Amazon adds Goodreads integration, other features to Kindle Paperwhite
Amazon announced a free software update for Kindle Paperwhite that will add several new features to the e-reader.
Amazon said the update would be delivered over the air automatically in the coming weeks, or via download from its website.
The update includes integration with Goodreads, the books-recommendation website that Amazon purchased this year.
Features of the new Goodreads integration include the ability to see what your friends are reading, read their reviews and discover new books to read; share favorite passages with your Goodreads friends without leaving the book; and, when you finish a book, immediately rate it from your Kindle.
The integration will also enable you to keep track of all your reading activity from your Kindle. You can also add your Amazon book purchases -- both print and digital -- to your Goodreads account from the device.
Peter Larsen, vice president for Amazon Kindle, said the move combined the world’s largest e-reading community and the world’s largest community of book lovers. There are more than 20 million readers on Goodreads.
Amazon has also extended built-in parental controls on the Kindle Paperwhite to give parents a simple way to encourage kids to spend more time reading.
Parents can set daily reading goals for their kids, hand-select books for their kids to read and track progress against goals. Children earn achievement badges for hitting reading milestones. A progress report keeps parents updated on total time spent reading, number of words looked up, badges earned and books finished.
The software update also includes Cloud Collections, which enables you to organize your books, newspapers and magazines in customized collections for easy reference. Amazon’s Whispersync technology synchronizes the collections across your Kindle devices and reading apps so they’re available on all of your devices.
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