Amazon has recently released its Kindle Software Update Version 3.1, which adds some new features to the company’s Kindle e-reader software. These new features include: Public Notes; “real” e-book page numbers; “Before You Go”; and an improved layout for newspapers and magazines.

While the Public Notes feature will essentially open Kindle users’ book notes and highlights to an audience; the “real” page numbers will be particularly useful for classes and book clubs looking to reference and sync their reading.

The ‘page numbers’ feature – which will displayed when the “menu” button is pressed - will essentially work out the equivalent paper-book position on demand. Furthermore, to enable Kindle users to know just which book their page numbers match up with, Amazon has also introduced a new “Page Numbers Source ISBN” option in the e-book’s description.

Meanwhile, the addition of the “Before You Go” feature will allow users to rate the book from the Kindle when they finish reading it, and see ‘recommendations’ about another book; and the improved newspaper and magazine layouts will unfold a proper table of contents.

The “Early Preview Release” of v3.1 is currently available for downloaded via a page on the Amazon website, or will be delivered automatically to the Kindle users. Page numbers start showing up in Kindle apps in the future.