The Kindle for PC app has been quietly updated. Some have chosen the option to have it updated automatically when they open the program and an update is available.
I like to choose the time, but then I didn’t get a notice that there was an update waiting to be ‘noticed.’
I read about it when @MikeCane tweeted it the other day in his inimitable way.
See below:
So, I went to my Kindle for PC program, still showing a bright, plain white background, chose the menu’s install-update option, and got what Cane described.
Even better, when I clicked on the Menu to read about Future Improvements, I saw what I’d been waiting for:
‘ Here are some new features we have recently added to Kindle for PC.
Download the new version to enjoy these new features.* Search
Search for words or phrases within the book you’re reading
* Improved look and feel
Enjoy brighter graphics and a slick new look ‘
They list the following for possible future improvements:
‘ Below are some features we are thinking about bringing to Kindle for PC in the near future:
* Two-page reading mode
View two pages at the same time
* Built-in dictionary
Seamlessly look up the definitions of English words without interrupting your reading
* Library management
A new way to manage and organize your content ‘
I’d never noticed that, on the main page, we have choices to sort by Most Recent, Title, and Author as we can on the Kindle.
I also see that my newspaper subscriptions are showing up. Were those shown before? Never saw these either, in my previous listings.
Dictionary
As for the future dictionary — until they’re ready, be sure to take a look at WordWeb – it’s free and it’s useful for more than just the Kindle app.
TIP – To make sure that syncing works better between the Kindle for PC app and your Kindle and other devices, click on “Home” at top-left of the app after you’ve finished reading, before you close the program. That gives a better chance of recording your last-page read and having it picked up by the Amazon servers while you’re on the Net.
HELP page for Kindle for PC
There’s a lot of good info at the Kindle for PC Help page.
I can’t yet tell if I have the latest version or not.
I get Help About : Ver 1.1.1(30156) (might be 30186 ?no copy or memory)
Thanks, Don
OK, reloading the program updated it to ver 1.2.0.
I had auto update checked, so if the update happened in the last 24 hours, I could have had the program already open when it came.
Thanks, Don
Maybe some day they’ll update Kindle for the Mac. Currently, it’s available only for Intel Macs. It’s almost as frustrating as the old days when Macs were considered too small a market niche to bother with at all. Between that snub and Amazon’s refusal to acknowledge ePub, I’m not likely to ever be a customer for the Kindle.
The ePub lack of support is frustrating and possibly reason enough to avoid Kindle. But I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for Amazon to roll out a version for the old version of the Mac OS hardware. Hasn’t it been 4 or 5 years since they switched to Intel chips? Hardly a “snub”.