Today, in Part 2 of a 4-part Kindle 101 series, I want to explain how to get started. If you think you have to spend hundreds of dollars to start buying and reading Kindle books, you’ll be happy to know that’s no longer the case.
Part 2 of 4: Getting started
So you’ve decided you want to get started, but have no idea what to do? There are two basic things you need:
Let’s look at these two requirements.
1. An Amazon account.
If you don’t already have one, you can open an Amazon account without having to provide any personal banking information.
However, to buy Kindle books, you’ll need one of the following attached to it:
- credit card
- debit card
- gift card balance
Why? Because when you buy a Kindle ebook, there’s no normal Amazon check-out process. Instead, the retailer uses its “1-Click” payment option to streamline the purchase. (Don’t worry, if you buy an ebook by mistake you can get a refund for the purchase.)
In order to use 1-Click, you have to provide a default billing address on your Amazon account and manually activate the 1-Click setting.
The gift card option is your solution if you don’t want to add a credit card or debit card to your account. You’ll still have to provide a default billing address, but instead of a credit or debit card number you can enter the code on a gift card and the available balance will be used each time you make a 1-Click purchase.
Here are more details directly from Amazon on how to set up the 1-Click payment method or redeem a gift card:
Here’s where to buy Amazon gift cards from physical stores, if you don’t want to buy them online:
2. One of the following devices:
- Kindle device (sold by Amazon)
- Windows PC (XP, Vista or Windows 7)
- Mac PC (10.5 or higher; Intel only, not PPC)
- Blackberry (check here for eligible models)
- iPhone or iPod Touch
- iPad
If you buy a Kindle device, you don’t need any other software. The device automatically connects over a built-in (free) cellular network without needing any configuration from you.
For all the other devices, you’ll have to install some free software that Amazon provides. This software serves as your ebook library–it’s where you’ll store your purchases as well as read them.
Kindle for Mac
Kindle for BlackBerry
Kindle for iPhone/iPod Touch
Kindle for Tablet Computers (iPad)
So that’s it. Get your account set up, install the right software, and you’re ready to start buying and reading Kindle ebooks.
Hey! Be sure to check out the complete Kindle 101 page for the most current version of this guide.
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