We’ve just released a new version of Kindle It, our web application for sending online articles (e.g. blog posts, news stories, Wikipedia entries) to your Kindle. It now looks like this:

What’s new?

Edit titles

If an article doesn’t have a title, or if we misidentify the title, you can now edit it before sending to the Kindle. Simply click the title block in the preview box and you’ll be able to change it.

Improved block quote support

If an article uses block quotations, these should show up indented now on the Kindle.

Clickable source URL

The URL of the article which we append to the end of the piece is now clickable.

Report problems

We know that some articles do not work well with Kindle It, if you encounter one of these, feel free to use the ‘report problem’ link to let us know. The URL will be prefilled and you can report the problem anonymously. If you want to know when it’s fixed, you can supply your email address and we’ll let you know.

New design

We’ve redesigned the interface using the Bootstrap toolkit from Twitter. We hope you like it.

@kindle.com sending enabled for sustainers

Previously we only sent articles to @free.kindle.com addresses – Amazon delivers these to Kindle 3 owners via Wi-Fi, and it’s free. Using the @kindle.com address allows you to receive articles via 3G if Wi-Fi is unavailable, although Amazon will charge for 3G delivery.

For older Kindle models which don’t have Wi-Fi, the @kindle.com address is the only way to get automatic delivery (downloading the MOBI and transferring it via USB is the other option, and doesn’t cost anything). Because @kindle.com sending can cost users, we’ve restricted it to sustainer accounts…

Sustainer accounts

We’re now inviting users who like the service to consider signing up for a sustainer account for 5 Euros. Sustainer accounts help us to maintain the service and continue developing it. More information.

Regarding the last point, I want to stress that the service will remain free. Everything which worked before, should still work the same way – we’ve improved things but haven’t disabled any features. Sustainer accounts are primarily a way for users to help us cover costs and sustain the project. Sustainers do get a few benefits – if you’re interested, there’s a 30 day trial to test the @kindle.com delivery.

Extensions

The most convenient way to use Kindle It is by using our browser extensions. So far we have extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Android. If you use a different browser, we also have a bookmarklet.

Feedback

We’d love to hear what you think. We’ve had some nice comments on Twitter so far, including:

“I think I’m in love: fivefilters.org/kindle-it/ – it’s perfect.” (Translated from Portuguese) — @myriamkazue

“Kindle It sends web pages to your Kindle and it’s insanely good.” — @coldclimate

“The second most useful extension (after firebug) in Firefox” (Translated from Spanish) — @sourcerebels

“@Evenwing @fivefilters ooh…I like this..” — @Yappings

“2 things = joy. 1: if you have a Kindle you can push long web articles to it with Kindle It http://bit.ly/ozPyWb 2: Tor http://bit.ly/HcV9F” — @kjftec

“@JayGreasley thanks for the tip on fivefilters.org, through it I found @medialens and that’s my type of news!” — @tashacres

If you have any trouble using it, email us: fivefilters@fivefilters.org

Kindle It is a new service from FiveFilters.org to let you send web articles you encounter to your Kindle. If you own a Kindle device, or use the Kindle for Android app, you might find it useful. We have extensions for Firefox, Chrome and Android available.

See the video below to see how the Android app works:

Try it: Kindle It

Yesterday I got back from the HCI 2011 conference in Newcastle. Met some very nice people and had a good time.

If anyone’s interested in the paper I submitted, it’s copied below.

Abstract

This paper looks at the ways in which professional interaction designers, despite the all too common rhetoric about serving humanity, end up uncritically serving corporate needs. It covers the conflict between the priorities of business and the goal of design; the influence of universities in setting students up to serve business interests; and how designers can resist by pursuing their own goals as radical professionals.

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