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Amazon adding 'real' page numbers to Kindle

As part of upcoming update to the Kindle, Amazon is adding "real" page numbers to e-books along with a few other new features.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
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David Carnoy
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Amazon's page-numbering scheme will now include a corresponding 'real' element to it. Amazon

Last week, we wrote a story asking whether Amazon should change how the Kindle's pages are numbered and close to half of CNET readers who responded said it should. Well, now Amazon has made a change.

As part of an upcoming update to the Kindle, Amazon is adding "real" page numbers to its e-books. In a blog post previewing the update (version 3.1), Amazon writes:

Our customers have told us they want real page numbers that match the page numbers in print books so they can easily reference and cite passages, and read alongside others in a book club or class. Rather than add page numbers that don't correspond to print books, which is how page numbers have been added to e-books in the past, we're adding real page numbers that correspond directly to a book's print edition. We've already added real page numbers to tens of thousands of Kindle books, including the top 100 bestselling books in the Kindle Store that have matching print editions and thousands more of the most popular books. Page numbers will also be available on our free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps in the coming months.

As part of the Kindle update, Amazon will be adding a few other new features to the latest-generation Kindle and Kindle 3G (owners of the older Kindle 1 and 2 or Kindle DX aren't eligible to get the update):

  • Public Note: This feature lets Kindle users choose to make their book notes and highlights available for others to see. Any Kindle user can "opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community."

  • Before You Go: When you reach the end of the book, you'll now be given the option to immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author.

  • New newspaper and magazine layout: Amazon is introducing a "new and improved" layout for newspapers and magazines. According to Amazon, this new layout "gives you a quick snapshot of the news and helps you decide what you want to read first."

If you own the latest-generation Kindle or Kindle 3G and want to try an early preview of these new features, you can manually download the software update from this page. Amazon says that all latest-generation Kindle and Kindle 3G customers will receive this software update automatically via Wi-Fi once it becomes available.

Let us know what you think of the new "real" page numbers and the other updates.