Kindle Keyboard (Kindle 3) FAQ
To avoid too much repetition, most of the more general questions about the Kindle, e-ink and book purchasing are covered in the Kindle General FAQ so please refer to that post for non Kindle Keyboard specific questions.
Section 1 - Kindle Keyboard Hardware
Q. Should my Kindle be switched off or just left to sleep?
Normally, just leave to sleep. After 10 minutes of non-use, the Kindle reverts to a screensaver style mode. The Kindle can be left in sleep mode indefinitely, however if you are unlikely to use your Kindle for more than a week then it is better to switch it off by sliding and holding the power button for 7 seconds until the display goes off.
You can put your Kindle on sleep by sliding and releasing the power button. The keys are locked in sleep mode to prevent inadvertent use. If Text-to-Speech is on at this point, you will continue to hear the reading but the keys will be locked.
Q. Can I charge my Kindle in the car?
It is possible, but you would have to obtain a USB 12 volt connector that fits your cigarette lighter socket. There is no guarantees with this; whilst it should be OK, it could damage your Kindle battery.
Q. What are the keyboard shortcuts for the Kindle Keyboard?
There are many shortcuts available for the Kindle and a good source of these can be found here: keyboard shortcuts
Q. Can you change the screensaver pictures?
At present, the only way to change the screensaver pictures is with a hacked software update but this is not recommended as it could cause operating problems with your Kindle. We are hoping that eventually Amazon will give us an official way to change the pictures.
Section 2 - Using the Kindle
Q. Can I play Games on my Kindle?
At present, UK Kindle owners have two games that they can play on their Kindle.
Minesweeper
This is accessed by pressing Shift, Alt and M.
GoMoku
From Minesweeper (above) press G to play this extra game.
GoMoku is a strategy board game otherwise known as Five in a Row.
If you want to get back to Minesweeper from GoMoku just press “M”.
Two games were available to US Kindle users, but because of a dictionary problem, they have yet to come to the UK. It is likely that more games will be made available to UK users in the future.
Q. Can I listen to Audio books on the Kindle?
Yes. Audio books can be obtained from Audible.co.uk. There is a separate directory on your Kindle called Audible. Copy your audio (.aa) file to this. Playing the audio file is similar to reading a book, please refer to the Kindle User Guide for further instructions.
Q. Where can I get further support for my Kindle
If you can't find what you are looking for on our forum, then you can check Amazon's Kindle support documentation
Q. Can I change the page margins on my Kindle
Yes, you can change the margin size if you follow these steps :
- Go to the Home page of the kindle and put it in USB drive mode. (Make sure you're on the homepage not reading a novel)
- View the files of the Kindle and select the organize tab in the top left. Go onto the folder and search options select view and deselect the hide protected operating system files and select show hidden folders. Apply the changes and a system folder should become visible.
- Open the system folder the com.amazon.ebook.booklet.reader folder and open the reader file with notepad2 (free download here) of similar software (notepad or wordpad will not work correctly)
- In this file you will find the line HORIZONTAL_MARGIN=40. This is the line you need to change. Change the 40 to the amount of pixels you want the margin to be. I've found 10 works well. When you've made the change save the file.
- Reload your kindle. To make the change go to the settings press the menu again and choose to restart. DO THIS BEFORE YOU OPEN A BOOK TO READ. Once the Kindle restarts open the book you're reading and the margins should be altered.
That covers questions which are specific to the Kindle Keyboard. If you have questions about screensavers, buying and reading eBooks and PDFs or maintenance of your Kindle, please refer to the Kindle General FAQ
