Kindle 2 – bypassing Whispernet
By Paul Biba
For those who own a Kindle 2, have a Mac and have a technical bent, Ars Technica has an article on how to get the Kindle 2 to connect directly to your internet connection:
Whispernet is one of the Kindle’s most appreciated features. With it, you can download books anywhere in Sprint’s US high-speed data network coverage area. But should you leave that network or step outside the United States, you lose your connection to that anywhere/anytime download service. Now Kindle-expert Jesse Vincent has worked out a way to let you connect your Kindle directly to your computer’s Internet connection.
Over at his blog, he’s posted instructions that walk you through the process. They work by enabling the Kindle’s undocumented USB networking debugging service. To follow along, you’ll need a Kindle 2 and a Kindle MicroUSB cable. The instructions assume you’re using a Mac but they should be easily adapted to Windows and Linux platforms.
March 7th, 2009 at 11:50 am
For buying Kindle books in a foreign country, it is probably simpler to just buy it using a browser, download the .azw file and transfer it over to the Kindle…
March 7th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I have not yet read the article so perhaps therein lies enlightenment but at the moment I fail to see how that is more advantageous then simply copying files from your pc/mac onto your Kindle via the USB connection??????
March 14th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Might be useful for people abroad who want access to
1) the Book Samples and
2) perhaps firmware upgrades
which I believe are currently only available over whispernet.