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- Did you buy a Kindle from Amazon with a Prime Day deal? 5 tips to prepare for your arrival
So, you checked out the Prime Day deals and found a new Amazon Kindle e-reader that you really love. Congratulations, now the hard work is over (unless you forgot the vital step of buying an e-reader, you can find the best Amazon Prime Day Kindle deals here). Now you have to wait for your Kindle to arrive, which can take a day thanks to Prime, but in some areas it doesn't. So you might have a little time to play with your thumbs before the e-reader arrives. No, don't waste this time! If you've ever set up a new device, you know that sometimes it can take a while to really get used to. Between getting started and understanding its features, you could lose a lot of time when you want to enjoy your new purchase. But for Amazon Kindle e-readers, you can basically skip this step, allowing you to enjoy your purchase as soon as you want after Prime Day. After years of testing e-readers, we know exactly what to expect when your Amazon Kindle arrives in the mail. So we've put together this little guide, listing a few things to think about as your new eReader walks to your door.
1. make sure your home internet connection is up to speed
Most technology devices use two different Wi-Fi frequencies to connect to the Internet: 2,4 GHz and 5 GHz, and most Wi-Fi routers work on both. Note that we say "most" and not "all" and that's the problem (unless you bought an LTE-connected Kindle, in which case skip this step). 2,4 GHz is slower and weaker, while 5 GHz is faster and newer. The latter is being used more and more, especially for tech devices, but the Kindle uses only 2.4 GHz.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (Image credit: Future) Where this becomes a problem is that some Wi-Fi routers and places like offices and cafes now only use 5GHz. So, in theory, it's possible that in some places your Kindle cannot connect to the Internet. You need to find out how fast your home Wi-Fi router is on and possibly find solutions if you can't connect to the Internet; for example, many home routers allow you to go from 5GHz to 2,4GHz if you want. and many devices also allow you a "hotspot" Internet connection. We have written a complete guide on how to connect your Kindle to the Internet, which will hopefully help you.
2. Browse the Kindle Store
You don't need a Kindle e-reader to view the bookstore, as it's available on Amazon's website and on the devices themselves. If you head over here to the Amazon Kindle e-book store, you'll be able to explore all the different e-books for the Kindle. You can search for specific titles, browse by genre, or view recommendations based on books you've already purchased. You also don't need to add these books to a Wish List; if you buy them now, they'll be easy to download once you get your Kindle. You'll have a real library waiting for you the moment your e-reader arrives.
3. Get information about subscription services.
(Image credit: Pexels) There are four different subscription services that apply to Amazon Kindle devices, and choosing one or more of them can go a long way for your reading habits. First up is Amazon Prime Reading, and as the name suggests, it's a perk to be a Prime subscriber, so if you're already getting free overnight delivery, Prime Video, and more, you already have that bonus. However, you cannot choose this service on your own; if you're not a Prime subscriber, you're out of luck. Prime Reading works much like a library: there are over a thousand classic works of prose, poetry, and drama that you can download, as well as Amazon Original Stories and a selection of other novels. You can download up to 10 of these books to your Kindle at any time, but if you want more, you must return one. Then there's Kindle Unlimited, which is a great service for avid readers. For $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$13.99 per month, you get unlimited access to a huge library of books, magazines, audiobooks, and comics. This service includes many texts that are not available in Prime Reading, including famous and more specialized books. At that price, you'll save money if you buy more than two books a month (judging by the Kindle store's average price), and there's also a free trial if you've never used the service before. The third comes from Comixology, an online comic book store, where Comixology Unlimited gives you unlimited access to a library of over 25,000 graphic novels that you can view on your eReader. This service is only available in the US at the moment, oh, and you need to sign up through the Amazon website, as some users have found that signing up through the Comixology website doesn't allow you to access the service on Kindles. The last service we will mention is Audible, an audiobook listening service. But if you enjoy listening to your stories as well as reading them, we have even more tips for you:
4. Think of audiobooks and headphones.
Smartphone with Audible (Image credit: Amazon) Amazon's new Kindle offers the ability to listen to Audible audiobooks, if you pair your device with a headset or speaker via Bluetooth. You can even listen and read at the same time, if you want. First of all, you need to verify that your Kindle is compatible with Audible. They're all brand new, but if you're looking to buy an old one used or refurbished, it's worth checking. After a month's trial, during which you'll get a free audiobook to keep (or two if you're a Prime member), Audible is $7.95 / £7.99 / AU$16.45 per month, and for high-quality narrations of many popular titles. novels, it might be worth it. If you don't have headphones or Bluetooth headphones, you'll need them to use Audible through your Kindle. We've got a guide to the best wireless headphones here if you need anything, but the Prime Day sales will likely bring discounts on charges, so check back.
5. Prepare your PDF files for download
The Kindle eBook Store, or the various subscription services, aren't the only ways to get eBooks or audiobooks on your Kindle; in fact, you can also put your own files in there. Converting PDFs to Kindle files is a popular way to add your own stories (written by yourself or from outside the Amazon store) to your Kindle, and can also be used to convert working documents, manuals, worksheets and more, and add them. to your eReader. You can also add .txt files, Word files, and more. We have written a comprehensive guide on how to send PDF to an Amazon Kindle device that will walk you through the steps of doing so. But you can prepare now by following the steps to the part where you actually send your documents to Kindle.