Light My Kindle

I’ve had my Kindle for eight months now, and I’ve had very few complaints. I’ve previously mentioned how I would like the Kindle to auto-delete samples of books I buy (ie: when I click through from the end of a sample book to purchase the book, the Kindle should be smart enough to delete the sample for me). I’ve since found another task I wish the Kindle and Amazon were smart enough to do: Book Availability Notfications.

I preorder a lot of books, and I recently pre-ordered Denis Leary’s Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid in hardcover. At the time, it wasn’t available for the Kindle, so I clicked the “I’d like to read this book on a Kindle” button and preordered the hardcover.

Either the request buttons work very quickly (which I doubt) or a Kindle edition was already planned but not available for preorder, because the next time I was browsing Amazon I noticed that Denis Leary’s book was now available for the Kindle. I had previously had this happen with Lewis Black’s Me of Little Faith (what is it with these comedians?), and while I didn’t necessarily mind paying $10 more for the book (although I wouldn’t want to pay that price all the time), I would have preferred to read it on the Kindle.

Here’s what I want Amazon to be able to do:

• Notify Kindle owners when hardcover titles they have preordered are now available in Kindle form, before the hardcover is shipped
• Notify customers who clicked the “I’d like to read this book on a Kindle” button when that book becomes available for the Kindle

That doesn’t seem so difficult, does it? It would make me a happier customer, and more likely to preorder books. After being burned twice with this issue, I doubt I’ll be preordering books that I’d rather read on the Kindle (especially not from comedians).

Anyone else have this problem? Do you have a Kindle Wishlist item you’d like to share with the world? Email me at cj@lightmykindle.com.

LightMyKindle.com would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Portfoilo.com discusses Esquire’s e-ink cover, the first of its kind. The cover used the same technology available in the Amazon Kindle. Portfolio.com says,

How sexy was the E-Ink technology on Esquire’s October cover? In the eyes of the magazine-buying public, it was about as sexy as Angelina Jolie, but decidedly less sexy than Johnny Depp.

You can check out the full article at Portfoilo.com.

Us News & World Report named Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos one of America’s greatest leaders recently. One of their writers spoke with Bezos regarding leadership and being an internet pioneer. One tip he gives for start-ups is keeping your focus in the right place. He says,

We wanted to have a customer-focused culture. We consciously tried to get that.

Check out the full article at USnews.com. Other people named as leaders were Lance Armstrong, Steven Spielberg, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. You can see the full list here.

Today is the six-month anniversary of the day I started LightMyKindle.com. I received a Kindle as a gift in March 2008. I was immediately fascinated by the device and wanted to share what I learned about it with other Kindle owners. In the past six months I’ve learned some pretty neat tricks, and have enjoyed reading several novels in this new format.

In case you’re new to the site, here are some things you might want to check out:

• Kindle Basics Page - This page is home to basic information about the Kindle that new users - or potential buyers - might want to know.
• Kindle Tips & Tricks Page - This is where I discuss some tricks for getting the most out of your Kindle.
• Kindle Book Reviews - On this page you’ll find reviews of books I have read on the Kindle, as well as a few non-Kindle books.

Over the past six months I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Kindle and sharing my findings with everyone. In the coming months I hope to make some improvements to the site that will help Kindle owners and potential Kindle owners find the information they’re looking for.

If you have questions about the Kindle, feel free to email me at cj@lightmykindle.com.

One year ago today, Amazon released the most talked about gadget of the year - the Amazon Kindle e-book reader. The sensational device allowed readers to download their favorite classics and new best-sellers directly from the device using a free wireless connection.

It holds 200 books and has an SD slot to expand the memory even more. Amazon offers digital newspaper and magazine subscriptions, with new issues being delivered wirelessly before they hit news stands. Debuting at $399, the Kindle made up for its high price with low prices on books - $9.99 for new releases and best-sellers and prices as low as a few dollars for older titles.

The Kindle sold out in five and a half hours and remained on backorder for months. Oprah declared the Kindle her new favorite gadget and caused it to sell out again. Since launch day, Amazon has doubled its content offering to almost 200,000 titles.

I created this blog to discuss the Kindle - tips, news, and Kindle book reviews - because I think the Kindle is a fascinating device, and it has been a wonderful addition to my collection of useful gadgets.

I hope my readers will join me in saying:

Happy Birthday Kindle! And many more…

This one might be a no-brainer for most Kindle users, but for new users it might be a helpful tip. The easiest way to preserve battery power is to turn off your wireless connection. The switch is on the back of your Kindle, next to the power switch. Whenever you’re not actively using the wireless connection, you should turn the switch off.

You should only turn it on when you’re browsing the Kindle Store or the internet or when you need to download something you purchased on Amazon.com from a computer. Any other time - when reading a novel or managing your content, for example - you’re just wasting your battery power.

Last week Amazon announced “Frustration-Free Packaging.” This week, Best Buy appears to be following in their footsteps. Just in time for the holiday season, companies like Best Buy, Sony and Microsoft are taking Amazon’s lead and providing more eco-friendly, less intense packaging.

Several blogs (including this one) have been hinting at the possibility that President-elect Obama will choose a prominent person in the technology field to be his chief technology officer in his cabinet.

Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos is on the short list, as is Steve Ballmer and Mitch Kapor (Microsoft and Lotus, respectively). This person will deal with issues such as expanding the country’s wireless network and network neutrality, among others.

American author Michael Crichton passed away last week from cancer. He was a fantastic author, having written the novels Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, and Rising Sun, among others, as well as being the creator of the television show ER.

Many of his novels are available on the Kindle, some for as low as $4.99. You can find his Kindle editions by searching for Michael Crichton at Amazon.com.