Kindle 3 Keyboard Shortcuts ver 1.12 [5]
Other functions: abs() [absolute value], exp() [e to the power of], ln() [natural logarithm], log() [base 10 logarithm], sqrt() [square root].
You can assign values to variables with =; for example, test=9.
The results of the last operation are stored in the variable _ (underscore). Assign _ to a variable before using it in further calculations. I have found that using _ directly results in the calculation being done twice. For example, if you enter 5*2, then _ is 10. Entering _*2 results in 40, not 20. However, if you enter y=_, you get a result of y = _ = 10. y*2 then correctly results in 20.
The values of pi and e are stored in pi and e, respectively.
Book File Formats
AZW: This is the format of most books purchased from Amazon; it is a modified version of the .mobi format and can be read only by the Kindle and Kindle apps. Most, but not all, books purchased from Amazon have Digital Rights Management (DRM) which prevents copying from one device to another. DRM'd books must be downloaded separately for each device.
Samples are usually DRM-free.
Bookmarks, notes etc are saved in an .mbp file.
TPZ/AZW1: "The dreaded Topaz format" is an Amazon format which can contain embedded fonts and other rendering control. Files in this format have an .azw1 extension when they are delivered via Whispernet or a .tpz extension when they are delivered via file download.
It is likely all books in this format have DRM.
If the product details for a book show the number of pages but no file size, it is likely it is in Topaz format.
Bookmarks, notes etc are saved in a .tan file.
Fortunately, relatively few books purchased from Amazon come in this format, which often behaves badly. For example, your last-read position may not be remembered when the Kindle goes to sleep. It often helps to press HOME when you are finished reading, rather than leaving the book open.
Unprotected MOBI/PRC: The Mobipocket format is based on XHTML. Either the .mobi or .prc file extension can be used; the .prc extension arose because PalmOS does not recognise files with a .mobi extension.
The Kindle does NOT support protected .mobi files. Even though Mobipocket is now owned by Amazon, protected mobi files have DRM which the Kindle does not handle.
Free books formatted for the Kindle from the catalogues of sites such as Feedbooks, MobileRead, and Gutenberg will come in unprotected mobi or prc format.
TXT: Plain text files are small and can be read on almost any device, but lack formatting.
Non-ADE PDF: PDFs are often used where layout is important and may contain embedded fonts, tables, diagrams etc. PDFs which require ADE (Adobe Digital Editions) are protected and cannot be read on the Kindle.
You can read password-protected PDFs on your Kindle.
PDFs are often formatted for A4 or letter size pages and do not reflow (change their line length and page size to suit the screen size).
If layout is not critical in a PDF, it is often better to convert it to an AZW via Amazon's conversion service (remembering to put Convert in the subject line of the email) or using a program such as Calibre.
AZW2: 'Active content' such as games have an AZW2 extension.: These files have DRM and cannot just be copied from one Kindle to another (Active content is not yet available to users outside the US, so I can't test this)
Conversion from other formats: Other book formats require conversion to .mobi format before they can be read on the Kindle. Amazon's conversion service: Unprotected DOC, DOCX (experimental), TXT, RTF, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, ZIP (converts the enclosed files), PDF (with Convert in the subject line)
Calibre: Unprotected CHM, EPUB, FB2, HTML, LIT, LRF, ODT, PDB, PDF, RB, RTF, TCR, TXT
Any file which requires the use of ADE (Adobe Digital Editions) is protected and cannot be converted.
HTML without conversion: If you have a simple HTML/XHTML file, you can read it on the K3 without conversion: Change the file extension to .txt (eg rename Book.html to Book.txt) and then copy it via USB to the Kindle's