Did you just get a newKindle Paperwhite?
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1.
Get Your Kindle Online
Plug in your Paperwhite and let the battery charge fully.
Image Credit: A. Aleksandravicius via Shutterstock.com
When you’re ready, press and hold thePowerbutton at the bottom and let it power on.
In a second, you’ll see the beginning of the setup process.
Tap your language and then give the Kindle another moment to load up.
If you see the screen flash, don’t worry – that’s a normalpart of e-Ink technologyrefreshing.
Tap on the screen once you see the Kindle welcome message.
First, you’ll need to get your gear connected to your home Wi-Fi.
TapConnect to Wi-Fiand your Kindle should find your local web link name.
Tap it, then use the keyboard toenter your internet password.
Assuming you have one, tapUse an existing Amazon account.
If you don’t, hitCreate a new accountand follow the steps there.
pop in your Amazon account email and password, then tapRegister.
Those whouse two-factor authenticationon their Amazon accounts will see a prompt to enter their code after pressingRegister.
You’re almost there!
The Paperwhite will next ask you to connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts to your Amazon account.
This lets you share wishlists, reviews, and more.
If you don’t want to do this, tapConnect Later– it’s not required.
There’s one more account Amazon wants you to connect to – Goodreads.
This free servicelets you track books that you’re readingand want to read.
It lets you connect with friends and offers personal recommendations once it knows a bit about your preference.
Finally, you’ll see an offer to try Kindle Unlimited, Amazon’s all-you-can-read service.
TapNo thanksto pass for now.
Navigation Basics
OK – no more connecting accounts!
Now you’re ready to purchase books and read them on your Kindle!
No matter what genres you have interest in, you’re sure to find something you’ll like.
Tap theStorebutton at the top of your screen to have a browse.
You’ll seeRecommendedtitles at the top, along withBest Sellers,New Releases, and more in the store.
TapBrowse Categoriesif you’re looking for a specific genre.
Also, you’re able to tap theSearchbar and look up a book at any time.
Once you’vefound a book you’d like to read, tap it to view its product page.
This will show you how many pages the book is, when it was released, and more.
Scroll down to view a brief description and reviews to double-check it’s something you have interest in.
Tap this button and your Kindle will deliver a sample to your home screen.
When you’re ready, tapBuy for $Xto purchase the book.
This is a one-tap process, so be careful not to hit it by mistake!
All purchases you make are stored in the cloud for your Amazon Account.
If you don’t have much money to spend on Kindle books, there’splenty of free contentout there too!
TapMy Libraryto view all your books if you don’t see it.
Tap on your book and it will launch you into reading mode.
As you’d expect, actually reading a book is pretty simple.
Tap anywhere right side of the screen to flip to the next page.
Similarly, touch the left side of the screen to go back a page.
Tap theAaicon to change font options.
you could select from several font styles and sizes.
Hit thePageheader next to adjust the line spacing, margins, page orientation, and text alignment.
By default this is set toLocation, which displaysLoc 123in the bottom-left-hand corner while reading.
Thus,locationprovides another way to track your progress.
The bottom-right will display your percentage of progress through the book.
Let’s review them so you cantake full advantage of your Kindle.
Kindle FreeTime
Do you want your kids to read more often?
Letting them use your Kindle is a great way to do that.
A feature called Kindle FreeTime lets you restrict access to the store and web internet tool.
Your children can only read books that you’ve specified.
To get started, press the three-dotMenubutton on the right side of the toolbar and tapKindle FreeTime.
PressGet Started, then you’ll have to set up a few parameters.
After this, you could opt for books in your library that you’re allowing your child to read.
To exit, visitMenu > Exit Kindle FreeTimeand input your password.
Check out Amazon’sKindle FreeTime Unlimitedplan if your children are avid readers.
Vocabulary Builder
Head toMenu > Vocabulary Builderto access this neat tool.
Any time you do that, your Kindle adds the word to this list for later review.
Here you might tap words to review their definitions orwork with some flash cardsto finally master them.
Experimental web app
Did you know that your Paperwhite includes a basic web web app?
It isn’t meant for playing games or watching videos, but will work for casually browsing the web.
Unsurprisingly, Flash doesn’t work here, and everything is in black and white.
And if you need somewhere to visit, check outthe most important websites for Kindle owners.
Built-in Dictionary and Highlighting
You’re not sure what a word means while you’re reading?
No problem – just long-press on it for a moment and you’ll see a pop-up with its definition.
Slide the box over to jump into the Wikipedia page on the word, as well asa translation utility.
To launch the full dictionary, tap the three-dotMenubutton below a highlighted word and tapOpen Dictionary.
Use the handles around the text to select exactly what you want.
To highlight directly, just drag your finger over some text.
you might head to theBeginningorTable of Contents, or enter a specific location/page number.
TapNotesto check out the highlights and notes you’ve added previously.
you could also bookmark pages without needing to use scraps of paper.
Tap the upper-right corner of any page to bring up the bookmark menu.
Whenever a current page is bookmarked, you’ll see a black bookmark in the upper-right corner.
To scroll through many pages at once, tap the top of the screen to pop pop the toolbar.
On the bottom of the screen, you’ll see two buttons.
Tap the right and you’ll see a grid of all the book’s pages.
Scroll using the slider below and tap a page to jump to it.
In either case, tap theXin the upper-right corner to close and return to your original page.
It’s not available for all titles, but it’s still a great help.
kick off the toolbar and tapX-Ray(next toGo To) to access it.
TapPeopleorTerms, and you could see how many times certain characters and terms are mentioned.
Less time recalling past events meansmore time for reading, which is always good.
Goodreads
Tap theGoodreadsicon on the toolbar to open its interface.
Tweaking options
Your Kindle has some options you should adjust to your liking for best results.
Let’s look at what they do.
To access these, tap theSettingsgear at the top of the screen and chooseAll tweaks.
you’re able to also tap the three-dotMenubutton and chooseSettings.
This lets you and another adult – plus up to four children – join up toform a family account.
Using this feature, you’ve got the option to share books across your Kindles.
You obviously must add another user to your account to use this.
Wireless
Visit this section if it’s crucial that you change your wireless options.
Legal
If you’re really, really bored, you might read 339 pages of legalese.
But you should probably justfind a better book to readinstead.
Miscellaneous
We’ve covered the whole setup process and nearly everything you could do with your Kindle Paperwhite.
There are just a few extra bits you should know before you go.
About e-Ink
Your Kindle has an electronic paper screen (read more on Wikipedia).
This means that it looks like real paper, unlike a traditional tablet or phone screen.
Also, the front-lit display means the light shines on the page, not in your eyes.
You also don’t need to worry about e-Inkburning into the screen.
When you put your Kindle in sleep mode, it displays a screensaver but the image doesn’t change.
You might notice a “ghost” image sometimes when the screen refreshes.
This is normal, and refreshing the display a few more times will clear it up.
When you’re done using it, though, you should put it to sleep manually.
you’ve got the option to do this by tapping thePowerbutton on the bottom of the unit.
When you press it, the Special Offer screensaver appears and your backlight will turn off.
If you have a magneticcase for your Paperwhite, closing the cover will activate sleep mode as well.
When powered off, the screen goes blank.
The gear uses minimal battery in sleep mode – the backlight is off and a static image displays.
Battery Life
Amazon claims that the Paperwhite’s battery lasts for “weeks.”
Battery life will vary based on light and wireless usage.
You probably won’t be away from an outlet for weeks at a time.
Also, reduce the brightness of your unit as much as you’ve got the option to comfortably.
In bright light, you probably won’t need the light at all.
Storage Space
The Kindle Paperwhite has 4GB of internal storage.
In short, he found that the average eBook is about 1.87 MB.
So don’t be afraid to grab samples and take chances on deals – your Kindle can hold them!
Wi-Fi/3G
You probably bought a Kindle model with Wi-Fi access only, since it’s cheaper.
Models with 3G access can download new books as long as they have a signal.
Word Wise
Word Wise is a neat assistance feature that helps you with difficult words.
Open a book, then tap the top of the screen to expose the toolbar.
Tap theMenuthree-dot button and then hitWord Wise.
It’s turned off by default; change the top slider toOnto enable it.
you could evenuse your Paperwhite to learn a languageif you want.
They also appear at the bottom of the Home screen.
These alert you to Kindle deals and other Amazon specials.
Open theManage Your Content and DevicesAmazon page on the web.
Click theYour Devicestab and find your Kindle listed.
snag the three-dot button underActions, then clickEditunderSpecial Offers.
While you’re here, you should also clickSet as default devicefor your Kindle.
This will automatically deliver content you buy on the web to your Paperwhite.
Troubleshooting Kindle Paperwhite Issues
During your time with your Paperwhite, you may run into some problems.
We’ve collected the most common issues here so you know what action to take when they pop up.
Unlike the burn-in on smartphone screens, this is temporary and shouldn’t cause you any concern.
Refreshing the screen will clear any ghosted image.
When reading, your book will refresh the display every few pages as well.
Butif it doesn’t connect, you may have to add the connection manually.
To do this, bring up the Toolbar and tapAll parameters.
Look under theWirelesstab and ensure your current web link is listed with a check mark next to it.
Your Kindle will then ask if you want to forget this web connection.
ChooseYesand then re-establish the connection by tapping it again and entering your password.
Sync Isn’t Working
Amazon’s Whispersync service allows you to keep your reading in-sync between devices.
If this isn’t working properly, check that you’re online as we discussed above.
When your Kindle is in airplane mode, it’s not connecting to the internet and syncing this information.
Also, check to ensure Whispersync is on.
Navigate to theYour Content and Devicespage, then click theSettingstab.
Scroll down and make sureDevice SynchronizationisOn.
It’s super-convenient unless you fall into this specific use case.
If you added one and forgot the passcode, you might reset your rig with a special code.
Note that this will remove all your personal information and content on the rig.
To enter the master reset code, tap the passcode field and enter111222777.
This will reset your machine to factory defaults.
Refer to the start of the guide for instructions on setting it up again.
Thetool for the jobisCalibre.
ClickAdd Booksat the top and go for the books you want to convert from your rig.
Give Calibre a minute, and you canSavethe revamped book to your PC.
The best way tosend these to your Kindleis via email.
Visit theManage Your Content and Devicesand click theYour Devicestab.
Select your Kindle and snag the button belowActionsnext to it.
You’ll see a pop-up menu with an email address@kindle.com.
Any document supported by Kindle that you send to this email will appear on it.
This is a lot more convenient than connecting a USB cable to your equipment and transferring them manually.
Wait a bit, and you’ll see your fresh MOBI books ready to read on your Kindle.
What Will You Read First?
This built-in eBook contains instructions for all your Kindle’s features.
Image Credit: A. Aleksandravicius via Shutterstock.com
