What Else Can You Do With a Kindle Besides Reading?

By Lynn Burbeck

Adding applications to your Kindle can enrich the user experience.
i David McNew/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The Amazon Kindle is an electronic reading tablet that enables you to purchase and download books, magazines and newspapers directly to your device. The Kindle isn't just for reading, however. As a Kindle owner, you can use your device for other entertainment purposes, including playing games, managing a to-do list or reading your favorite blogs.

Browse the Web

The Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite come with an experimental browser that allows for limited Web browsing. Without color, Java or other multimedia support, Web browsing on the Kindle is limited to viewing only text. Even so, it can provide you with the capability to read your favorite blogs, look up information on an online wiki or read the news.

Carry Personal Documents

Every Kindle has a personalized email address associated with it, giving you the capability to upload PDF and Word documents directly to your device. This can be a particularly useful feature if you are a student or traveling for business, as it allows you to keep all of your important documents on hand. Note that if you transfer documents through the Amazon Whispernet service, you are charged a small fee per transfer.

Games and Applications

The Kindle store maintains an application store for Kindle owners that contains a variety of free and paid apps for the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite. You can purchase everything from word games to card games to puzzles to note-taking apps through this online store and download them directly onto your device.

Listen to Audiobooks

Although not available on the Kindle Paperwhite, the original Kindle (and all its generations) is capable of reading audiobooks purchased through Audible.com. Because Audible is an Amazon company, audiobook purchases are automatically downloaded to your device via Wi-Fi or Whispernet.

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