Kindle for PC Beta (Program for Windows)
mike muth
(Kindle for PC Beta).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
Minimum system requirements are:
* A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
* At least 128MB of RAM
* Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
* Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows
7
* 100MB of available disk space
There are no ratings yet and I haven't seen any results from the beta
test. I'm downloading it right now and will have more to say later.
--
Mike
John Hatpin
> Amazon.com has just made available a Kindle reader program for the PC
> (Kindle for PC Beta).
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
Don't know where your hashes came from; the URL should be:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000426311
--
John Hatpin
http://uninformedcomment.wordpress.com/
Esra Sdrawkcab
<RemoveThi...@gmailandthistoo.com> wrote:
> mike muth wrote:
>
>> Amazon.com has just made available a Kindle reader program for the PC
>> (Kindle for PC Beta).
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
>
> Don't know where your hashes came from; the URL should be:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000426311
Whatever happened to PDF (or plain ASCII for that matter)?
--
Nuns! Reverse!
John Hatpin
PDF's always been horrible, even with a decent reader like Foxit.
But other than that "read stuff on your computer" is hardly anything
groundbreaking, and I'd be surprised if good old HTML wasn't just as
good. That's leaving aside the synching capabilities of the Kindle
app, as well as its ability to read DRM-infected files.
I'll be interested to see what Mike thinks of this, though - I'm
willing to be persuaded.
mike muth
<RemoveThisjfhop...@gmailAndThisToo.com> wrote:
> I'll be interested to see what Mike thinks of this, though - I'm
> willing to be persuaded.
I've played around a little bit, kicked the tires, slammed the doors.
I just posted this first impression at my forum (Mike's Place, you've
been there, John).
Okay, here's my first impression of the Kindle for your PC:
system Requirements:
* A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
* At least 128MB of RAM
* Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
* Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows
7
* 100MB of available disk space
Setup:
It was a 5+ mb download. To install, just double click and it does
the rest. It would be nice to designate the destination folder, but
you don't get the chance.
On my Server 2003 machine it installed in the windows drive at
\documents and settings\,user name>\local settings\application data
\amazon\kindle For PC.
It placed a shortcut on my desktop and added an Amazon group to my
start menu.
On Vista and Win 7 PC's, the program will install to an equivalent
location in the \users folder. Amazon's on line instructions provide
the actual path to that
A final step is to register the application. this occurs the first
time you start the application. You are prompted to enter your Amazon
account (e-mail address you provide when logging in) and your
password.
Running the program:
When you enter the program, you are at the home location. the button
immediately to the right of that is the <Archive> button. To download
already purchased books, click there. In this, it is similar to the
Kindle for iPhone app.
The home screen displays the downloaded and available books. Double
clicking on the book opens it. You can sort the books by Most recent,
Title and Author.
Of course, there is an option to go to the Kindle store.
There is a pull-down menu for options
Settings: Account information and an option to automatically
install updates as they become available.
Sync and check for new items.
Future Improvements
takes you to Amazon and a page promising new features like:
Create notes and highlights
Thanks to Whispersync, you can already read your notes and
highlights from other devices on Kindle for PC. We'd like to add the
ability to create notes and highlights using the Kindle for PC
application.
Search
Find a word or a sentence in the book you are currently
reading.
Zoom and rotate images
Click on an image to see an expanded view and rotate it
if desired.
Send Feedback
About Kindle - the usual about information
Help - takes you to a help page at Amazon.com
Manage Your Kindle - takes you to the Manage Your Kindle Page for
your account at Amazon
Buy a Kindle - takes you to the obvious page at Amazon.com
Reading your book:
If you've seen the iPhone App, you've seen this.
Buttons to change pages, goto, change fonts, and home
Clear black text on a white background.
You can use on screen controls, the arrow keys, and your scroll
button to navigate the document.
For other details:
The books are stored in you my documents (documents for Vista and
Win7) in a folder named My Kindle Content
Now for the surprise: The files are in DRMed mobi format (.prc
extension). Huh? Why not stick with azw unless they are using the
mobi reader engine on the PC.
Each book is represented by two files, the .prc file and a .mbp
file.
The books *do not* use the book title as the file name but use an
alpha numeric sequential naming systems which tells you nothing about
titles.
I experimented with file formats the Kindle can read. I copied a
Kindle format book (.azw extension), a rich text format file (.rtf), a
text file (.txt), an acrobat file (.pdf), an html file, an epub file
and a Sony (.lrf) file. Only the .azw and .rtf files were displayed
on the home page. The Kindle for PC application could not read the
kindle format (.zaw) file. Go figure.
One star for ease and reliability of setup. One star for the easy
interface to amazon. One star for the reader interface. No stars for
e-text compatibility (the app is not even compatible with the Kindle)
and 1/2 star for features. 3 1/2 stars of five.
--
Mike
landotter
<RemoveThisjfhop...@gmailAndThisToo.com> wrote:
> Esra Sdrawkcab wrote:
> > On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:15:39 -0000, John Hatpin
> > <RemoveThisjfhop...@gmailandthistoo.com> wrote:
>
> > > mike muth wrote:
>
> > >> Amazon.com has just made available a Kindle reader program for the PC
> > >> (Kindle for PC Beta).
>
> > >>http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
>
> > > Don't know where your hashes came from; the URL should be:
>
> > >http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/?docId=1000426311
>
> > Whatever happened to PDF (or plain ASCII for that matter)?
>
> PDF's always been horrible, even with a decent reader like Foxit.
Evince on Ubuntu is a great PDF reader. I use it full screen (F11)
quite often. Foxit's the best for windows that I've tried.
Greg Goss
Nostalgia time. I remember text-reader programs for Windows that fit
into a few dozen K. A hundred meg???
--
apart from one noisy guy up in Canada, no-one wants
a three-cylinder tissue box on bicycle tires.
mike muth
> mike muth <mike.m...@unverbesserlich.org> wrote:
> >Amazon.com has just made available a Kindle reader program for the PC
> >(Kindle for PC Beta).
>
> >http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
>
> >Minimum system requirements are:
>
> > * A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
> > * At least 128MB of RAM
> > * Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
> > * Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows
> >7
> > * 100MB of available disk space
>
> >There are no ratings yet and I haven't seen any results from the beta
> >test. I'm downloading it right now and will have more to say later.
>
> Nostalgia time. I remember text-reader programs for Windows that fit
> into a few dozen K. A hundred meg???
The download is only 5 mb. I suspect most of that 100mb is allocated
for cache.
--
Mike
Hactar
Too hard to change behind our backs.
--
-eben QebWe...@vTerYizUonI.nOetP royalty.mine.nu:81
A: Because it looks dumb and is hard to read.
Q: Why is top-posting wrong? -- from lot...@xxx.com
http://www.fscked.co.uk/writing/top-posting-cuss.html
John Hatpin
Damn, how slack of me to fall into the only-Windows-exists trap! I've
not used Evince, but then my two Ubuntu machines consist of (a) a
mostly-headless server and (b) a dead machine awaiting TLC, so I've
not had cause to want to read PDF in that environment. Recommendation
noted, though - thanks.
landotter
MIght not be featureful enough for you--but does what I need it to do,
which is to fullscreen properly, page up and down properly, and best
of all--it automatically bookmarks and opens to the last page you
viewed.
John Hatpin
Actually, that's about all I'd need, with a search facility of course.
Bonus points if it scrolls down a page when you hit the spacebar. I
like it when software does that.
landotter
[opens "Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff" pdf]
yes, it does exactly that. Spacebar advances one page. Search is basic
but fast.
mike muth
Kindle for PC does that, I just checked. Backspace goes back a page.
It does all those other things, too. In addition, if you have the
same text(s) on other devices doing Kindle apps or on one or more
Kindles, it will synchronize your bookmarks.
Since I have the Kindle and the iphone app, I doubt I'll get much use
fro the PC app. My daughter, on the other hand can use it.
Now, if you don't have a Kindle and want to take advantage of the
lower prices for Kindle books, this application would to the trick for
you.
--
Mike
Bob Ward
This looks like yet another answer to the question no one weans
asking.
While I would not at all mind owning a Kindle, I don't see why one
would choose to turn one's back on a well-thought-out piece of
equipment like the Kindle to tether oneself to the computer for
reading.
Despite Hatpin's vague, unspecified statement that PDFss are
problematic, I've found them to be very useful in presenting a
document that can be read as designed on jut about any platform, and
there is certainly a large supply of free books to choose from.
Bob Ward
<mike...@unverbesserlich.org> wrote:
>
>Now, if you don't have a Kindle and want to take advantage of the
>lower prices for Kindle books, this application would to the trick for
>you.
OK, that makes sense, in that case.
Is it a free app. or are they selling it?
mike muth
> On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:06:59 -0800 (PST),mike muth
>
>
> >Now, if you don't have a Kindle and want to take advantage of the
> >lower prices for Kindle books, this application would to the trick for
> >you.
>
> OK, that makes sense, in that case.
>
> Is it a free app. or are they selling it?
It is a freebie. I suspect they hope it will serve as a gateway to
buying a Kindle.
--
Mike
Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)
<mike...@unverbesserlich.org> wrote:
> Amazon.com has just made available a Kindle reader program for the PC
> (Kindle for PC Beta).
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
>
> Minimum system requirements are:
>
> * A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
> * At least 128MB of RAM
> * Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
> * Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows
> 7
That eliminates me, since I'm running W2K SP4. It's a good thing I've
already got two Kindles.
The free virus et al. checker I used, XoftSpy, just dropped the W2K
version and I need to find a replacement. There's still an amazing
amount of W2K software around. Obviously, I'm not the only holdout
left.
Mary "I like W2K and the GRX500K."
--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer
We didn't just do weird stuff at Dryden, we wrote reports about it.
reunite....@gmail.com or mil...@qnet.com
Visit my blog at http://thedigitalknitter.blogspot.com/
Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)
wrote:
> Whatever happened to PDF (or plain ASCII for that matter)?
The Kindle DX and the most recent International Kindle have a native
PDF reader that works very well. I like it because I can download all
my NASA papers onto my Kindle and read them there.
However, I do have to point out that the Kindles use the Mobi format
and there are a number of Mobi readers available for PCs. There are
also other sources than Amazon for Mobi format books.
Mary "I buy a lot from Baen Books."
mike muth
<reunite.gondw...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:52:49 -0000, "Esra Sdrawkcab" <ad...@127.0.0.1>
> wrote:
>
> > Whatever happened to PDF (or plain ASCII for that matter)?
>
> The Kindle DX and the most recent International Kindle have a native
> PDF reader that works very well. I like it because I can download all
> my NASA papers onto my Kindle and read them there.
>
> However, I do have to point out that the Kindles use the Mobi format
> and there are a number of Mobi readers available for PCs. There are
> also other sources than Amazon for Mobi format books.
So, are the books you download in .prc (mobi) format or .azw (Amazon's
modified mobi) format?
The Kindle app stored all of the downloads as .prc and won't
read .azw. I can move a .prc file from my e-book depository to the
Kindle app's storage and read it. I can't do that with any other
format, not even Amazon's proprietary .azw format. Yet, if I choose
to download a purchased book to "computer" (as opposed to downloading
with the new app), it comes down as .azw. When I view the documents
folder on the Kindle, the files are .azw. So, the app is, in a rather
jarring way, not totally compatible with the Kindle 1.
I also can't read those latest downloads (the .prc ones) with Mobi
Reader. That hits the DRM barrier.
--
Mike
mike muth
> > Amazon.com has just made available a Kindle reader program for the PC
> > (Kindle for PC Beta).
>
> >http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/####?docId=1000426311
>
> > Minimum system requirements are:
>
> > * A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
> > * At least 128MB of RAM
> > * Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
> > * Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows
> > 7
>
> That eliminates me, since I'm running W2K SP4. It's a good thing I've
> already got two Kindles.
>
> The free virus et al. checker I used, XoftSpy, just dropped the W2K
> version and I need to find a replacement. There's still an amazing
> amount of W2K software around. Obviously, I'm not the only holdout
> left.
You might want to try it, anyway. It's a fairly simple app and seem
to be written to use standard system calls (not the undocumented
ones). I think it likely that it would function in Win2K. Hmmm. I
may try running it in a Win2K virtual machine and see how that works.
Dover Beach
news:8c556839-6caa-4e78...@l2g2000yqd.googlegroups.com:
Just as an FYI, Overdrive, one of the primary providers of ebooks to
libraries, (with whom I no longer have to do business or meet for drinks
at conferences, YAAAAY, but that's not important right now) puts out a
fair number of books in Mobi format. Mike, if you still have your
Kansas library card, you can download a lot of books in Mobi format from
the Kansas Library Card website. They also have a lot of .pdf books. I
was the team lead that negotiated that deal for Kansas, so get some use
out of it, please. Hint: when you're doing a search for a particular
book format, use a % (percent sign) as the wildcard to pull up all books
in a specific format.
--
Dover
S. Checker
> On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:52:49 -0000, "Esra Sdrawkcab" <ad...@127.0.0.1>
> wrote:
>
>> Whatever happened to PDF (or plain ASCII for that matter)?
>
> The Kindle DX and the most recent International Kindle have a native
> PDF reader that works very well. I like it because I can download all
> my NASA papers onto my Kindle and read them there.
>
> However, I do have to point out that the Kindles use the Mobi format
> and there are a number of Mobi readers available for PCs. There are
> also other sources than Amazon for Mobi format books.
I found it interesting that you can email documents to a Kindle. I
can't help but think this would be very useful.
--
Purely in the interests of science, I'm going to blow up a shop-vac.
-- Huey
John Hatpin
I saw an ad a couple of days ago for a wifi photo frame. To put a new
photo in the frame, you sent it to the frame's email address.
Makes you wonder how long before these devices get their own spam -
books about V14GR4 appearing on your Kindle and pictures of HOT XXX
TEENS on your photo frame. You read it here first, possibly.
Dover Beach
news:ph8rf59jpofvpm3ub...@4ax.com:
>
> I saw an ad a couple of days ago for a wifi photo frame. To put a new
> photo in the frame, you sent it to the frame's email address.
>
Damn, that is getting seriously close to sending the bread to the
toaster's email address.
> Makes you wonder how long before these devices get their own spam -
> books about V14GR4 appearing on your Kindle and pictures of HOT XXX
> TEENS on your photo frame.
That would be funny, in a horrifying kind of way.
--
Dover
mike muth
My library card is of little value for that. The librarian in my
(soon-to-be) town/city lives in her own world where she decides what
"her" patrons want to read. The last time I asked about an inter-
library loan, she told me to drive 18 miles to a library which could
handle that. She also refused about $800 worth of books I tried to
donate to that library.
I've made a note of this, though, and hope to be able to take
advantage of it. I can do some of it through some university
libraries which are on-line.
Mike
mike muth
> "Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)" <reunite.gondw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:52:49 -0000, "Esra Sdrawkcab" <ad...@127.0.0.1>
> > wrote:
>
> >> Whatever happened to PDF (or plain ASCII for that matter)?
>
> > The Kindle DX and the most recent International Kindle have a native
> > PDF reader that works very well. I like it because I can download all
> > my NASA papers onto my Kindle and read them there.
>
> > However, I do have to point out that the Kindles use the Mobi format
> > and there are a number of Mobi readers available for PCs. There are
> > also other sources than Amazon for Mobi format books.
>
> I found it interesting that you can email documents to a Kindle. I
> can't help but think this would be very useful.
You can also just copy them via a USB connection. When I moved to
Germany, I put the family's most important documents into a folder on
my Kindle. I put them in a new folder off the root on my SD card, so
the Kindle couldn't read them, but they were intact when I dumped them
onto a PC in Germany.
--
Mike
Dover Beach
> My library card is of little value for that. The librarian in my
> (soon-to-be) town/city lives in her own world where she decides what
> "her" patrons want to read. The last time I asked about an inter-
> library loan, she told me to drive 18 miles to a library which could
> handle that. She also refused about $800 worth of books I tried to
> donate to that library.
Bummer about your local liberrian, but fortunately, the Kansas State
Library deal has taken care of that for you. Go here:
and read all about it. All ebooks (mostly audio, I admit) purchased by
any library in Kansas -- Johnson County, Lawrence, all the biggies -- is
available to any Kansas library patron.
I might also be able to help you do a patron-initiated ILL,
circumventing your librarian. But then again she might have blocked
that.
>
> I've made a note of this, though, and hope to be able to take
> advantage of it. I can do some of it through some university
> libraries which are on-line.
>
--
Dover
mike muth
> mike muth<mike.m...@unverbesserlich.org> wrote innews:ac548965-0047-489b...@v30g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:
>
> > My library card is of little value for that. The librarian in my
> > (soon-to-be) town/city lives in her own world where she decides what
> > "her" patrons want to read. The last time I asked about an inter-
> > library loan, she told me to drive 18 miles to a library which could
> > handle that. She also refused about $800 worth of books I tried to
> > donate to that library.
>
> Bummer about your local liberrian, but fortunately, the Kansas State
> Library deal has taken care of that for you. Go here:
>
> http://www.kslc.org/faq.jsp
>
> and read all about it. All ebooks (mostly audio, I admit) purchased by
> any library in Kansas -- Johnson County, Lawrence, all the biggies -- is
> available to any Kansas library patron.
Unfortunately, I can't do anything about this until I return to Kansas
when my tour in Germany is over. It's that whole appear in person at
a Kansas library thing...
> I might also be able to help you do a patron-initiated ILL,
> circumventing your librarian. But then again she might have blocked
> that.
She's old. She's liable to be gone when I go back. If not, I can
drive the 18 miles to Newton, KS. I'll have to go there for auto
tags, grocery shopping, etc.
--
Mike
Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)
<mike...@unverbesserlich.org> wrote:
> On Nov 12, 7:12�am, "Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)"
> <reunite.gondw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > However, I do have to point out that the Kindles use the Mobi format
> > and there are a number of Mobi readers available for PCs. �There are
> > also other sources than Amazon for Mobi format books.
>
> So, are the books you download in .prc (mobi) format or .azw (Amazon's
> modified mobi) format?
Either .prc or .mobi, looking at the ones I've gotten from Baen.com.
It seems to be about 50-50 and I can't seen any reason for the
difference.
Mary "But I haven't really studied them."
mike muth
> > On Nov 12, 7:12 am, "Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)"
> > <reunite.gondw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > However, I do have to point out that the Kindles use the Mobi format
> > > and there are a number of Mobi readers available for PCs. There are
> > > also other sources than Amazon for Mobi format books.
>
> > So, are the books you download in .prc (mobi) format or .azw (Amazon's
> > modified mobi) format?
>
> Either .prc or .mobi, looking at the ones I've gotten from Baen.com.
> It seems to be about 50-50 and I can't seen any reason for the
> difference.
What about the Kindle books you get from Amazon? The ones I download
direct to Kindle or to Computer (but not to the Kindle app on my PC)
are .azw format. The ones I download for the Kindle app are .prc.
--
Mike
Jesper Lauridsen
>
> Despite Hatpin's vague, unspecified statement that PDFss are
> problematic, I've found them to be very useful in presenting a
> document that can be read as designed on jut about any platform, and
> there is certainly a large supply of free books to choose from.
A PDF file is designed for printing - not screen reading. For good
screen reading you need a format that allows the text to formatted on
the fly, according to the geometry of the screen and the font size used.
Hactar
And if it must be PDF, at least make it one shaped like a screen (aka
4:3 or 8:5 landscape) not like a sheet of notebook paper (aka 0.75 or so
portrait), with the text sized so it's legible if the page fills the
screen.
--
-eben QebWe...@vTerYizUonI.nOetP http://royalty.mine.nu:81
"You're one of those condescending Unix computer users!"
"Here's a nickel, kid. Get yourself a better computer" - Dilbert