One of the nice things about Amazon.com's Kindle eReader is the fact that it has an integrated wireless connection, allowing you to easily purchase books or download newspapers or periodicals without connecting the Kindle to your computer.
(If you don't have a Kindle yet, check this list of the top five eReaders for business travelers.)
But that wireless connectivity also makes it easy for Amazon to update the Kindle with new features.
Starting in May 2010, that's exactly what Amazon is doing. Existing Kindle owners will automatically find that their Kindle has been upgraded to the Kindle 2.5 version. The upgrade happens in batches, so if you don’t have it yet, be patient. It will show up. The upgrade itself takes about ten minutes and will show progress information. Make sure not to power off the Kindle while the upgrade is happening. If you want to know what version you have, simply go to the settings screen—it'll be on the bottom.
The Kindle 2.5 Software Upgrade provides a few new features for Kindle users. Specifically, the 2.5 software upgrade (which was rolled in out May 2010) includes a number of enhancements. One feature that's in the 2.5 software update that was sorely missing in the existing Kindle is the ability to create collections (or folders) to categorize your items and make it much easier to organize all those 1,500 books or newspapers on your Kindle.
Another new feature in the 2.5 software upgrade is the ability to pan and zoom when reading PDF files. In addition, the upgrade now makes it possible to password protect your Kindle, keeping out prying eyes.
Amazon has also included two new font sizes and sharper fonts for an improved reading experience.
The new upgrade also includes two new social or community features. The first is the capability to share book passages from books via Twitter or Facebook. The second is support for popular highlights, which will show you what other readers think are the most interesting sections of a book.
Over all, it's a solid upgrade (especially the collections option!) and makes a good product even better.
