Thursday, September 23, 2010

New Update for Kindle for Android app

Well, I must say that while Amazon's press release headlines that the new Kindle for Android update makes Kindle for Android "even better" I've never expected an update to do otherwise.  Sounds good though.

The Android-users who download this app will now be able, Amazon says, to:

  . search the full text of Kindle books by voice or text,
  . seamlessly look up words and phrases in Wikipedia,
  . lock screen orientation in portrait or landscape mode,
  . and view details about a book on Shelfari, the books-focused
  .   social networking site -- "all without leaving the app."

Amazon adds that Kindle for Android is the only reading app for Android-based devices that allows readers to add notes and highlights to books, and have them automatically synchronized between devices.

Customers who have already downloaded the app will receive the update automatically.
  You can learn more about Kindle for Android at Amazon and download the app from Android Market (search for "Kindle" in the Android Market on your phone).

The Amazon press release mentions that the Amazon Kindle book catalogue has now broken the 700,000 figure, and Amazon claims the "largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read" (which I guess is a ding in the side of other stores' claims to have over a million e-books because a million+ free books of the public domain variety were given them by Google).

Amazon's press release includes a second listing of the app's features, and I wonder:
does the first one hold a clue?
  Is it a precursor to a Kindlestore App that will use the Kindle's own
  not-yet enabled microphone?
  • Search within the book: Customers can either type or speak a word or phrase to search within a book.
  • Add, Edit and Delete Notes and Highlights:  Kindle for Android is the only reading app for Android-based devices that allows readers to add notes and highlights to books, and have them automatically synchronized between devices.
  • Wikipedia Lookup:  Look up words and phrases in Wikipedia simply by selecting text.
  • Shelfari Book Details:  For the first time, customers can view additional book details from the books-focused social networking site Shelfari. Readers will find a description of the book, synopsis, summary, cast of characters, and many more features, and be able to view real-time discussions that the Shelfari community is having about the book.
  • Orientation Lock: Choose to lock the orientation of their screen in landscape or portrait mode to allow for comfortable reading in any position.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle


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