Hands-On with Kindle Fire Update: Sharing, Book Extras, Cloud Storage and More
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Good news, Kindle Fire users: There's a new software update available for download, and in addition to faster Wi-Fi rec0nnect (when your Fire is waking from sleep) and "general performance enhancements," version 6.3 brings with it a fair share of new features. Here's a rundown of what's new.
Sharing
Now, you can share notes and passages from their eBooks without leaving the title they're reading. After you highlight a passage, select Share and users reading the same book will see your note. You can also share your highlighted passages and notes via Facebook and Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Book Extras
This feature gives eBook readers access to additional content specific to the title they're reading, such as a character list, glossary of terms and information about the author. You can view these extras by tapping the toolbar at the top of the screen.
Amazon Cloud Storage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Users can now store their personal documents in Amazon's very own patch of the cloud, with the option to re-download files via the Documents tab on the Kindle Fire.
Reading View in Amazon Silk
With this update, the Kindle Fire's Silk browser gets a new, streamlined single-screen view for loading content-heavy web pages. Users can activate this feature manually, and when it's in use, the full web page is available in the background so readers can switch between both modes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New Movie Rentals Policy
Now, whenever you download a movie rental on your Kindle Fire, your rental period won't take effect immediately; it begins when you start watching the movie. Bravo to that.