# Kindle friendly websites?



## aw

I am experimenting.
I found that my local transit authority, SEPTA of Penn. has a good website for mobile in general for which I can check my train status.
The weather.com that comes in the Kindle works good too.
With some effort I could read GMAIL, and with a lot of effort I was able to make short reply to an email.
Does anyone have web sites that are Kindle friendly that are useful?


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## Trilby

http://cantoni.mobi/ Lists of mobile sites.


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## Ann in Arlington

Here's a link to an earlier post in _A Kindle World_: http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/mobile-versions-of-webpages-for-kindle.html

Andrys has a file that you can down load as a "book" which has a set of kindle-friendly mobile websites


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## kindlegrl81

It doesn't work with all websites but I have found some websites work better on the kindle if I type "m." in front of the address (aka; m.myspace.com).  If the website has a mobile version this pulls it up.


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## TechBotBoy

Thanks very much for the info - I'd expect eBook readers to evolve into web browsers with much more functional "tablet-like" features. 

                - Tbb


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## BTackitt

TechBotBoy said:


> Thanks very much for the info - I'd expect eBook readers to evolve into web browsers with much more functional "tablet-like" features.
> - Tbb


Color me a weirdo, but I actually LIKE my Kindle for exactly what it is, book reader, with access to Kindle store. I think I can safely say I have used the browser as such less than 10 times in the time I have had mine (which is just over a year).


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## Ann in Arlington

10 times?  That many?   

Seriously, though, I agree. .. . .I don't want my Kindle to be any more than it is.


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## sjc

In spite of sounding repetitious:

I bought K1 to read books...not to do the dishes.
People want the darn thing to do everything include fly.  
I'm happy with K1 the way it is. 
I did not step up to K2 when it was offered. Nor will I step up; unless something major causes me to do so.


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## Annalog

I do not want my K2 to be a tablet but I do use the features it already has to support my reading habits.

I primarily use the Web browser when I am away from a computer to look up information related to what I am reading (usually via Wikipedia) with Google to find definitions not in the dictionary. (My cell phone can make phone calls and text (in an emergency as I do not have text messages on my phone plan) but that is all. I prefer it that way.)

One of the nice features of the Kindle Web browser is that if there is a long webpage to read, it is possible to turn off the WN after the webpage is loaded and read the webpage using next/prev page. I should also bookmark some good dictionary sites. 

Author Website for Piers Anthony, www.hipiers.com, is primarily text (with a different photo in each section) and I find it easy to navigate using my K2. I read his newsletters from my Kindle. (His newsletters cover topics that some people may find uncomfortable.) I have a bookmark for the Home page and the Newsletter Archive page (May 1997 - present). (Don't use the Download links as those are NOT intended for the Kindle and caused a Reset on mine. )

Eventually I hope to bookmark some more author Websites.

I bookmarked my Facebook page so I can see if my daughter or sisters have posted. I bookmarked my Flickr page so I can remember the address. 

I have found the Gmail useful in situations where I did not have access to a computer but needed to be in contact with family members.


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## cgamboa68

On Amazon, or the Kindle Store, buy the Kindle Shortcuts and User-Friendly Websites from Mobile Reference. It's only .25cents. It's a really good brief guide for shortcuts- and there's also a page there that lists useful and user friendly websites that you can go on on your Kindle.


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## Pirate

Ann in Arlington said:


> 10 times? That many?
> 
> Seriously, though, I agree. .. . .I don't want my Kindle to be any more than it is.


I do. I want my kindle to be between a kindle and a netbook with a touch screen and on screen keyboard.


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## Bren S.

I've never used my Kindle to do anything other than one time I checked my gmail, or I should say tried. lol

I kind of like that my Kindles are used just for reading books,which is what I bought them for.

However, if people find that they like to use it for more than reading, I see no problem with that at all.

I think there was a poster who once said he/she used their Kindle to get directions to a Job interview, which is kind of cool.


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## Perennial Reader

I also prefer to use my Kindle for reading but I recently made a trip to an out-of-town wedding. I had Map quested directions to the hotel, wedding and reception site and printed off the maps. I then made a folder where I placed the invitation and the maps. _I then left the folder on the kitchen table._ Just outside the city, I pulled up Wikipedia on my Kindle to get the addresses of the places and plugged them into the GPS and bingo! The GPS lives in my husband's car and I didn't have access to it until he threw it into the glove box of my car for the trip or I would have entered the addresses of the sites at home.

I don't recommend trying to use the Kindle on a regular basis for internet service, but I was glad I had it on that trip!


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## Gail K

I rarely use the Internet access on my Kindle, but one night I was reading in bed and wanted to check out a character in my book who I knew was a real person.  Too lazy to get up and go to the computer, I turned on the wireless and got the information I wanted on Wikipedia.  I don't see myself using it often, but it came in handy that time.


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## LindaW

BTackitt said:


> Color me a weirdo, but I actually LIKE my Kindle for exactly what it is, book reader, with access to Kindle store. I think I can safely say I have used the browser as such less than 10 times in the time I have had mine (which is just over a year).


But using it as a web browser has it's advatages. When we had our big snow storm a couple of weeks ago I lost power, no TV, no computer - so I was able to use my Kindle to keep up with the storm news and some blogs and things that I like to read. I don't really use it for web browsing - it's just way too slow - but that day it was nice to have the feature.


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## artsandhistoryfan

LindaW said:


> But using it as a web browser has it's advatages. When we had our big snow storm a couple of weeks ago I lost power, no TV, no computer - so I was able to use my Kindle to keep up with the storm news and some blogs and things that I like to read. I don't really use it for web browsing - it's just way too slow - but that day it was nice to have the feature.


 It shouldn't be so slow anymore. Since v2.5.x, mine has sped up a lot.

But if you're accessing normal, complex websites with many or large images, yah, it''ll still be slow and it does not translate colors to grays well.

However, I just did a couple of blog entries on driving directions with it, and the text-driving directions load fast.

I was sent a link to kindlemap if one really needs a map to get a fix on the current area but the map is very small.

The quite fast one plus a few different ways to access websites from various pages of the Kindle:
http://bit.ly/kdriving

The one with the map and a database of a million plus places
http://bit.ly/kdrvgmap


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## ladyknight33

I love my Kindle as a reader, but in a pinch I have been able to check in for United and Airtran, possibly Southwest  .    I have also tweeted, lurked on KB, checked the scores on ESPN and sent an email or two from Gmail.


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## NogDog

I used mine while on vacation to access Facebook via http://m.facebook.com to let people know where I was, and even stopped by here a few times using the http://www.kboards.com/?wap2 link. And I occasionally do so when I'm reading in bed and decide I want to check on something or post something, and am too lazy to get up and use my PC. 

Oh, and my KindleMinds.net blog has a mobile interface which should automatically detect your Kindle and most other mobile devices and automatically take you to the mobile version.


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## artsandhistoryfan

NogDog said:


> I used mine while on vacation to access Facebook via http://m.facebook.com to let people know where I was, and even stopped by here a few times using the http://www.kboards.com/?wap2 link. And I occasionally do so when I'm reading in bed and decide I want to check on something or post something, and am too lazy to get up and use my PC.
> 
> Oh, and my KindleMinds.net blog has a mobile interface which should automatically detect your Kindle and most other mobile devices and automatically take you to the mobile version.


ladyknight and NogDog, 
Kindred spirits! Glad to see others enjoying it.

NogDog/Charles - Your site just came up on my (older) DX in ONE second. And it's beautiful on the Kindle.

Also, a really substantial site that I've just bookmarked. Love the name of it too.

My blogspot is set up for webpeople who tend not to go beyond the first page, so there's a lot on it and it's a horrible experience to try to access with a mobile device.

I don't think blogger.com has the equivalent of the WordPress Mobile Pack, but it is really well done.


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## NogDog

artsandhistoryfan said:


> ladyknight and NogDog,
> Kindred spirits! Glad to see others enjoying it.
> 
> NogDog/Charles - Your site just came up on my (older) DX in ONE second. And it's beautiful on the Kindle.
> 
> Also, a really substantial site that I've just bookmarked. Love the name of it too.
> 
> My blogspot is set up for webpeople who tend not to go beyond the first page, so there's a lot on it and it's a horrible experience to try to access with a mobile device.
> 
> I don't think blogger.com has the equivalent of the WordPress Mobile Pack, but it is really well done.


Congratulations, you've now been added to the "blogroll" links on my blog.


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## artsandhistoryfan

NogDog said:


> Congratulations, you've now been added to the "blogroll" links on my blog.


 Thanks! Very generous of you. I don't even have a blogroll on my messy page.

I went back to your site earlier on the K2 and it doesn't see the black borders but
goes right to the light section, the main body.

That all shows up on both when choosing 'Advanced' mode on the K2.
Colors are translated to viewable b&w but of course that uses more 
light grays.

In Basic Mode, it was high-contrast with no attempt to translate colors to
gray and gives pure text and doesn't show layout but is easy to read.

Read a few of your articles and learned a few things 

Thanks again


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## NogDog

artsandhistoryfan said:


> Thanks! Very generous of you. I don't even have a blogroll on my messy page.
> 
> I went back to your site earlier on the K2 and it doesn't see the black borders but
> goes right to the light section, the main body.
> 
> That all shows up on both when choosing 'Advanced' mode on the K2.
> Colors are translated to viewable b&w but of course that uses more
> light grays.
> 
> In Basic Mode, it was high-contrast with no attempt to translate colors to
> gray and gives pure text and doesn't show layout but is easy to read.
> 
> Read a few of your articles and learned a few things
> 
> Thanks again


Yeah, I still need to tweak the mobile CSS stylesheet to optimize it for the Kindle. Right now it's readable, so it hasn't made it up the to-do list.


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## artsandhistoryfan

NogDog said:


> Yeah, I still need to tweak the mobile CSS stylesheet to optimize it for the Kindle. Right now it's readable, so it hasn't made it up the to-do list.


Much more readable than most sites I go to... No need at all to change it.

I was just reporting on the difference between DX and K2 access. The K2 is smaller so the mobile adjustments rightly focuses on the body of text that matters rather than using the black framing background.

And the Kindle is doing its job translating colors to shades of gray and differentiating.

Now with the regular twitter site (not the mobile one), THAT is unreadable in that most of it hides the text we have to read.

Wordpress is ahead of the game here.


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## NogDog

Ah, I see. (I've now had my first cup of coffee.) I think that's an easy fix...off to change the max width to 824 pixels.


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## artsandhistoryfan

Ann in Arlington said:


> Here's a link to an earlier post in _A Kindle World_: http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/mobile-versions-of-webpages-for-kindle.html
> 
> Andrys has a file that you can down load as a "book" which has a set of kindle-friendly mobile websites


Thanks again, Ann. I'm adding here that I updated that mobiweb.azw file after a year to give some links that are workarounds for Kindle 3 in that while Kindle 2 and DX could do some mobile sites quite well, the Kindle 3 could not see its text-input recognized, so I've used links suggested to me after some experimentation and also made some shortcuts for them.

I had to revise it already because as of this moment I can't send a personal doc that Amazon converted to .azw (non-DRM'd) from my computer, to [me]@kindle.com or free.kindle.com

For over year that wasn't a problem. I wonder if it's just an oversight.

At any rate I revised the alternatives section and it's directly downloadable to the Kindle easily anyway and works from there still.

The blog entry today is at http://bit.ly/kwmobiweb

Apologies for confusion in today's blog article.


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## Joe Chiappetta

I too would like the Kindle to also be a tablet. e-Ink is so much easier on the eyes.


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## Joe Chiappetta

I just found another decent directory of mobile sites: http://www.mobinomy.com/


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## Redf

kindletodo.com
KindleToDo is a free to use web service aimed at Kindle users. 
The site is fully compatible with Kindle devices and its interface is displayed such that Kindle owners have no trouble using the site.

Visiting the site lets you create a new to-do list in a very simple manner: you enter your tasks and they are added to the task list. 
The list is automatically saved and loaded each time you visit the site. 
You can check off completed items and then have them removed; you can also start with a fresh new list. In case you want to see the day’s date, you can do through the calendar the site offers.


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## balaspa

Interesting list.  Thanks for posting.

How much web surfing do you all do with your Kindle?  I tend to just read books and visit the Kindle store.  Am I missing out?


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## Redf

If you have a device, why not use its capabilities to the maximum?
Writing these programs for Kindle is not available to all.
So I chose the easy way for me - a web-based applications.
Kindle browser for this very disposal!


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## NogDog

balaspa said:


> Interesting list. Thanks for posting.
> 
> How much web surfing do you all do with your Kindle? I tend to just read books and visit the Kindle store. Am I missing out?


I don't use it regularly, but I do use it when reading and I want to do a quick bit of research on something I just read (people, places, history, and so forth). I've used it some when traveling, allowing me to know I can do some basic on-line stuff without having to take my notebook PC with me.


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## Redf

About it was to create a service.


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## QuantumIguana

It's not a good browser, but it is useful. It's much better when using mobile websites. I second what was said earlier, try putting in a "m" instead of "www", as in "m.xyz.com" instead of "www.xyz.com".

I do use it when I want to download books from Gutenberg or Smashwords. I like that I don't have to download it on the PC and then copy the file over to the Kindle. I also use the browser when I don't feel like powering up the PC or when I'm out of the house but want to look something up at a wifi hotspot.


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