CNN asks, “why can’t you give someone a Kindle book as a gift?” in a recent article. They point out, as I do above, that the closest Amazon has to gifting a Kindle book is Amazon gift certificates with Kindle branding. In this instance, if you wanted to purchase a particular book for a friend, you’d have to give them the gift certificate and tell them which book to buy, which CNN rightfully points out is “awkward, convoluted, and a bit obnoxious. That process feels less like a gift and more like a command.”

I think I’ve found the reason for Amazon – and other e-book stores like Barnes & Noble’s nook store – to disallow specific Kindle books from being given as gifts: the difficulty in solidifying a digital return policy. As it is, if you download a Kindle book by mistake, you have a short period of time to click the “oops” link to get your refund and have the book removed from your device. What if a friend gave you a Kindle book you already owned? How would you return it and get something else. What if a well-meaning family member gave you a book they loved but you have no interest in reading? With a physical book, you can walk into Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. or mail it back to Amazon and it’s clear you haven’t read the book yet and should get a refund. Drawing the lines for a digital book return policy is probably too much of a minefield for Amazon to want to worry about. After all, who doesn’t like getting gift certificates? Why fix a system that isn’t really broken?

Have you had problems with wanting to give a Kindle book as a gift? Do you think Amazon should allow this? Personally, I prefer buying Kindle-branded Amazon gift certificates for my Kindle-owning friends and family. I know they’ll pick out something they want to read.

With the latest update to the software that runs on your Kindle, you can now “tweet” or update your Facebook status with selected content from your Kindle.  The first step is to configure Twitter and/or Facebook on your Kindle:

• Press your Menu button.
• Select Settings
• Scroll down to Social Networks, and click Manage.
• This will load your “Manage Your Social Networks” page in the experimental browser. (If your wireless is turned off, you’ll be prompted to turn it on now.)
• From here you can either click Link Account for Twitter, where it will bring you to Twitter to authenticate using your Kindle or you can log directly into Facebook.

Once you’ve done that, that’s it. You’re now socially connected through your Kindle.

The second step is to actually use that to Tweet/Status update.  Here’s how:

• Using your scrollstick, find the text you want to tweet/status update.  It can be in a book, clipping, etc.
• Click the scrollstick to start your selection, and then move to the left/right/up/down to select a section of text.
• The text pops up and says “Click to end highlight, ALT + RETURN, or Back to cancel. (It doesn’t actually say RETURN, but it’s the key that represents return, that I can’t type in text form.)  It looks like this:
• This will popup with Enter Your Message where you can type in up to 100 characters.  I know what you’re thinking, Twitter offers 140!  Yes, it does, but there also needs to be room for the URL to your highlight, and #Kindle (which are automatically added in.)
• Move your scrollstick to the Share and click.  Voila, you’ve just tweeted/status updated from your Kindle!

I know what you’re thinking – “But Mike, I never leave my wireless on. That drains my battery!” and I’m in the same boat.  In my testing, however, I’ve determined that your tweet/status update will queue up until you turn ony our wireless, at which point it will automatically send itself.

I tested the Twitter aspect earlier, and here’s how it looks on both Twitter, and on Amazon’s own site, check out the gallery below:

Once you’ve upgraded to software 2.5, you’ll be able to create “collections” of books on your Kindle.  That essentially means that you’re able to group various books together, in any manner you wish.  The concept of “on my Kindle” or “in the archive” no longer applies (though it still can.)  You can now create groups of authors, book types, or anything else you want.  I went through my books this morning and put them all in an “already read” collection.

Here’s how to use collections:

1. Use the scrollstick to highlight a book you want to move to a collection, and press towards the right. This will bring you to the details for that book.
2. Select “Add to Collection” from the menu.
3. At this point you can either select an existing collection by clicking your scrollstick on it, or select “Create New Collection”.
4. Once you either create a new one, or click an existing one, the “add to this collection” will disappear, and be replaced with “remove from this collection“, and a checkmark will appear on the right of the screen.

I will say that it took me quite a while to get through all of the books I had on my Kindle this morning.  But my Kindle is nice and organized now.

Unfortunately, if you purchased any version of the Kindle device before the global versions were released, your device will not receive global wireless. The 6″ Kindle was released in a global version on October 19, 2009 and the 9.7″ Kindle DX was released in a global version on January 19, 2010. If you wish to receive global wireless, and you received your Kindle before these dates, you will need to purchase one of the new Kindles.

The global Kindle is available in both a 6-inch version and a 9.7-inch version.

• My Kindle screen cracked – what do I do?
• My Kindle has gray lines/a gray patch on the screen – what do I do?
• I need to update my credit card information. How do I do that?
• I tried to get a refund for a book I downloaded, but it didn’t work. I want my refund.

To get help with these questions – and in any situation where your Kindle is broken or you have questions about your Amazon account – contact Amazon support. They can be reached by visiting their website by clicking the Contact Us button on the help pages at http://www.amazon.com/kindlesupport or directly by calling one of these numbers: Inside the United States: 1-866-321-8851, Outside the United States: 1-206-266-0927.

I love answering reader questions, but sometimes it’s an issue that can only be taken care of by Amazon. Of course, if you email me with a problem I can’t solve, I’ll be happy to send you this contact information again.

Below is an image of all size font sizes that the Kindle DX has to offer. From left to right, the size increases through the sizes that the DX offers. They seem small as you step up through them, but there’s quite a difference between the largest, and the smallest.

To see fonts at 100% size, click the image to enlarge.

It’s tough to tell what font size it is, in terms that we’re all used to, but hopefully the image will help you get a feel for whether or not the biggest will be big enough.

I also checked the font size(s) on the Kindle 2, and they’re exactly the same as the DX’s, as shown above.  The fonts may seem larger on the smaller device, but ultimately they’re the same size.

First of all, if you haven’t already, you should register the Kindle to your Amazon account. I wrote up instructions on how to do this that you can find by clicking here. Be sure you have your correct Amazon account password and remember that passwords are case-sensitive.

The second thing you should do is check out the available accessories. If you plan to bring your Kindle out in public or pack it in a bag, you’ll want a cover or a case for it. I personally use the official Amazon cover (seen at left), but there are plenty of other nice ones out there. Favorites among my readers are M-Edge Kindle covers and the very classy Cole Haan luxury Kindle covers.

If you do a lot of nighttime reading, you’ll probably want a booklight. As you’ve probably already discovered, the Kindle doesn’t have a backlight like most electronic devices. This is an intentional decision on Amazon’s part, as the backlight would strain your eyes and would defeat the purpose of the paper-like e-ink screen. So, to do any nighttime reading, you’ll want a light. A standard booklight will do (in fact, that’s what I use), but there are also Kindle-specific lights from M-Edge and Mighty Bright.

There are also plenty of colorful silicone cases and decorative skins you can add to your Kindle, all of which can be found in the Amazon Kindle accessory store.

The next thing – and probably the most exciting thing about the Kindle – that you should do is visit the built-in Kindle bookstore. The Kindle was the first e-reader to have a built-in store and wireless connection so that you didn’t have to connect it to a computer to transfer books. You can browse Amazon’s e-book selection right from the device and download books in seconds. To get to the store, follow these directions. To purchase a book, follow these directions. But before you go buying books willy-nilly, you should know about two special features of the Kindle: 1) the wish list, and 2) free samples.

The wish list is just what it sounds like. It used to be called the Save for Later list, but has since been integrated with Amazon’s wish list function. To learn how to use the Save for Later list, check out this article I wrote.

Getting free samples on the Kindle is probably the simplest thing – all Kindle books have a free sample available. Just click the Send Sample Now button (seen at right) on any Kindle book page on Amazon.com. For magazines and newspapers, you automatically get a 14-day free trial when you subscribe. As long as you cancel within the 14 days, you won’t be charged.

Another thing you should learn how to do is to use the Kindle’s built in dictionary feature. On the Kindle 2 or Kindle DX, simply navigate the cursor next to a word by using the joystick. The definition will appear at the bottom of your Kindle screen. On the original Kindle, just use the scroll wheel to select a line, and choose Look Up in Dictionary from the Menu.

Some other useful starter tips:

• Make the font size work for you. The Kindle has six different font sizes, so use them to your advantage. Running on the treadmill? Make the font size huge and you’ll be able to read clearly without holding the Kindle. Trying to reduce the frequency of your page turns? Make the font size smaller to fit more content onto the screen. If you need help changing the font size, check out my previous article.
• Try out the notes function. The Kindle allows you to make notes and highlights on your books, just like you could with a pen or Post-Its on paper books. You can also access your notes and highlights on Amazon.com.
• Play with the Basic Web Browser. Instructions on getting to the experimental web browser can be found here. You can use it to search Google or Wikipedia, or even check your email, tweet, check Facebook, or even make a to-do list.
• Learn how to manage your battery power. Leave the wireless connection turned off unless you are actively downloading books from the Kindle Store, or using the experimental web browser. The Kindle will enter sleep mode after being inactive for 10 minutes, but you can put it in sleep mode by sliding the power button to the right quickly. You’ll know it’s in sleep mode if an image of a famous author is displayed instead of your content library.

That’s a good starting place for any new Kindle owner. If you have more tips, feel free to share them in the comments. If you have more questions, you can leave those in the comments as well, or feel free to email me at cj@kindlenewsandreviews.com.

Amazon usually rolls out software updates via Kindle’s wireless, but what if you want to install it now? According to Amazon’s Kindle Support section on software updates, you can follow the following steps:

1. Visit Amazon.com and make sure you’re logged into the Amazon.com account to which your Kindle is registered.
2. Determine which type of Kindle you have: Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select “Settings.” Look in the bottom right corner of the screen. The version number will correspond to the kind of device:
   * Kindle (U.S. Wireless) devices begin with: 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, and 2.0.4.
   * Kindle (Global Wireless) devices begin with: 2.2, 2.2.1, and 2.2.2.
   * Kindle DX devices begin with: 2.1 and 2.1.1.

   If your version number begins with 2.3, you’ve already received the update and don’t need to take any further action.

3. Visit the appropriate link below to download the Kindle software update file directly to your computer:
   * Kindle (U.S. Wireless)
   * Kindle (Global Wireless)
   * Kindle DX
4. Turn your Kindle on and connect it to your computer using the USB cable.
5. Use your computer’s file browser to copy the update file from your computer to the Kindle root directory. (The root directory contains a number of folders — such as “audibles,” “documents,” and “music” — and is typically denoted by a “device” icon).
6. Check your file browser’s file transfer progress bar to ensure that file transfer to your Kindle is complete. When you’re confident the file has transferred successfully, you can use your computer’s unmount or eject function to safely disconnect Kindle from your computer.
7. Disconnect the USB cable from Kindle and your computer.
8. Go to the Home screen, press the Menu key, and select “Settings.”
9. Press the Menu key again, and then select “Update Your Kindle.” (This option will be grayed out if the most recent update has already been installed.)
10. Select “Ok” when prompted if you want to perform an update.

Once you’ve clicked “Update Your Kindle,” a progress bar will appear on your Kindle’s screen. Once the update is complete, your Kindle will automatically restart. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes.

If you have trouble with the update, you can contact Amazon customer support at one of these numbers: inside the United States: 1-866-321-8851 or outside the United States: 1-206-266-0927.

I did some poking around and it appears that’s not the case. I clipped articles out of two different magazines, then deleted both of them. Both clippings still appear in the My Clippings folder, and they’re both readable and fully accessible.

This is definitely a useful discovery, since I’d hate to clutter up my Kindle with newspapers and magazines I no longer need, just to be able to keep one article.

While there’s an Ars Technica article making the rounds about Amazon’s non-policy on lost or stolen Kindles – the short version is that they can’t locate the device via GPS, nor will they remotely shut the device down – there are some things you can do if you happen to lose yours.

First, go to amazon.com/manageyourkindle. Under the “Your Kindle(s)” section, click the “Degregister” link next to your Kindle. This disconnects your Amazon account from your lost Kindle. It will prevent whoever finds your Kindle from purchasing books using your Amazon account. It will also prevent them from buying other items on Amazon using the experimental web browser.

Second, if you choose to replace your Kindle, re-download the content you lost when you lost your device using the instructions in this post.

This may be common sense, but if you left your device somewhere where there’s some kind of lost & found system, it’s always worth calling the company to see if your device was turned in. For example, Delta has a lost and found phone number.