Kindle Paperwhite for Dummies (46 page)

Protect your Kindle Paperwhite from your pets.
Keep your device safe from canine and feline friends. We’ve heard of dogs chewing a Kindle Paperwhite to pieces and cats walking across — and cracking — the screen.

Don’t leave your Kindle Paperwhite on a chair or bed.
It is easy to sit on your Kindle Paperwhite, roll over on it, or put your elbow through the display.

Fly with Your Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite is the perfect traveling companion, helping you get through hours of waiting in airports. And for those people who catch up on overdue reading during their vacation, the Kindle Paperwhite is ideal.

The following tips will help make your trips smooth and trouble-free:

Use common sense for airport security and screening.
Take the Kindle Paperwhite out of your bag or carry-on and put it in the screening bin, along with your cellphone and any other electronic devices. The Kindle Paperwhite needs to be turned off, the wireless needs to be turned off, and the device must be in Airplane mode, (see Chapter 2). Many ask if the x-ray screening can damage a Kindle. In our experience, the x-ray screening isn’t harmful to the device; we’ve traveled throughout the United States and abroad without any problems.

Don’t leave your Kindle Paperwhite in the seat pocket of the plane.
In every sad story we’ve heard of a Kindle left on a plane, it was left in the seat pocket. Don’t tempt fate. Keep your Kindle Paperwhite in your purse, briefcase, backpack, or carry-on when you aren’t reading it.

Turn off the Kindle Paperwhite during takeoff and landing.
In the eyes of the FAA, the Kindle Paperwhite is a portable electronic device and must be turned off (not just in sleep mode) for takeoff and landing. To turn off the device, press down on the power button for 7–15 seconds. Make sure the screen is blank (not displaying a screensaver). When the announcement is made that it’s safe to use portable electronic devices, you can take out your Kindle Paperwhite for reading and turn it back on in Airplane mode. Tap Menu⇒Settings, and then toggle Airplane Mode to On.

Never turn on 3G on airplane.
Even though you can read a Kindle Paperwhite while flying, 3G (if your Kindle Paperwhite is so equipped) must be turned off, as with a cellphone. If the airline provides in-flight Wi-Fi, you can turn on the wireless on a Wi-Fi–only Kindle Paperwhite when the flight attendant or pilot allows it.

Make sure you have the proper charging equipment when traveling.
The Kindle Paperwhite ships with only a USB cord. You can use this to charge your device from your computer, but we think it’s a good idea to have a plug adapter, too, so you don’t rely on only one charging option. If you’re traveling outside the United States, you’ll need a plug adapter if you want to charge your Kindle Paperwhite from an electrical socket. The Kindle Paperwhite is a dual-voltage device, so you do not need a converter.

If you regularly travel to the same country, consider buying a plug specific to that area. See Chapter 8 for details.

Load your Kindle Paperwhite with reading content before you leave.
The Kindle Paperwhite works internationally, so Wi-Fi and 3G should work everywhere. Even so, take some time before your trip to dig out e-books from the archive or buy some e-books from your wish list. Then while you’re traveling, you’ll have dozens of e-books available at your fingertips — without worrying about buying or downloading them.

If you’re planning a cruise, realize that Wi-Fi access can be expensive, amounting to a surcharge on every Kindle Paperwhite e-book you download. This is an even more compelling reason to load up your device before you leave!

Drive with Your Kindle Paperwhite

If you travel a lot by car, consider getting a car charger. Then you won’t need to charge your Kindle Paperwhite in a hotel room, which means you’ll have less chance of leaving the power cord, plug, and even Kindle Paperwhite behind. You can find a variety of Kindle Paperwhite–compatible car chargers at different price points on Amazon.

If you frequently travel by car, consider getting a Kindle/Audible audiobook bundle to use with your preferred audio device. Whispersync for Voice makes it easy to listen to a book while you’re driving. When the day’s driving is done, you can pick up your Kindle Paperwhite and sync to the last place you listened to on the audio device.

Troubleshoot Your Device

Having trouble with your Kindle Paperwhite? Following are some of the most common resolutions to Kindle Paperwhite issues:

Turn your Kindle Paperwhite off and then on again.
Many Kindle Paperwhite issues will resolve themselves by simply cycling your Kindle Paperwhite off and then on. Turn off the device by holding down the power button for 7 to 15 seconds. Wait for a blank screen, not just the screensaver. Then turn on your Kindle Paperwhite by pressing and releasing the power button.