Shh: My Kindle 1 is WhisperSyncing

kindle_hqThe introduction of the original Kindle, now known as the Kindle 1 since the recent release of the Kindle 2, brought the world of e-books to the masses. Formerly the domain of the geeky, the Kindle 1 opened up a whole new era of purchasing and reading e-books by making it simple to do. The inclusion of wireless connectivity to the Kindle 1 meant consumers could buy books and get them onto the e-book reader in just a few seconds.

This technology is called WhisperSync by Amazon and it sets the Kindle apart from other readers on the market. The release of the Kindle 2 brought excitement to the market once again, as Amazon made it clear that the WhisperSync technology would be extended to other mobile devices, making it possible to read Kindle e-books on phones and the like. Shortly after the Kindle 2 release, Kindle for iPhone was introduced, making good on Amazon’s promise and opening up a whole new world for Kindle owners. The most surprising thing about this is the technology is also included on the older Kindle 1 and not just the new and improved Kindle 2. This extends the value of the Kindle 1 for those early adopters of the Kindle platform, and Amazon is to be commending for doing so.

I bought my Kindle 1 when it was first released, as I am a geek who has been reading e-books for a decade. The promise of a dedicated e-book reader that was connected for content distribution was too much for me to pass up. I embraced the Kindle 1 for reading e-books, but it wasn’t long before I gave up on the device. The main problems I had with using the Kindle 1 for consuming my e-books were the lack of a backlight on the display and the fact that I couldn’t have the Kindle 1 with me all the time, so I missed a lot of reading opportunities.

I have read e-books on PDAs and phones for so long that my reading habits have likely evolved to make the Kindle 1 unsuitable for me. I often read in bed at night and in other places where the room lighting is poor, and the lack of a backlight is a deal-breaker for using the Kindle. A lot of my reading time is during short opportunities that crop up when I am running around and unexpected free time drops in my lap. These require me to carry the Kindle with me at all times, something not practical as it won’t fit in my pocket like my phone.

For these reasons I stopped using the Kindle 1 last year. It just didn’t fit the way I read e-books and sadly the Kindle 1 sat on the shelf all lonely.  When Kevin asked if he could borrow the Kindle 1 to give it a go, I was happy to send it to him. The Kindle 1 thus went on an extended vacation to eastern Pennsylvania that ended yesterday when the UPS man brought the Kindle 1 back to me.

I was looking forward to giving the Kindle 1 a try again due exclusively to the WhisperSync technology. I felt that the ability to read from the larger, comfortable Kindle 1 screen would be enjoyable, yet I would still be able to pick up reading on the iPhone when that was more appropriate. Kind of a best-of-both-worlds thing. I could leave the Kindle 1 at home when I ran out, yet still pick up reading where I left off using the iPhone in my pocket, should the opportunity arise. This is directly thanks to the WhisperSync technology, and now that I’ve been using the Kindle 1 again for a day, I can clearly state that this technology makes the Kindle work for me better than ever.

How WhisperSync Works

If you leave the Kindle 1 radio turned on, then WhisperSync makes the network cloud server aware of any books you’ve purchased along with the current position in any books you’ve been reading. This information is stored in the cloud so that multiple devices tied to your Amazon Kindle account can be used at will. I have done a lot of testing to determine how (and when) the Kindle syncs this information.

The Kindle 1 (and I assume Kindle 2) notifies the network of any changes in the library and individual bookmarks when one of two events occur. If you close the book on the Kindle 1, the farthest position read is sent to the network for retrieval if needed. This is done by going back to the Kindle home screen. The syncing also occurs when the Kindle goes into sleep mode, something that happens when the Kindle is inactive for a period of time. This ensures that the network is auto-updated when you set the Kindle down to do other things. As noted, be aware: you have to leave the sync radio turned on for this to happen, which is a little drain on the battery.

This syncing means that I can set the Kindle down and then head out the door with the iPhone; then, if an opportunity to read appears, I just whip out the iPhone. Once I fire up Kindle for iPhone, the app automatically checks the cloud, and if it notices that my current iPhone position in the book is not as far as the farthest position indicated by the network, then it notifies me of that within a few seconds. It indicates that there is a farther position available and gives me the option to go there or not. One click and the book opens right where I left off on the Kindle 1 earlier. This is what makes this whole system work so well; it’s automatic and takes no time on my part.

WhisperSync is the magic that handles new e-book purchases. Say I buy an e-book on the Amazon site at my desktop like I usually do. The book is automatically sent to the Kindle no matter where it is at the time. The next time I open the Kindle the book is available in the library on the device. This is true for the iPhone or any other device that is tied to the online Kindle account. The next time I fire up Kindle for iPhone, the book is sitting in the iPhone library, available to read. This technology leaves all other electronic readers in the dust.

Shh, I am WhisperSyncing

I can already tell that WhisperSync has extended the useful life of my Kindle 1. I had totally given up on the device due to the reasons I’ve covered, but WhisperSync removes the barriers to use the Kindle for me. I am reading e-books on the Kindle 1 and switching off to the iPhone when it’s more appropriate for the situation, and I could not be happier.  Kudos to Amazon for making this whole thing work the way it should. The new Kindle 2 is a great device, as Amazon has taken all of the areas that needed improvement on the Kindle 1 and addressed them. While the new Kindle is nice, the WhisperSync technology works so well that I have no desire to upgrade to the new Kindle. I’ve already made my investment in the Kindle 1 and I’m going to keep it — something Amazon may not want to hear.

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