Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (38 page)

Accessing the Experimental Browser

Yes indeed, your Kindle Paperwhite sports a built-in browser that you can use to access the Internet. The browser isn’t full-featured like the one you surf with on your computer, but it is a usable, albeit stripped-down, browser that you can take advantage of when you’re out somewhere with your Kindle Paperwhite and need to get online in a hurry.

If you have a Kindle Paperwhite 3G, free web browsing in 3G mode is limited. You can access only the Amazon website (including the Kindle Store, of course!) and Wikipedia via 3G wireless. For accessing other websites, you need to use a Wi-Fi connection.

Although the Kindle Paperwhite’s web browser is simple, it does offer some compelling features. Here are some of our favorite things about the Kindle Paperwhite web browser:

Even though web access is limited under 3G wireless, this access is free. (Most devices other than Kindles that use 3G require an access fee or monthly charges.) You can access Amazon or Wikipedia anytime, anywhere with your Kindle Paperwhite 3G — as long as you’re in an area covered by the AT&T cellular data network used by the Kindle Paperwhite.

The web browser provides a convenient way to connect to the web any time you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot. This hotspot could be your own home wireless network or the Wi-Fi available in a coffee shop or airport, for example. (
Note:
Some hotspots charge a fee for Internet connectivity.)

The Kindle Paperwhite’s web browser enables you to immediately jump to websites from links provided in e-books, blogs, or other content that you read on it.

For simple, text-oriented sites, such as mobile versions of most websites, the convenience of having web access available from your Kindle Paperwhite can be a lifesaver — or at least a timesaver.

Conversely, the rudimentary nature of the Kindle Paperwhite web browser has some drawbacks, including these:

The Kindle Paperwhite’s grayscale display is less than ideal for most web browsing. If you’re accessing sites that are rich in graphics and colors, you have a less appealing experience.

The web browser doesn’t support websites that use Flash or Shockwave multimedia effects.

Java applets aren’t supported. Some websites use Java applets for animations or to provide complex functionality.

Videos are not playable through the web browser.

The web browser may be unavailable in some countries outside the United States.

Getting online

To access the web browser, tap the Menu icon from the Home screen and then tap the Experimental Browser option, as shown in Figure 9-12.

Figure 9-12:
Access Amazon’s Experimental browser from the Menu icon.

The first time you launch the browser, a default list of website bookmarks is displayed, with Amazon at the top. Wikipedia, Google, and the
New York Times
are also on the list. Tap one of the bookmarks to open the bookmarked page in the browser.

You can open the browser also by tapping any web address link from content that you read on your Kindle Paperwhite. For example, if a book or blog that you read on your Kindle Paperwhite includes a clickable link, you can immediately access that website by tapping the link.