Kindle for Mac and PC apps get updates, with Collections and Shelfari features - UPDATE

"Updates for Kindle for PC (v1.6.1) and for Mac (v1.6.2) now available

The update for the Mac was announced two days ago, the PC update earlier.  They both add the Collections feature.

UPDATE - Nate at The Digital Reader has been having problems with the Kindle for PC update and points to others reporting the same at MobileRead Forum the first days of August.  At that site, HarryT provides a link to HippoFiles' list of downloadable files for earlier versions for anyone having trouble with the latest v1.6.1 install.  [End of Update]

  If you've not made any Collections for your Kindle yet, see my basic guide to making Kindle Collections (which are like folders, but are done through 'tags' the way gmail 'folders' are).

  Shelfari features have also been added in both updates.  What is Shelfari?  It began as Tastemakers Inc., the focus of which was to create a social networking service for avid readers.

  Amazon acquired the company in Aug 2008 (the month I got my Kindle 1) and Shelfari "continues to function as an independent book social network within the Amazon.com family of sites."

  You can download the updates at the two product pages linked above.  Mine WAS on automatic update but would not install on its own, so I went through the Download new update process at the "Kindle for..." app page.

From the Amazon Kindle Customer Service Q&A Forum, the following thread:

' Initial post: Aug 16, 2011 10:24:46 AM PDT

Amazon Kindle Customer Service says:
(AMAZON OFFICIAL)
Kindle for Mac is a free application that lets you read Kindle books on your computer with Mac OS 10.5 or higher, including Mac OS X Lion.

The latest version of Kindle for Mac includes:

* Collections: Organize your content into collections, and import your existing collections.
* Easy Shelfari access: Quickly add to the community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers

To download and install the application, visit this page:

www.amazon.com/kindleformac

Best Regards,

Trevor L.
Amazon Kindle Customer Service '

Here are a couple of customer replies to that thread, with more info from their perspective:

' ShirleyKat says:
Thanks for posting this.  My Kindle for Mac had updated automatically within the last week and was dead in the water.  I deleted everything associated with Kindle for Mac and installed it again.  It would run but not make contact with Amazon.

Today, seeing this announcement, I started the program again and it automatically updated and now it makes contact with Amazon.  Not only that, but I'm seeing current dates instead of the old December 1969 date.

It's looking good. I'm on Leopard, OS 10.5.8. '

and

' Kenneth Jennings says:
AT LAST!

I've downloaded it on both my MacBook Pro 17" and MacBook Air 11", and both are running just fine.  I simply deleted the old app, installed 1.6.2 from here (Amazon), and I'm as pleased as can be.  I now have my dictionary back, as well as the Collections I built on my Kindle, and the ability to create unique Collections on my other Macs (which will come in handy since one is very work-related).

Thanks Amazon '

The Kindle for PC update also had some problems at first, so I've gone back to automatic-update Off in my Kindle for PC app (Tools/Options).

Kindle for PC
The Amazon Kindle for PC and for Mac product-pages have the same wording to describe the new features:

  . Support for collections allows you to take control of your Kindle library and organize your books with ease.
  . Book Extras by Shelfari.  Access character descriptions, important places, popular quotations, themes, and book-specific glossaries from Shelfari, the community-powered encyclopedia for book-lovers.

The previous update for each of the apps included several new features which are also described on the current product-pages.  An important one is "real page numbers for thousands of books in the Kindle store."

Both added earlier a German language version of Kindle for PC for customers purchasing content from the Amazon.de Kindle Store, and that version includes instant dictionary word lookup using the Duden Deutsches Universalwörterbuch.

Sorting of Collection titles
On the Kindle device, Amazon did not make Collection titles sortable by alpha character, for some reason.
  Some of us add a symbol, then, in front of a title -- mine is {  and then we sort the Home screen listing by Title instead of by Collection to see them alphabetically -- the downside being that the individual books also show up under the Collection-titles shown in alpha order at the top.

 That's okay with me because I can, if I want, just press the key for the FIRST character of a book-title (no more than one character) and press Click on the 5-way, and am taken to the book titles that start with that character.  If you click on more than one character, it instead searches the entire Kindle for that sequence of alpha-character which means a very long waiting time and a humongous listing of uninteresting Finds.  So it's important to type only the first character of a book-title when jumping to the section for that part of the alphabet.

  Kindle for PC (probably the one for Mac too)
  You can't sort the Collection titles at all.  I can't believe they again left no way to sort them alphabetically.  But at least we have a folder-type way to organize our ebooks.



Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's)   K3 Special ($114)   K3-3G Special ($139)   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Kindle software v3.1 ready to go for real page numbers and other features

Software version 3.1 is ready for delivery to all Kindle 3's.  (Full Details were given earlier in the "Preview" blog article.)

  This is the update which gives the Kindle 3  (UK: K3) "real" page numbers, extended features for sharing annotations, and some very nice enhancements to the layout of Kindle-edition newspapers and magazines.
  Here's Amazon's info page for the v3.1 software update.

Amazon has made a change in delivery in that 3G cellular wireless will not be used this time at all for over-the-air delivery.   They say:

' We have a new, free software update available for your Kindle that is being delivered via a Wi-Fi connection over the next few days.

  To receive the update, please turn your wireless on and connect to an available Wi-Fi network (learn how to set up Wi-Fi on your Kindle).  The software update will automatically download in the background and install the next time your Kindle goes into sleep mode.  You can also manually download the update to your Kindle right now '

MORE ON THE NEW FEATURES

' * Public Notes -- This feature lets Kindle users choose to make their book notes and highlights available for others to see.  Any Kindle user -- including authors, their fans, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere -- can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community of people who love to read... '

The private, password-protected Kindle Annotations Page which I wrote about earlier, with examples, has been expanded and has a somewhat different look.

  Our highlighting and notes made are all there but formatted somewhat differently, with more focus on the current book and a lot more options, including adding notes, editing and deleting, which I assume are then sync'd with the Kindle's annotations.

' * Real Page Numbers -- Our customers have told us they want real page numbers that match the page numbers in print books so they can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class.   We've already added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions and thousands more of the most popular books.

  Page numbers will also be available on our free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps in the coming months.  If a Kindle book includes page numbers, press the Menu key in an open Kindle book to display page numbers. '

  See examples of how Page Numbers will appear.

' * Before You Go ... -- When you reach the end of the book, you can immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author. '

That is of course an advantage for publishers, authors, and booksellers, but it's the type of social interaction that is very popular today.

' * New Newspaper and Magazine Layout -- We're introducing a new and improved layout for newspapers and magazines. This new layout gives you a quick snapshot of the news and helps you decide what you want to read first. '

As noted above, here are examples of the new layout, and it's definitely more intuitive than the previous columns of Sections alongside a 'NUMBER of articles' heading which acted as a link to the listing of articles, a function not obvious to many Kindle reviewers and owners.

All emphases above in the quotes are mine, of course.

If interested, see the earlier preview-article for questions that I hope Amazon will answer soon about software changes.

NOTE: Other information from Amazon that I had noticed later:

' Kindle books that include page numbers will list "Page Numbers Source ISBN (the print book identification number)" for the matching print edition under "Product Details" on the detail page at Amazon.com...

Because Kindle books allow you to change font size and other features, you may be able to view more than one page on your screen at once.  Only the corresponding page number for the text displayed at the top left of the screen will be shown. '

  HOW do you get the updated page numbers for e-books you already own?
    (for e-books with page numbers added currently)
  Answer: When you press the Menu button, turn your wireless ON (to make sure you can access the Amazon servers) and select "Sync & Check items," Amazon will download small auxiliary files that provide real page numbers for the books that have been updated by the publisher for that feature.  I noticed that my Hachette books had these, while HarperCollins didn't, the first week, but real page numbers are being added when they're made available.

  The expanded Notes-Sharing feature
This feature may be quite useful for book clubs.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

New Kindle for PC Update w/ Real Page Numbers & Touch for Win7 Tablets

The Kindle for PC page has again been updated (see features of original, basic Kindle for PC) with the following new features:

Download the new version to enjoy these new features.

• Real Page Numbers
  See real page numbers for thousands of books in the Kindle Store. Now you can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class.
• Popular Highlights
  See what our community of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books.  If several other readers have highlighted a particular passage, then that passage will be highlighted in your book.
• Touch for Windows 7 Tablets
  Enjoy a touch-friendly interface on Windows 7 tablet computers.

As with all of our services, we plan to continue improving Kindle for PC.  Below are some features we are thinking about bringing to Kindle for PC in the near future:

• Library Management
  A new way to manage and organize your content

Here's an image of how they implemented the Page numbers display that are included with Locations display for the computer version of Kindle.

The PREVIOUS big update in November added these features:

* Use the built-in dictionary to seamlessly look up the definitions of
    English words without interrupting your reading.
* Read in the standard one-column mode or take advantage of a larger screen
    with a multi-column view, which will automatically adjust
    according to your screen size. [ Very slick. ]
* Choose whether you'd like to browse your library in a tile view or in a list view.

Examples of normal one-column book page mode and the multi-column view:
By the way, in the November changes that allow us to view by covers or by a detailed text listing, we have new sorting options:

  1. TEXT listing: Sort by TYPE (New or Sample, at the top or bottom)
  2. TEXT & COVER: Sort by LENGTH of book.

UPDATE, later same day
Les Bell posted in the Amazon forum the following:

' ... the problem seems to have been resolved - I just downloaded the latest version of K4PC [1.4.1 (31629)] and it seems to be displaying math & Greek characters correctly - albeit the book (Modeling and Reasoning with Bayesian Networks...) is displaying in a sans serif font, rather than the serif font I believe it was in previously. '

As before, the Kindle team says they'd like to hear from Kindle for PC users.
  "You can send them to the Kindle team at kindleforpc-feedback@amazon.com or via the feedback form available in the application - we'd love to hear what you think"


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.