A common misconception about the Kindle is that the only way to get content is via Amazon’s Kindle store. However, the truth is that you can put your own content on the Kindle. You can do this if you have the right tools (such as Mobipocket Creator) and transfer files via USB, or you can have a .pdf, HTML or text file coverted to Kindle format by using a Kindle email address, which will be pushed to your Kindle via Whispernet. If you use Amazon’s conversion and transfer service, you have to pay $0.15 per megabyte.

If you want to transfer via wireless, you can use Dropbox, the online file syncing service, to do just that. If you have a Dropbox account, you can use the Kindle’s built-in (experimental, and only in the U.S.) browser to get to dropbox.com, log in and start downloading files.

A word of warning though: The Kindle only supports certain types of files. I’ve used this method to transfer .mobi and .prc files, and it should work for .pdf  and text files. But don’t expect your PowerPoint slides to magically appear.

The most time consuming part of the process is the initial set up of the browser. The Kindle wasn’t built to be an Internet tablet (oh, if only somebody would make one, that would be so cool), and the browser is a bit clunky. It’s about as fast as 40 degree molasses. But it does work, supports JavaScript and cookies, and will do the job. Eventually.

Open the browser on the Kindle by selecting ‘Experimental’ from the menu, and then select the ‘Basic Web’ link. Select ‘Enter URL’ from the menu and go to dropbox.com. What you get is difficult to read:

Those two small boxes near the top of the screen are the email and password fields. They do not render correctly on the Kindle, and you will not be able to see everything you’re typing, so be careful as you enter your registered email address and password. Be sure to check the ‘Remember me’ check box so you only need to do this once.  Once that’s done, go to the Login button and click it.  After a successful login, you’ll see your Dropbox home page that’s…blank. Fret not. Since the Kindle’s screen isn’t wide enough to show the full page, you’ll need to click the Kindle’s ‘Next Page’ button to get to a page that’s…mostly blank. Still don’t fret.

I believe this happens because the Dropbox home page uses Ajax to display your files, and the Kindle just can’t handle it. But you can still get to your files by clicking on the ‘Recent Events’ box (in reality, it’s a tab). This is more or less a static HTML page that shows the most recent changes made to your Dropbox.

When you click on one of the links, it will start downloading in the background, provided it’s one of the supported types of files. When it’s completed, you’ll be able to see the downloaded file on the Kindle’s home page.

Why would you want to do this?

This method is slower than transferring files via USB, but if you don’t have the USB cable handy when you need to transfer something, it works in a pinch.

Personally, I use Instapaper to save longish web pages, and use their Kindle export feature to read them when I have time. I save the .mobi files generated by Instapaper in my Dropbox folder on either my desktop PC or laptop (and since Dropbox synchronizes both, it doesn’t matter which), and then download the .mobi files as I have time to read them.