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Great news for Kindle fans! Yesterday, Amazon made two announcements that will make fans of Kindle books happy and may even create some new Kindle fans.
Kindle MatchBook
Beginning in October, Amazon will allow you to buy deeply discounted Kindle editions of print books you’ve previously purchased from Amazon in a program called MatchBook. Going back to the beginning of time, well 1995, the beginning of time for Amazon, print books you have purchased from Amazon will be available to you in the Kindle version for the low, low prices of $2.99, $1.99, $0.99 or free.
Ideas for Using MatchBook
Let’s say you head out on a trip, business or pleasure, it doesn’t matter which, and you forget to bring along that book you were engrossed in the night before you left. A few seconds after you realize your mistake, you can be reading the Kindle version book on your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle ereader.
Or let’s say you lent your favorite book to your significant other right before you broke his heart or he broke yours and you would rather walk across molten lava barefoot than ask for it back. Get a replacement copy in the Kindle format at a discount instead of paying full price to buy the print book again.
Imagine you’re moving and don’t want to pay to ship your collection of print books. Or your new apartment doesn’t have space for your favorite books. Sell or store your print books and get the Kindle versions instead.
“If you logged onto your CompuServe account during the Clinton administration and bought a book like Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus from Amazon, Kindle MatchBook now makes it possible for that purchase–18 years later–to be added to your Kindle library at a very low cost,” said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content. “In addition to being a great new benefit for customers, this is an easy choice for publishers and authors who will now be able to earn more from each book they publish.”
What You Need to Know about Kindle MatchBook
The program starts in October — stay tuned to The Wonder of Tech for the official launch date. As of now 10,000 books will be available in MatchBook and Amazon hopes to have even more publishers and authors signed up by launch. Included in MatchBook are books from authors such as Michael Crichton, Jodi Picoult, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, and more.
Don’t remember all of the books you purchased from Amazon? No worries, Amazon will have a list of your previously purchased print books from Amazon available for you to see. Your order history will also show you which print books you’ve previously purchased are included in the MatchBook program.
The Amazon account where you purchased the print book must be the same as the Amazon account to which you’ve registered your Kindle or Kindle app. MatchBook works with both hardcover and paperback purchases. You can find out more about MatchBook from the Amazon MatchBook page.
My Future Wish for MatchBook
My wish for the future of MatchBook is for Amazon to include Audible audiobooks in MatchBook. With Whispersync for Voice you can get many Audible books at a discount if you purchase the Kindle book first. With MatchBook you can get many Kindle books at a discount if you have purchased the print book from Amazon. Unfortunately, there is no discount for Kindle books if you purchase the Audible book first.
Perhaps in the future?
The New Paperwhite
Amazon also announced that the new Kindle Paperwhite is available for pre-order now. This Paperwhite has new hardware and software features that bring improvements over last year’s model. The new Paperwhite will have a brighter screen with improved contrast and a processor that’s 25% faster than in the previous model. The touch screen technology has also been updated with a 19% tighter touch grid for greater accuracy when you tap on the screen.
Page Flip
The new Paperwhite introduces Page Flip, a feature to help you better navigate through your Kindle books. With Page Flip you can navigate between pages and chapters without losing your place in the Kindle book. Page Flip opens a new window on your screen so you can return to your original location easily. 
This layered window feature is also available for viewing footnotes on the new Paperwhite.
Vocabulary Builder
The new Paperwhite will come with a Vocabulary Builder feature to help readers study words. When you look up a word in the Paperwhite’s dictionary, that word is added to a list you can study later. The Paperwhite also makes those words available as flash cards for more effective studying.
Smart Lookup
The Paperwhite’s dictionary has also been enhanced with Smart Lookup, a feature that allows you to find the meaning of phrases in addition to individual words.
Kindle FreeTime
Kindle FreeTime was first introduced in last year’s Kindle Fire to help parents control the amount of time their children spent on apps versus reading (see, Kindle Fire HD – A Lot of Tablet for the Price). With FreeTime on the new Paperwhite, children can earn badges for achievements in reading. Parents can set up individual profiles for each child and track their progress with time spent reading, number of words looked up, and badges earned. Parents can limit books available to each child and set reading goals. 
Goodreads Integration
The new Paperwhite will be integrated with Goodreads so you can discover new books to read and recommend your favorite books from your Kindle. 
Availability
The new Paperwhite Wi-Fi is $119 and will ship on September 30. The new Paperwhite with Wi-Fi and 3G is $189 has an expected ship date of November 5. The first generation Paperwhite 3G is available at the discounted price of $179 with Special Offers and $199 without Special Offers.
You can read my full review of the first generation Kindle Paperwhite: Kindle Paperwhite – Easy on the Eyes.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited to use MatchBook and get discounted Kindle versions of print books you’ve previously purchased from Amazon? Which book do you hope is included in MatchBook? Are you looking forward to the launch of the new Paperwhite? Which features are you the most excited about? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
This does sound interesting indeed 🙂
Not that I have a Kindle as yet but as I keep saying each time, it is on my wish list, more for my kids who love to read, though they love a lot of other things too, so they tend to remain rather happy with their cell phones they have. But I always feel one kindle in the family IS a must, or perhaps we can all have a little time to read on it 🙂
MatchBook sounds good, and we can get discounted Kindle versions of print books we’ve previously purchased from Amazon – nothing would be better. Even Paperwhite and it’s features look so exciting, though I think its good to wait and see how both of these go before ordering them. But knowing the Kindle lovers, many would have already gone ahead and ordered them.
Thanks for sharing more about them with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, there are many advantages to having a dedicated eReader such as the Kindle. I find it much easier to focus on a book when I’m not distracted by apps, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The Paperwhite is also lit from above so it doesn’t strain the eyes the way a tablet can. Plus, you can read the Paperwhite in the sun.
But you don’t need a Kindle to read a Kindle book.you can read Kindle books on nearly any screen except, perhaps, your TV screen. But there are even ways to do that!
Hi Carolyn,
I will have to buy a eBook reader. I ws just looking at 10 inch Android tablets, the prices are better now. I don’t often read books although I read lots when doing research. I am reading a eBook on my laptop now though and a eBook reader would make it easier. When I was taking photos, I was curios about the history of one of the buildings. Royalty was said to stay there t one time and so I did some research. I came across the Countess of Warwick during the research and as Warwick castle has come up before when researching my family tree; I was surprised to find her maiden name was the same as my surname. I haven’t been able to make a family connection, other than she bought a house near where my great grandfather and his family lived. She was a writer and I’m reading one of her books. Her interests and style was very much like mine. Spooky!
Hi Mike, Yes, I’ve never read a book on my computer. I get too distracted by other things, plus I don’t want to stare at a computer screen longer than I have to after spending the day on my blog.
Make sure to read reviews before purchasing an Android tablet. The quality of those tablets varies tremendously.
Warwick Castle was one of my favorite places to visit in the UK. I hope you do find a connection. That wouldn’t be a shabby place to live at all! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Amazon (Jeff Bezos) never ceases to amaze me. If you are a reader, this is all good news.
Riley
Hi Riley, You’re right, this is all good news for readers. Amazon keeps improving the reading experience, both with new Kindle book features and improved ereaders.
Yeah, I still haven’t broken down and gotten me a Kindle either. Maybe some day but for now I just don’t have that much time to read. I have read some blog posts though on my iPhone using the “send to Kindle” function which I’ve found to be really neat. It helped when I was traveling some but for the most part I’m usually with my Mom and she keeps me very busy talking. Okay, I’m the one listening. lol…
I like this idea though and I’ve bought a lot of books through Amazon.
Thanks for sharing this with us Carolyn, really neat.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, If you don’t have time to read, then no need to buy a Kindle as the ereaders are truly single-purpose.
That’s great you’re using Send to Kindle to read blog posts on the go! Send to Kindle — eRead (Almost) Anything
Having content available on your phone can be very handy when you’re stuck waiting in line or for an appointment.
Yes, if you’ve bought a lot of print books from Amazon, MatchBook could be a great deal for you, especially the books where the Kindle edition is free.
Hi Carolyn !
Thanks for sharing these updates with us ! The paperwhite features that you’ve mentioned has impressed me a lot . Although , one can easily learn new words through internet ..The paperwhite’s inbuilt vocabulary builder might be the key reason its success in the coming months. Readers and book addicts love to learn new words ..and the paperwhite( at this moment )seems to be the best available option for them .
-Pramod
Hi Pramod, Yes, you’re right. The built in dictionary is handy but the vocabulary builder makes learning new words more efficient. I do like the way Amazon keeps improving the Kindle.
Day by day our technology is increasing its popularity. I think it is one of the showiest of our modern technology. In before, I never hear about that one, by learning about this I am very happy.
Hi Vincent, Yes, technology keeps advancing quickly, which makes life so exciting. I’m glad you like the Paperwhite, Vincent.
I do have a Kindle, but I don’t use it for reading (nowadays I don’t use it at all :D).
I like old school reading – print books (It feels different you know..feels like you are reading a book, whereas when I am reading a book online or through Kindle I feel like I am reading a blog post – not that blog posts aren’t awesome. But, I want my book reading time to be different. Besides it’s one chance I get to stay offline for a while :D).
But, it is good to see innovation in the book reading industry 🙂 I like the Kindle Freetime app – hope that increases reading time for today’s kids.
Anyways, thank you for the updates, Carolyn 😀
Hi Jeevan, Interesting that you tried a Kindle but didn’t like it. Some people prefer print books to ebooks. I haven’t read a print book in years since I got my first Kindle. I enjoy the convenience of ebooks and the device disappears to me. To each his own, right?
Good point, FreeTime can give incentives for kids to read and information for parents to monitor their children’s reading progress.
I have Kindle Fire – so I do like it, but not the reading part 😉
Indeed 😀 I want to feel the feel of a book (I have no words to describe it :D)
I hope so. Not many kids are reading for pleasure these days; they read because their schools require it.
Hi Jeevan, Yes, I can understand that. I have never finished reading a book on my iPad, probably because of the distractions. But I have read plenty of books on my Kindle ereader because it is single purpose. The Kindle Fire has plenty to recommend it though. Perhaps I would need to use FreeTime on the Fire to keep myself focused!
But neither one has the feel of a print book. Maybe that should be the next improvement Kindle announces!
My girls do read for pleasure but I believe you’re right, pleasure reading is becoming a lost art.
A great share, Carolyn. Like Harleena, I don’t have a Kindle yet, but this is great to know for future reference, because I’ve bought quite a few books from Amazon.
I must say, I like the sound of the new Paperwhite 🙂
I think I’ll always want to read ‘proper’ books – I just love the look and feel of them and they’re such a lovely break from screen-based reading – but I can see the attraction of these e-readers, particularly as they become more and more sophisticated. You can’t scribble in the margins, though – not yet, anyway 😉
True, Sue, but you can take note on your Kindle that you can access from other devices and from your computer, even if you delete the book from your Kindle. You can search your notes as well.
Yes, I love the feel of a book in my hands and the smell of books too. But the convenience of reading Kindle books wins out for me.
Even if you don’t use Kindle books now, it’s good to know about the new features of Kindles and Kindle books. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Sue!
Cheers, Carolyn,
Just been looking at the paperwhite and apparently it does have the facility to make margin notes – I’m getting tempted 😉
Yes, Sue, the Paperwhite is my favorite Kindle. If you have a chance to see one in person, you should check it out.
Good move amazon.
I think there a lot of options for users nowadays to read a book: a book, tablet, smartphones or internet.
But i will buy a Kindle instead, very classical and convenience.
Thanks for your informative review.
Stephan Wu
Hi Stephan, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, Amazon keeps improving not only its Kindle devices but also the functionality of Kindle books. You don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle books, but if you want classical and convenience, you’ll get both with this new Paperwhite.