Nov 26
Goodreads integration with the Kindle Paperwhite is great news, especially with the long travel weekend ahead of us. If you haven’t received the over-the-air update yet, here’s how to get it up and running.
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Nov 19
Exactly a day after gracing the Fire line, Amazon-owned Goodreads has arrived on the Paperwhite — if you’re willing to take a little initiative and download yourself, that is. And in all honesty, this was the upgrade we’ve been waiting for since the acquisition was first announced. It’s nice functionality to have on the Fire, certainly, and folks who own multiple Kindle devices will appreciate being able to use it across the tablets and readers, but the addition of social reading means a lot more on e-readers, where things tend to be a lot more locked down, due to hardware limitations. Overall, we were a bit underwhelmed by the implementation on the HDX. With a few exceptions, Goodreads feels more like an app than an integral part of the ecosystem. Given that the Paperwhite offers a less open platform, however, we had higher hopes for the e-reader.
And indeed, once installed, Goodreads is front and center — well, slightly to the right of center, added to the homepage toolbar, sandwiched between search and settings. If you’ve already tied your Amazon account to the social network — as we did with yesterday’s Fire update — you should be good to go. Tap the “g ” icon, and you’ll bring up the Goodreads app, which has been styled to match the rest of the Paperwhite UI. The app’s front page shows you updates across your network, including ratings and who wants to read what. From there, you can like and comment on statuses and mark those titles and “Read” or “Want to Read.” Up top, the My Shelves link lets you see your own collection. From that page, you can also click through to add books from your Amazon library, a nice way of back filling all the electronic and physical books that you’ve read over the years. It’s the next best thing to inviting people over to your place to see your real life bookshelf.
Filed under: Amazon
Nov 18
Someone on the Kindle team was undoubtedly a bit broken-hearted when Goodreads integration failed to roll out in time for both the new Paperwhite and Kindle HDX launches. The acquisition certainly made a good deal of sense when it was announced back in March. After all, the service is well-positioned to bring recommendations and a sense of community currently lacking in the Kindle ecosystem. For users, it means more engagement and better tailored recommendations. For Amazon, it means the potential to sell more content – which, let’s face it, is kind of the whole bottom line for the company here. The feature finally arrived today for HD and HDX users, as part of a larger upgrade to Fire OS, which also brings along the Second Screen video feature and added enterprise support. It’ll be coming over-the-air soon enough, but if you want to jump the line, you can download it from Amazon right now.
To get started (once you’re all finished downloading, dragging and dropping Fire OS 3.1), you’ll need to open up the Goodreads app. We were a bit surprised Amazon didn’t make integration feel more baked into the experience, given the time it took to roll out the product. Instead, the offering feels a bit siloed, not unlike the FreeTime parental monitoring available on the tablet at launch. Once fired up, you’ll be asked to create a Goodreads account or login with a current one, tying it to your Amazon account. I had one already, which has long since been dormant, but the official integration with the Kindle ecosystem seems as good an excuse as any to blow a little bit of dust off the old virtual bookshelves.
Nov 18
Goodreads and Second Screen integration finally hitting Kindle Fire HD and HDX
Posted in: Today's Chili
Today marks the debut of two features we’ve been waiting for since Amazon first announced its new Kindle Fire line lo so many weeks ago. Goodreads and Second Screen integration will be rolling out to Fire HD and HDX owners over-the-air in the next couple of weeks – or you can just go to Amazon’s site and download Fire OS 3.1 right now. Goodreads brings social book reading features to the tablet, so you can rate and review books and find out what your friends are reading. Also, good news for those who like showing off their virtual bookshelves – you can actually import all of the print and e-books you’ve bought from Amazon over the years. Second Screen, meanwhile, lets you “fling” shows from your Fire to Samsung TVs and sets with a PS3 attached (PS4 support is coming before year’s end).
Also new for OS 3.1 is added enterprise support, Cloud Collections for organizing content off-device and voice diction. You can download the above in the source link below.
Source: Amazon
Sep 30
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite review (2013): is last year’s best e-reader still tops?
Posted in: Today's Chili
Amazon’s really laid off the pomp and circumstance this year. Between a new Paperwhite e-reader and a trio of tablets, the company’s hosted nary a press conference; just a couple of small-scale meetings. In the case of the Paperwhite, the reason seems clear. From the name on down, nothing about the device screams “major upgrade.” Both the hardware and software received some tweaks, sure, but, well, if this were an Apple product, it would almost certainly be called the Kindle Paperwhite S. Then again, we loved the Paperwhite the first time around, so why mess with near perfection?%Gallery-slideshow99545%
Filed under: Amazon
Sep 03
Amazon briefly lists next-generation Kindle Paperwhite with new display technology (update: official)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Well, isn’t this a surprise? Without any fanfare, Amazon has posted (and since pulled) a product page for a next-generation Kindle Paperwhite. The new e-reader centers on an upgraded display with higher contrast, improved lighting and more responsive touch input. There’s also a faster processor, and the company promises both Goodreads integration and a variant of Kindle FreeTime that encourages young readers through an achievement system. If the listings are accurate, Amazon will sell WiFi and 3G versions of the new Kindle Paperwhite for $119 and $189 respectively. The WiFi model’s page also mentioned a $139 ad-free version and a September 30th ship date. Check out a second image of the WiFi variant’s listing after the break.
[Thanks, Charles]
Update: That was quick — the next-gen Kindle Paperwhite is now official.
Filed under: Amazon
Source: Amazon
Mar 28
Amazon acquires Goodreads, aims to make better recommendations for Kindle users
Posted in: Today's Chili 
So, Amazon has a reading platform called Kindle. Goodreads has a platform that makes fairly excellent suggestions when it comes to reading materials. You probably see where this is going. This evening, Amazon announced that it was acquiring one of the more popular reading recommendation engines, and while the outfit isn’t making clear what it plans to do with the technology, it shouldn’t take a scholar to see how it’d bolster Amazon’s Kindle reader line as well as its array of Kindle apps. (What’ll happen to Shelfari, however, is perhaps a bigger mystery.)
Russ Grandinetti, Amazon’s vice president of Kindle Content noted that “Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world — together, we intend to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike.” It’s entirely likely that this will add another social angle to the Kindle framework, further establishing an ecosystem where friends could see suggestions based on what they’re independently reading through their own Kindle accounts. The companies are expecting the deal to be finalized in Q2, which suggests that we’ll see a proper integration just as back-to-school season begins. Right, guys?
Filed under: Amazon
Mar 28
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