When I posted a link to the Nurse Jackie screenplay earlier this month, someone left a comment asking for help with formatting screenplays for the Kindle.
I am always up for a challenge, at least until I grow bored or frustrated, so today I tried to figure out a solution. What I finally came up with is a bit convoluted, but hopefully it lays the groundwork for others to figure out more elegant solutions in the future.
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Amazon just quietly introduced a handy new web portal, kindle.amazon.com, where you can log in and view your list of books. What really makes it useful, however, is each book automatically lists any notes or highlights you’ve added while reading it. Now instead of having to access those things from the device via a USB cable, you can simply log in, then read or copy-and-paste as needed.
There’s also a handy “manage your Kindle” link at the top of the page, so you can bookmark this URL and use it to quickly access your device’s email addresses, downloads, etc.
We all knew it wouldn’t last forever; Amazon always promised us that they might start enforcing their small conversion charge when you emailed them a document to be converted and sent directly to your Kindle. However, they’ve not only implemented the fee but raised it, so be careful!
Amazon originally said they’d charge 10 cents per document some day. The reality, which went into effect on May 4th, is that they’re charging 15 cents per megabyte rounded up.
That means you’ll pay at minimum 15 cents for each conversion. If your doc is, say, 1.14 MB (or 1140 KB, if that’s how your computer displays it to you), then you’ll pay 30 cents, and so on.
There are two ways to avoid this:
- Have Amazon email the converted file back to you instead of sending it on to your Kindle.
When you registered your Kindle, you set up an email address along the lines of “name”@kindle.com (where “name” is your name, of course). Attachments sent to this address will incur the fee and be forwarded on to your Kindle.
To avoid that, send attachments to “name”@free.kindle.com instead. The converted Kindle-formatted file will be emailed back to you instead of sent to the device, and you won’t be charged a thing.
- Convert the document yourself using software on your computer
The easiest and best way to do this is with the free software program Calibre, which will convert several different formats into the MOBI format, which your Kindle can read without problems. You can also try the desktop version of Stanza or Mobipocket eBook Creator (Windows only) if for some reason Calibre won’t meet your needs.
Either path will result in you having a Kindle-friendly document on your computer, which you’ll then need to transfer over to your Kindle via USB. No, it’s not quite as hassle-free as letting Amazon send it directly, but if you want to save the equivalent of a Kindle text messaging fee for each conversion, you’re gonna have to start transferring it yourself.
(Photo: LabyrinthX)
Well, that didn’t take long: someone on MobileRead figured out a way to change the directory where the Kindle 2 looks for its default screensaver images. By default, this directory is hidden on a partition that doesn’t even get mounted on your PC when you connect the K2 via USB, but this hack changes the path to a directory on the accessible section–so you can add all the custom images you want and have the K2 you always wanted.
It’s not an idiot-proof solution, so if you’re kind of iffy when it comes to computers, you’ll probably just want to learn to accept Amazon’s restrictions. However, if you feel competent, click here to see the thread and the downloadable files that will let you hack the Kindle 2.
Thanks to reader Joshua M. for pointing this out in the comments!
It didn’t take long for Amazon to make good on its promise to expand into mobile territory. Last week, only a couple of weeks after releasing the Kindle 2, an official app showed up on the iTunes App Store that allows you to read your Kindle ebooks (but not mags or newspapers) on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Here’s a first look at how the app works, including what it does well and doesn’t do at all.
Perhaps even more interesting, though, is that for the first time, customers who don’t own a Kindle can purchase Kindle ebooks. This throws open the doors of the Kindle bookstore to millions more customers. What doesn’t change, of course, is the fact that the titles remain DRM-shackled. But for the savvy user who knows how to remove the DRM, you suddenly have access to what’s still the cheapest ebook store on the planet. For now, at any rate. Read the rest of this entry »
