Amazon has a special internet browser called Silk, that has been the default way many people who use the companies line of Fire tablets surf the internet. Unlike other mainstream browsers Amazon knows what sites you visit often and caches them in advance, insuring you have robust loading times. The company hasn’t really updated the way it fundamentally performs in a number of years, but this has changed in the last few months.
Here are some highlights from the new design.
Updated Navigation Bar
We changed the color theme for better readability. The navigation bar includes icons for the home page and bookmarks for easy access. We also made the entry point to Silk’s left panel menu easier to access, increasing the size of the hamburger menu icon. From the left panel menu, you can enter Private Browsing, view your history, and customize your browser settings.
Updated Home Page Experience
From any open tab, tap the home icon in the navigation bar to see Silk’s updated home page. Your most visited sites are now clearly listed in a tiled format, with easily identifiable favicons. These changes make it easier to quickly skim the page and find the site you are looking for.
Simplified Bookmarking
We made it easier to bookmark your favorite webpages to access later. When browsing a webpage, simply tap the bookmark icon on the navigation bar to create your bookmark.
To view your bookmarks, tap the home page icon and then tap the BOOKMARKS tab. From this page, you can search, sort, manage, and share your bookmarks with others.
Improved Reading List
Silk’s Reading List feature enables you to save an article for reading later or reading offline. When you want to read an article later, simply tap the triple dot menu icon to the right of the address bar, and tap Save to Reading List.
With our latest update, you can now view your saved articles under the READING LIST heading on the home page. From here, you can search, sort, and delete your saved articles. Unread articles are marked with a blue icon and the number of unread articles conveniently appears next to the READING LIST heading.
Improved Tab Support
To make it easier to multi-task, we increased the number of tabs you can have open, from 10 to unlimited. When you switch between tabs, you will notice that your web pages load faster. We also added favicons (i.e., website icons) to help you quickly identify your open tabs.
Supported Devices
This update has been distributed to the following devices:
- 2015 Fire Tablets – Fire, Fire HD 8, Fire HD 10
- 2014 Fire Tablets – Fire HD 6, Fire HD 7, Fire HDX 8.9
- 2013 Fire Tablets – Kindle Fire HD 7″, Kindle Fire HDX 7″, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9″
To ensure that you have the latest updates, sync your device while connected to the Internet. For more information about software updates, see the Fire & Kindle Software Updates page on the Amazon Device Support site.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
