Yesterday, Amazon quietly posted this Policy Update on their Kindle Blog. This did catch my attention since I do transfer many of my own personal documents to my Kindle 2, both wirelessly and via the USB cable.
The main difference is that Amazon will now start charge by the file size vs. each document sent starting May 4th. The old pricing structure was ten cents per doc sent wirelessly. The new price is fifteen cents per megabyte (MB). There still is now charge to use the Free kindle email account to transfer the converted document manually via the USB cable.
Now that price change may not sound like a lot but keep in mind that if you do convert large files and picture heavy PDFs, the price could cost you up to a $1 or more for the wireless transfer. That may cost more than some Kindle books.
So do the file size get bigger or smaller after they are converted?
I recently converted a 2.2MB PDF file (mostly text) I had and compared it to its coverted .AZW file. The converted file size was smaller at 1.4MB for a reduction of 36%. I am sure file compression does vary greatly on the source file and document type. So going under the assumption that Amazon will charge us for the 1.4MB file, the cost of this document to be wirelessly sent is 30 cents. This won't break my piggy bank but it is a price increase of 300%!
I am sure that Amazon is paying more for the wireless 3G network since the introduction of the Kindle 2. This new price change was implemented as a cost recovery measure which also leads me to believe that more and more people are using the Personal Document feature.
My suggestion to you is to utilize Amazon's free conversion and manually upload the document to your Kindle.
One of the most asked questions on the various kindle discussion forums is how to access your email using the Kindle 2's web browser. Using the built-in wireless Whispernet cellular network, accessing email via the Kindle 2 is very convenient when you don't have access to a computer or your smart phone.
The thing to keep in mind is that the Kindle 2 web interface uses a simple mobile browser best suited for text which is great for typical text emails. It is not so great for emails that are heavily formatted with html, graphics or attachments. Still, it works with most of the big "Free" email account providers and paid Internet service providers through their mobile-friendly pages.
Here are the following email providers (that I could test) and the correct URL email access page that will work on your Kindle 2.
Please contact me or post a comment if you know of any other email services that work on the Kindle 2. Thanks!
Do you like to read in the bathtub or at the beach? Many people do but getting your Kindle 2 wet or dropping it in the sand could render it useless.
Although, all is not lost. Today I will show you how to keep your Kindle 2 dry and safe even in the most adverse conditions.
Many campers and people who go canoeing or kayaking use a product like Dry-Pak to keep their personal items like cell phones & cameras safe from the elements. After a little research I found that the 9"x12" size works well for the Kindle ebook readers. I also recommend using Silica Gel Packets
to absorb any moisture that may be caught inside.
So you may be wondering just how well these Dry-Paks work. Watch the video below to find out.
Amazon just posted their revenue sales results with an increased quarterly profit of 24%. The sales of their Kindle 2 ebook reader was also mentioned as “exceeding expectations”. Reports of 300,000 units sold have been reported from various sources and is an impressive feat, even for Amazon.
While the earnings report and investor call didn’t get into specific details, it is obvious that the future of online distribution of books is going to be green in profit. During the earnings call, Jeff Bezos did give a little insight into the direction the Kindle devices…
Sandeep Aggarwal – Collins Stewart
Obviously Kindle both generation one and generation two of Kindle did very well. Any plan to unleash the computing power of Kindle and let it compete with uniform factors like Net book which are gaining traction now?
Jeffrey Bezos
We're really focused on purposeful reading devices and so we wouldn't talk anyway about what we might do in the future, but I can tell you that we're really focused on devices with electronic displays that are purpose built for reading.
Kindle 2 really is a terrific long form reading device and we think reading is an important enough activity that it deserves a purpose built device and that's really a sweet spot for us.
Source: seekingalpha.com
So here are a few questions that I would like answered:
- Now with the addition of the Kindle app for iPhone and iPod Touch, how many additional ebooks are being sold?
- What is the timeframe for rolling out the Kindle 2 Internationally?
- What is the average net revenue for Amazon per eBook sold and how many ebooks were sold during the last quarter?
The ability to buy a book in a few seconds and receive it within a minute surely adds to Amazon’s bottom line with today’s “Got to have it Now” society. I think Amazon could drop the price of the Kindle 2 by $100 and easily make up the difference by the sale of more units and ebook purchases.
So what are your thoughts? Please post a comment.
I just received an email from Packt Publishing about them celebrating their 5 year anniversary. To kick off the party they are now giving away 5 free tech eBooks for new and existing customers. All you have to do is login to your account (or create one) to access the eBooks. They are giving away one free book during the next five days (starting today). Remember that these PDF eBooks can be converted and sent to your Kindle by emailing them to your special Amazon email account.
Packt Publishing is also running the following specials for the next 5 weeks:
- Buy 5 books for $99
- Buy the book, get the eBook free
- Competitions with 5 special prizes
- Buy 2 eBooks, get the 3rd free
Happy Reading!
