Kindle Tips: SendtoReader (for any Kindle-compatible device) has a terrific new feature. UPDATE

     
SENDTOREADER Update

UPDATE - 7/13/12.  I tested sending web articles to my Kindles and Kindle apps WHILE reading on the Kindle Fire and on my Kindle Touch.

  Adding the 7 characters, described below, in front of a web-link or URL worked with any mobile browser on my Kindle Fire as well. Not only does no other e-reader have the web-articles-send feature but it surprised me that it works when I'm browsing the web on my Kindle Fire  That is quite a boon.  I haven't tried to send an article from an e-Ink Kindle though.  
I was less successful when doing this on my smartphone.  No problems when using s2r.me/ in a URL from my Kindle Fire browsing though.

  One thing I forgot earlier:  Besides needing to register with SendToReader, of course, for the free service, you need to sign-in to SendToReader the first time you use the 's2r.me/' with a given browser.   I haven't had to sign-in again on the same browser (except when I want to look at my list of articles sent in case I want to re-send something later).
  When using it with a different browser the first time for that browser, I had to do the initial sign-in.

SENDtoREADER was very well received by Kindle users, in the many comments written to the original article on it here on March 29, 2011 when I asked readers to try it out.

 I noted in an update that "The feedback was extremely positive, with images coming through well, good general layout, and "a great feature: history of your sent articles (linked) in your account at sendtoreader.com with an option to resend. Thanks to phelcq and Elmo [for the mentioned features]."

After that, the author of the program, Sergey Pozhilov, notified us of a "Web to Kindle" browser add-on called "DroidToReader," which allows SendToReader's features to be used on a Kindle Fire.  He explained it in his comments to the blog entry of March 11, 2012.  It seems this addon, though, is no longer needed.  I'd love feedback on how the new feature described below works for you.

  Sergey's newest improvement is s2r.me which is a "very simple" addon to a link, he says, which allows you to just enter "s2r.me/" in FRONT of the URL or link to an article you want sent to your Kindle as a personal document.

  It would look like: http://s2r.me/[whateverlonglink]

  Of course you have to be registered at sendtoreader.com first, for this to work.  Be sure to read the original article about SendToReader and comments to it by author Sergey and readers of the blog (the article is linked above in the opening).

  Pesonal documents you choose to have sent to your Kindle (rather than file-copied from your computer to your Kindle) go through Amazon servers, where they are kept in the Personal Documents area -- and the access to and reading of these personal docs are sync'd across all your Kindle devices, in the same way that your Kindle books are.

  Example: I saw an interesting story from a press release by The Education World on the Kindle Fire for the Classroom, and I put "s2r.me/" in front of the URL or link on that page and, because I'm registered with a Kindle address at SendToReader, this small addition to the link sent that article to the Amazon servers, which placed a copy in my Personal Documents area and then sent me an email to let me know it was there (the email notification took about 5 minutes to arrive).

  I opened my Kindle Fire and my Kindle Touch, as well as my Kindle Keyboard.  The document was available on all three devices.  On the Kindle Fire, it showed up on the Carousel without my doing anything, ready to be downloaded if I want.  But if you don't see it, you can click on the 'Docs' category in the top menu.

  I never did install the 'DroidtoReader' add-on for Kindle Fire, and yet this new feature worked fine because it's treated by Amazon as a personal document that you want to read on any of your devices, so Amazon makes sure it's available on devices being sync'd.  It also arrived on my Samsung Galaxy S2 phone Kindle books archive  when I ran the Kindle for Android app to see my books and personal docs, and when I clicked on the title, it downloaded it.

 Here's the article on the Kindle Fire in classroom use.  If you click on the link, you'll be at the article of course.  IF you are already a SendToReader member, just put  s2r.me/  in front of the URL for the article (in the location field at the top of the web browser) and this will let SendToReader know you want that article sent to 'me'...

  While normally a URL or link has an "http://" to start the link, web browsers put that part in for you these days, so you can just start it with "s2r.me/" in front of the URL.
  HOWEVER, if the web browser URL already shows an 'http://' on the address line, then put the s2r.me AFTER the prefacing 'http://' and right in front of the URL/link.

  For me, this is a great new feature and I hope others of you will enjoy it too.

---

Current Kindle Models for reference, plus free-ebook search links

US: Kindle Fire  7" tablet - $199 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $79/$109 Kindle Touch, WiFi - $99/$139 Kindle Touch, 3G/WiFi - $149/$189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189, Free, slow web Kindle DX - $379, Free, slow web

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £89 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - £109 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi, UK - £169 Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

OTHER International Kindle NoTouch Basic - $109 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi - $189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle for Android gets upgrade to v3.5.0.83 . Adds support for richer layout and personal docs to Kindle app

The Kindle App for Android updatea v3.5.0.83 is quite a big update that offers added access to a much larger assortment of richly illustrated Kindle books and allows you to email personal documents to your Send-to-Kindle e-mail address -- Amazon delivers them to your device and automatically archives the documents.

Thanks for Twitter alerts sent by Elias Zuniga and Corneliu Dascalu.

Supported formats for personal documents, including non-Amazon books:
  PDF, MOBI, HTML, DOC, TXT and PRC

The free Kindle for Android now supports the new Kindle Format 8 (KF8) - HTML5, with access to popular comics like Batman, Superman and many more, plus over 1000 illustrated children's titles, including Brown Bear and Curious George.  It brings richer formatting capabilities to thousands of other Kindle titles, and now Android device users can select from multiple dictionary languages when looking up definitions in Kindle books.

Access to over 100 newspapers and magazines is included with no Kindle required, but if you have a Kindle, the Whispersync technology syncs last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across various devices.

The update can be downloaded from the Amazon Android Appstore or from Google Play (formerly Android Market).


NOTE RE DOCUMENT EMAIL FEES IF USING 3G/4G instead of WiFi
If sending by cell phone networks as with smart phones or tablets with data plans:
  There is a 15c per MB charge unless you use WiFi.

To see how and where to change your settings to avoid accruing 3G/4G charges when sending personal docs to your Kindle device, see these earlier posts:
  GENERAL
  . How to send documents to your Kindle

  WORD docs
  . How to send WORD docs to your Kindle



Kindle Touch 3G, US-only   Kindle Touch WiFi (US)   Kindle Touch WiFi-Only, outside US    Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

---

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle Tips: Kindle Fire Books that Seem to Disappear - Solution to Glitch

THE KINDLE BOOKS APP ON KINDLE FIRE HAS A GLITCH THAT CAN CAUSE BOOK TITLES TO NOT DISPLAY -- THE SOLUTION

  This dilemma of Kindle book titles seeming to disappear from Kindle Fire listings of book titles on The Cloud especially (the server library area) and also from the listing for the Device has been happening to more than a few, per reports from the forums -- and it happened to me twice in a few days.

  Forum members, as usual (in this case, 'Q' and 'Mona') came up with the answer a few weeks ago, and more and more of us are needing to use their solution.  The problem seems to have started or worsened after the last Kindle Fire upgrade.

  I think it's important that all of Amazon Kindle Support be told about this solution, because I was told by two members of Amazon Kindle Support to set my KFire back to Factory Defaults (as a 2nd or 3rd step!) which would have lost me the personal documents I had on the device.  I told them I would NOT do that, as it has always been a last-ditch step when nothing else solves the problem and that it causes more unnecessary work for customers when there is a simpler solution.

  Later we were reminded by 'affinity" on the forum that Q and Mona had provided the simple solution, and it worked like a charm for me and for MANY others on the forums.

  I called Amazon Kindle Support back to let them know there was a simple solution and this time (when I asked to be connected back with 2nd level support as before), I got Kindle Customer Support representative Ryan.   He knew about this glitch and the workaround (and started to tell me what it was before I could tell him what forumners were doing) and was surprised that other areas of Customer Support apparently did not know about it, but he said himself that the 'factory default' settings was a FINAL step that shouldn't be taken until other steps proved not to work.

 Amazon, Ryan is a prize.  I wish I could talk directly to him whenever I have questions.  It'd be nice to have someone like him in charge of letting all of Kindle Customer Support know what the latest known glitches and workarounds are.  It would help situations like the one in which one of the two free-book-forum-thread leaders was told to go back to factory defaults and then had to gather (from her computer and Amazon's servers) the personal documents that were of course 'gone' when going back to 'factory' defaults.

For the future, here is, essentially, what Q and Mona discovered.

The first clue that something is amiss is that the Cloud listing doesn't show all your books, but the Amazon servers -will- have them there.  The servers and our libraries on the servers are the 'Cloud.'

  One may or may not be able to access the Cloud directly from the Kindle Fire - doable with music and books and not doable with personal docs (at this time).

  I'll do a blog entry later on the several types of storage (and sometimes streaming) that are referred to as the Cloud, at Amazon.

When the problem with the Kindle Fire that I'm writing about occurs, our books-app "Amazon Kindle Books" is not "seeing" all the titles that are on the Cloud (our personal server library where our Kindle books are kept by Amazon) due to a software glitch that is in the Kindle App on the Kindle Fire.  Some book titles MAY be missing from the 'Device' display (the Kindle Fire itself) also.

  Mona and Q discovered that to correct this software glitch -- you should make sure that "WiFi" is ON and then go to the Gear or wheel icon at the top right of the Kindle Fire and tap that, and then choose "More" -- then go down the Settings list a bit to see "Applications" and select "ALL Applications."  Once there, you can actually select the Amazon Kindle app to be managed in this way when there is a problem.

The Steps: (a clearer way to see them)

Make sure WiFi is 'ON' when doing this)

Go to the Gear wheel at the top right when you're at the HOME Screen

Then click on:
. More,
. Settings,
. Applications
... (choosing ALL applications to view),

Select 'Amazon Kindle' and then
. Click to option to clear DATA (which clears the cache at the same time)
. Press Home at bottom left

SIT BACK (as Mona says) as it all returns to The Way It Was. :-)

No restart needed.  No need to remove the app.  No Factory Default setting involved (and never should the latter be chosen unless nothing else has worked.)

The Kindle Fire then rebuilds the Cloud and "Device" library information, and it doesn't take that long.

Always back up personal docs (as opposed to Kindle books) onto your computers.

NOWadays, we can send those personal documents to our Kindle via email addressed to the Kindle (see earlier articles cited at the bottom of this post), and Amazon will back those up for us, since they give us 5 free gigs of space for personal docs on their servers now (in addition to the 5 gigs for ALL Amazon customers for personal data in general) and they even sync those personal docs across devices too, as long as you send them to your Kindle in email across the Net, which gives them permission to store these for you.

Thanks again to Q and Mona for the steps that have helped several of us.


EARLIER ARTICLES ON PERSONAL DOCUMENTS

• How to send documents to your Kindle
• How to send WORD docs to your Kindle
• How to use Amazon's own SendtoKindle for PC
    This last one, however, results in a PDF file, which is not very readable at all on a 6" Kindle.
      Added Note
      The Amazon SendtoKindle for PC feature is different from other tools previously discussed (below):
    . sendtoreader
    . the Google Chrome add-on, sendtokindle
    . the original, Instapaper.
  
    These last three 3rd-party web-to-Kindle tools are helpful in other ways, mainly for sending documents from web pages without ads included, to your Kindle.
  

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US: Kindle Fire  7" tablet - $199 Kindle NoTouch ("Kindle") - $79/$109 Kindle Touch, WiFi - $99/$139 Kindle Touch, 3G/WiFi - $149/$189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189, Free, slow web Kindle DX - $379, Free, slow 3G web

UK: Kindle Basic, NoTouch - £89 Kindle Touch WiFi, UK - £109 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi, UK - £169 Kindle Keyboard 3G, UK - £149   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

OTHER International Kindle NoTouch Basic - $109 Kindle Touch WiFi - $139 Kindle Touch 3G/WiFi - $189 Kindle Keybd 3G - $189   Keybd: w/ Free, slow 3G WEB

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published Kindle books
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
  Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle News and Tips: How to use Amazon's own SendtoKindle for PC

AMAZON's OWN SEND TO KINDLE feature "for PC"

A lot has been said about this recent Amazon development, and from my read of the forums, many are confused by it.

The newish feature is titled Send to Kindle for PC (similar name as a popular Google Chrome add-on), and a paragraph I saw in the Help pages for this feature gives the essence of it.

The "for PC" part means that the feature isn't ready for Macs yet but it's expected to be, soon.  What caused some confusion is that the most popular Amazon Kindle app is named "Kindle for PC" and some are not quite comfortable with the concept of a PC-Windows or Mac program that works on your computer, rather than on the now many Kindle devices that Amazon is offering -- where they are called 'apps' whether a Kindle app, an Android app, a Kindle Fire app, iOS app (Apple), etc.

First, read the description of and download Send to Kindle for PC

The GOAL
From the Help page mentioned, a Question and Answer:

' I installed Send to Kindle on my PC, how can I start using it?

From Windows Explorer [ TWO options ]

• Right click on one or more documents and choose Send to Kindle
• From any Windows application that can print, select Print and choose Send to Kindle (documents are delivered in PDF format). '

  [ This is done wirelessly, without a cable. ]

  Many at the forums are finding this very useful.  Others don't know where to download it to or how to use it.  But it's essentially as simple as the above paragraph, modified from the Amazon Help page.

  The one drawback is that PDFs are hard to read on a 6" screen.  The older way of sending these documents via email to your Kindle email address (see the ManageYourKindle page will get them on your Kindle in normal Kindle (not PDF) format.

  See How to send documents to your Kindle for more detail on the steps to take.

Features:
  . You no longer have to email a a personal document to your Kindle.
  . It's free if, as most will, you use WiFi for the action
      Those with 3G-only Kindles (all models prior to Kindle 3 (UK: K3)) would either:
      1.  Pay a small fee: 15 cents per megabyte (U.S. residents), (non-US):$0.99
        (calculating SIZE: most novels are under 1 megabyte)
      2.  Forget wireless delivery like this and use a USB cable to transfer the file instead.
  NOTE: Kindle Personal Docs Service is not available via Whispernet (3G) in Canada.

     Tip: you can set the Maximum Charge that you allow for delivery of personal docs by 3G:
         1. Visit Manage your Kindle
         2. Select Personal Document Settings from the left hand menu.
         3. Scroll down to the heading "Whispernet Delivery Options."
         4. Select "Edit" on the right hand side of the page
         5. Enter your preferred personal document charge limit.
             [Could be $0.00 to avoid 'accidents']
         6. Click "Update."

Important Feature
"You can also store your personal documents in your Kindle Library
  and download them conveniently to your Kindle device AND
  [to] supported Kindle reading applications when connected wirelessly.

  Additional bonus of this feature
  Essentially, this means that if you have a Kindle 3 or later (which means WiFi is always an available option) AND you have an older 3G-only Kindle (3G transfers are more expensive for Amazon because they pay AT&T or Sprint for that), you can now:
  . transfer a personal doc on your PC wirelessly to any Kindle you have that uses WiFi
        and then
  . download from your Amazon Library to your 3G Kindle that personal doc,
      with no personal doc fee involved.

Compatibility at this time
"Send to Kindle for PC is compatible with your Windows-based personal computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 (64 or 32 bit).
  At this time, the only Kindle reading application supported by Send to Kindle for PC is the Kindle App for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch."

Supported file types
  . Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx)
  . TXT (.txt)
  . RTF (.rtf)
  . JPEG (.jpeg, .jpg)
  . GIF (.gif)
  . PNG (.png)
  . BMP (.bmp)
  . PDF (.pdf)

  Update: Commenter Julie quickly and rightly noted that they didn't include *.mobi or *.prc files, but these are always supported file types, as they are Amazon's own, so they may have just forgotten to list them. [End of Update]

Amazon's main description of what Send to Kindle for PC does

• Send personal documents to your Kindle from your PC.
• From Windows Explorer, simply right click on one or more documents and choose Send to Kindle.
• From any Windows application that can print, select Print and choose Send to Kindle (documents are delivered in PDF format).
• Choose to archive documents in your Kindle Library, where you can re-download them conveniently anywhere at any time.

Added Note
This feature is different from other tools previously discussed
  . sendtoreader
  . The Google Chrome add-on, sendtokindle
  . the original, Instapaper.

  These 3rd party web to Kindle tools are helpful in other ways, mainly for sending documents from web pages without ads included, to your Kindle.



Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

---

Check often: Temporarily-free recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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The Kindle Personal Document Enhancements - How it all works - Update from Customer Svc

AMAZON'S EMAIL TO "PAST USERS" OF THE PERSONAL DOCUMENTS FEATURE

Introduction
  As many now know, since Sept. 30 and with the Kindle Keyboard software update to v3.3 on Oct. 13, Amazon has made notable, long-requested improvements to the Personal Documents feature, upgrading personal documents that you send to your Kindle, from 2nd-class status to having the regular features that Kindle books have.

See Update with email from Customer Svc.

Those first-class features include sync'g your reading between devices, having them archived at the Amazon servers, and showing their titles in your Kindle's Archived Items folder when the personal document is no longer on the Kindle, for future re-downloading to any of your Kindles as needed.  (You can also disable the archiving & sync'g features.)

Personal docs are, generally, any file that is not a Kindle book and they're usually files we've personally put on our Kindle -- either by transferring them from computer to the Kindle, via the USB cable that comes with our Kindle's power cord or by using our email to send the file to our Kindle (which is given a "Kindle email address" for that purpose, in the form  [your nickname]@kindle.com .

  For example: My Kindle 3 address is andrysk3@kindle.com -- and no one can use it to send documents to my Kindle unless I approve that person's email address for doing that.  Approval for others to send docs to your Kindle  can be registered by you at your amazon.com/manageyourkindle page.

Any file that we send to our Kindle by email goes to the Amazon servers where it is converted to Amazon format before Amazon gets it ready for download to the Kindle.

  Once you've made that special nickname-email address for your Kindle, you can specify that you want to send a personal file to your Kindle email address WITHOUT using the "3G" cellphone network feature.  Why? - because there is a 15c per megabyte fee to use 3G for sending personal docs to your Kindle.  (See 'What are "3G" and "WiFi?".)

  Amazon pays for 3G cell-phone type data-access and they charge back 15c per megabyte of a file for that reason.
   Sending files via WiFi networks doesn't incur a fee, as WiFi is local to us, in our home, or at work, or at a cafe or other public place that allows access to one, and Amazon doesn't have to pay for that.

   The new Basic Kindle with No Keyboard and No TouchScreen is WiFi only, so there's no way to incur a fee with that.

When would you find yourself using 3G instead of WiFi?
The Kindle 1, Kindle 2, and larger DX models use ONLY 3G  wireless access for downloading books or for going to the web.  The Kindle 3 (UK: K3) ("Kindle Keyboard") uses both 3G and WiFi.

Making sure you send the file for free
The TWO ways you can get the file to your Kindle without using 3G are:

1. Send it to [your nickname[@free.kindle.com (note the "free" part in the link) which will let you download the converted doc file or book using a WiFi wireless network at home, office, or a place like McDonald's or Starbucks instead of using 3G wireless  OR
   
   
2. When Amazon notifies you that your converted emailed-file is ready for download but you have no WiFi network access, download it to your computer at the manageyourkindle page and then transfer the file to your Kindle by using the USB cable.  In the past we've been able to download it from the link given in the Amazon email-notice that the converted file is ready.

In both cases, you've emailed a personal document file to Amazon for conversion to Kindle format so that it can be on the Kindle.  That sending of the file:

1. makes your personal doc eligible for the regular features which include sync'g between devices, archiving on the servers, and
   
   
2. you can choose to download it to the Kindle via WiFi or to your computer via USB cable, specifically designated for your Kindle, as mentioned.

THE AMAZON EMAIL ABOUT THE NEW FEATURES
Instead of doing a PR release on the newer Personal Document features,Amazon sent an email on Oct. 14 to anyone who was "a past user of the Kindle Personal Documents Service"

'Your documents are now automatically archived in your Kindle library (you can control this from the Manage Your Kindle page at www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle). '

  That means that Amazon will back it up on their servers -- and this will be on a Kindle Cloud that can hold up to 5 gigabytes of your personal documents so that you can re-download them as needed at any time.

' Archived documents can be re-downloaded from your archive to the all-new Kindle and Kindle Touch devices, as well as Kindle Keyboard (Kindle 3rd Generation--requires the latest software update v3.3 from www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates) -- you will be able to find and download your documents from any of these devices that are registered to your account. '

  I did see that a personal file I sent to my current Kindle Keyboard IS sendable from the manageyourkindle page, personal-documents section, to my Kindle 1, 2, and DX-Graphite as well as the later ones although the file doesn't show up in the "Archived Items" folder on those older Kindles nor do they seem to do sync'g (they're not said to be included for new features at this time anyway).

  It's good that we can download the personal docs to each and every Kindle though.

' Now (just as with Kindle books) Whispersync automatically synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks and annotations for your documents (with the exception of PDFs) across devices '

They did not specifically mention Kindle 1, 2, or the DX for the whispersync'g or for downloading from those Kindles' Archived-Item folders rather than doing manageyourpage-sending to those devices.

' We expect to extend these features to Kindle Fire and Kindle apps (such as Kindle Cloud Reader, Kindle for Android, Kindle for iPhone, Kindle for PC, and Kindle for Mac) in the coming months '

That is definitely good news.

' You can control these new features from the Manage Your Kindle page at www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle where you can see a list of your archived documents, re-deliver documents to your Kindle, delete any document from archive, or even turn off archiving for your account.

Learn more about the Kindle Personal Documents Service from our help pages at www.amazon.com/kindlepersonaldocuments. '

Examples of personal documents
  I often highlight items from webpages and copy them to Word docs and then send them later to my Kindle so I can read them offline.
  These will now be archived and redownloadable as needed and sync'able with my newer Kindles.

  Also, non-DRM'd *.mobi or *.prc books that you download from various free-book sites will be considered personal documents also.

  Question I have:  Is an instapaper, sendtoreader, sendtokindle, or readability document sent to your Kindle also kept on your Amazon server area?
  I haven't tested it.  Maybe some of you have and you can add your personal findings to the Comments area.

But I read one paragraph that I don't quite know how to interpret.  It mentioned that all this does not include documents that involve automatic distribution to your Kindle. (I'll have to find the wording again later.)


PDFs
These will get the benefit of the features ONLY if a copy of a PDF is converted to an Amazon format, losing its original-layout but usually more readable if it's not a document with complex layouts.
  You can just send these to Amazon as you would any personal document BUT, for PDFs, you need to put the word "Convert" into the subject field or Amazon dosn't convert the PDF file to Amazon format but instead will let it through as is, since we often want to just have the original PDF and layout.


ANOTHER WAY TO AVOID ANY DELIVERY CHARGES FOR PERSONAL DOCUMENTS
At "Managing Your Kindle Content page's Personal Document Settings, you'll see Whispernet delivery options.

  CURRENTLY, I was taken to this page for "Kindle Keyboard" options because right now it was the link used for costs incurred with current models -- the Kindle Touch models aren't released yet.

  The Kindle Keyboard (Kindle 3) has 3G (as well as WiFi) and, as we've noted, there are fees for that, although this page doesn't mention that there are NO fees for WiFi use instead, and this omission has confused people who felt they could find no free method.

  On that Kindle Content page, you'll see "Whispernet Delivery Options (for 3G Kindles only)
They use "Whispernet" on that page to mean 3G wireless sending.
  There they add:

' Whispernet delivery is disabled by default.  You can change your preferred Whispernet delivery option for personal documents by clicking "Edit" under "Whispernet Delivery Options" and enter preferred settings. Click "Update" to compete[sic] complete change. '

They show an example of (un)checking the box for
  "Enable delivery to my Kindle over Whispernet.  Fees apply."
REMEMBER that, here, "Whispernet" is used for the 3G use although they often say instead, "Whispernet with 3G support" -- so it is all quite confusing as the Help pages are going through changes.

But you'll note that you can ALSO, if you enable 3G sending, LIMIT the cost to you by specifying the maximum amount to be charged for a delivery. A normal novel can cost 15c but a large Pdf could be many times the size and cost.  So, those without WiFi in their area or with older Kindles that have "only" 3G wireless can still send over the air but it will cost you unless you DISABLE 3G-sending or "Enter a maximum allowed per document delivery charge" to equal $0.00 or whatever you feel is reasonable.


Kindle Cloud storage space in addition to Amazon Cloud space
Note that while all Amazon customers are given general Amazon Cloud space of 5 gigabytes for storage (and streaming, if in the U.S.), Kindle customers get an additional 5 gigabytes for personal documents.
  Kindles are able to store anywhere from 1.5 to 3.2 gigabytes of books, but you can keep most of it on the Kindle Cloud and the performance/speed of your Kindle will be better.


Privacy
  Those who prefer privacy of their personal docs can just DISABLE personal document archiving on the manageyourkindle page.

  Personal docs that you put on your Kindle without sending them via email to Amazon will not be archived on the servers and they won't, then, be sync'd either, when you're reading them on various devices and apps.

Let me know where I've not been clear here or if you have personal experiences with sending personal docs that you'd like to share.  Many of us have long wanted to be able to sync our non-Kindle books and other personal docs and now there's free backup also, so this is all very good, although there seems a mountain of info about what's involved.

---

UPDATE - I had written Amazon that the personal doc pages were confusing and got some interesting replies - the first one saying it would take them a couple of days to look at it to do a summary and then a reply by another person who gave some clear answers that confirmed my understanding.

Commenter Joe G, was hoping the interpretation was right (so was I) so I'll include most of what Amazon's CS emailed reply said.  (BOLD facing to highlight a point is done by me, not by the writer.)

' Hello,

I'm sorry for any misunderstanding regarding how our Kindle's Personal Document Service works.

To avoid a fee, ensure your Kindle is connected via Wi-Fi.

...Download of your personal documents from Archived Items is currently only supported on Kindle Keyboard [Kindle 3], Kindle and Kindle Touch... '

  As Joe said, many regulars found that they could not tell from current Help documentation what the fee situation was, as the clarity that was there before has not been there on the new pages, re how one might avoid fees via WiFi. This customer support statement is clear though.  Caution: It's from one customer rep but Janice V was unusually clear in her statements and I've no reason to believe that there is any fee associated with WiFi accessing of personal documents.

Janice V. added the following, which I've seen on the help pages but which also may be of interest to readers here>

' Documents must be 50MB or smaller.  No more than 25 attachments can be sent in one e-mail. If you're sending multiple files, you can compress them into a single zip file.

If you choose to not archive your documents and your Kindle is not connected wirelessly, we store your document for 60 days and attempt to deliver to your Kindle once it restores wireless connectivity.  Personal documents not delivered within this time period will be deleted. '

Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

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Check often: Temporarily-free recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published free books, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

  *Click* to Return to the HOME PAGE.  Or click on the web browser's BACK button

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Kindle Keyboard (Kindle 3) Software Update v3.3 ready for archiving, viewing, downloading and WhisperSYNC'g of Personal Documents; Voice Guide Shortcut; AmazonLocal deals on Special-Offers-Kindles

SOFTWARE VERSION v3.3 IS READY for delivery to all Kindle Keyboard / Kindle 3 models.

  This is for the physical-keyboard model (Kindle 3 U.S.  [UK: K3]) first released August 2010 and not for the coming Kindle Touch devices nor for the new $79/$109 Kindle Basic (which recently got its own update)

  This update for Kindle Keyboard models includes the following changes, which I'll quote from the Amazon page.   Here's Amazon's info page for the v3.3 software update.

Kindle Keyboard Version 3.3 Overview

Some of the features included in this update are:

• Download your archived Personal Documents on Kindle Keyboard: You can now view and download your archived personal documents to your Kindle Keyboard conveniently anywhere at any time. Your personal documents will be stored in your Kindle library until you delete them from Manage Your Kindle.
• Whispersync for Personal Documents on Kindle Keyboard: Just as with Kindle books, Whispersync automatically synchronizes your last page read, bookmarks and annotations for personal documents (with the exception of PDFs) across the Kindle devices. Learn more about Kindle Personal Document Service on www.amazon.com/kindlepersonaldocuments
• AmazonLocal deals on Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers: Kindle Keyboard with Special Offers users in many regions can now view, purchase, and redeem AmazonLocal deals directly from Kindle Keyboard -- no computer, no printer, no hassle. AmazonLocal offers savings up to 75% off products and services from businesses in your city, national chains and online merchants. Learn more about AmazonLocal on www.amazonlocal.com.  

• Voice Guide Shortcut: Kindle Keyboard users can now quickly turn the Voice Guide feature on and off by holding the Shift key and pressing Spacebar.  Voice Guide reads aloud menu options, content listings and item descriptions. To learn more about using Voice Guide on Kindle Keyboard, visit Customize Your Reading on Kindle.

More from the Kindle Keyboard software update page - Downloading Version 3.3
You can download the update at the update page.  All Kindle Keyboard users will receive this software update automatically via Wi-Fi.

To see if your Kindle Keyboard has already been updated, from the Home screen press the Menu button and use the 5-way controller to select "Settings."

  If the Settings screen displays "Version: Kindle 3.3" (or later) at the bottom of the screen, your Kindle Keyboard already has the latest software installed.

  To update your Kindle Keyboard software, turn your wireless on and connect to an available Wi-Fi network.  (For those new to the Kindle: Learn how to set up Wi-Fi on your Kindle).

  From the Home screen, press Menu and select "Sync and Check for Items."  The software update will automatically download in the background and install when your Kindle Keyboard goes into sleep mode.

  Here's how to manually download the v3.3 update to your Kindle and transfer it to your Kindle Keyboard via USB -- click on the link (Computer Link: bit.ly/kv3-3#download ) to see the steps described at the v3.3 download page via that link.

I haven't been been able to be here enough to respond to questions lately but am catching up now, so please feel free to ask or give your own personal experiences or info learned that will help (as usual - and thanks for the valuable input).

BIG thanks to K.Hugh Acton for the heads-up



Kindle Touch 3G   Kindle Touch WiFi   Kindle Basic   (UK: KBasic)   Kindle Fire
Kindle Keybd 3G   (UK: Kindle Keybd 3G)   K3 Special Offers   K3-3G Special Offers   DX

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.  Liked-books under $1
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or £5 Max ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.

Read More