While its benefits are many, the e-book device also comes with a plethora of features that not everyone might be aware of. Here, we will look at some nifty Kindle tips and tricks that will help you master the reading device with aplomb. Even if you consider yourself a Kindle pro, you might have missed out on some of these neat tips. Utilizing them would greatly enhance your experience. Take a look.
1. Capture a screenshot
When you are reading a book or document on your Kindle, you often come across a passage, a graphic, or a quote that you really like. Wouldn't it be great if you could save them for later? Your Kindle device allows you to take a screenshot (similar to how you do so on your mobile phones, tablets, or laptops) to capture things that come across as interesting. Just long tap on two opposing corners of the screen simultaneously and then the screen will flash shortly, indicating that the screenshot has been taken.
You can access your saved screenshots by connecting your Kindle to a computer and copying the images to the machine. Your saved screenshots can be found in the 'root directory' of the device.
2. Highlight text and add notes
When you come across a passage or line that you find interesting, you can highlight the text on your Kindle. The 'Highlights' feature on Kindle helps you preserve these passages or any other content while you are reading so that you can revisit them later. Just tap, hold, and drag your finger on the beginning word of the passage and then drag it to the end of the text to create a highlight. A list of all your highlighted text is saved in 'Your Library' in a file that says 'My Clippings'.
You can even edit your Highlight, change its color, and notes to it (your own thoughts to a particular quote, for instance). Tap on a Highlight and select ‘Note’ to create a note.
3. Share e-books with your loved ones
One great feature of Amazon Kindle is that it allows you to share your favorite e-books with your friends and family.
For this, you first need to add another adult Amazon user to your account and enable sharing access. Go to the 'Manage Your Content and Devices' section of your Amazon account. There, under the 'Preferences' tab, click the 'Households and Family Library' section, and then click 'Manage Your Household'. Now, tap on the 'Add Adult/Add a Child/Add a Teen' button.
You will now be asked to add the Amazon account ID and password of the person you want to add. Have the person enter their Amazon email and password. Once they’ve entered their info, Amazon will ask them for confirmation. By clicking 'Yes', you can allow both your account and the other person’s account to share payment methods. After you've completed all these steps, you can choose the books from your Kindle you would like to share with your loved ones easily.
4. Adjust screen brightness
Did you know that you can adjust the brightness of your Kindle screen? All you have to do is to press and hold the sun icon on the left edge of the slider and then adjust the brightness that best suits your eyes.
Do note, however, that the feature of changing your screen’s brightness is provided with the Kindle Paperwhite and other more recent models that have a backlight. You won’t have this feature if you own an old Kindle with no backlight.
5. Change the font size
While reading on Kindle has many benefits, not everyone may be comfortable with the font or text size on the screen. Thankfully, you can modify the font and text size on Kindle according to your liking.
To do so, first, open any book (or document) on your Kindle. Now, tap the center of the screen and a reading toolbar will appear. Select the ‘Aa’ icon on the left-hand side. This will open a pop-up, where you can choose the text size that’s comfortable for you by dragging your finger over the sizing bar or hitting the '+' or '-' targets. Tap the "X" to close out of the pop-up after you are done. Here, you will also find options to change the font style of your text. Furthermore, you can even adjust the font, line spacing, and margins with this setting.
6. Use more features of the Dictionary
Most Kindle users are aware of the Dictionary feature on their device that helps you find the definition of any word you didn’t understand properly or are unfamiliar with. In case you haven’t used it before, press and hold a word on your Kindle then release it to see its meaning highlighted.
However, the dictionary feature can also be used for Wikipedia and translation options. When you press and hold a word, and release it, you will also get to see its Wikipedia entry, apart from its definition. Similarly, it also gives you translation options. Just press and drag to highlight the text you want to translate, tap 'More', and then tap 'Translation'.
Note: The Wikipedia and translation options require connection to a wireless network.
7. How to extend your Kindle’s battery life
The battery of a Kindle can last for weeks, but you can extend its durability even further with a few tricks. For starters, turn off the front light or minimize brightness since the light and brightness features usually use the most energy. Refer to our explanation on adjusting screen brightness on a Kindle above.
Also, if you don’t have to download anything on your Kindle, then there’s no need to have the wireless connections on. Turn on Airplane mode and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This will save a lot of energy. To turn Airplane mode on and off, tap Menu > Settings > Airplane Mode.
Lastly, there’s an auto-brightness feature on many of the newer Kindle models (Kindle Voyage and 2nd gen Kindle Oasis, for instance) that automatically adjusts the front light of the device based on current lighting conditions. However, the problem with this is that it turns the light up when lighting is bright, which ends up eating up the battery. To avoid this, you can manually lower the brightness of the light on your Kindle. There’s a checkbox next to the brightness slider to turn it on and off.
8. Use the Word Wise feature to learn new words in a different language
You can also use your Kindle to learn new words in different languages. Kindle’s 'Word Wise' feature has been designed to help people understand content better by providing hints for difficult words. With its help, you will see simple definitions and synonyms displayed inline above difficult words as you read. Moreover, Word Wise can also be used to read a book in a foreign language.
To turn on Word Wise, go to Settings > Reading Options > More > Word Wise. Here, you will also find the option to choose whether you want to see only the most probable hint or a list of possible meanings.
Once it’s turned on, Word Wise will always appear in the bottom right corner while you read. You can tap on it to adjust the level to your liking any time you want.
Share these great tips with other Kindle users!
