Skip to Content

The rumors were true -- you can turn your iPhone into a Kindle

by Mel Martin Mar 4th 2009 at 1:30AM

You knew it was going to happen. Today Amazon is offering a free app [App Store link] for the iPhone/iPod touch that will give owners of those devices access to all the books Amazon sells for the Kindle eBook reader. The Kindle, which was updated last month, costs US $359.00. Amazon says it has a library of more than 240,000 eBooks for sale.

The app does not make a direct connection to the Kindle store. You'll have to use Safari on the iPhone, iPod touch, or computer to actually buy the content. If you own a Kindle already, you will be able to sync the books you have over to the iPhone.

Amazon says it has been working on the software for months, and sees it as a gateway to get people interested in buying a Kindle.

One of the advantages of the Kindle app is that you will be able to see color illustrations in books, something not possible on the Kindle hardware, which only shows images in shades of gray.

The iPhone version of the software does not have the controversial text to speech feature that has raised the eyebrows of companies selling audio books. Friday, Amazon said it would let publishers selectively turn off that feature on the Kindle.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

View Tags

Related Stories

Categories

iPhone App Store iPod touch

You knew it was going to happen. Today Amazon is offering a free app [App Store link] for the iPhone/iPod touch that will give owners of...
 

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

53 Comments

Filter by:
iPhone App Demos

We just made a great demo of how Kindle works at http://tinyurl.com/bcz9r5

March 09 2009 at 2:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Glenn

The Kindle app for iPhone does not work with the magazine subscriptions. I thought it would be handy to have the Reader's Digest available while waiting for my children's practice to be over.

March 06 2009 at 1:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rudy

the kindle is soooo overpriced

this is great idea though

March 05 2009 at 12:48 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David Schamis

I heard directly from Amazon - as reported, the iPhone can't be used to read newspapers - what a huge bummer. I'm dying for an app that can read the WSJ and the FT - I think the NYT app is awesome!

March 04 2009 at 8:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Aaron Ruhlig

Is it possible to read Kindle Store content right on a laptop via a web browser or an app? I have an iPhone, but no way am I gonna buy a Kindle. I would buy a few books if I could read them on my MacBook (bigger screen) when I'm on my couch and iPhone when I'm on the go. If Amazon really wants to move content through the Kindle Store, this would be the way to go with this product and hope eventually people buy the Kindle device. If they don't do this, then their market is going to continue to be slow growth as they're trying to sell e-Books to only the 250,000 Kindle owners.

March 04 2009 at 8:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Corey J Feldman

I am really happy to see this app. I have had the Kindle for about a week and love it. I really happy that is syncs bookmarks/current location. Haven't tested the sync back to the kindle, but each book I opened on my iphone kindle app opened to the right page.

March 04 2009 at 4:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeff Brown

Amazon still doesn't have it quite right. They need the Kindle screen, and more of an iPhone interface. I am shocked at how awful the setup of the kindle is - only ONE THIRD of the area of it is dedicated to the display. This is essentially the worst sort of interface error that could be made. All that space for a KEYBOARD, which is rarely used, and way to wide "margins" around the display. IT IS ABOUT THE AREA YOU READ, and everything else should be secondary to that. No excuse for it not being >half, probably should be at least two thirds.

The general idea is good, and the quality of the display (what little is there) is far superior to trying to read off an iPhone(reading a whole book on an iPhone really isn't very appealing). Ditch the keyboard, and double the area of the display and now you are getting somewhere. And while you are at it, it is at least twice the cost it should be. Tack $2 on to the price of the books and sell the thing for $150. You'll loose money on the device, but make it all back on the books.

March 04 2009 at 3:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Justin

Right now I'm trying it with a sample of Stephen King's novel Duma Key and I like it so far, but I'm testing it out for long term reading viability as well as effects on battery life.

March 04 2009 at 3:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Justin's comment
Justin

Replying to myself here (different user name is due to the fact that the filter at work won't let me use my AIM/AOL account) for a quick update.

I read the entire first chapter of Duma Key by Stephen King, got so hooked on the book and had a good enough experience with the Kindle for iPhone app that I went ahead and bought the Kindle version of the book. I took it to the park this afternoon and was able to read without being bothered by the wind messing with my pages. Try that with a real book!

So far, Kindle for iPhone is a win!

March 04 2009 at 9:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
David Schamis

Rob E - "Books only for the iPod/iPhone. You can't download newspapers because they're not supported."

But if you click on a newspaper on the Amazon/Kindle site it says: "Send wirelessly to your Kindle or Kindle for iPhone"

Seems like someone went out of their way to say that it will work for the iPhone???

March 04 2009 at 2:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to David Schamis's comment
Rob E.

I don't know. I'm just parroting what I read on iLounge: that it does not work with newspapers or magazines, but instead gives a confusing message. If you are having success with it, then I'm wrong and everyone is happy. :-)

March 04 2009 at 5:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Clif Smith

I called Amazon and was told subscriptions would be supported in the next 24 to 48 hours. We'll see.

March 06 2009 at 7:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Monzeki

Having the software be US Only is not up to Amazon or Apple. It is up to the Publishers of the books. Each book has its own Publishing House for each Country. It's overly complicated and outdated and prevent things like eBooks from being universally available across... well, things like the Kindle and the iPhone.

March 04 2009 at 1:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Buy an ad here

Hot Apps on TUAW

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.