Category Archives: Kindle

Amazon raises price on Kindle Unlimited subscription

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Amazon has notified customers via email that the company will be raising the price on its Kindle Unlimited (KU) subscription effective May 11th, 2023. The price will increase from $9.99 to $11.99, effective on the subscriber’s next month’s renewal date, effectively giving subscribers one month’s notice before the change takes effect.

Subscribers have the option to keep their current prices for a limited time. Until July 31, 2023, subscribers can lock in the current $9.99/month price by purchasing upfront 6 months or 12 months of Kindle Unlimited. According to Amazon, “The lock-in price will take effect on the next billing date after the offer is purchased.” To learn more about this offer, click here.

This is Amazon’s first price increase since the program’s inception in July 2014. The program began with over 600,000 titles and audiobooks, with a limit of accessing ten items at a time. Nine years later, the program includes over 4 million titles, and has expanded to include digital magazine subscriptions and comics. Subscribers can now access 20 items per month at one time.

It is interesting that Amazon is choosing to raise the price for this program now, given the fact that Kobo has recently introduced their Kobo Plus Read and Listen service for $9.99 per month. Kobo’s service features over 1.3 million books and over 100,000 audiobooks. Competitor Scribd’s subscription service is already priced at $11.99/month.

Since most users of the service are avid readers, it will be interesting to see if the price increase will affect the number of KU subscribes. How about you? Is $2 a deal breaker for you?

The new Kindle Scribe adds notetaking and a pen

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Today, Amazon announced its new Kindle device, the Kindle Scribe. The device is the first e-ink Kindle to add writing capabilities to its reading features and is obviously geared towards competing with tablets like the Remarkable, the Kobo Elipsa and the Onyx Boox Note Air 2 Plus.

While I personally own (and love) my generation one Remarkable tablet, as someone who is heavily invested in the Amazon/Kindle ecosystem, after a quick look at the specs, I jumped on the chance to pre-order this device with the front-lit display being the main selling feature since that is a feature the Remarkable does not have.

The Kindle Scribe is a 10.2-inch, 300 pixels per inch (ppi) device with a Paperwhite display. It features an auto-adjusting front light. Purchase of the device includes pen that never needs charging.

Purchase options include choice of 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of storage. You also have the choice of either the Basic Pen or Premium Pen, which includes an eraser and customizable shortcut button. Additional Pen Replacement tips (nibs) for the pen are also available.

Additional features include:

  • a variety of templates, including to-do lists for tracking tasks and lined paper for meeting notes
  • comes with a Basic or Premium pen option (replacement pens are also sold separately)
  • digital sticky notes to easily add handwritten notes

Plans for future connectivity are already in the works. According to Amazon:

All notebooks are automatically saved and backed up to the cloud for free, and, coming in early 2023, they will also be accessible via the Kindle app.

With the Send-to-Kindle feature, you can import personal documents from your computer or phone to Kindle Scribe and write directly on PDF documents. You can also import and create handwritten sticky notes in Microsoft Word documents, web articles, and other document formats with adjustable font sizes and layout. From early 2023, you will be able to send documents to Kindle Scribe directly from within Microsoft Word.

Also available are covers for the Kindle Scribe in various colors and materials. The covers can be be folded to support the device at different reading angles. Leather covers are available in Black and Burgundy. Premium leather covers can be pre-ordered in Dark Emerald and Tungsten. Currently, fabric covers are available for pre-order in pink, denim and black colors. As of yet, there are no third-party covers available for the Kindle Scribe.

Kindle Scribe is available for pre-order for a November30, 2022 release date. Prices start at $339 depending on size and pen bundle configuration and some customers may be offered monthly payment options (I was). For a limited time, Kindle Scribe comes with a free, four-month Kindle Unlimited membership (some terms apply). You can learn more on the pre-order page.

New Kindle Paperwhites! Finally, USB-C and wireless charging for the Kindle

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News had recently leaked of upcoming new versions of the Kindle Paperwhite. Today, Amazon has announced three new versions of the popular device, an all-new generation of Paperwhite, a Paperwhite Signature Edition, and a Paperwhite for Kids.

All three devices come with a larger 6.8-inch display, a new adjustable warm light and 300ppi resolution.

The new Kindle Paperwhite offers an increased battery life as well as an additional 10% brightness at the maximum setting. The device features 8GB storage and a USB-C charging cable is included. The price starts at $139.99.

The Paperwhite Signature Edition adds an auto-adjusting light sensor with a front light that automatically adapts the brightness of the display based on the lighting around you. The ereader includes 32GB of storage,uses an USB-C connection and is the first-ever Kindle to offer wireless Qi charging. The price starts at $189.99.

The Paperwhite for Kids also includes 8GB of storage, a cover and a 1-year Amazon Kids+ subscription. The price starts at $159.99.

All three versions of the new Paperwhites will be released on October 27, 2021.

Edited to add: For a limited time, the new Kindle Paperwhite and the Signature Paperwhite come with a free, four-month membership to Kindle Unlimited.

How to see the books you’ve read on Kindle Unlimited (Updated)

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One of the most popular posts on this blog is one that I wrote in 2016 on how to see the books you’ve read in Kindle Unlimited. Recently, Amazon has been making some changes to its Kindle Unlimited program that affect the way you find the books you’ve previously read in KU.

Before this change, you found the books you had previously read under the “Manage Your Content and Devices” link under Your Account tab.Now, that method only shows you the books you currently have borrowed from Kindle Unlimited. You can no longer see previously borrowed titles here.

Now, you can only see the lists of books you have previously borrowed on your “Your Memberships & Subscriptions” page.

UPDATE: The original method is working again. The method that follows is an alternative method for accessing the books you’ve read.

Getting to the page:

Please note: Amazon uses dynamic pages for their website and frequently tests new designs, so all customers do not always see the same site. It will also vary depending on whether you are browsing the web on a desktop, laptop, tablet, ir phone or whether you use the Amazon Shopping app. Therefore, I am posting several different ways ways to find the Kindle Unlimited history lists.

So far, I have found several ways to get to the page where you can see your borrowed books.:

From your account:

Method one:

Click on Your Account, the choose “Your Memberships & Subscriptions” link under your account tab. If you do not see any subscriptions, click on the arrow in the section that say “Don’t see your subscription? Take me to my…”. Choose “Kindle Unlimited.” This works on the Amazon Mobile shopping App and the web browser on mobile and on a desktop.

Method two:

On the right side of the menu bar, mouseover or click your name and account. Choose “Your Kindle Unlimited” under the tab. This works on a desktop

Other desktop methods:

Directly: If you are logged in to your Amazon account, you can get there directly via https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/ku/ku-central.

Kindle Unlimited main page:  From the drop down menu in the upper left corner, choose Kindle E-Readers and Books>Kindle Unlimited. This takes you to the main KU page.

If you are not logged in or do not currently subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you will see the page to sign up.

If you are currently a member, you will see a slider with promotions:

Under the slider, you will see four links: Browse the catalog, Manage your titles, Frequently Asked Questions, and Gift Kindle Unlimited. Click on Manage your titles under the slider. This takes you to “Manage your Kindle Unlimited Membership” page where you will see info about your membership, payment and cancellation options, as well a your borrowed books

On my Chrome browser window, there is also a gray bar at the bottom of the window with “Your Kindle Unlimited titles”  on one side and “Manage Your Titles on the other. Click on the bar to go to the “Manage your Kindle Unlimited Membership” page.

This page will take you directly to the borrowed items page.

The Borrowed items page:

Under your borrowed items, you will see the number of total titles you currently have borrowed. Underneath are your options for showing Kindle Unlimited titles.

  • Show all, current or returned books.
  • Sort by Title (A-Z and Z-A), Author (A-Z and Z-A), and Borrow Date (Oldest -Newest and Newest-Oldest).

The page then shows the covers of the titles you’ve borrowed, the date borrowed or returned, and the the status. On the desktop, the “Read Now” button opens up the Kindle Cloud Browser for me to read on. (On my account, the cloud browser is already listed on my account as one of my devices.)

On my mobile app, I only see a large orange button saying “Return.”

Note that, according to one of my readers, if you have cancelled Kindle Unlimited at any time and re-subscribed, you will NOT see the titles from your previous subscription period.

Need more help?

Amazon is currently making a number of changes to Kindle Unlimited. Current changes include issues with gifting Kindle Unlimited and buying pre-paid subscriptions. I have seen pages related to the subscription service come and go, then return over the past few weeks. I suspect that these changes will continue and plan to discuss some of those changes in a followup post.

The main help page for Kindle limited is here, however, the help page has not seemed to address the most recent KU problems. You may also be able to find additional information on the official Amazon forums.

Kindle Unlimited features unlimited access to over a million titles, and includes audiobooks. Kindle Unlimited books can be read on any Kindle device, including apps, ereaders and tablets. From Amazon.com, it is available only in the United States. It is available internationally in select countries through the local, country-specific Amazon site.

An amazing price for this Paperwhite Audible Bundle for audiobook lovers

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Amazon is offering a special bundle just for audiobook lovers! The special Audible bundle includes a Kindle Paperwhite (8GB, Wifi, Special Offers), over ear wireless bluetooth stereo headphones, and a 3 month free trial of Audible, all for just $139. (The 32GB model bundle is also available.)

It is the headphones by POP Design that make this bundled price such a great deal. These are lightweight (185 grams), boast a 16 hour battery life and have a recharge time of 2 to 3 hours. There are built in features for Kindle Audible and Audible Audiobooks App controls,  as well as the standard music and calling features. An audio cable for a wired connection is also included. So far, the headphones are getting five star reviews on Amazon.

Amazon sells the headphones with a case separately for $79.99. Since the Paperwhite alone is regularly $129.99, when you add in the 3 month Audible subscription (normally $14.95 per month with a 30 day free trial), this bundle offers significant savings, especially if you are planning on using the device for audiobooks.

The fine print regarding the Audible subscription:

Redemption instructions will be sent via email after your order ships. No obligation to redeem. After 3 mos., subscription will auto-renew for $14.95/mo.

Amazon lists this bundle as a $255 value. The deal is available until Dec 22, 2018.

All New Paperwhite ereader on sale for only $99

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If you have been on the fence about one of the All-new Kindle Paperwhite ereaders, this might be a good day to decide to pick one up. The 8GB WiFi version of the ereader is on sale today for on $99 and you can get the 32GB version for only $20 more. There is also a WiFi plus cellular version available at discounted pricing.

The All-new Kindle Paperwhite is thinner, features more LEDs, and has more storage than previous generations. It also has a flush bezel and an IPX8 waterproof rating.

This version has also added Audible and Bluetooth capability so the device can be used with Amazon proprietary Whispersync for Voice feature that allows you to switch back and forth between the ebook and Audible versions of a book.

At $30 off, this is the lowest price yet for the newest Paperwhite, with the price lower than those offered on Black Friday. And, it ships in time for Christmas!

Covers for the 2017 Oasis drown in poor reviews

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When it was released, I bought myself the new 2017 Kindle Oasis e-reader. I did NOT buy the Amazon-branded cover and right now, I am feeling pretty happy with that decision. Both the leather and the fabric versions of the Amazon cover are getting extremely poor reviews from customers. The products are currently at a two-star average rating.

The main functional complaint about these covers is that the cover keeps sliding and falling off the device. Like the original Oasis, these only cover part of the device. Many customers are complaining that because of the new aluminum back on the device itself and weak magnets in the cover, the device offers little protection for the expensive Oasis.

There are also complaints stating that the covers are flimsy, poorly designed and over-priced for a product that costs $45 for fabric and $60 for leather.

Since the new Oasis is really slippery, it is a difficult device to use without a cover. I have a device bag, but for right now, I am refusing to take the device out of the house without a cover.

Several third-party covers are starting to crop up on Amazon, but none are sold by Amazon itself or available via Amazon Prime shipping. One of these does look interesting, however: The MoKo Case for All-New Kindle Oasis (9th Generation, 2017 Release) – Premium Ultra Lightweight Shell Cover with Auto Wake / Sleep for Amazon Kindle Oasis E-reader Case, BLACK. This is a clamshell case that is only available through a vendor that ships directly to the consumer and the delivery date is two weeks out with expedited shipping. MoKo makes a number of covers for Kindles and Fire tablets that are available on Amazon. I am predicting that this one will soon be available as well. I own several of the MoKo covers and have found them to be well made and to fit well.

Did you buy one of the new Oasis covers? What are your thoughts?

2017 Oasis unboxing photos

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My new 2017 Oasis arrived yesterday. I got the 32GB version. I am still in the process of setting up, so no real initial impressions so far.

Here are a few unboxing pictures:

The box in the sleeve:

The sleeve and the inner box:

Open box with the first view of the device:

Box contents and Kindle Tree logo:

Device on first setup screen and box content view:

Back of Oasis (in horizontal view):

Since I really prefer third-party covers to styles and prices of the Amazon ones, I haven’t bought a cover for the device yet, so my use of will be somewhat limited except at home.

The Kindle Oasis is currently sold out, with the next shipments expected later in November.

New updates bring Audible to basic Kindle and new customization options

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Today’s announcement of the all-new Kindle Oasis included big news on the integration of Audible audiobooks into the device.  Audible integration will roll out as an update when the new Oasis device ships on October 31, 2017.

Also included in the announcement was the news that the basic, entry-level Kindle (current generation 8), along with the first generation Oasis,  will also be getting Audible integration over the coming months. This may be a feature that makes the basic Kindle (which does not have a backlight) more desirable as a device for prospective owners. As noted in this post on The eBook Reader, at least according to its reviews,  the basic, entry level kindle is not well liked.

Today’s announcement also included news of new firmware updates that would add new settings for reading customization, including new font sizes, bolding options and new margin options including an option for left-aligned  /ragged right text..

The new features are:

  • New Font Size and Bold Settings: Now choose from more font sizes than ever before–and five levels of boldness–for whichever font you choose to read with. Combined with the new, 7-inch Paperwhite display, you can personalize your books so it’s perfectly comfortable for your eyes.
  • New Accessibility Options: In addition to the OpenDyslexic font, we’ve added a feature to invert black and white on the display if you have light sensitivity. The new enlarged display option also lets you increase the size of items like the text on the home screen and library as well as the book icons to make the all-new Kindle Oasis easier to read.
  • Light Settings: Built-in ambient light sensors automatically adjust the display to your surroundings whether you’re in a dimly-lit room or outside in the sun–and can be fine-tuned even further based on personal preferences.
  • Ragged Right Alignment: You can now read using left-aligned (ragged right) text.

To me, one of the most intriguing of the new features is the ability to invert black-and-white on the display for those with light sensitivity. This is generally a feature found on apps and tablets, not e-ink readers (although there is supposedly a hack for the Kobo line here.). My old Literarti e-reader had this feature, and I can tell you, being able to read white text on a black screen in a dark room Is a great feature for reading in the middle of the night without disturbing your partner! 🙂

The new firmware features will be delivered as a free over the air update to the Kindle Paperwhite and newer devices starting today.