Exporting your Instapaper reading list to the Kindle automatically

Instapaper is the awesome service that allows you to save content from the web to read later. I've been saving interesting links from my Twitter timeline ever since I discovered it, but there is a little hidden functionality that has changed the way I enjoy my media. Oh boy! What a discovery this is! Instapaper and Kindle together? A marriage made in heaven.

As an avid Twitter and RSS user, I have some of the most refined iOS apps consume content. I save articles and interesting bits to Instapaper from my computer at home and work, but probably 90% of the content comes from my mobile devices. Thanks to Osfoora and Twitter apps for iPhone and iPad, I can save web content when I'm too busy or not right in the mood to digest a lengthy blog post. The same goes for my RSS feeds: when I scan through my huge inbox and see something juicy, Instapaper is there for me thanks to the Reeder integration.

Until now, I often caught up with my reading list on the Tube where I have no internet connection, the odd waiting for someone moment or at home relaxing on the sofa. Since I discovered a functionality in Instapaper's Extras page, I can also use my Kindle to get my new links downloaded automatically and read them in pure e-ink joy.

I already knew I could download a Kindle compatible file and send it to my free.kindle email address. However, this automatic delivery solution is much neater since it doesn't require any further actions. For those of you with an older version of the ebook reader from Amazon, please check your delivery and limits. Kindle 3 users can have content delivered over Wi-Fi or 3G (if your device supports it, for a fee). 

The only two steps required are selecting how often do you want Instapaper to push content and how many new articles you want pushed. Then, you'll need to add an email to your approved list right from Amazon's Manage your Kindle page, and you're done.  

I particularly like the automatic delivery because I can go truly mobile without the need of a desktop to sync all the content. The layout is similar to those of newspapers and periodicals: it will appear on your Home screen as Instapaper, and you can select every article within the item. I really enjoy reading on my Kindle and having the option to sync those clips saved to Instapaper automatically is a massive time saver, while it keeps me interested in using the Kindle not just for ebooks.

The only thing you need to remember is to archive or delete the articles once you use Instapaper's app or website, since the Kindle doesn't support this feature. I guess that apps will be coming soon to the Amazon reader, but this function is a marriage made in heaven for someone who owns the device. I don't have anything against reading on an iOS screen, but the Kindle "never" runs out of battery!