The Complete User’s Guide To the Amazing Amazon
 
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Nov. 2007: Amazon launches Kindle. One week later: Stephen Windwalker releases the first Kindle guide, and it spends 17 weeks as the bestselling title in Amazon's Kindle Store. Oct. 2008: Oprah Winfrey endorses the Kindle, which had sold a little over half a million units up until then. Kindle sells out a week later. Feb. 2009: Amazon launches Kindle 2, soon followed by the DX and Kindle for iPhone App. Sept. 2009: In a clear sign of the coming ebook revolution, downloads of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol outpace Amazon hardcover sales. Dec. 2013: According to projections by analysts at Tech-On, one of Asia's most popular websites, the worldwide number of Kindles and other ebook readers will reach 28.6 million. Today: On this day in 2009 or 2010, as you read these first pages of The Complete User's Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle 2, you are about to take your rightful place as a citizen of Kindle Nation and an active, informed participant in The Kindle Revolution. ....read more
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SJ Hanlon on Thu, 9th Apr 2009 12:00 am
Kudos for Mr. Windwalker’s book: The Complete User’s Guide To The Amazing Amazon Kindle.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I received my Kindle as a birthday gift in January and have been slightly addicted to it since. You might be interested in the fact that I immediately realized that what Amazon gives as their instruction manual is somewhat insufficient and ever so brief. Never suspecting that it can do what your book guides readers to, you can imagine how pleased I was to get the book and learn! You give the reader a great tool with which to learn and use. Thanks so much.
R. Culley on Fri, 24th Apr 2009 12:00 am
No Good For Australian Users
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Whispernet is locked down for Australian users, most of the “free” content in this product refer to content we can’t access.
Doris on Fri, 8th May 2009 12:00 am
only for americans you say?
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
a significant percentage of functionality described depends on web access so if you live in a country like canada that doesnt have web access you will feel a bit third world. on the bright side you will still learn of great sites and apps that can be used with your computer to provide free books andformat conversions. the writing is excellent but i find when im trying to get instruction i prefer to skip on the prose in favour of brevity. lastly for all those scratching their heads trying to find all those great freebies you keep hearing about on amazon, well only in america. in canada those same books cost $2 if you are desperate for free amazon books set yourself up with an usa address and download through your computer
M. B. Buckner on Sun, 31st May 2009 12:00 am
Complete Users Guide for Kindle 2 w/tips
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This has been most helpful in paperback
to go over while learning. Having it IN
the Kindle is a good reference away from
home.
David R. Ewing MD on Sun, 31st May 2009 12:00 am
The Complete User’s Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle2
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
It is not as well written as it should be. Hard to follow sometimes and is not as compatible with Kindle DX as I would like it to be. Some websites suggested do not respond or download well. It has most of the basics, however. It could use pictures or drawings of the keys and function on Kindle DX.
Thomas S. Harbin, Jr. on Fri, 12th Jun 2009 12:00 am
The Kindle guru does it again, in spades as always
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
When my daughter gave me a Kindle 1 a year or so ago, I was curious. After I read Steve Windwalker’s guide to the Kindle, I was in love. Now with his guide to the Kindle 2, he will make you fall in love. Here, in enthusiastic but well-written and plain English, you will learn all you need to know about this amazing device. And, if you want to keep up with advances, subscribe to his weekly emails. Kudos to Steve for another repeat five-star performance.
Tom Harbin
Theodore V. Jacobsen on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 12:00 am
USER GUIDE USER FRIENDLY
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Although the internal user guide for the Amazon Kindle Reader is decent enough for a preliminary introduction, the User Guide and Format Guide are excellent supplementary reference books once the reader is passed the ‘beginner’s’ stage and wants to explore and exploit all the potential of the Kindle, which offers much more than I anticipated when purchasing the new leap in technology.
Theodore Jacobsen, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Richard Askenase on Wed, 15th Jul 2009 12:00 am
Excellent and thorough!! Really helps me get more from my Kindle.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had this guide since I got my original Kindle2 in April 2009. It was my very first Kindle purchase, since I knew that I needed some good advice on how to get the most of my new purchase (and the Amazon manual was very weak).
Frankly, I refer to it frequently for tips and suggestions on how to do various functions on my Kindle. I use it to help me download different material from the web onto my device. And, it showed me how to play some games like Gomoku(which I didn’t even know were there).
For you new Kindle owners out there, I really think this is the best guide for you. Mr. Windwalker has a great Kindle blog in which he continually demonstrates just how much he understand this terrific device and how to make it sing. That is all right here in this book. I read often on the Amazon forums questions on how to do various things on your Kindle. Don’t bother- they are all right here. And, very easy to follow with step by step instructions.
This is the guide to have. You’ll end up keeping it on the first page of your home screen. That’s how often it will help.
Thomas C. Dulaney on Wed, 22nd Jul 2009 12:00 am
Excellent Guide Explains WHY as Well As How To…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
REVIEW Windwalker’s
The Complete User’s Guide
To the Amazing Amazon Kindle
“Everybody’s entitled to his own stupid opinion,” my late father-in-law informed me each time I spouted an idea he found disagreeable.
His funny line came to mind while reading recent negative reviews of Stephen Windwalker’s Complete Use’s Guide covering the Amazon Kindle 2.
The book garners an overall 4-star rating from 41 reviewers, with only 12 turning thumbs down on it with 1- or 2-star reviews. I am definitely on the side of the majority on this one. Windwalker has long been my “go-to” source for a wide variety of information about the Kindle, Kindle Books and the continuing saga of epublishing’s birth into a world of hostile big-city newspaper reviewers and publishing house spokespersons.
So my “informed opinion” based on two years’ of reading Windwalker’s books and blogs is that he’s a trustworthy source I can count on to be up-to-date in his facts and thorough in his explanations.
For many of us–perhaps the majority–user’s guides that come with any device just don’t do the job. Sure, they may–or may not–do a decent job of telling which buttons to push for what result, but they do not tell me why I should bother.
That’s why I like Windwalker’s books and reporting.
For example, I bought my Kindle 1 in early 2008 to read books–period. I ignored all of its features except downloading a sample, buying a book, and reading it. In the guide that came with the Kindle, pages of instruction told me how to listen to music while reading, how to go to the net, email, and so on. I passed on all of it.
But, reading Windwalker’s prose on those Kindle abilities caused me to think again. “Hey, I actually do have a use for (insert the feature),” I realized after the book’s discussion of it. Granted, not all the features passed muster. For example, web surfing on the Kindle is, to me, too much bother. Same for email.
So, being one who likes to know the “why” of anything, as well as the “how to”of it, I give the Complete User’s Guide 5 stars because, unlike the user’s guide that came in the box with the Kindle, this book is what I consider “Complete.”
I also like Windwalker’s breezy, friendly writing style and humor. By contrast, the Amazon Kindle operator’s manual included not one laugh, or even a smile. Life’s too sure for that!
And that, dear reader, is my own stupid opinion.
J. Piersall on Mon, 10th Aug 2009 12:00 am
The Complete User’s Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle 2
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Not an easy book to use. Not straightforward. I love my Kindle and find it difficult to stop reading it. I was looking forward to easily finding “Tips, Tricks, and Links.” I will eventually find them on my ouw, not with the help of this book.
Rosemary Mayne on Thu, 27th Aug 2009 12:00 am
a waste of time
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
this book is not half as good as the free information given with the kindle
I did not need to buy it.
Ric M. Heard on Wed, 23rd Sep 2009 12:00 am
Not a real user guide
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a real reference book, with well-organized directions for using the features, and diagrams of screens, in a hard-copy form. Instead, I got a load of personal information about the author, along with poorly organized and spotty information on the actual use of this device.
James Stitley on Sun, 18th Oct 2009 12:00 am
New Kindle Book purchased from Amazon
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent and updated book for Kindle 2 – was long overdue but definitely worth the wait. Full of lots of new tips and hints on use. The best book so far on Kindle 2.
Joshua Campbell on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 12:00 am
No Brainer
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you own a kindle, BUY AND READ THIS! Plain and simple…
Josh
LP on Wed, 28th Oct 2009 12:00 am
Needs to be updated
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I downloaded this guide and read it from beginning to end. Although it is a good read to learn the intricacies of the Kindle, the document is in dire need of revision. It seems like each chapter was written independently from the rest and then put together. There is too much repetition (how many times does the author need to specify the cost of each Kindle model?, or that Whispernet 3G is free?, or the Kindle Customer Support number?, or…). In one chapter the author writes: “…Amazon’s just-launched but still unshipped Kindle 2…”.
The Index to Web-friendly Links section includes an extensive list of links that need to be updated and reorganized, and the duplicates should be removed.
Removing redundancies would probably make the guide 20% smaller while giving it a more fluid transition between chapters.
Other than that, it is a great primer for the Kindle user.
Shahram Khorsand on Fri, 20th Nov 2009 12:00 am
Good if you are a novice on internet and kindle
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Bought this book as one of my first kindle books, it was very cheap.
However, it wasted my time, which is much more valuable.
The author spends time talking about google products as gmail, reader, books far too long.
He also spends alot of time on the webbrowser part of the knidle which is absolutly not why I bought my knidle anyway. Using the webbrowser of the kindle is like going back to 1995.
The links at the end gave me couple of hints. The links to Calibre and Mobipocket reader is why I didn’t give it a 1.
Save your self some time and don’t get this book. Google Calibre and Mobipocket and you will get the most valuables from this book.
Middle age tech freak on Wed, 25th Nov 2009 12:00 am
Pass….
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This is mostly regurgitated info from other sources. It also doesn’t square very well with the title – the author has a lot of fluff about Kindle history, and other information that could hardly be called “Tips, Tricks & Links…” for the Kindle.
It’s hard to argue with a buck for this, but on the other hand, lots of your time will be spent wading through the excess. It’s made me wary of what sort of other things will masquerade as content on the Kindle.
Here’s a feature I should have used – Sample.
Coyote on Sun, 6th Dec 2009 12:00 am
Canada???
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
We can get a Kindle in Canada this year but 1/2 of the suggestions in the book DON’T WORK UP HERE! Grrrrrrrrr, how annoying.
LSE on Fri, 25th Dec 2009 12:00 am
recommendable user guide for the Kindle
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
this guide is worth the money spent to get the best out of your kindle
Ashley J Cooper on Mon, 4th Jan 2010 12:00 am
Stating the obvious
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Although this title only cost me $2.99 it’s still $2.99 that I could have spent elsewhere and I’m confused as to why I was charged anything at all for what amounted to chapter after chapter of repetitious suggestions ranging from the irrelevant to the blindingly obvious. Kindle owners (such as myself) that don’t live in the US can safely ignore the 50% of the book that refers to or depends on Internet access via the Kindle device, for it currently isn’t available outside North America. In short – save your hard-earned for something of value.
Michael J. Hudson on Fri, 8th Jan 2010 12:00 am
very helpful
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
recommend for any beginers with the kindle. Very helpful. A little too much info on stuff I would never used but Good book
M. Porter on Wed, 27th Jan 2010 12:00 am
Complete User’s Guide to amazing amazon kindle 2
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
What I’ve read of it so far is good to know and helpful. I’ve been spending most reading time using kindle to read my books. I bought this one to have in case I needed any help with things it can do.
Linda Mills on Thu, 11th Feb 2010 12:00 am
Not much help unless you want to write for kindle.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This was a bit disappointing. I learned as much from the helps that came with my kindle 2 as I did from this article. It does give lots of tips if you want to write a book or article to submit to kindle for publication, which seems to be what the writer did with this very publication.
Crickett on Sat, 27th Feb 2010 12:00 am
1.99 rip off
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Even at $1.99 it is a rip off. Nothing but links and some of them don’t even work.
It says you can e-mail him for a list of the links which can be used from your computer. Don’t waste your time asking for this; I have e-mailed 4 times and NEVER GOT A REPLY!!!!
Save your money; wish I had!!