VIDEO
When you switch from traditional book-buying to the Amazon Kindle, you lose something in the
process: the freedom to take a book off your shelf and hand it to a friend.
I�m Sharon Vaknin from CNET.com, and I�m here to show you how to share books with Kindle.
As you�ve probably noticed, Amazon doesn�t officially allow you to trade titles with your fellow
Kindle fans. But there is a way to borrow books from someone you know�assuming you�ve
earned their trust. Thanks to Cyen at eHow for this tip.
To get started, make sure the wireless internet connection on your Kindle device is on.
Then, go to the Settings menu. From the Kindle home screen, click the menu button, then select
�settings�. If you�re using Kindle on your mobile phone, select �info� from the home screen. And if
you�re using Kindle on your computer, click �options� in the menu bar.
Once you�re there, select �deregister�. Don�t worry�you won�t lose your books.
Now, here�s the sensitive part. You�ll need to register your Kindle with the username and
password of your friend�s account. They�ll have to trust you, because once you register your
device with their information, you�ll be able to purchase books on their credit card.
But you wouldn�t do that, right?
Once your Kindle device is registered to your friend�s account, return to the home screen. You�ll
see that the number next to �Archived Items� has increased. That�s where you�ll find your friend�s
books.
Open the Archived Items folder, and select the books you�d like to read. They�ll start
downloading right away.
Once that�s finished, you�ll see your newly downloaded books in the run-down. You�ll also see
that you can still read books you�ve purchased on your own account.
But, like I mentioned, this isn�t an official way to share books between Kindles, so there are some
inconveniences when doing this.
First of all, you�ll only be able to read your friends� books while signed into their account. This is
important, since once you register your device back to your account, you won�t be able to
access the books you borrowed. So, that means no new purchases while you�re reading your
friends� books.
Another thing you should know is that any one book can only be downloaded about five to six
times. So be weary about how many times you share a book, because once you hit the limit,
you�ll have to repurchase it before it can be downloaded again. You can blame digital rights
management laws for that one.
If this is all too complicated and unappealing to you, you might consider switching to the Nook,
which has an official book loaning system.
For CNET.com, I�m Sharon Vaknin, and I�ll see you next time.
