Fast Company is reporting that there is a Kindle reader application coming for the Mac. At the Windows 7 launch this week, Microsoft said there is a Windows version of the e-reader on the way, prompting a promise from Amazon that a Mac version was coming as well.

Amazon hasn't released sales figures for the hardware-based Kindle reader, but under pressure from Sony and the new Barnes and Noble 'nook,' Amazon is working hard to increase the share of Kindle users. That means not restricting e-book reading to an Amazon device, but opening up the software to run on more platforms.

Kindle already has a clever e-book reader for the iPhone and iPod touch, and it allows standalone use, or synchronization with a Kindle so you can stop reading on one device and then pick up on the same page on the other.

There's no estimated shipping date for the Mac Kindle software, and we can't forget that if Apple delivers a tablet computer it could put Amazon into direct competition with Apple.

This is bound to be fun to watch.

An e-book (or ebook, or eBook, depending upon who you ask) is the digital equivalent of a paper book. According to KiwiTech, the publishers of Classics2Go, the market for eBooks has increased more than 60% over the last six years and growth from this point is expected to be very strong.

We can reasonably connect the start of this burgeoning market to the release of the Amazon Kindle in 2007. Strong sales convinced some wary readers that this was a viable option. You could carry a few hundred books under your arm, and the reading experience was, well, acceptable. Going on a long trip? Wouldn't it be nice to take about 20 pounds of paper out of your luggage?

2007 also marked the introduction of the iPhone; it took about a year for eBook apps to appear on the iPhone. Now there are so many of them that finding the right one for your purposes can be a confusing prospect. I would like to clarify all this a bit by categorizing the four types of eBook apps, at least so far, and letting you know what you can expect from each.

In deciding upon an eBook reader you need to consider: what sort of material you will be reading, how much you are willing to spend (if anything) and the quality of the viewing experience.

Last year, Andrew Kazmierski and Phill Ryu released Classics (iTunes link). Their idea was to take a bunch of books in the public domain, 22 in the current release, and control all aspects of the user experience. We covered the first release of Classics upon its original release when its price was $2.99. Since then, the price has dropped to .99 and the number of books has increased.

This app looked so impressive that it was featured in an Apple iPhone commercial. Upon launch, the reader is presented with a nicely rendered wooden bookshelf displaying colorful dust jackets. Click on a book and start reading. There is no wait, since all the books were downloaded with the app. Future updates bring more books. The books are all the kind of classics that are on school reading lists ranging from Frankenstein and Dracula, to Hound of the Baskervilles.

The feature set is slim. Tap the right side of the screen or swipe right to left and the sepia toned pages turn using a pleasing animation. There are two buttons on the top of the screen. One brings down a maroon and gold bookmark and sends you to the bookshelf. When you click on the book again, you are brought to where you left off. The second button takes you to a table of contents. The bottom of the screen tells you the name of the chapter you are reading and what page you are on. The top of the screen displays the title of the book. Illustrations in books like Alice in Wonderland are nicely rendered, and the text is attractively formatted. A change in color of the title bar gives you an idea of where you are in the book.

You knew it had to happen, and now it has. Book retailing giant Barnes & Noble, feeling no doubt a bit of pressure from the Amazon Kindle, has launched a free eBook reader for the iPhone and reports are that it is discussing a dedicated eBook reader as well.

The B&N eReader [App Store] is free, and comes with 2 free classic titles (Jane Austen and James Fenimore Cooper), and when you register you get three more. B&N claims they have more than half a million eBooks available.

B&N also is offering a free reader for the Mac and PC so you can read your books on a desktop or laptop computer.

You can change the text color, fonts and font size, and read in portrait or landscape mode.

I have to say that using the iPhone app was a festival of frustration. To do anything I had to create an account. I couldn't even read the free books without an account. To do that I had to give my email and a password. So far, so good. Then it asked me for a good security question. I chose my middle name, but it was rejected because it didn't have enough letters. Thanks Mom and Dad. When it gave me the error, it also removed my email and password so I had to start all over again, as I had to choose another security question. It suggested I answer what kind of car I have. I did, and was promptly rejected again, and had to go back and fill out the form because it erased my already entered email and password again.

I finally straightened all that out, but was hardly in the mood to read anything. Searching for titles was kind of weird. If you select an eBook, (or any other function) you're dumped to Safari and it then says 'search eBooks for:'. Kind of odd nomenclature. Nothing about title, author or subject. I entered photography and it came up with exactly 2 books. 'Flags of our Fathers' for US$6.50 and a book called 'Photography' that was free. There was absolutely no information about the book or what was in it. And the book cover image was missing.

At this point I was mainly interested in books about anger management. but I didn't want to spend the $9.99 to get the one book on the subject in the 'vast' B&N library.

So I tried something by Stephen King. I searched for Just After Sunset. Bingo! They had it in eBook format. $22.40. Hmmm. Seems a bit high. Yep. Kindle Store for the same book -- $9.99 delivered wirelessly.

Do you get my drift here? This is a bad product debut. It has an onerous and ill-thought out sign up routine, lousy selection and many prices are way too high.

I'd suggest the B&N execs read up on competition and capitalism, if they can find any books on the subject in their damned half a million book collection.

One of the problems with some previous bar code scanners for the iPhone has been a lack of good close focus (helped somewhat for owners of the iClarifi case), but the new and better camera in the iPhone has greatly improved the situation. It is, therefore, no surprise that new software is rolling out to aid in your shopping by scanning bar codes and connecting you to Amazon to allow you to comparison shop.

Cyclops [App Store link] requires the new 3GS camera, and in my tests it worked pretty well. It correctly identified 9 of 10 products on the first try, although I was doing the test at home under pretty good lighting. I tried some poorer lighting and mixed tungsten and sunlight, and it did 6 of 10 scans correct. The challenge is still to hold the camera steady and try to make sure you get a sharp image, but the software did pretty well even with imperfect focus.

The software is free, so it is not a very risky proposition. I can't guarantee you'll be popular at a retailer while you price check, but I think it most cases the software will work for you. Be careful to get the distance right so the bar code pretty much fills your screen. It gives the software the best chance of interpreting the scan.

One weakness is you can't get the info out of the program easily. It would be good to be able to email the Amazon data to yourself or others.

If you need this sort of information, and don't mind nasty looks from store clerks, I'd suggest you give it a try.

Here are some screen shots as I put the program to work today:

Update: As one might expect, this API restriction has also hit Pocketpedia; the app is now pulled as well (as of 7/17).

Sudden removal of an item from the App Store isn't unheard of; sometimes an app has a hidden bug or a content problem, and if Apple hasn't seen fit to take it off the store shelves then the developer can take matters into his, her or its own hands. Even applications that would seem to be wholly gratuitous and obvious ripoffs of other companies' IP might make it past the first round of Apple's scrutiny, only to be abruptly pulled under threat of litigation.

Apps that leverage content from websites and online services have another hurdle to clear: they may run afoul of trademark or licensing restrictions that prevent them from doing particular things with data from those third parties... things like, ferinstance, using that data on mobile devices.

This all brings us to Scenario D: the 'D' is for Delicious, and it's Delicious Monster's iPhone version of Library that's undergoing an unwelcome and rapid yanking from the App Store -- and believe it or not, Apple has nothing to do with it. Earlier today, Head Monster Wil Shipley announced that the iPhone app is on indefinite suspension and is no longer for sale; this is the consequence of a particular clause in the Amazon API terms and conditions. Part 4(e) of Amazon's agreement, which Shipley is a party to due to the desktop DL app's reliance on Amazon for book and DVD data, reads as follows:

(e) You will not, without our express prior written approval requested via this link , use any Product Advertising Content on or in connection with any site or application designed or intended for use with a mobile phone or other handheld device.

Amazon gave D-M an ultimatum: pull the iPhone app, or lose the API access for the desktop version of Library. Despite Shipley's requests for a mobile device exception, the big A did not relent. It's not 100% clear why Amazon chose to enforce this clause now, nor why the company is not providing exceptions to developers. We have an email in to their press office to inquire.

If you've got DL on your iPhone already, enjoy. If not... it could be a long wait.

Anvil photo from flickr: fboyd and remixed via CC license.

Amazon's Kindle app for iPhone [App Store link] was updated this week to include, among other things, landscape mode! Hooray! Additionally, you can change the color of both the text and the background. I like the "Sepia" option; it's similar to the way Classics looks.

Finally, you can turn pages by tapping on either side of the screen (I still prefer to swipe). You'll remember that the Kindle store for iPhone is still only accessible via Mobile Safari, and was optimized a few weeks ago.

Kindle for iPhone was introduced in March of this year and has been popular since.

Last month Amazon released the free Kindle application for the iPhone in the US [App Store link], shortly after the Kindle 2 hit the market. If you haven't used it yet, it works quite well. Users can buy books (but not subscriptions) from the Kindle Store via Mobile Safari for reading on their iPhones, although the purchasing process is easier from a desktop browser. Unlike the Kindle, the iPhone app is able to display color images, but it lacks text-to-speech as well as a direct connection to the Kindle Store. Whispersync, which synchronizes ebooks between the iPhone app and Kindle, works as advertised.

A few weeks ago, we posted a comparison of ebook readers featuring, among others, the iPhone app Stanza [App Store link]. As Steve mentioned, Stanza works with nearly every ebook format, even Project Gutenberg etexts. I only used Stanza briefly to check it out and I can say that the UI was very nice. Additionally, the folks who created Stanza have an existing relationship with ebook seller Fictionwise. In fact, Fictionwise created an ebook store just for Stanza users.

This week, we've learned that Amazon has acquired the company behind Stanza. We can only assume that aspects of Stanza will make it into a future release of Kindle for the iPhone.

The most recent iTunes update introduced variable priced, with many popular tracks now priced at $1.29. Needless to say, this makes Amazon MP3's 99 cent tracks that much more attractive. Advantageous mp3 is a little script and application combo that makes comparison shopping between iTunes and Amazon a snap.

Basically the Advantageous installer adds both an AppleScript to iTunes and a small application to your Mac. When you're browsing in the iTunes Store if you invoke the script from iTunes script menu in the menubar it will start the little application and search for the track in Amazon (via your default browser). It's not perfectly reliable (for instance, it didn't work with Choosy as my default browser and it messes up some searches), but it is a convenient way to surf for music in iTunes but take advantage of lower prices at Amazon. So now you can do to Apple what you've been doing to Barnes & Noble!

Advantageous mp3 is a free download from Robert Palmer.

[via Engadget]

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.

Buried in the announcement of the Kindle 2, Amazon also released a small nugget of information that had been flying around the Web for the past few days - that Kindle content will eventually come to cell phones.

So, how would that work? According to the announcement, the new Whispersync technology would allow readers to pause in reading a book on the Kindle and pick it back up on either another Kindle or eventually a cell phone. Not much detail was provided, though Gizmodo did confirm with Amazon's Ian Freed that Kindle content is on the way. Whether it's for the iPhone or Google's Android phone or the Blackberry, we don't know.

On one hand, the announcement is a victory for those advocating that digital content be available on more than one device. Amazon's already broken ground with music, and now wants to spread that to books. With more than 230,000 books currently available in the Kindle format, it's an impressive library to suddenly have at your fingertips.

On the other hand, Apple could see this as Amazon infringing on a potential product that could be sold and keep Kindle content off the iPhone. Yes, there is the Stanza store, but Amazon is by far a more visible and well-known competitor. I hope that this won't happen, as it'll just erode good will toward Apple, but it's by far not the first poor decision that Apple has made regarding what they feel belongs on the iPhone or not.

Today, the online retailer Amazon.com launched its first iPhone/iPod touch application. Previously, Amazon offered a version of its site that was optimized for MobileSafari. Amazon has added some pretty nifty features in the iPhone application that could make shopping online a lot easier.

When you first launch the application, you are presented with your wish list, and the phrase "Get Yourself a Little Something." From this home tab, you can also see your signed-in username. When you tap the search tab, you are able to type in a search string just as you can on the Amazon.com homepage. Search results are featured in a descending list, ordered by relevance. You can see the categories for the search results by tapping the "By Category" button in the top-right.

Once you're on a product page, you are able to see the same information that you would see on the Amazon.com page, except compacted a little more. Tap the item name/price link, and you get a full product description. Tap the customer reviews section, and you can see all of the reviews. When you're ready to purchase, select "Buy Now," or "Add to Cart" at the bottom of the product page. The picture of the product will then "fall" into the shopping cart tab with a nice animation. You can also see a running count of all the items in your cart. If you decide you don't want the item, just tap the edit button and remove it. When you are ready to complete your purchase, select the "Checkout" button in the top-right corner of the cart tab.

Probably the coolest feature of Amazon's application is located in the "Remembers" tab. In this section, you can take a picture with your iPhone's camera and have it sent to Amazon. In a few minutes, you get a link to the Amazon product page for that item (or the item that resembles it most closely). Note that Mike Schramm's favorite iPhone app, Snaptell [iTunes link], has offered the ability to do the exact same thing for multiple shopping sites. The Amazon "Remembers" feature seems nice, and your results are saved on the Amazon site for later reference. In my tests, after taking the picture I received a link to the product page within 1-2 minutes. This definitely could come in handy if you're in a store and want to find out how much an item sells for on Amazon.

Amazon has really created an all-around great shopping experience for the iPhone and iPod touch. You can download this application from the iTunes App Store for free.

Say what you will about Microsoft Office 2008, but even with the advent of productivity suites in the cloud and from the open source world, there's still a lot to be said for having the industry standard package tucked away on your Mac in case you need it. If you don't own it yet, you might consider picking up a copy today: there are multiple deals on Office 2008 Special Media Edition, which includes Expression Media 2 (successor to the veteran content manager iView Media).

Microsoft has dropped the list price of the software to $149 for today only, a 70% discount, and you can do even better than that: Amazon has a one-hour deal for $99 for Office 2008 SME, expiring shortly; for even more savings, NYC retailer Tekserve has the same product for $79, good through 11/30, along with a pageful of other Mac and iPod deals. Time to warm up the checkbook.

Thanks TJ & everyone who sent this in.

A while back we noted that Amazon was planning to bring its video on demand service to the Mac. Well, it looks like they've finally flipped the switch because the service is now live.

Much like iTunes, they're selling TV shows as well as offering movies for purchase and rent. Unlike iTunes, it's a streaming rather than a download service. Fortunately, they've got a number of free videos which will give you a sense of the quality of the service (which requires Flash).

Frankly, I'm a big fan of Amazon MP3, so it's good to see Amazon getting into the video business as well to put a little more competitive pressure on iTunes. I'm doubtful, however, that it will really affect the iTunes juggernaut.

[via electronista]

Got some data cleanup plans for the Labor Day weekend? I know I do -- there are scads of vacation pictures, silly videos and MP3s that have got to get gone from my laptop hard drive and onto some standby storage. That's why I was excited to see Amazon's one-day deal (8/28 only, probably cutting off at midnight PT but I can't be sure) on the Western Digital 250 GB Passport drive: $90US, and eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime. Giga-licious, although 250 GB isn't as big as it used to be...

I've gotten plenty of reliable use out of my own identical WD 250 Passport, which has a bus-powered USB port and a sleek black finish (makes it kind of hard to see on my desk, but that's another matter). No other connection to WD or Amazon, except as a satisfied customer. I believe the drive ships formatted with cross-platform FAT32, but as all savvy Mac users know, you're best off reformatting as HFS+ when you get the drive -- otherwise you'll be cringing when you try to copy those larger-than-4-GB video files that FAT32 doesn't support.

If you're looking for more Labor Day deals, buzz by dealmac.com for the latest updates and discounts.