Kindle for Mac and PC apps get updates, with Collections and Shelfari features - UPDATE

"Updates for Kindle for PC (v1.6.1) and for Mac (v1.6.2) now available

The update for the Mac was announced two days ago, the PC update earlier.  They both add the Collections feature.

UPDATE - Nate at The Digital Reader has been having problems with the Kindle for PC update and points to others reporting the same at MobileRead Forum the first days of August.  At that site, HarryT provides a link to HippoFiles' list of downloadable files for earlier versions for anyone having trouble with the latest v1.6.1 install.  [End of Update]

  If you've not made any Collections for your Kindle yet, see my basic guide to making Kindle Collections (which are like folders, but are done through 'tags' the way gmail 'folders' are).

  Shelfari features have also been added in both updates.  What is Shelfari?  It began as Tastemakers Inc., the focus of which was to create a social networking service for avid readers.

  Amazon acquired the company in Aug 2008 (the month I got my Kindle 1) and Shelfari "continues to function as an independent book social network within the Amazon.com family of sites."

  You can download the updates at the two product pages linked above.  Mine WAS on automatic update but would not install on its own, so I went through the Download new update process at the "Kindle for..." app page.

From the Amazon Kindle Customer Service Q&A Forum, the following thread:

' Initial post: Aug 16, 2011 10:24:46 AM PDT

Amazon Kindle Customer Service says:
(AMAZON OFFICIAL)
Kindle for Mac is a free application that lets you read Kindle books on your computer with Mac OS 10.5 or higher, including Mac OS X Lion.

The latest version of Kindle for Mac includes:

* Collections: Organize your content into collections, and import your existing collections.
* Easy Shelfari access: Quickly add to the community-powered encyclopedia for book lovers

To download and install the application, visit this page:

www.amazon.com/kindleformac

Best Regards,

Trevor L.
Amazon Kindle Customer Service '

Here are a couple of customer replies to that thread, with more info from their perspective:

' ShirleyKat says:
Thanks for posting this.  My Kindle for Mac had updated automatically within the last week and was dead in the water.  I deleted everything associated with Kindle for Mac and installed it again.  It would run but not make contact with Amazon.

Today, seeing this announcement, I started the program again and it automatically updated and now it makes contact with Amazon.  Not only that, but I'm seeing current dates instead of the old December 1969 date.

It's looking good. I'm on Leopard, OS 10.5.8. '

and

' Kenneth Jennings says:
AT LAST!

I've downloaded it on both my MacBook Pro 17" and MacBook Air 11", and both are running just fine.  I simply deleted the old app, installed 1.6.2 from here (Amazon), and I'm as pleased as can be.  I now have my dictionary back, as well as the Collections I built on my Kindle, and the ability to create unique Collections on my other Macs (which will come in handy since one is very work-related).

Thanks Amazon '

The Kindle for PC update also had some problems at first, so I've gone back to automatic-update Off in my Kindle for PC app (Tools/Options).

Kindle for PC
The Amazon Kindle for PC and for Mac product-pages have the same wording to describe the new features:

  . Support for collections allows you to take control of your Kindle library and organize your books with ease.
  . Book Extras by Shelfari.  Access character descriptions, important places, popular quotations, themes, and book-specific glossaries from Shelfari, the community-powered encyclopedia for book-lovers.

The previous update for each of the apps included several new features which are also described on the current product-pages.  An important one is "real page numbers for thousands of books in the Kindle store."

Both added earlier a German language version of Kindle for PC for customers purchasing content from the Amazon.de Kindle Store, and that version includes instant dictionary word lookup using the Duden Deutsches Universalwörterbuch.

Sorting of Collection titles
On the Kindle device, Amazon did not make Collection titles sortable by alpha character, for some reason.
  Some of us add a symbol, then, in front of a title -- mine is {  and then we sort the Home screen listing by Title instead of by Collection to see them alphabetically -- the downside being that the individual books also show up under the Collection-titles shown in alpha order at the top.

 That's okay with me because I can, if I want, just press the key for the FIRST character of a book-title (no more than one character) and press Click on the 5-way, and am taken to the book titles that start with that character.  If you click on more than one character, it instead searches the entire Kindle for that sequence of alpha-character which means a very long waiting time and a humongous listing of uninteresting Finds.  So it's important to type only the first character of a book-title when jumping to the section for that part of the alphabet.

  Kindle for PC (probably the one for Mac too)
  You can't sort the Collection titles at all.  I can't believe they again left no way to sort them alphabetically.  But at least we have a folder-type way to organize our ebooks.



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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.