Amazon's 40-free-apps bundle (worth $220) "Until December 26" - A few choice ones noted. Updated 12/24-25 - Added UK and Canada's pages

Amazon's offering a 40-Apps bundle: Apps that cost (total $220) but which are free through Dec. 26, 2014
  Though it's called "Free App of the Day Bundle" it's apparently free until the day after Christmas, which makes more sense.  I've edited the title.  But they say "until" rather than "through" so note that wording.

The Muscular System Manual app shown here might help with physiology classes, but the main reason I used this app's image as the lead is that the normal cost of this app is set for $64 but it's free for the next couple of days.

  I had not looked at most of the 40 apps to see what prices were but was curious about this educational one.

  WELL, they added, on the bundle-listing page, after I typed that, the prices for each app -- very helpful.


  For UK and Canada - (specific items shown for U.S. are also available on UK and Canada's bundle pages)
  The 40 free app of day bundle page in the UK
  The 40 free app of day bundle page in Canada




Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 8th edition
  Normally $30.99.


Others that jumped out at me as possibly useful as well as fun
are shown below.


OTHER free apps until Dec 26 - 38 more, but a couple of noteworthy ones
Photo Transfer app - nornally $1.99.   From the product description:

  Get Your Transfer
Photo Transfer App allows you to easily transfer photos and videos from your Android device to your computer as well as exchange photos from and to another Android device, iPhone, or iPad using your Wi-Fi network.

  Androids and Apples
Upload multiple photos from your computer to your device. Transfer photos and videos from one Android device to another over Wi-Fi; no cables are necessary. Transfer photos from your Android device to an iPhone or iPad and vice versa.

Please note: to transfer photos from to an Android device to an iPhone/iPhone, both devices must have Photo Transfer App installed. Access to a Wi-Fi network is required for this application to work. Some public Wi-Fi networks, such as hotels or public spaces, may be configured to block communication between devices.

iReal Pro - Music Book & Play Along - normally $12.99
  This was "~One of Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions of 2010~"

  Included in the product-images set is a video that shows you how to use it.
  I was impressed that not only can you choose the key of any song but you can also choose the type of rhythm to use when playing along with the piece.  From the description:

  Practice makes perfect. iReal Pro offers an easy-to-use tool to help musicians of all levels master their art. It simulates a real-sounding band that can accompany you as you practice. The app also lets you create and collect chord charts of your favorite songs for reference.

  “It’s the perfect technology for a practicing musician: high-quality digital audio, mixable, transposable into any key and completely mobile. Now every aspiring musician has a backup band in their pocket.” – Tim Westergren, Pandora Founder

• It's a Book:
Create, edit, print, share and collect chord charts of your favorite songs for reference while practicing or performing.

• It's a Band:
Practice with a realistic sounding piano (or guitar), bass and drum accompaniments for any downloaded or user-created chord chart.

FEATURES:
Have a virtual band accompany you as you practice
• Choose from 35 different accompaniment styles. (More available with In-App purchase)
• 15 Jazz Styles: Afro 12/8, Ballad Even, Ballad Swing, Bossa Nova, Double Time Swing, Even 8ths, Gypsy Jazz, Latin, Latin/Swing, Long Notes, Medium Swing, Medium Up Swing, Slow Swing, Swing Two/Four, Up Tempo Swing
• 8 Latin Styles: Argentina-Tango, Brazil-Bossa Acoustic, Brazil-Bossa Electric, Brazil-Samba, Cuba-Bolero, Cuba-Cha Cha Cha, Cuba-Son Montuno 2-3, Cuba-Son Montuno 3-2
• 12 Pop Styles: 12/8 Rock, Bluegrass, Country, Disco, Funk, Reggae, RnB, Rock, Shuffle, Slow Rock, Smooth, Soul
• Personalize each style with a variety of sounds including piano, fender rhodes, acoustic and electric guitars, acoustic and electric basses, drums, vibraphone, organ, and more

Play, edit, and import any songs you want
• 1000s of songs can be imported from the forums in a few simple steps
• Edit existing songs or create your own with the Editor
• The Player will play any song that you edit or create
• Create multiple editable playlists
. . . View the rest of this at the product page

Also included are Root Explorer and Plex (the latter for those with Plex servers).


Also, the regular SINGLE free app of the day
  How the Grinch Stole Christmas - normally $4.99.


This Christmas bundle is definitely worth a look, and, again, they're available now through Dec. 26.

Kindle Tips: Software update v5.4.5.1 for Paperwhite 2 is ready. REVISED for Footnote improvements.

New software update for Paperwhite 2
The description released August 11 at the software update page and at the forums just repeats exactly what the changes were for update v5.4.5 on July 28, 2014 (!)

However, knowledgeable customers say that there were complaints that the footnotes were now not working properly after v5.4.5, and they report that the footnote functioning is working well with this last week's updated release 5.4.5.1.

The links below will work for this update.  Below is a copy of what was posted for v5.4.5 on July 28.
  Bear in mind, that when it says "v5.4.5" all of it now applies also to v5.4.5.1.


The changes that took effect for v5.4.5 and which still apply for v5.4.5.1

---

NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE 2 gets Software Update v5.4.5 has some general improvements and feature enhancements.

Many report never getting automated updates on their E-Ink readers.  In that case you can download the update-file and install it manually if wanting to get the feature updates.  More on that below.

This update was released last week.

Kindle Paperwhite 2 Software Upgrade to v5.4.5

  Devices involved: See Paperwhite 2 (US),   UK Paperwhite 2: here; Global Paperwhite 2: here.

The new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite 2 can be found here [U.S. and some international].

    [Here's the UK-only software update page]


Amazon's software update page explains how to check the software version currently on your Paperwhite 2.  I'm usually one of the last to receive software updates, so sometimes I do follow the step-by-step instructions to do a manual download and install to my Kindle if the change is important to me.  In my case, I have the Paperwhite 1, and there's no current update for that one.

This update normally automatically downloads and installs on the applicable Kindle Paperwhite 2 eventually;  however, as mentioned, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable.

Here are the feature enhancements they describe for update v5.4.5 [Emphases below are mine]

• Sync to the Most Recent Page Read
  Any books you are reading on your Kindle Paperwhite will now sync to the most recent page read across all Kindle devices and/or reading apps registered to your Amazon account. You can still manually sync your Kindle Paperwhite to go to the furthest page read.  To learn more, go to Sync on Your Kindle Paperwhite.
• Preview a PDF in Pan-and-Zoom Mode
  When viewing a PDF in pan-and-zoom mode, you will now see a small preview window in the margin of the screen.
• Read a Sample While Your Physical Book Ships
  While you are waiting for select physical books to arrive at your doorstep, you can start reading the book right away by adding a sample of the book to your Kindle library.  With this release, these samples will be now available for download in the Cloud tab of your Kindle Paperwhite in addition to your other supported Kindle devices and apps. Any previous samples you have claimed through a physical book purchase will also be available in the Cloud to download. To learn more, go to Read While Your Book Ships.

A Reminder about how syncing of your reading between devices and apps is done
In order for this to work reliably, the changes to your last page read and any new annotations done (highlighting, notes and bookmarks) must be 'seen' by the servers at Amazon -- this means that your WiFi or 3G wireless connection would need to be 'on' at the time you close the book by tapping the Home icon.
   Once the Amazon servers note the changes, they'll be available to the next Kindle-compatible reader or app you open (with Wireless on that device turned On also).
  You can turn 'off' the WiFi or 3G Wireless connection after leaving the Kindle book reading, which will help maximize battery use on that device.)

  When an eInk screen is displaying a page but there is no change to that screen, the display is having no effect on the battery.
  When you change what's being displayed (changing or adding anything on the page, as in tapping it on the side to get a new page or when an action brings a pop-up window or dialog box), the display IS using the battery.  That's why just pressing the power button for only ~1 second puts the Kindle to 'sleep' during which it displays an image, which doesn't use the battery, but the Paperwhite light turns off.

  Leaving it in this sleep state doesn't draw battery power as a result of the image display itself.  If, however, WiFi is On during Sleep state, any activity with subscription downloads or a Special Offers download -will- use battery power.

  There is always very slow battery drain in between charges even when a device is turned off.

  So, the "Screen Off" is an relatively new choice on mine, I noticed.  This just blanks the screen and puts it into sleep state.  SOME have requested a blank screen so they know it's "Off" but, in this case, it's only that there's no image seen - not even Amazon's default images during normal sleep-screens.

Mentioned previously also:
  "Restart" acts more like a soft-reboot on a computer and clears up memory states that may be causing problems.

  There is NO option on my Paperwhite to completely Power Off or Shut down the Kindle.  My options are to (1) Cancel a longer key-press action, (2) Restart the Paperwhite (mine is a Paperwhite 1), or (3) choose "Screen Off."

  It could be that my dialog box for powering off is different from that seen by others because I chose not to get Special Offers sent to my Paperwhite (I accept Special Offers on my Kindle Fire tablets) and, therefore, blanking the screen with a "Screen Off" does not interfere with the marketing offers on the lockscreen.

  Some may choose to get the offers on the Paperwhite and, as a result, may not get the 'Screen Off' option.  That's just conjecture on my part.

  But, in that case, they seem to get the option to 'shut down' the Kindle.

  Also, in my case, holding in the power button for over 20 seconds (rather than 5 seconds) does still cause a Restart (and a clearing of current memory use), as in the past.


IF you experience unusual battery drain
Note that keeping your Kindle always connected to a Wi-Fi network can drain the battery faster under certain circumstances.  If you're experiencing that, then once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" via the 'Settings' option on the Menu -- the option lets you toggle Wireless OFF, using the "Airplane On" choice.

  Amazon's Paperwhite development team won't return the Wireless Off/On choice to the front menu as they did last year for the Kindle Touch, removing the 'airplane mode' icon which confuses many.  It's very inconvenient to have the WiFi On/Off setting on a secondary menu and many, as a result, don't even know that they can turn WiFi Off if needed.

  Amazon probably prefers that we keep Wireless 'On' due to delivery of Special Offers but the battery-drain problem can occur when circumstances involve (1) subscriptions that are downloaded regularly (my New York Times Latest News subscription updates the Kindle edition about five times a day - $1.99/month)) or (2) due to a weaker connection that results from the distance from the WiFi router, in which case the device keeps trying to connect when a download is due (and that can be for the special offers that Amazon regularly needs to send for those who choose to opt for the less-expensive model with the special-offers feature) and is then constantly active.

  BUT, again, WiFi needs to be 'On' after you've read a book and made annotations for a session AND when you then want to be able to continue reading later, on another device (like a smartphone), starting at where you'd stopped.
  If WiFi isn't turned on, the Amazon servers won't have any way of knowing the last-page-read location nor any notes or highlighting you've made, which you'd want to be able to access on the other device.  So, a reminder on my usual recommendation:

1. When you're finished reading, tap the top-toolbar and press the HOME icon.
  That will 'close' the book session and record the last page read and log the annotations.
2. Tap the top of the Paperwhite to bring up the toolbar and menu icon.
3. If you see an airplane icon at the top, your WiFi is Off (and you're in "airplane" take-off mode).
4. Tap 'Settings'
5. Turn Airplane Mode OFF, and that'll turn WiFi ON.
6. At that point, the Kindle will try to sync your changes to the Server and will download anything that is pending (a subscription to a newspaper, magazine, or blog, usually).
7. After that's done, you can go ahead and leave WiFi ON if you have no problems with faster battery drain
      OR you can turn OFF the WiFi if you need to save battery power.

Only if you'd rather not wait -- DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US:  Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.4.5 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK:  UK Paperwhite eReader owners can do the same for the UK-only page

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle News: Kindle Paperwhite 2 software update v5.4.5 -- Sync to most recent page read across all Kindle devices + reading apps; Small preview window now in margin of PDF pan & zooms; Sample of beginning of a book ready in your Cloud while waiting for a physical book.

NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE 2 gets Software Update v5.4.5 has some general improvements and feature enhancements.

Many report never getting automated updates on their E-Ink readers.  In that case you can download the update-file and install it manually if wanting to get the feature updates.  More on that below.

This update was released last week.

Kindle Paperwhite 2 Software Upgrade to v5.4.5

  Devices involved: See Paperwhite 2 (US),   UK Paperwhite 2: here; Global Paperwhite 2: here.

The new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite 2 can be found here [U.S. and some international].

    [Here's the UK-only software update page]


Amazon's software update page explains how to check the software version currently on your Paperwhite 2.  I'm usually one of the last to receive software updates, so sometimes I do follow the step-by-step instructions to do a manual download and install to my Kindle if the change is important to me.  In my case, I have the Paperwhite 1, and there's no current update for that one.

This update normally automatically downloads and installs on the applicable Kindle Paperwhite 2 eventually;  however, as mentioned, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable.

Here are the feature enhancements they describe for update v5.4.5 [Emphases below are mine]

• Sync to the Most Recent Page Read
  Any books you are reading on your Kindle Paperwhite will now sync to the most recent page read across all Kindle devices and/or reading apps registered to your Amazon account. You can still manually sync your Kindle Paperwhite to go to the furthest page read.  To learn more, go to Sync on Your Kindle Paperwhite.
• Preview a PDF in Pan-and-Zoom Mode
  When viewing a PDF in pan-and-zoom mode, you will now see a small preview window in the margin of the screen.
• Read a Sample While Your Physical Book Ships
  While you are waiting for select physical books to arrive at your doorstep, you can start reading the book right away by adding a sample of the book to your Kindle library.  With this release, these samples will be now available for download in the Cloud tab of your Kindle Paperwhite in addition to your other supported Kindle devices and apps. Any previous samples you have claimed through a physical book purchase will also be available in the Cloud to download. To learn more, go to Read While Your Book Ships.

A Reminder about how syncing of your reading between devices and apps is done
In order for this to work reliably, the changes to your last page read and any new annotations done (highlighting, notes and bookmarks) must be 'seen' by the servers at Amazon -- this means that your WiFi or 3G wireless connection would need to be 'on' at the time you close the book by tapping the Home icon.
   Once the Amazon servers note the changes, they'll be available to the next Kindle-compatible reader or app you open (with Wireless on that device turned On also).
  You can turn 'off' the WiFi or 3G Wireless connection after leaving the Kindle book reading, which will help maximize battery use on that device.)

  When an eInk screen is displaying a page but there is no change to that screen, the display is having no effect on the battery.
  When you change what's being displayed (changing or adding anything on the page, as in tapping it on the side to get a new page or when an action brings a pop-up window or dialog box), the display IS using the battery.  That's why just pressing the power button for only ~1 second puts the Kindle to 'sleep' during which it displays an image, which doesn't use the battery, but the Paperwhite light turns off.

  Leaving it in this sleep state doesn't draw battery power as a result of the image display itself.  If, however, WiFi is On during Sleep state, any activity with subscription downloads or a Special Offers download -will- use battery power.

  There is always very slow battery drain in between charges even when a device is turned off.

  So, the "Screen Off" is an relatively new choice on mine, I noticed.  This just blanks the screen and puts it into sleep state.  SOME have requested a blank screen so they know it's "Off" but, in this case, it's only that there's no image seen - not even Amazon's default images during normal sleep-screens.

Mentioned previously also:
  "Restart" acts more like a soft-reboot on a computer and clears up memory states that may be causing problems.

  There is NO option on my Paperwhite to completely Power Off or Shut down the Kindle.  My options are to (1) Cancel a longer key-press action, (2) Restart the Paperwhite (mine is a Paperwhite 1), or (3) choose "Screen Off."

  It could be that my dialog box for powering off is different from that seen by others because I chose not to get Special Offers sent to my Paperwhite (I accept Special Offers on my Kindle Fire tablets) and, therefore, blanking the screen with a "Screen Off" does not interfere with the marketing offers on the lockscreen.

  Some may choose to get the offers on the Paperwhite and, as a result, may not get the 'Screen Off' option.  That's just conjecture on my part.

  But, in that case, they seem to get the option to 'shut down' the Kindle.

  Also, in my case, holding in the power button for over 20 seconds (rather than 5 seconds) does still cause a Restart (and a clearing of current memory use), as in the past.


IF you experience unusual battery drain
Note that keeping your Kindle always connected to a Wi-Fi network can drain the battery faster under certain circumstances.  If you're experiencing that, then once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" via the 'Settings' option on the Menu -- the option lets you toggle Wireless OFF, using the "Airplane On" choice.

  Amazon's Paperwhite development team won't return the Wireless Off/On choice to the front menu as they did last year for the Kindle Touch, removing the 'airplane mode' icon which confuses many.  It's very inconvenient to have the WiFi On/Off setting on a secondary menu and many, as a result, don't even know that they can turn WiFi Off if needed.

  Amazon probably prefers that we keep Wireless 'On' due to delivery of Special Offers but the battery-drain problem can occur when circumstances involve (1) subscriptions that are downloaded regularly (my New York Times Latest News subscription updates the Kindle edition about five times a day - $1.99/month)) or (2) due to a weaker connection that results from the distance from the WiFi router, in which case the device keeps trying to connect when a download is due (and that can be for the special offers that Amazon regularly needs to send for those who choose to opt for the less-expensive model with the special-offers feature) and is then constantly active.

  BUT, again, WiFi needs to be 'On' after you've read a book and made annotations for a session AND when you then want to be able to continue reading later, on another device (like a smartphone), starting at where you'd stopped.
  If WiFi isn't turned on, the Amazon servers won't have any way of knowing the last-page-read location nor any notes or highlighting you've made, which you'd want to be able to access on the other device.  So, a reminder on my usual recommendation:

1. When you're finished reading, tap the top-toolbar and press the HOME icon.
  That will 'close' the book session and record the last page read and log the annotations.
2. Tap the top of the Paperwhite to bring up the toolbar and menu icon.
3. If you see an airplane icon at the top, your WiFi is Off (and you're in "airplane" take-off mode).
4. Tap 'Settings'
5. Turn Airplane Mode OFF, and that'll turn WiFi ON.
6. At that point, the Kindle will try to sync your changes to the Server and will download anything that is pending (a subscription to a newspaper, magazine, or blog, usually).
7. After that's done, you can go ahead and leave WiFi ON if you have no problems with faster battery drain
      OR you can turn OFF the WiFi if you need to save battery power.

Only if you'd rather not wait -- DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US:  Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.4.5 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK:  UK Paperwhite eReader owners can do the same for the UK-only page

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle News: Kindle Paperwhite 2 software update v5.4.3 improves Cloud Collections, PDF pan and zoom. Adds reading-toolbar access to notes. Allows cancellation of KBook purchase during a download. Offers new Power-off options

NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE 2 Software Update v5.4.3 with substantial feature improvements

Kindle Paperwhite 2 Software Upgrade to v5.4.3

  Devices involved: See Paperwhite 2 (US),   UK Paperwhite 2: here; Global Paperwhite 2: here.

Tne new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite 2 can be found [here] [U.S. and some international]

    [Here's the UK-only software update page]

When we had the new software update for the original Kindle Paperwhite 1 the other day, I also linked to the software update pages for the Paperwhite 2).  This separate blog entry highlights the specific features and provides links for both U.S. and UK readers as well as for some International Kindle eReader owners.

The softwares page explain how to check the software version currently on your Paperwhite 2.  I'm usually one of the last to receive software updates, so sometimes I do follow the step-by-step instructions to do a manual download and install to my Kindle if the change is important to me.

This update automatically downloads and installs on the applicable Kindle Paperwhite 2 eventually;  however, as mentioned, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable.

Here are the feature enhancements they describe for update v5.4.3 [Emphases below are mine]

* Access Notes from the Reading Menu
While reading, you can view all of your notes by tapping the Menu icon and then selecting Notes. You can also continue to access the Notes tab from the Go To menu in the reading toolbar.  To learn more, go to Add, View, Edit or Remove Notes (US) or, for UK: here.

* Manage Cloud Collections
Use Cloud Collections to organize titles in custom categories and store your collections in the Cloud.  To learn more, go to Organize Your Content with Cloud Collections (US) or, for UK: here.

* PDF Improvements
Pan and zoom within PDF documents more quickly and easily, and adjust the margins for an optimized reading experience.

* Cancel Full Book Purchase from within a Sample
While reading a book sample, you can view the price of the full book and purchase with one tap.  You can also cancel the purchase before the download is complete by tapping cancel purchase.

In a forum discussion, customer and Kindle Forum Pro CBRetriever wrote the following about changes noticed for both Paperwhite 1 and 2 in the (1) Cloud Collections processing (which AVOIDS the Paperwhite 2's initial update problems from a default-automatic-importing of Collections from ALL other devices sharing the same account) and (2) Kindle Paperwhite Restart procedure.  (Bracketed info and emphases are mine):

' It didn't import any collections from my other kindles (YAY!!!!) not even in the Cloud

... my notes so far:

There's another new thing I've never seen before - when I hold the button in for 30 seconds, it doesn't restart, but I'm given 3 choices and I had to pick one (Shut Down, Cancel or Restart) I'm wondering if the new PW2 has the same choices [it DOES] ... I also had to reboot since it came up with a 2G and not a 3G connection. My collections have stars...

It did not bring in the Collections from other Devices.  I have now added 11 more dictionaries and user guides... I had to go download the user guide via manage Your Kindle - it didn't automatically download. ' [UK Paperwhite 2 user's guide here]

New Power-off Options display
  Oddly, my Paperwhite pop-up dialog box showed options different from what's described above for both Paperwhite versions.  The choices I saw during the attempts to either Power Off (holding the Power On/Off button for ~4 seconds) or force a clean "Restart" (holding the Power On/Off button for 20+ seconds) were:
"Cancel | Restart ! Screen Off" ...

  When an eInk screen is displaying a page but there is no change to that screen, the display is having no effect on the battery.
  When you change what's being displayed (changing or adding anything on the page, as in tapping it on the side to get a new page or when an action brings a pop-up window or dialog box), the display IS using the battery.  That's why just pressing the power button for only ~1 second puts the Kindle to 'sleep' during which it displays an image but the Paperwhite light turns off.

  Leaving it in this sleep state doesn't draw battery power as a result of the image display itself.  If, however, WiFi is On during Sleep state, any activity with subscription downloads or a Special Offers download -will- use battery power.

  There is always very slow battery drain in between charges even when a device is turned off.

  So, the "Screen Off" is an odd new choice on mine.  This just blanks the screen and puts it into sleep state.  SOME have requested a blank screen so they know it's "Off" but, in this case, it's only that there's no image seen - not even Amazon's default images during normal sleep-screens.

  "Restart" acts more like a soft-reboot on a computer and clears up memory states that may be causing problems.

  There is NO option on my Paperwhite to completely Power Off or Shut down the Kindle.

  It could be that my dialog box for powering off is different because I chose not to get Special Offers sent to my Paperwhite (I accept Special Offers on my Kindle Fire tablets) and, therefore, blanking the screen with a "Screen Off" does not interfere with the marketing offers on the lockscreen.

  CBRetriever, quoted above, may choose to get the offers on the Paperwhite and, as a result, doesn't get the 'Screen Off' option.  That's just conjecture on my part.

  But she does get the option to 'shut down' her Kindle.  Odd.

  Also, in my case, holding in the power button for over 20 seconds did cause a Restart, as in the past.


IF you experience unusual battery drain
Note that keeping your Kindle always connected to a Wi-Fi network can drain the battery faster under certain circumstances.  If you're experiencing that, then once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" via the 'Settings' option on the Menu -- the option lets you toggle Wireless OFF, using the "Airplane On" choice.

  Amazon's Paperwhite development team won't return the Wireless Off/On choice to the front menu as they did last year for the Kindle Touch, removing the 'airplane mode' icon which confuses many.  It's very inconvenient to have the WiFi On/Off setting on a secondary menu and many, as a result, don't even know that they can turn WiFi Off if needed.

  Amazon probably prefers that we keep Wireless 'On' due to delivery of Special Offers but the battery-drain problem can occur when circumstances involve (1) subscriptions that are downloaded regularly (my New York Times Latest News subscription updates the Kindle edition about five times a day - $1.99/month)) or (2) due to a weaker connection that results from the distance from the WiFi router, in which case the device keeps trying to connect when a download is due (and that can be for the special offers that Amazon regularly needs to send for those who choose to opt for the less-expensive model with the special-offers feature) and is then constanty active.

  BUT WiFi needs to be 'On' after you've read a book and made annotations for a session AND when you then want to be able to continue reading later, on another device (like a smartphone), starting at where you'd stopped.
  If WiFi isn't turned on, the Amazon servers won't have any way of knowing the last-page-read location nor any notes or highlighting you've made, which you'd want to be able to access on the other device.  So, a recommendation:

1. When you're finished reading, tap the top-toolbar and press the HOME icon.
  That will 'close' the book session and record the last page read and log the annotations.
2. Tap the top of the Paperwhite to bring up the toolbar and menu icon.
3. If you see an airplane icon at the top, your WiFi is Off (and you're in "airplane" take-off mode).
4. Tap 'Settings'
5. Turn Airplane Mode OFF, and that'll turn WiFi ON.
6. At that point, the Kindle will try to sync your changes to the Server and will download anything that is pending (a subscription to a newspaper, magazine, or blog, usually).
7. After that's done, you can go ahead and leave WiFi ON if you have no problems with faster battery drain
      OR you can turn OFF the WiFi if you need to save battery power.

Only if you'd rather not wait -- DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US:  Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.4.3 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK:  UK Paperwhite eReader owners can do the same for the UK-only page

---

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

Kindle Tips: Large Software update v5.4.4 for Paperwhite 1 (Yr 2012). REVISED for New power-off options. [Paperwhite 2 also being updated, separately, linked to here]

KINDLE PAPERWHITE 1 Software Update v5.4.4

Kindle Paperwhite Software Upgrade from v5.3.9 to v5.4.4.

The Kindle Forum has an announcement that a major software update to the first Kindle Paperwhite is available, adding features to Kindle Paperwhite 1 that were first seen on the Paperwhite 2, the later and current model with a faster processor.  (A Paperwhite 1 U.S/ software update {UK page here} is also ready.)

  Affected Paperwhite models: See Paperwhite 1 (US);   (UK Paperwhite 1: here;  Global Paperwhite 1: here.)   [Bracketed notes are mine.]

  The new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite 1 can be found [here] [U.S.and international]

    [And Here's the UK-only software update page.]


 The software page tells you how to check the software version currently on your Paperwhite.  Mine still has v5.3.9 on it rather than v5.4.4

This update automatically downloads and installs on the applicable Kindle Paperwhite; however, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable.

  I've revised this blog entry March 10 to add, at the bottom, new information on the Power off options.

The software update includes general improvements and the following new features:

* Kindle FreeTime:
FreeTime lets you create personalized profiles for kids, and give them access to titles from your collection of books. Kids can keep track of their personal reading progress and earn achievement badges. To learn more, go to Kindle FreeTime

* Goodreads on Kindle (US only)
Connect with the world's largest community for readers from your Kindle Paperwhite. See what your friends are reading, share notes, and rate the books you read. To learn more, go to Find and Share Books with Goodreads on Kindle.

* Cloud Collections [Long awaited]
Use Cloud Collections to organize your content in custom categories. See your collections in a Collections view, and customize where your collections show on your device. To learn more, go to Organize Your Content with Cloud Collections.

* Page Flip [Great feature many of us have hoped for]
While reading, you can skim the book page-by-page, scan by chapter, or skip to the end for a sneak peek without losing your place. To learn more, go to Go To Other Locations in a Book

* Enhanced Bookmarks, Highlights & Notes
Access and manage all of your bookmarks, highlights, and notes more quickly and easily. To learn more, go to Bookmarks, Highlights & Notes

* Smart Lookup
When you look up a word or character, Smart Lookup provides you with dictionary, X-Ray, and Wikipedia information.To learn more, go to Explore Your Book with X-Ray.

* Vocabulary Builder
Words looked up in the dictionary are automatically added to Vocabulary Builder. View the definition and usage of the words, and quiz yourself with flashcards. To learn more, go to Expand Your Vocabulary. '

In a forum discussion, Kindle Forum Pro CBRetriever wrote the following about changes noticed in the (1) Cloud Collections processing (which AVOIDS the Paperwhite 2 problems from a default-automatic-importing of Collections from ALL other devices sharing the same account) and (2) Kindle Paperwhite Restart procedure.  (Bracketed info and emphases are mine):

' It didn't import any collections from my other kindles (YAY!!!!) not even in the Cloud

... my notes so far:

There's another new thing I've never seen before - when I hold the button in for 30 seconds, it doesn't restart, but I'm given 3 choices and I had to pick one (Shut Down, Cancel or Restart) I'm wondering if the new PW2 has the same choices [it DOES] ... I also had to reboot since it came up with a 2G and not a 3G connection. My collections have stars...

It did not bring in the Collections from other Devices.  I have now added 11 more dictionaries and user guides... I had to go download the user guide via manage Your Kindle - it didn't automatically download. ' [UK user's guide here]

New Power-off Options display
  Oddly, my Paperwhite 1's pop-up dialog box showed options different from what's described above.  The choices I saw during the attempts to either Power Off (holding the Power On/Off button for ~4 seconds) or force a clean "Restart" (holding the Power On/Off button for 20+ seconds) were:
"Cancel | Restart ! Screen Off" ...

  When an eInk screen is displaying a page but there is no change to that screen, the display is having no effect on the battery.
  When you change what's being displayed (changing or adding anything on the page, as in tapping it on the side to get a new page or when an action brings a pop-up window or dialog box), the display is not using the battery.  That's why just pressing the power button for only ~1 second puts the Kindle to 'sleep' during which it displays an image but the Paperwhite light turns off.

  Leaving it in this sleep state doesn't draw battery power as a result of the image display itself.  If, however, WiFi is On during Sleep state, any activity with subscription downloads or a Special Offers download -will- use battery power.

  There is always very slow battery drain in between charges even when a device is turned off.

  So, the "Screen Off" is an odd new choice on mine.  This just blanks the screen and puts it into sleep state.  SOME have requested a blank screen so they know it's "Off" but, in this case, it's only that there's no image seen - not even Amazon's default images during normal sleep-screens.

  "Restart" acts more like a soft-reboot on a computer and clears up memory states that may be causing problems.

  There is NO option on my Paperwhite 1 to completely Power Off or Shut down the Kindle.

  It could be that my dialog box for powering off is different because I chose not to get Special Offers sent to my Paperwhite (I accept Special Offers on my Kindle Fire tablets though) and, therefore, blanking the screen with a "Screen Off" does not interfere with the marketing offers on the lockscreen.

  CBRetriever, quoted above, may choose to get the offers on the Paperwhite and, as a result, doesn't get the 'Screen Off' option.  That's just conjecture on my part.

  But she does get the option to 'shut down' her Kindle.  Odd.

  Also, in my case, holding in the power button for over 20 seconds did cause a Restart, as in the past.


IF you experience unusual battery drain
Note that keeping your Kindle always connected to a Wi-Fi network can drain the battery faster under certain circumstances.  If you're experiencing that, then once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" via the 'Settings' option on the Menu -- the option lets you toggle Wireless OFF, using the "Airplane On" choice.

  Amazon's Paperwhite development team won't return the Wireless Off/On choice to the front menu as they did last year for the Kindle Touch, removing the 'airplane mode' icon which confuses many.  It's very inconvenient to have the WiFi On/Off setting on a secondary menu and many, as a result, don't even know that they can turn WiFi Off if needed.

  Amazon probably prefers that we keep Wireless 'On' due to delivery of Special Offers but the battery-drain problem can occur when circumstances involve (1) subscriptions that are downloaded regularly (my New York Times Latest News subscription updates the Kindle edition about five times a day - $1.99/month) or (2) due to a weaker connection that results from the distance from the WiFi router, in which case the device keeps trying to connect when a download is due (and that can be for the special offers that Amazon regularly needs to send for those who choose to opt for the less-expensive model with the special-offers feature) and is then constanty active.

  BUT WiFi needs to be 'On' after you've read a book and made annotations for a session AND when you then want to be able to continue reading later, on another device (like a smartphone), starting at where you'd stopped.
  If WiFi isn't turned on, the Amazon servers won't have any way of knowing the last-page-read location nor any notes or highlighting you've made, which you'd want to be able to access on the other device.  So, a recommendation:

1. When you're finished reading, tap the top-toolbar and press the HOME icon.
  That will 'close' the book session and record the last page read and log the annotations.
2. Tap the top of the Paperwhite to bring up the toolbar and menu icon.
3. If you see an airplane icon at the top, your WiFi is Off (and you're in "airplane" take-off mode).
4. Tap 'Settings'
5. Turn Airplane Mode OFF, and that'll turn WiFi ON.
6. At that point, the Kindle will try to sync your changes to the Server and will download anything that is pending (a subscription to a newspaper, magazine, or blog, usually).
7. After that's done, you can go ahead and leave WiFi ON if you have no problems with faster battery drain
      OR you can turn OFF the WiFi if you need to save battery power.

Only if you'd rather not wait - DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US:  Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.4.4 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK:  You can do the same for the UK-only page

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

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Kindle Tips: Another Kindle Paperwhite 1 software update, v5.3.9

KINDLE PAPERWHITE 1 Software Update v5.3.9

Kindle Paperwhite Software Upgrade to v5.3.9

Reader Peraino sent another tip (yesterday) that yet another software upgrade for Kindle Paperwhite 1 is available, though not with the new features of the Paperwhite 2 yet -- that would normally take months to happen.

I've still not been around lately, but when I am, I'm now working on setting up my new, main computer, which is a Microsoft Surface Pro 2, which is a spectacularly capable "TabTop" -- essentially a very fast, smooth, can-do-anything 2-lb laptop with a separate 1/2 lb Type keyboard cover (which, when the keyboard cover is detached, also functions as a super fast, though relatively heavy, tablet -- but it's most notable for being able to run, easily, full Windows programs of the most graphically-complex types like Adobe Photoshop's latest and Lightroom 4 or 5 and the full Office Suite, if you get a model with sufficient storage space and 8 GB of RAM.  I'm really loving it.

  So, I'm on my way back to Kindle productivity after dealing with that and finishing a couple of other projects that kept me mostly away from the blog.

  NOTE: Even when not actively blogging (when there is no startling news), I respond to questions in the Comments areas of the blog entries -- and the Q&A entries are always shown in summary form and linked to, latest first, on the blog's right-hand column (which is used for information that's ongoing or for reference materials on topics of special interest to many who visit the blog.  So check "Latest Comments" (in the info/reference column on the the right of the page, whenever you're curious what people are asking and the responses made, even when I'm not actively blogging.

On to the latest Paperwhite 1 (previous Paperwhite model) update v3.5.9 eff. Nov. 8, 2013.

  Devices involved: See Paperwhite (US);   (UK Paperwhite: here; Global Paperwhite: here.)

Tne new, free software update available for Kindle Paperwhite 1 can be found [here] [U.S.]

    [Here's the UK-only software update page]

  The software page explains how to check the software version currently on your Paperwhite 1.  Mine still has v5.3.8.1 on it rather than v5.3.9 -- I'm usually one of the last to receive software updates, so sometimes I do follow the instructions to do a manual download and install to my Kindle if the change is important to me.

This update automatically downloads and installs on the applicable Kindle Paperwhite 1 eventually; however, as mentioned, you can also manually download the software and transfer the update to your device via USB cable.

Here's what they describe for update v5.3.9 ...

' The software update includes general improvements and the following feature enhancements:

* Hide Reading Progress Option
While reading, tap the bottom left of the screen to switch between four reading progress options, including Location in book, Time left in chapter, Time left in book, and None, which hides your reading progress from the bottom of the screen.  To learn more, go to "View Your Reading Progress" at the Amazon "Reading Basics" help page.

* Improved PDF Performance
General performance and stability improvements for PDF files.

* Improved Homonym Lookup in Chinese and Japanese
When you look up a word that has multiple meanings for the same spelling (homonym), you can view a full list of the available definitions from within the dictionary definition window. '

As ever, note that keeping your Kindle always connected to a Wi-Fi network can drain your battery faster.  So, once you've got the update "over the air," put the Paperwhite back to "Airplane Mode ON" via the 'Settings' option on the Menu -- the option lets you toggle Wireless Off with the "Airplane On" choice.

  Amazon has not put the "Wireless Off" and "On" back on the front menu as they recently did for the Kindle Touch, removing the confusing-to-many 'airplane mode' icon, which many of us wish they would do, as it is very inconvenient to have it on a secondary menu and many don't even know about the wireless-off feature, causing more battery drain and confusion over that.  Amazon: please do this someday; the Kindle Touch team has the right problem-avoiding idea.

  I realize Amazon prefers Wireless 'On' due to delivery of Special Offers but the battery-drain problem can occur when circumstances involve subscriptions that are downloaded regularly or due to a weaker connection that results from the distance from the router (or even due to a weaker router), in which case the device keeps trying to connect when a download is due (and that can be for the special offers that Amazon regularly needs to send for those who choose to opt for the less-expensive special-offers feature, or for chosen subscription deliveries.)

Only if you'd rather not wait -- DOWNLOADING and transferring the Update via USB
US:  Go to the Kindle Paperwhite Software Update v5.3.9 download section to get the instructions for the download and transfer to your Kindle via USB:
UK:  Go to the update and download area for the UK-only page
http://bit.ly/kpw-v538-uk

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Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links.

US: New Kindle Fire HD 7" 2nd Gen - $139/169 Kindle Fire HDX 7" 16-64GB - $229/269/309 Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" 16-64GB - $379/429/479 - with 4G added: $479/529/579 Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 16GB - 1st Gen $229 - 32GB w/ no special-offers: $314 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $69/$89 Kindle Touch WiFi - $99 Kindle Paperwhite 2, WiFi - $119/$139 Kindle Paperwhite 2, WiFi+3G - $189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $139/$159, Free web Kindle DX - $379 $239 (New price)

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £69 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - ~£89 Refurb'd Kindle Paperwhite 2, WiFi - £109 Kindle Paperwhite2 3G, UK - £169 Kindle Fire 2, UK -  £129 Kindle Fire HD 7" 16/32GB, UK - £159/199 CANADA - Kindlestore, CDN-$ Kindle Basic, NoTouch - $79 Kindle Paperwhite 2 - $139 Kindle Paperwhite 2, 3G - $209 KFire HD Yr 2012 7" $214,  8.9" $284. Yr 2013 KFires: HD Gen2, HDX line

*OTHER Int'l pages* Kindle NoTouch Basic - $89 Paperwhite WiFi $139, 3G/Wifi $209 KFire HD Yr 2012: 7" $214,  8.9" $284 Yr 2013: HD Gen2 + HDX line France Boutique Kindle Deutschland - Kindle Store Italia - Kindle Store Spain - Tienda Kindle Brazil - Amazon Brazil China - Amazon China [?] Japan - Amazon Japan

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

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button