![]() Even following this process, my results were mixed. Back in Chrome, I closed out Autobiography, reopened it, and was now prompted to "Sync to the Furthest Page Read." I returned to Safari, closed Autobiography, and returned to the library screen. I dropped in a couple of bookmarks, changed the color (to sepia), and scrolled to the mid-way point however, when I opened the text in Safari, the changes hadn't taken effect. The big one: Before you jump to another browser or device, tap the "Synchronize" button (in the header), close the book, and return to your library. While the experience is largely the same whether you're reading on an iMac or iPad, using Chrome or Safari, there are caveats to Amazon's cloud. Finally, purists, who want the text and only the text, will be disappointed: If you full-screen your desktop browser, there's no way to hide the header, paddles, or slider in mobile Safari, there's no way to loose Safari's header. Text-search, a favorite of students and academics, is also missing from the browser-based interface. I was able to neither create new nor view existing notes (in fact, even though I could see an existing note icon, I couldn't read open it). You can drop in bookmarks, adjust font size (5 sizes from which to choose), margins (5 sizes, again), or colors (black, white, and sepia), but don't count on doing much more. Mobile browsers can also swipe left and right to navigate, though the action is less smooth than that of a dedicated app. As with an actual Kindle, there are back and forward paddles for navigating the text in addition, there's a slider at the bottom of the screen. Opening a text is as simple as single-clicking it (or tapping it on an iOS device). If you have a more extensive library, you may prefer sorting by author or title or even toggling from book cover to list view. Even though I download Autobiography after Holmes, once I opened Autobiography, it re-sorted to top of the list. For example, I began by downloading Ben Franklin's Autobiography and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (both free). In my experience this related to the most recently accessed. ![]() Once you're signed in, by default your library sorts by recent additions. If you're using Safari mobile, as soon as you open a text it automatically begins caching, though it won't get the green tack treatment unless you manually specify "Download & Pin Book." Doing this will save a text for offline reading, identify it as cached via a green tack in your library, and copy it to your "Downloaded" tab. ![]() If you do run the extension, you'll have the option "Download & Pin Book" when right-clicking (control-clicking on a Mac, hold-tapping on an iOS device) a book cover. ![]() Allowing either extension to run is up to you: If you're using a laptop or mobile device, caching makes sense however, if you're using a desktop with fixed Internet access, you may have little reason to localize texts from Amazon's cloud. Whether you're using Safari or Chrome, you'll be prompted to run an extension installer to cache books for offline reading: In Chrome, its an extension that pins a "Cloud Reader" shortcut to your app screen in both desktop and mobile Safari you consent to expanding your database size from 5 to 50 megabytes. Download Chrome or Safari below." Because the sign-in is grayed out, your Reader experience ends there. If, in fact, you try and visit the site from FireFox, Internet Explorer, or Opera, you'll encounter the message: "Your web browser isn't supported yet. The result is an imperfect experience, a site that lacks the polish of an app but enables mobile customers to buy content and browser-loving desktop customers to experience their Kindle libraries without installing software.Īt the moment, Kindle Cloud Reader has limited browser support-you can only browse via Safari and Chrome (both WebKit-based browsers, coincidentally), which, at last count, leaves about 80 percent of the market in the dark. Since Apple instituted new rules that require companies with in-app purchases fork over 30 percent of sales, Amazon, like Vudu, has dodged the Apple tax by removing store links from apps and creating a full-featured mobile site (why else, after all, would they target Safari and Chrome, which, together, comprise only a fraction of the browser market). What it does have-and why, I think, Cloud Reader exists-is integration with Amazon's Kindle Store. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software. ![]()
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