Thursday, October 22, 2009

Coming Soon to Your PC: Kindle Books

First there was the Kindle iPhone app and now Amazon is further hedging their hardware bet with this announcement about the future ability to read Kindle books on your Windows PC. No word on Mac support, btw.

The most important point in this announcement is captured by these three words: "No Kindle required." You probably won't want to read on your laptop for hours at a time, but a netbook/tablet device becomes a more viable option, even with a backlit display.

Just as printed books will never go away I can see where dedicated e-readers like the Kindle, Sony Reader, iRex, etc., could be around for quite awhile. And while they'll offer a reading experience that's easy on the eyes, I've said it before and I'll say it again: More and more reading will take place on multi-function devices, not one-trick ponies like the Kindle.

Amazon obviously realizes that too and is taking the initial steps to ensure they remain relevant as an e-content provider on other platforms.

2 comments:

Francis Kimani Kamau said...

I think what need to be done to kindle is to make it cheaper. It would work wonders in the developing world where kids do get access to internet and other reading materials. For me if Amazon would get the kindle to a level whereby it could cost less than US$ 100 and have relevant materials for the kids in developing countries, then that would be great. But kindle is a great reading device and with its current international reach, then it is the best.

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to hear and see that school systems are going digital and are moving away from so many prints. This keeps the children up to speed with technology today and its advancements. Having technology like Kindle or the Ipad will help children want to read with the interactive technology that is used.
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