Well there's a PB thrill...!

I had been searching for a particular e-publication and could only find it in the Amazon bookstore in Kindle format. (I donn't want a hard copy, just the electronic version.) Well, that was frustrating because I don't have a Kindle... but, wait, I do! I side-loaded the Kindle android 3.2.0.35 bar file (thanks to other posters who flagged it), connected to my Amazon account, registered, and pulled down a free book just to make sure everything was perfect-o. Yes indeed. Thanks RIM!

I do have a couple of questions if anyone has answers...!

1) My PB LTE is still at 2.01.688 OS. I've read about a 2.1 upgrade but it won't appear on my LTE unit (as it did on my 64GB original) as an update (Cdn. provider: Bell). If, at some point an upgrade does become available for the LTE platform, will side-loads like the Kindle app survive? (This book I intend to buy is about $80 USD so I really don't want to see it disappear with an upgrade.)

2) Has anyone heard whether Kindle intends to release a native app for PB? I'm used to Kobo reader and some of the other e-readers available on PB and the controls/features are minimalist in the kindle android app. It's reasonable to expect that an app would be better featured if it is native.

Thanks for anyone who can enlighten me...!

Yes side loads are not going away and for the second question,no one knows what apps will be available until launch on the 30th.

Don't side load the old Kindle app. Make a bookmark to read.amazon.com on your app drawer or dock. That'll open up the HTML5 cloud app Amazon made. Works better than the Android version by a long shot and will always be up to date. No more hunting down random Android bar files! When you launch from the bookmark, it will launch properly even if you don't have a network connection. The entire books are downloaded to your device. Just don't turn it in landscape. That'll mess it up.

Originally Posted by Stocklone

Don't side load the old Kindle app. Make a bookmark to read.amazon.com on your app drawer or dock. That'll open up the HTML5 cloud app Amazon made. Works better than the Android version by a long shot and will always be up to date. No more hunting down random Android bar files! When you launch from the bookmark, it will launch properly even if you don't have a network connection. The entire books are downloaded to your device. Just don't turn it in landscape. That'll mess it up.

read.amazon.com says the native browser on the PB isn't supported and won't let you log in...

Simplebrowser, which is a free download from BB app world, can be setup to mimic firefox or one of the other supported browsers. It will work on the Amazon Kindle cloud reader Site.

Simplebrowser doesn't work for me.

I also downloaded, converted, signed and installed firefox for android. It also was a no go.

Ok, I got the cloud working and I gotta say it's junk. The converted android app works way better for me. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but once I get into a book I can't get out. Also, it seems like the words are always cut off on the right side of the page.

I side loaded the Kindle app and it works fine, just like it does on an Android. Registered with Amazon and books are sent via their Whispernet. I also have a Kindle Touch using E-Ink and for reading books it's hugely better than any tablet. Far less tiring on the eyes and of course battery life is measured in weeks not hours. The only advantage I've gained through the PB Kindle is for the occasional colour magazine or a book with lots of coloured illustrations. It's still worth setting up but I'd not like to read a long ordinary book on it - not the PBs fault it's the same for any tablet screen - including Amazon's own Fire.

Roger

Originally Posted by rogprov

I side loaded the Kindle app and it works fine, just like it does on an Android. Registered with Amazon and books are sent via their Whispernet. I also have a Kindle Touch using E-Ink and for reading books it's hugely better than any tablet. Far less tiring on the eyes and of course battery life is measured in weeks not hours. The only advantage I've gained through the PB Kindle is for the occasional colour magazine or a book with lots of coloured illustrations. It's still worth setting up but I'd not like to read a long ordinary book on it - not the PBs fault it's the same for any tablet screen - including Amazon's own Fire.

Roger

Which version did you sideload? Most of us are still using 3.2.0.35 and nothing past that has worked.

Son of a... they blocked it for the default browser. I've been using it in disconnected mode for 6+ months. The experience on the default browser was much better than Simple Browser. No text cut off. All the menus worked. Responsive. And like an id**t I load it up with an internet connection to verify what you guys are saying and now it's all gone. :(

Sorry about that :(

I got some good news...sort of.

Well SimpleBrowser is the opposite of the default browser. You have start the browser in landscape and stay there. If you load it up in landscape, everything is formatted properly. No text cut off. And to get the menu just tap the very top of the screen in the middle. It should pop up no problem. Starting it in landscape also fixes the Font popup so you can set your side margins size.

Also if you start SimpleBrowser offline, just click on the bookmark from the menu after getting the connection error and it will load right up.

Amazon should never block this way since SB can set the user agent. I hope somebody gets some use out of it. And I'm glad I'm not totally screwed anymore. :)

I'll try again, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Besides, the Kindle App works fine for me. My question is, how do you get it to load up offline?

Don't really know how I did it, but Simple Browser now brings up book I wanted to read. No sideloading required.
Clean & easy to read! Works fine!

Step by step instructions would be appreciated!

Cool....Simple Browser (free) works for the Kindle Cloud reader. Just have to change the "user agent" to "Firefox". The free version doesn't allow browser bookmarks though. I set the cloud reader as the home page.

I also have the sideloaded Kindle app, but nice to know there is still an option.

I find user action in the browser, such as flipping pages, to be clunky and unresponsive compared to the Kindle app. You have to hit the page turn just right to get it to work and take a bit of practice.

FYI in simple browser, the orientation you load the book in is the orientation you need to keep using. If you rotate then the words gets cut off. To fix, just refresh the page.

I loaded it both ways and it was always cut off.

Originally Posted by Lendo78

I loaded it both ways and it was always cut off.

Did you try changing the font size or margin size from the app's menu? A restart couldn't hurt either. I am using SimpleBrowser+. But it looks like it should work for SimpleBrowser. My user agent was Firefox.

For now I've just given up. As long as the App works I'm happy.

Instructions for using the Kindle Cloud app with Simple Browser+ for the Playbook. Unfortunately, I could not get it to load read.amazon.com without a wifi connection with plain Simple Browser. It costs $2 on the App world. Sorry.

For reference, my Playbook OS version is 2.1.0.1314.

1.) Download Simple Browser+ from the app store.
2.) Open it in landscape mode so you get access to all the Kindle's font settings.
3.) Open SB+ settings by selecting the drop down menu icon on the top bar (swipe down from top if bar is not shown) go into settings and then set user agent to firefox.
4.) Go to read.amazon.com.
5.) Sign in with your account.
6.) Once in the Kindle app, use the scroll bar to scroll since swiping is problematic. Tap the scroll bar where you want to go to in the list.
7.) Hold and press on a book you want to read offline to bring up a pop-up.
8.) Select 'download and pin book' from the pop-up. Then wait for it to download.
9.) Repeat for the books you want. I don't know if there is a limit or not on size.
10.) Tap on the book you want to read.
11.) To get to the Kindle book menu, tap the center of the very top of the screen. Eventually, it should get very easy to bring up.
12.) Tap the side margins of the screens to turn pages. Hitting where the turn page arrows pop up seems to work best which are in the middle of the side margin areas.
13.) I'm using the smallest margins from the Font setup pop-up available from the menu bar on top. No matter what font size I am using with that margin size, I am not having text cut off problems.
14.) Slide down to open the browser menu bar back up. Go into settings.
15.) Press the plus button.
16.) That should create a bookmark to https://read.amazon.com.
17.) Use the bookmark to load the site even if you don't have an internet connection.
18.) You can restart it later in portrait or landscape. Just stay there the whole time.
19.) Enjoy. I hope this clears up any confusion and allows you to have a good Kindle cloud experience.
20.) Again, I apologize for my early posts, I figured SB would work the same as SB+. That doesn't appear to be the case for me anyways.

Troubleshooting:
If you are using the same margin sizes as me and still have text cutting off try restarting your Playbook. Stuff seemed to work a lot better after I restarted my Playbook. I don't know why. That's just how it worked for me.

One more thing it seems with SimpleBrowser+ I have to press the X to clear a text field before I can edit it then bring up the keyboard with the corner swipe. Might be my Playbook only that is having this issue.

Good luck everyone!

I'm still gonna stick with the App though LOL