Amazon Kindle for PC app coming in November
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
In case you missed it, Microsoft announced that Amazon have developed a version of their ebook app for the PC. Kindle for PC will be a free download and, like the iPhone, iPod touch and standalone Kindle ebook readers, allow users to purchase titles from Amazon's online store.
As with the other applications, Kindle for PC will remember where readers were up to in each ebook text, and synchronize that with other devices attached to the same account. It can also view highlights and notes made on the Kindle and Kindle DX, show ten different font sizes, and adjust the number of words displayed per line.
Windows 7 users with suitable multitouch displays will be able to use pinch-zoom, meanwhile, together with (eventually) using finger-swipes to turn pages. The software will be available in November for Windows 7, Vista and XP.
Press Release:
Introducing "Kindle for PC" — The Free Application for Reading Kindle Books on the PCLatest Kindle Application Brings over 360,000 Kindle Books, Including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases, to the PC
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 22, 2009– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced "Kindle for PC," the free application that lets readers around the world enjoy Kindle books on their personal computers (PC). The U.S. Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) currently offers over 360,000 books, including New Releases and 101 of 112 New York Times Bestsellers, which are typically $9.99 or less. The Kindle Store is the only place to find some of the most popular books of today in digital format. Kindle books can now be read on the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch, and PC.
Kindle for PC features Amazon's Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. Whether you read Kindle books on a Kindle, Kindle DX, or one of the free Kindle applications, you can always have your reading with you and never lose your place. With Kindle for PC, you can read some on your PC, read some on your Kindle, and always pick up right where you left off. Whispersync helped make the Kindle for iPhone application the most popular books app in the Apple App Store.
"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for folks who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to read the most popular books of today even if they don't yet have a Kindle."
With Kindle for PC, readers can take advantage of the following features:
Purchase, download, and read hundreds of thousands of books available in the Kindle Store
Access their entire library of previously purchased Kindle books stored on Amazon's servers for free
Choose from over 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
Add and automatically synchronize bookmarks and last page read
View notes and highlights marked on Kindle and Kindle DX
Zoom in and out of text with a pinch of the fingers (Windows 7 users only)
Turn pages with a finger swipe (available in a future release for Windows 7 users)
Microsoft demonstrated Kindle for PC for the first time ever at the Windows 7 launch event today in New York City. "Customers have told us that they want access to a wider variety of content and an increasingly diverse set of form factors," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Platform Strategy at Microsoft. "With the announcement of Kindle for PC, Amazon is making its massive selection of Kindle books available on the world's most widely used platform. The new Kindle for PC's use of Windows 7 features such as Jump Lists and Windows Touch demonstrates how Windows 7 makes new things possible."
Kindle for PC takes advantage of capabilities in the new Windows 7, including Windows Touch technology. In addition to Windows 7, Kindle for PC will also be compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. Kindle for PC will be available to customers around the world as a free download next month. Sign up to receive an email when Kindle for PC is available for download at http://www.amazon.com/KindleforPC.