How to get access to browser to surf internet in kindle keyboard?

To browser internet using your kindle keyboard, follow these steps:

1. Go to home
2. Configure your WiFi settings  Menu=>Settings =>WiFi settings =>Move cursor to your wireless networks enter password
3. Go back to "home" and press "Menu" again =>Turn wireless on
4. Menu =>Experimental =>Move five way controller to Web browser and "launch browser"
5. Now you will see the browser, enter web address and move cursor to the right side press "go to"
6. On the page, press menu => "Bookmark This Page" to save your featured website in your bookmarks.

How to configure your default location in kindle to avoid unrecognized characters?

You may find there are some unrecognized characters (displayed by squares) on your kindle when using foreign languages such as Chinese. Let's take Chinese for example.

1. Go to home by pressing "home"key.
2. press key "enter" 
3. ;debugOn      
4. ~changeLocale zh-CN
5. ;debugOff

Note: step 3-5 should be followed by pressing key "enter", also letter case is sensitive (Capital letters are strict).

After you'v done with these steps, you should be able to see no squares characters.

WebOS now becomes open source

Glad to learn that WebOS will survive by way of open source. I am impressed by its ease to use, swipe gesture features. Read more about this story from engadget.

Decode the resources of your favorite Android apps by android-apktool

Like your favorite Android apps and would like to make some changes but without their resources? Here is the answer:

Android-apktool

It is a tool for reengineering 3rd party, closed, binary Android apps. It can decode resources to nearly original form and rebuild them after making some modifications...

But be kind and respect the developers, do not use it illegally.
Also keep in mind that it does not always work perfectly.

How to use the "Text-to-Speech" feature on your kindle keyboard?

1. First make sure the Text-to-Speech is enabled ( you will see sth like " Text-to-Speech: Enabled " on the right side of the image of the book on AMAZON website)  for the book you want to read. If not, you cannot continue. 
2. Press the five-way controller to navigate the book, then press the center of the controller to open it.
3. Press the "Text" key (marked with the letters "Aa"), then press the five-way controller to select the "turn on" after "Text-to-Speech". The kindle should start reading the text. You may change the volume by pressing the button which is on the same side of the power switch.
4. If you want to have more options such as   "Turn off" "Pause" , change the speech rate to "slower" "default" " faster" or change the speaking voice to "female" or "male" , press key "Aa" again.
5. Press the "Shift" key ( with an arrow  ) and the "Sym" key simultaneously to stop the Text-to-Speech reading. Press again to resume.

A first taste of the lighted Kindle keyboard leather cover

Yesterday I got my new lighted kindle keyboard leather cover (with a sweet price $1*  for a brand new one but not from AMAZON) which fits the EReader perfectly.It looks nice and feel very solid. It's sturdy and comfortable to hold.  I am deeply impressed by the design and quality. It is much much better than the after-market cover I used before. I am sure it can protect kindle pretty well in case. Actually I once dropped my kindle accidently on the ground and the old cover failed to protect it, a dent and a crack (though not noticeable but annoying) formed. I wish I had this official cover from the first day. Now my kindle looks more like a book, and I can read without the regular light on. The light with the cover is good when you turn off the other lights, and  the uneven lighting issue is not a big concern. CoooooL! The freeze caused by hinges some reported does not occur so far.

UPDATED: Recently found AMAZON has used Kindle Lighted Leather Cover, Black (Fits Kindle Keyboard) for only $22.49, which is a decent deal. Do not be fooled by the "used", usually the condition should be very much like new. My experience with the third-party cover and light is very very bad and a total waste of money. 

How to install Android non-Market apps .apk on Android CM7

I am sure you need to install some non-Market apps .apk on your Android CM7. But how? Let's see:

1. Copy non-market .apk to SD card or in directory "donwloads" in WebOS.
2. In Android CM7, " Settings" =>"Applications" => check "Unknown sources" to allow installation of non-Market applications.
3. Download and install the free app "AndExplorer" on Android Market.
4. Use " AndExplorer " to browse to the folder  SDCard/downloads (if you copied your .apk file under directory " downloads " in WebOS ) that you copied.
5. Click "OK" and follow instructions to install.
6. If you want to uninstall an app " Settings" =>"Applications" => "Manage applications"=> Choose the app you will uninstall => Click "Uninstall" (upper right)

WebOS v.s. Android v.s. IOS

I would say all the three OSes are great. While I have more experience on the first two.

WebOS:  
Maybe the easiest one to use, even my two year old can handle it without any difficulty. She simply refused me to help her. Has maybe the best soft keyboard. Really like the swipe  feature of WebOS which lets you close unwanted applications in a simple way with just a swipe.

Android CM7:  
My two year old gets confused about it. More apps than WebOS. Easier to install non android market .apk apps with the help of such as AndExplorer. Desktop icons are too small and cannot be changed easily.
 
IOS: 
Looks pretty and cool. Easy to use and have so many apps. Price... TP to me, a better value with WebOS and Android dural systems.

How to reboot your kindle 3?

Your Kindle screen frozen or unresponsive? There is a chance that you need to reboot your kindle. Simply follow:

1. Locate and slide the power switch. Hold it for at least 20 seconds then release. The reboot (tree) screen will appear ( with progress bar ).
2. If not successfully, you should recharge your kindle for some time.

How to install Android Market on your CM7 Alpha 3 TP

Step 1: Install CM7 as instructed, be sure to include the moboot zip and the ClockworkMod zip;

Step 2: Boot into Android and connect the TouchPad via USB as an External Storage device;

Step 3: Download the Google Apps zip for CyanogenMod 7 from here, copy the zipped file to

             TouchPad;

Step 4: Reboot the TouchPad & use moboot to choose "ClockworkMod";

    This is the step I was initially confused about. What the heck is " moboot "? It is nothing but    

    Mobile Open Bootloader for the HP Touchpad.

    How to enter moboot?

    a. Reboot your Android (hold power button for a while and choose "Reboot"

    b. Select reboot option " Recory" then ok to reboot, then you will see options like this:

         CWM-based Recovery V5.0.2.6

         -reboot system now

         -apply update from sdcard

         -wipe data/factory reset

         -install zip from sdcard

         -backup and restore

         -mounts and storage

         -advanced

         -power off

         -+++++Go Back+++++

        
         Use the volume up and down button to highlight the options and choose the option by press the center
         button (the one close to the microusb port) on your TP.

Step 5:  choose "install zip from sdcard", then choose "choose zip from sdcard";

Step 6:  find and select the "gapps-gb-20110828-signed.zip" file you placed on the Touchpad;

Step 7:  Google Market & apps will install;

Step 8:  Reboot into CM7 and find the " Market" to find lots of free apps you might be

               interested!

How to install Android CM7 on HP TouchPad

First of all, do not be scared to do it! It is simply a 10 minutes or at most 20 minutes journey. Android rocks! You will not lose your WebOS, it is still there, what you have will be a touchpad with dural boot system:  Android+WebOS, you can swithch between easily.

Installation of Android CM7  Cyanogen Mod

Step 1: Backup all the important files on your TouchPad!!!

Step 2: Download CM7 Alpha 3, unzip it to your C drive root and put it in directory Android 
             C:\Android


Step 3: Connect your touchpad to your PC as an External Storage device, create a folder
              "cminstall" in the root of your TouchPad.

Step 4: Disconnect your TouchPad, reboot your TouchPad and hold the Volume up (not down
             side) until you see a USB icon on the screen.

Step 4: Open the CMD window on your PC ( start=>run=>cmd), then after the command
              prompt, type the following commands, eg. if you have the command prompt under the
              directory of C:\Users\Your-user-name>:

              C:\Users\Your-user-name>:  cd C:\Android
              C:\Android>:  novacom boot mem://<ACMEInstaller

Step 5: The installation will start and leave it alone until it finishes.

Step 6: Enjoy your Android but you still need one more action: install Android Market which I
             will show in the next post.

You may find more useful info. from:

CM7 Original thread: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/10121-releasealpha3cyanogenmod-touchpad/

A good source to refer to:  http://reviewhorizon.com/2011/10/how-to-install-cyanogenmod-on-hp-touchpad/

HP Is reviving the $99 TouchPad firesale! Again but REFURB models at this time

Your memory is still fresh about the HP $99 touchpad fire sale? Missed it? Now it is coming again but with the REFURB ones at HP ebay store on December 11th at 6:00 p.m. Central time.According to the source on techcrunch.com. One of the sweetest things about touch pad is you may root and install android. Please follow this link to CyanogenMod for TouchPad Alpha 3 for detailed steps. It took me only about 15 minutes, so pretty easy. Android looks great and after installation of the android market, you have many many more apps.


The fire sale is TRUE!!!!  See the screen shot below now the time is 5:20 PM Central Dec 11.

Report of this event on Los Angles Times and on PC Magazine. 
See the detailed review on HP TouchPad by PC Magazine. 

Kindle keyboard shortcuts

I do wish there were number keys on the keyboard and it is not quite convenient to type numbers and other symbols on kindle keyboard. Similar to the shortcuts in using PC, a few shortcuts make using a Kindle even more convenient and can further enhance your reading experience.

Keyboard Shortcut	What It Does
Alt+Q	Types 1
Alt+W	Types 2
Alt+E	Types 3
Alt+R	Types 4
Alt+T	Types 5
Alt+Y	Types 6
Alt+U	Types 7
Alt+I	Types 8
Alt+O	Types 9
Alt+P	Types 0
Alt+B	Sets or removes a bookmark
Alt+Home	Goes to the Kindle Store
Menu button	Displays the time and available memory
Right on the 5-Way Controller	Moves to next chapter (when you are within a book). On the Homescreen, pressing the right arrow on the 5-Way Controller brings youto the information screen about the book, blog, or other contentthat you are viewing.
Shift+Sym	Turns on Text-to-Speech
Spacebar	Pauses Text-to-Speech
Back button	Turns off Text-to-Speech
Alt+spacebar	Plays or stops MP3s
Alt+F	Skips to the next MP3
Alt+G	Refreshes the screen
Shift+Alt+M	Plays Minesweeper
Shift+Alt+G	Takes a screenshot of the current screen

Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/kindle-3-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

Organize your documents by creating collections

Do you put all your kindle books and documents on the home page without something like folders? Not a good idea. Follow the following steps to create Collections to organize your stuffs.

Step 1: Home=>Menu=>Create New Collection=>Enter Collection Name=>Save  You will see the
            collection you just created on the home page.

Step 2: Move cursor using 5-way controller to the book/file you would like to move and press the right
            arrow on the 5-way controller=>Add to Collection...=> Move cursor to the target collection and
            press the center of the 5-way controller to add. If you want to remove from the collection
            simply press the central button again. This is it!
            If you would like to delete one document from a collection, go to the collection and move
            cursor  to the document, press the right arrow on the 5-way controller, then select "Delete This
            Document".

Turn your non-KSO to KSO

Would like to have some sweet offers from Amazon such as half off the lighted leather kindle cover code but without KSO? No problem. Do the following to turn your non-KSO to KSO.

Step 1: Upgrade your kindle to V3.3
            Home=>Menu=>Settings=>Menu again=>Update Your Kindle.

Step 2: Go to your Amazon online account


       => Digital Content
       => Digital Management
       => Manage Your Kindle
       => Screen left side under " Your Kindle Account"   Manage Your Devices
       => click the plus icon to display more information
       => In the Subscribe column, click Edit next to your Kindle  then follow the instructions on the
             screen to subscribe to Special Offers
       => Turn wireless on, and the next time you connect your Kindle device wirelessly, it will complete
             the process of subscribing your device to Special Offers.
       => View the special offer by Home/Menu/View Special Offers

Note: KSO-Kindle Special Offer
          You may need to turn on 1-Click ordering first.

Avoid fee when sending files to your kindle

Kindle's Personal Document Service (via Whispernet) allows you to e-mail files to your Kindle's e-mail address. Then, Amazon can transfer the file(s) wirelessly in a Kindle-compatible format to the device(s). To avoid a fee, or if you're not in wireless range, you can send an e-mail to "name"@free.kindle.com and download the files via USB in a Kindle compatible format to the device(s).

To be posted: how to use Calibre to create your own .mobi kindle ebooks

Calibre is free and open source e-book computer software that organizes, saves and manages e-books, supporting a variety of formats. It also supports e-book syncing with a variety of popular e-book readers and will, within DRMrestrictions, convert e-books between differing formats （Wiki)

Coming soon ...

How to install Chinese Kindle Firmware " Duokan " on your kindle V3.3. 如何安装多看LITE 到最新KINDLE keyboard V3.3

This post is for those who would like to install the Chinese Kindle Firmware " DuoKan "  on their kindle 3G keyboard V3.3.
      You may find that the latest DuoKan Lite cannnot be installed on your Kindle V3.3 successfully. The ans. to this hassle is:
      Download and install " Lite1027.1642.rtm.zip "  instead of the latest Lite2011-12-02.C3177.rtm !!!  Latest may not be the best for you.
      Then following the steps shown in the following link:
      How to install " Duokan Lite" on your kindle 3G keyboard.
Please keep in mind of the risk of making your kindle a brick (though the chance is less than 1%).

6" Ebooks for teaching kids Chinese

I create these series books to urge my eight year old to learn Chinese by reading short stories. At this time, most of the ebooks with stories having 'Pin Yin', once the kids make progress, I will only leave a small portion of 'Pin Yin' in the books in the near future.

I personally think learning by reading is one of the best ways to learn a language.  

Hope you can benefit from these books.

1. 6英寸PDF电子书WORD模板    供有兴趣自己给孩子做电子书的参考
2. 认数字  （2岁小朋友用）
3. 认字母  （2岁小朋友用）
4. 说谎的放羊娃
5. 狼和小羊
6. 狐狸和葡萄
7. ...

You may download them by clicking "File" on the left corner on the page linked to, then choose " download original ".

More downloads can be found in the page of Chinese E Resource.