle Paperwhite uses a capacitive screen. With an infrared screen, paired light beams and receptors sense when a finger, a stylus, or another object touches the screen and interrupts the light beam. The touch triggers an action, such as turning the page. Capacitive screens work with only a bare finger or a capacitive stylus. A capacitive screen uses a conductive layer on the underside of the screen through which a small amount of electricity flows. A touch on the screen causes a change in capacitance, which causes the desired action — usually turning the page on the Kindle Paperwhite. (In addition, the Kindle Paperwhite has a multitouch capacitive screen, which is why you can use two fingers to enlarge the font.) Although a stylus will work on a capacitive screen, a gloved finger will not.

Chargers and cables

While the Kindle Paperwhite is advertised as having a very long battery life — up to two months if you only read 30 minutes per day with the wireless off — it still needs to be charged periodically. The device ships with a USB cable which can be used for charging via a laptop or computer. Simply connect the USB cable to the Paperwhite with the mini-USB adapter and then connect to the computer. If you want to read the device while it is charging, eject it from the computer (but leave it physically attached). Instructions for how to do this are presented in Chapter 2. The device doesn’t ship with a plug adapter, but you can purchase one from Amazon for $19.99 or use one from an earlier model Kindle (Kindle 2 or Kindle Keyboard). You can also use a mini-USB plug adapter from another device, such as a Blackberry.

Although the cable alone is sufficient, having a backup is a good idea, especially if you’re prone to misplacing things. The complete unit — cable and plug — costs $25. The cable alone is $10.

Amazon sells plug adapters that work in the United Kingdom (Type G, UK), the European Union (EU Universal), and Australia (Type I, AU). If you regularly travel to any of these countries, buying an adapter specific for that region might be a worthwhile investment.

If you spend a lot of time in your car, consider a charger that plugs into the vehicle’s power source/cigarette lighter. A variety of adapters that work with the Kindle Paperwhite are sold on Amazon.

Stands

Although the Kindle Paperwhite is light and easy to hold, sometimes you want to have your hands free while reading. In that case, you might find a stand to be a useful accessory. Amazon makes a basic minitravel stand that folds up and snaps shut when not in use. It’s made of black plastic with rubber coated ends for stability. Learn more at
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0064EL2DK/
.

BoxWave (
www.boxwave.com
) has two versions of easel-type bamboo devices: the stand and the panel. The stand is small, lightweight, and portable, whereas the panel separates into two pieces for storage. Note that BoxWave ships worldwide.

The Peeramid Pillow was designed by two sisters who wanted to bring comfortable reading to the world. Place the pyramid-shaped pillow on your lap, and fit the Kindle Paperwhite in the lip at the bottom of the pillow. When not in use, the pillow can be disguised as a traditional throw cushion on a couch or chair. Peeramid Pillows are sold in a variety of colors and fabric designs at Amazon (search for
Peeramid Pillow
).

Insuring Your Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. Amazon sells an extended warranty that covers the device for two full years, including damage caused from dropping it. The warranty, which stays with the device even if you sell it or give it to someone, must be purchased within 30 days of purchasing your Kindle Paperwhite and is available only to customers in the U.S. From the main product page for the Kindle Paperwhite, the two-year warranty protection plan is an option on the right of the screen. Click the link to discover more.

SquareTrade (
www.squaretrade.com
) sells two- and three-year warranties that cover Kindle Paperwhites from accidents and damage. SquareTrade warranties for Kindles are sold through Amazon. Simply search for
SquareTrade
at Amazon.com. You must purchase a SquareTrade warranty within 30 days of buying your Kindle Paperwhite.

If your Kindle Paperwhite breaks and needs to be exchanged, return only the Kindle Paperwhite — don’t send the USB cable. You’ll receive another cable with your replacement.

Chapter 9

Expanding the Reading Experience

In This Chapter

Digging deeper with the dictionary, translations, and X-ray

Sharing books and recommendations on Facebook and Twitter

Listening and reading with Whispersync for Voice

Browsing the web with your Kindle Paperwhite

A
lthough the Kindle Paperwhite is first and foremost a
reading device,
it does offer several features that go beyond reading
.
You can look up words with the dictionary, make notes, highlight the text, translate words from English to other languages and vice versa, dig deeper with X-ray, browse the web, and post on Facebook and Twitter.

In this chapter, we look at these features — and go beyond reading with your Kindle Paperwhite!

Easy Dictionary Look-Up

One of the most useful Kindle Paperwhite features is the built-in dictionary. The dictionary is easy to access and makes it swift and painless to find the definition of an unknown word.

To display a dictionary definition of a word, long-tap (that is, tap and hold) a word. The selected word is highlighted as white text on a black background. When you release your finger, a short dictionary definition for the word appears onscreen in a pop-up box, as shown in Figure 9-1. To clear the definition, tap anywhere outside the pop-up box or simply tap the X in the upper-right corner.

Figure 9-1:
Displaying the definition of the word
monopoly.

If you want to know more, tap Show Full Definition and a dictionary page opens with the full dictionary information for the word. Press the Back icon on the toolbar to return to your text.

From the definition box, you can also highlight the word. This highlights it on the screen and also saves it in your Notes & Marks file. To access this file, from the book, tap Menu⇒View Notes & Marks. A screen similar to the one shown in Figure 9-2 appears. Tap the Back icon to return to the text of your book.

Figure 9-2:
An example of a Notes & Marks file.

The definition box also includes a More button. Tap that button to display the screen as shown in Figure 9-3.

Figure 9-3:
Options when you tap More in a dictionary definition.

You have the following options:

Share:
Share the word (and any commentary you want to include) on Facebook and Twitter. Let your friends know how smart you are! (Facebook and Twitter are discussed in more detail in an upcoming section.)

Add Note:
Add a note regarding the word. The note will be included in your Notes & Marks file.

Dictionary:
Get the dictionary definition of the word, same as before.