Round up #196: Kindle newsletters, big new update to Silk
Big new update to Silk
When I went to open Silk today (which I don’t usually do…thanks to regular reader Tuxgirl for a heads-up on this), I saw this:
Amazon calls that a “Just in Time Tutorial”, although I don’t know if I’d quite call it a tutorial. I went to
The Official Silk page
and, yes, they had much more of an explanation.
I’ve been using it for a few minutes to test it out for you, and I will say it is smoother…and performance overall seems to be improved.
For one thing, I went to a few sites with online video (Nickelodeon, for one…ABC for another), and the video ran with no problem.
I like the little quick access “Left Panel” menu. It gives you:
Web Content
Most Visited
Bookmarks
Downloads
History
Trending Now
About
Settings
Help
Reading View (which existed before, but is in an easier to spot place) worked nicely, where available.
You can now “long press” (hold your finger or stylus on it for about a second) the URL (Uniform or Universal Resource Locator…the web address), and you get a choice to copy the URL…or “Share page”. Choosing the latter lets you do a lot of things, including e-mail and Twitter. Juice for Roku did come up as an option (I use that to show pictures I get in e-mails to my Significant Other on our TV), but I couldn’t find something that would work that way.
When you long press a link on a page, you also get some choices:
Open
Open in new tab
Open in background tab
Bookmark link
Share link
Copy link URL
The menu button at the bottom has
Share page
Add bookmark
Find in page
Request another view (to switch from Mobile to Desktop and vice versa)
The Settings don’t seem all that different, unfortunately. They haven’t given us a privacy mode, which is one reason I prefer Maxthon for casual browsing…it’s not so much that I want to hide things, but I’d rather not have to clean up a cache and that sort of thing. Privacy tends to mean that less gets stored on your Kindle.
Also, there is not desktop or phone version of Silk yet: another plus for Maxthon.
Still, this version (1.0.58.293-Gen5… on my Kindle) does seem to be a considerable improvement.
If you have been a regular Silk user, experiment a bit…if you notice any big improvements or regressions, you can let me and my readers know by commenting on this post.
Kindle Fire sale ends tomorrow
Just a reminder: the $40 off on the Kindle Fire HD 7″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi deal ends tomorrow, Thursday, August 15…that brings it down to $159. Might mean an announcement of new hardware isn’t too far off in the future…maybe, maybe.
Kindle Delivers
I know, I know…it’s not like the biggest problem in your life is that you don’t get enough e-mail.
However, you might not be getting enough good e-mail, and Amazon can help you with that.
They have a bunch of free newsletters to which you can subscribe at
Amazon Delivers
There are a lot of categories…here are the ones in the Kindle category:
Amazon Kindle Delivers
Sign up to be in the know on editors’ picks, new releases, Kindle book deals, and more. (Please note: US customers only.) Monthly
Comics
Our editors love discussing comic books and graphic novels with fellow comics fans. This email features incredible comics and graphic novels each week with exclusive content from the most-talked-about authors and illustrators, book lists, and more. (U.S. customers only) Weekly
Grand Harbor
Grand Harbor Publishing offers an optimistic outlook, practical solutions, and a safe haven to help readers reclaim their lives and discover a bright future. Offering hardcover, trade paperback, and ebook originals in the inspirational and self-help categories, Grand Harbor Publishing presents uplifting and thought-provoking works embracing a range of philosophies and spiritual thought. Occasionally
Kids Ages 3-5
Stay up to date on the latest in children’s books while discovering ways to advance kids’ reading skills. These monthly newsletters highlight new releases, learning resources, exclusive author content, deals, and more. Please note: US customers only. Monthly
Kids Ages 6-8
Stay up to date on the latest in children’s books while discovering ways to advance kids’ reading skills. These monthly newsletters highlight new releases, learning resources, exclusive author content, deals, and more. Please note: US customers only. Monthly
Kids Ages 9-12
Stay up to the date on the latest for readers ages 9-12. These monthly mails highlight new releases, curated booklists, exclusive author content, deals, and more. Please note: U.S. customers only. Monthly
Kindle Books: Editors’ Picks
There’s nothing the Kindle editors enjoy more than recommending new books to readers. From our weekly Kindle Select 25 to our Best Books of the Month to our year-end round-up of favorites in fiction, nonfiction, and more, these are the titles we truly love. (Please note: U.S. customers only) Monthly
Kindle Daily Deals
Each day we unveil new Kindle book deals for adults and young readers, including daily romance and science-fiction/fantasy deals. Subscribe now to find out about each day’s deals. You’ll receive your first email within 48 hours. (Please note: US customers only.) Daily
Kindle eBooks: Mystery & Thrillers
From comfortable cozies to the harrowingly hardboiled, get up-to-date info on the most highly anticipated mystery ebooks. Monthly
Kindle Newsstand Delivers
Coming Soon: Monthly e-mail focusing on Kindle newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Monthly
Kindle Oferta Fin de Semana
Coming Soon: Cada fin de semana, ofrecemos un eBook a un precio increíble en categorías como romance, ficción, no ficción, fantasía y misterio. ¡Subscríbete para no perder estas ofertas! Weekly
Kindle Select 25
Each week we’ll send an email featuring our list of 25 exciting books we think you should know about. (Please note: US customers only.) Weekly
Romance
There’s nothing our editors swoon over more than talking books with fellow romance fans. From our weekly booklists to exclusive content from the most talked-about authors, this email features the best of romance each week. Please note: US customers only. Weekly
Science Fiction & Fantasy
There’s nothing our Klingon and Conan-savvy editors enjoy more than talking books with fellow science fiction and fantasy fans. From our weekly booklists to exclusive content from the most-talked-about authors, this email features the best of Sci-Fi and Fantasy each week. (U.S. customers only) Weekly
Singled Out: The Best of Kindle Singles
Each month we’ll send you an email featuring a themed selection of Kindle Singles. (Please note: US customers only.) Monthly
Teen & Young Adult
Our editors love sharing what’s new and trending in Teen and Young Adult literature. From curated booklists to exclusive content from the most-talked-about authors, this email features the best of Teen and Young Adult every other week. (U.S. customers only) Bi-Monthly
Here’s the whole list of categories, but interestingly, it appearsyou can only display the contents of one category at a time:
Amazon Appstore for Android
Amazon Instant Video
Amazon Mobile App Distribution Program
Automotive
Beauty
Blogs
Books
Clothing & Accessories
Deals
Health & Personal Care
Kindle
Music
Outlet
Shoes & Handbags
Sports & Outdoors
Video Games
Watches
Wine
Your Shopping List
Hmm…the shopping list says it will send you reminders about items you use frequently…that does sound intriguing. We use Subscribe & Save for a lot of things already, though, and then we don’t have to think about it at all. It’s also nice to save that 15%…
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in the I Love My Kindle blog.