Susan Kelmer St. Louis Community College at Meramec

 Legal issues in requiring students to use eBooks on campus  eBook readers that are not the Kindle DX (extended size Kindle)  The Nuts and Bolts of how to use the Kindle (but ask me later, I’ll be happy to talk about it)

 Ability to resize text  Ability to narrow or widen the margins  Ability to rotate the screen for a wider view  Text to Speech Function on approved texts purchased through Amazon  Text to Speech Function on your own uploaded.txt files or some files you convert through Amazon.  On-Board dictionary  On-Board search through your Kindle book  Can create and navigate by table of contents, notes, and bookmarks

 Can load your own MP3’s onto the device  On-Board search function that will take you to the web  Remembers where you stopped in a book and defaults back to that page when you re-open the book later.

 It will not audio-read all files. It will read.azw files you have purchased, and.txt files you have uploaded to the device, and any Amazon-converted MSOffice documents you have uploaded. It will not under any circumstances read a.pdf.  It will not let you navigate through your MP3 files to play a chosen file. The “music” directory is simply set on auto-shuffle and will play whatever it sees is next in line in the file order. This means you will not be able to sync MP3’s with book files that the student my be reading.  Most of the accessibility features, like enlarging text and enlarging margins, do not work on.pdf files.

 The navigation features (like going to a particular chapter or location) do not work on your own uploaded files.  The Kindle does not offer a “contrast view.” The screen will always be pale grey and the words black.  The Kindle will not read out loud any menus, typing, or button choices.  The Kindle does not let you navigate by page, line, paragraph, sentence, or word. You can only navigate by chapters or “locations.”  The Kindle does not have backlighting and is not readable in low-light situations.

 The unit can stay charged if not in use for up to three weeks.  A complete charge takes about two hours.  A completely charged Kindle, with the whispernet turned on and actively being used to read, lasts at least 2 days.  A completely charged Kindle, with the whispernet turned off and actively being used to read, lasts at least a week.  Can be charged through a wall outlet, or through the USB port on any computer.

 Kindle files (.azw,.azw1) downloaded from the Kindle site.  Text Files (.txt)  MobiPocket Files (.mobi,.prc) – DRM-free ONLY  PDF  MP3  Audible files (.aa)

 Amazon offers an -to-Kindle, pay-for-use conversion for:  Microsoft Word (.DOC)  Structured HTML (.HTML,.HTM)  RTF (.RTF)  JPEG (.JPEG,.JPG)  GIF (.GIF)  PNG (.PNG)  BMP (.BMP)  PDF (.PDF) is supported natively by Kindle DX and by Kindle in our experimental category  Microsoft Word (.DOCX) is supported in our experimental category.  You can also use their free -to- conversion of the above files and then upload the files onto your Kindle via USB.

 You cannot make.azw or.azw1 files  You can make and upload.txt,.pdf, and.mp3 files.  You can ask Amazon to convert the files for you through their service. MS Office files become.azw files this way, but PDF’s will always remain PDF’s.

 Omnipage has a one-step feature that will recognize a scanned or PDF document and send it directly to the Amazon conversion through steps. This is free to do if you use the free Amazon conversion process, has a fee if you use the paid process.  The resulting file is an.azw having been converted from a.doc/.docx file, and therefore can use the accessibility functions in the Kindle.

 The ability to carry around a whole library of books on one device that weighs less than a pound.  The ability to upload your own files, great for carrying around information that you may need, like scanned copies of syllabi, articles, etc. in addition to the assigned textbooks.  Textbooks and many other books are cheaper (about half price most of the time) in Kindle format than hard copy.  Highlighting, taking notes, and bookmarking can make later study a bit easier.  Sturdy construction

 Any file other than a Kindle download has to be manually moved from your computer via USB cable – no automatic syncing or other assistance is offered to do this. You can set up automatic syncing of Audible.com books.  Cannot manipulate the file system, folder names, or document names on the Kindle with hacking/jailbreaking the device.  The device is slow to pull up menus, start text-to-speech, flip pages, etc. This is due to the electronic ink process, and also the general slow processing speed of the device.  They keyboard does not like typing numbers. My audible account password has a number in it, and getting the Kindle keyboard to recognize that I’d typed a 7 instead of a “U” was a nightmare. I ended up changing my password.  There are no page numbers, only “locations” and I have yet to figure out what a “location” is on a Kindle.

 Mobi offers a free program that will turn any document (including PDF’s) into a.prc file.  ABC Amber offers converters for.chm and.lit files that can then be uploaded to the Kindle.  Several blog articles offer various hacks and alternative uses that you can try. Most are harmless and won’t damage your device, but some of the bigger hacks, like messing with the root directory, are not recommended by this geek.

Susan Kelmer