Web-based Kindle Store for iPhone from Amazon
5/13/2009 08:36:00 PM - 0 comments
The ‘Kindle for iPhone’ app from Amazon, which is the top e-book app in the U.S. store, has fascinated iPhone users and book lovers since its launch in March, 2009. Since its release early this year, Amazon’s Kindle for iPhone has enabled users to read their purchased books and publications on their iPhones.
Kindle for iPhone is a free application that was clearly meant as a companion for those who already owned a Kindle. It is true that books can be purchased online and read via the software without any other gadgets involved, and Kindle did not make much of a difference. However, the popularity of the app can be assessed from the fact that within months of launch, Amazon has announced the launch of its Kindle Store. Now, Kindle for iPhone users can now buy books from an iPhone-optimized site.
Even though Amazon has turned around out a version of the online store made exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, it still exists within Safari and not within the Kindle app itself. However, some users found the implementation of the Kindle Store a bit annoying, as it drove them into the normal version of the site in Mobile Safari.
Amazon since the launch of Kindle for iPhone has come up with a number of exciting developments, including the acquisition of popular e-book reader Stanza for the iPhone/iPod touch platform, the recent release of the large-format Kindle DX and now the web-based Kindle Store that gives it an added iPhone-friendly formatting.
Amazon’s business strategy regarding the acquisition of Stanza is still unclear, as they haven’t yet offered Kindle content in the app, or given ‘Kindle for iPhone’ users access to the titles they may have in their Stanza library. However, Amazon’s interest about the iPhone platform seems to be geared towards an enduring and thriving alliance.
The online Kindle Store has not been optimized for the iPhone like some other sections of Amazon.com; however, you can easily navigate around the page but using pinch and zoom. Amazon is also hopeful that it can offer the iPhone users better experience on a full desktop browser in the future, with iPhone web app that makes browsing and purchasing of e-books a little better on the iPhone itself.
Kindle for iPhone Features:
As you open the Kindle for iPhone app, you will be greeted by a setup screen that asks you to login to your Amazon account. Just after you login with your username/email and password, you will get to see an empty bookshelf, requesting you to buy some books from the Kindle Store.
Even though, books cannot be bought directly from the app, you can definitely buy books on Amazon’s site by using a web browser on your Mac or PC, or even on the iPhone.
Just click ‘Get Books’ in the Kindle iPhone app, and it will navigate you to a shopping site nicely optimized for Mobile Safari; therefore, you don’t even have to squint and swipe around for paying for the books on Amazon. Kindle Store certainly improves the user experience of book shopping; however, experts opine that in comparison to a few other iPhone-optimized site designs based on similar concepts, there is still much room for improvement.
Kindle for iPhone app - the user experience
The user experience as of now for Amazon Kindle for iPhone is encouraging. Although there are a few flaws the errors are soon expected to be fixed. The app is responsive and fast, and swiping pages is quite natural, not letting the user feel that the app is getting in the way of the book.
Kindle & the Kindle Store
Kindle for iPhone is a free application that was clearly meant as a companion for those who already owned a Kindle. It is true that books can be purchased online and read via the software without any other gadgets involved, and Kindle did not make much of a difference. However, the popularity of the app can be assessed from the fact that within months of launch, Amazon has announced the launch of its Kindle Store. Now, Kindle for iPhone users can now buy books from an iPhone-optimized site.Even though Amazon has turned around out a version of the online store made exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch, it still exists within Safari and not within the Kindle app itself. However, some users found the implementation of the Kindle Store a bit annoying, as it drove them into the normal version of the site in Mobile Safari.
Amazon Kindle Store for iPhone – Expanding to new horizons
Amazon since the launch of Kindle for iPhone has come up with a number of exciting developments, including the acquisition of popular e-book reader Stanza for the iPhone/iPod touch platform, the recent release of the large-format Kindle DX and now the web-based Kindle Store that gives it an added iPhone-friendly formatting.Amazon’s business strategy regarding the acquisition of Stanza is still unclear, as they haven’t yet offered Kindle content in the app, or given ‘Kindle for iPhone’ users access to the titles they may have in their Stanza library. However, Amazon’s interest about the iPhone platform seems to be geared towards an enduring and thriving alliance.
The online Kindle Store has not been optimized for the iPhone like some other sections of Amazon.com; however, you can easily navigate around the page but using pinch and zoom. Amazon is also hopeful that it can offer the iPhone users better experience on a full desktop browser in the future, with iPhone web app that makes browsing and purchasing of e-books a little better on the iPhone itself.
Kindle for iPhone Features:
- Buy a Kindle book from your Mac, PC, or iPhone using a web browser and transfer the books wirelessly to your iPhone
- You can read the first chapters of any book for free before you buy
- You can download the Kindle books you already own for free — they are automatically backed up on Amazon.com
- Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle device
How it works
As you open the Kindle for iPhone app, you will be greeted by a setup screen that asks you to login to your Amazon account. Just after you login with your username/email and password, you will get to see an empty bookshelf, requesting you to buy some books from the Kindle Store.Even though, books cannot be bought directly from the app, you can definitely buy books on Amazon’s site by using a web browser on your Mac or PC, or even on the iPhone.
Just click ‘Get Books’ in the Kindle iPhone app, and it will navigate you to a shopping site nicely optimized for Mobile Safari; therefore, you don’t even have to squint and swipe around for paying for the books on Amazon. Kindle Store certainly improves the user experience of book shopping; however, experts opine that in comparison to a few other iPhone-optimized site designs based on similar concepts, there is still much room for improvement.
Kindle for iPhone app - the user experience
The user experience as of now for Amazon Kindle for iPhone is encouraging. Although there are a few flaws the errors are soon expected to be fixed. The app is responsive and fast, and swiping pages is quite natural, not letting the user feel that the app is getting in the way of the book.
0 Responses
Post a Comment