Amazon augments its Kindle reading platform by announcing the free Kindle application specifically tailored for devices powered by Google’s Android operating system. U.S. customers can now adore reading an array of Kindle books directly on their handsets.
Bookworms can search and read from a basket of about 620,000 books which includes 108 of 111 New York Times bestsellers and tens of thousands of popular classics from the Kindle store. This app includes Amazon’s Whispersync technology which saves and syncs bookmarks across multiple platforms like Kindle, Kindle DX, Blackberry, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, PC and Android.
Dorothy Nicholls, director, Amazon Kindle, commented, “Our customers tell us they love the convenience of having their Kindle library with them everywhere and their reading synchronized across multiple devices,” and further said, “With Kindle for Android, customers can choose from a vast selection of over 620,000 books to read on their Android-powered phone, no matter where they are – on the bus, waiting for a cab, or in between meetings. Kindle for Android and the rest of the free Kindle apps are the perfect companions for readers who don’t have their Kindle with them or don’t yet own a Kindle.”
To relieve eyestrain, users have the option of customizing the background color, font color and font size. They can also adjust the screen brightness from within the app for easy reading. Users can read in either portrait or landscape mode, tap on either side of the screen and flick to turn pages. This app allows users to access their library of previously purchased Kindle books for free which is stored on Amazon’s servers.
Bestsellers such as “Backlash” by Aaron Allston, “Big Girl” by Danielle Steel, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, and “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown, and more renowned books can be purchased at $9.99 or less from the Kindle store. Before purchasing users can read the first chapter of the book and then decide if they wish to buy. More features will be added to the application like full text search and purchasing of Kindle books in the near future.
Kindle for Android can be downloaded for free from the Android Market.