Amidst all of the fun over the past week with Amazon trying to get out of the free Kindle book business, I had the programming team make some changes to the blog’s free app. What is the free app, some of you might ask?
It is an app that can be used on a Kindle Fire, as well as any Android-enabled smartphone or tablet computer, to read the blog’s posts – they are automatically “pushed” to the app and, as long as you have Internet or Wi-Fi access, you can quickly see the blog’s posts without having to open up a web browser and type in www.fkbooksandtips.com and worry about fat-fingering on your keyboard.
I did mention it was free, didn’t I?
So, what is new with the app?
A few users had reported issues due to a new Kindle Fire software upgrade that caused a black screen: that should be fixed now. There were also a few new minor tweaks that make it load faster / update more frequently, and there are two new menu items if you tap the menu button at the bottom center of the screen. Finally, seeing as how the blog is now called “Kindle Books and Tips” it was renamed with a new logo to reflect the new change.
If you have never downloaded it before, previously deleted it and want to reinstall it, or if you want to upgrade to the new version, here is how you do it….here’s a monetary incentive for you: I should point out first-time installers will receive a free $1 MP3 credit from the Amazon MP3 store just for downloading it.
Upgraders
If you have had your device on and connected to an Internet or Wi-Fi connection, the app should have updated automatically. To check and see if you have the most recent version, just open up the app and look at the menu icon at the bottom middle of the screen (to me it looks like a representation of a piece of paper with horizontal lines going left to right). Tap it one time, and if three menu options appear, you have the most recent version.
If you don’t have the most recent version, here is a quick way to update your Kindle Fire (I am not addressing other Android-enabled devices as there are over 2,000 different models and varieties):
- Go to the home screen of your Kindle Fire.
- Tap the “Apps” tab.
- Tap the “Store” menu item in the top right-hand corner.
- Tap the menu icon at the bottom middle of the screen (to me it looks like a representation of a piece of paper with horizontal lines going left to right).
- Tap the “App Updates” menu item.
If you followed all of that, you should now see a list of all of your apps installed on your Fire that have an update that has not been installed. Tap the icons next to the name of the app(s) you want to update; after a few moments, your app(s) will be updated and you should be good to go.
First Time Downloader Instructions or Those Who Want to Reinstall
If you haven’t installed the app before, or previously deleted it and want to install this new version, it will take you all of 30 seconds to do so. If you have a Kindle Fire, or an Android-enabled smartphone or tablet computer and want to get the free app from the Amazon App Store, here is what you need to do using your device:
- Make sure your device is turned on and connected to an active Internet or Wi-Fi connection.
- Click here or type in http://smarturl.it/fkbtfreeapp into your web browser to go to the app’s page in the Amazon App Store.
- Tap the “Free” button to get the app – remember, it is free!
After a moment or two, the app will be installed and ready for your use.
If you want to download it from the Google Play store (Google’s app store), just follow the same instructions as above, however you will need to click here or type in http://bit.ly/fkbtgoogle into your web browser for the appropriate page.
Hope that helps!
Michael
Want to have this blog sent wirelessly to your e-Ink Kindle vs. reading it on your computer? Try out the free two-week trial subscription! Click here for the Amazon page of the Free Kindle Books and Tips blog or type in http://smarturl.it/fkblog into your computer’s web browser.
Download the Free Kindle Books and Tips blog app for your Kindle Fire or Android-based smartphone or tablet – for free, of course – by clicking here or type in http://smarturl.it/fkbtfreeapp into your computer’s web browser from the Amazon App Store or click here or type in http://bit.ly/fkbtgoogle into your computer’s web browser for the Google App Store.