Amazon's Kindle goes soft with iPhone app

LCD reading fun for the US

By Bill Ray, 4th March 2009

Amazon has extended the Kindle brand into software with an iPhone application, also available for the iPod Touch, replicating the electronic-book experience but without the electronic ink.

The latest version of the Kindle was only launched last month, but Amazon recognises that not everyone is wowed by electronic ink and is now providing access to the Kindle store to US users of the iPhone or iPod Touch.

The "Kindle for iPhone" application is available through the US iTunes store, and provides access to the same catalogue of content available to Kindle users; notably excluding most of Oprah's recommendations and publications, but including such titles as Newsweek and the Financial Times. It isn't, however, available to anyone outside the USA.

The Kindle itself has two important features: the e-ink screen that is a joy to read, and the in-built CDMA telephone that delivers updates over Sprint's network using Qualcomm's infrastructure. That makes the Kindle impossible to sell, or use, outside the USA, and unless Amazon decides to put a GSM module in there it's going to remain on one side of the pond only.

It should be possible for Amazon to provide Kindle for iPhone around the world, but it seems likely the company's content-distribution agreements are for America only; there was no reason for international agreements when the hardware is limited to US soil, so the rest of us will likely have to wait a year or two before we can enjoy e-books on the iPhone or similar.

That is unless one downloads Stanza or eReader, neither of which will synchronise with one's Kindle, but both offer electronic-book delivery to the iPhone's screen. For a more integrated approach readers might like to consider Mobipocket, which supports both e-ink and LCD devices, but (inevitably) not the iPhone. ®

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Posted Thursday 5th March 2009 14:13 GMT

Joel

Gutenberg on the iPhone

I've read quite a few of the Gutenberg books on my iPhone, but don't need any app to do it. I simply go to the Gutenberg site, and load the html page of the book. Then, simply turn the phone on it's side, double click the text to zoom to the width of the display, and flick up as I read.

I was surprised at the quality and ease of reading.

Major advantage is that I can read in bed when the other half is asleep, without having to have the light on. Oh, and since they are Gutenberg texts, the content is free.....

Posted Thursday 5th March 2009 14:13 GMT

Janko Hrasko

@FFS

Totally agree. I love books and read a lot. I use good old Zaurus for that, because paper books hurt my eyes as they are not back-lit.

I am more than happy to purchase books, but if they are not compatible with my readers that I can get hold of, what can I do?? Find it somewhere on the web?

I think that in the end it will all end up like any other media, torrented to oblivion. Why? Because of the apparent lack of compatibility and availability of legal sources.

Why Paris? Because she has to wear glasses too when reading paper books... ;-)

Posted Thursday 5th March 2009 12:26 GMT

@David

Odd... Your reason for loving it is my reason to loath it... I like to sit with a book and read. I like to search for a CD and put it in the player. It's part of the experience, and generally speaking the quality of the end product is higher.

I have a couple of hundred CD's, 100 or so DVD's + BluRays and somewhere around 400 books. I love going into the room and picking a book out - the intangible good feeling from the feel of the paper to the small you get in a room packed with books. Yes carrying them around is more difficult and moving house takes maybe one more van because of them, but seriously how often to you have to move before that is a problem?

I wouldn't mind a reader to go with my books (for on the train or on vacation) but not instead of. Plus there is no DRM in my book collection. I can read a book, like it, and pass it to my wife - we don't need a license for each book reader in the house...