Despite launching a
number of new Kindles last month, Amazon has not forgotten the previous iterations of the device, and the
legions of followers that it garnered. The Kindle 3 (which Amazon has now dubbed the Kindle Keyboard) has received a
new software update which brings a few new features.
Most notable of these is the ability to view and download one’s archived personal documents to the device. Personal documents will be stored in the cloud as part of one’s Kindle library until they are deleted by the user.
In a similar vein, the second new feature offered by the update includes the ability to use Whispersync for one’s
personal documents. As with Kindle books, Whispersync automatically synchronises the last page read, bookmarks and annotations for personal documents (with the exception of PDFs) across Kindle devices.
Additionally, the new update enables Kindle Keyboard users to turn the Voice Guide feature - which reads aloud menu options, content listings and item descriptions - on and off by holding the Shift key and pressing Spacebar.
According to Amazon, the update can be installed by first connecting to a Wi-Fi network, pressing ‘Menu’ from the Home screen and selecting ‘Sync and Check for Items.’ The software update will automatically download in the background and install the next time the device goes into sleep mode.
The update comes less than a month after Amazon launched its
new Kindle range, which included the tablet like Kindle Fire, and three new versions of its popular e-ink reader, two of which sport a touch screen.
In recent news, the Kindle Fire is
rumoured to have garnered 250 000 pre-orders, ahead of its release in the US on the 15
th November.
