Comments on: Free PC app for the Kindle will soon be downloadable

By: Edward Hasbrouck

Edward Hasbrouck — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:30:52 +0000

The PC’s that would be most suitable as e-book readers are netbooks, most of which run Linux (there are several millions of eee PC’s running Xandros debian Linux in the wild, for example), and there are mmany other Linux devices that could be used as e-book readers. So a key question is when a Linux version (for Ubuntu and/or the eee version of Xandros) will be available, or whether “Kindle for PC” will run in Linux under under wine.

The other, perhaps larger, issue is that a Windows PC is a more widely available and easier to hack platform than a Kindle. Once content is displayed on screen by a Windows app, it’s available to any standard screen-capture utility.

For better or worse, it’s only a matter of time — probably measured in weeks or at most a few months — aftee the release of Kindle for PC before someone releases a “Kindle-ripping” app that “reads” a Kindle e-book using the Kindle of PC app, captures the pages as images, and saves them as a PDF that can be read on any device. The absence of a Kindle for Linux gives a compelling motive for Linux users to develop such an app, as the only way to read their legally-purchased Kindel Editions on their Linux devices.

By: Felix Torres

Felix Torres — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:45:07 +0000

Kindle Reader for iPod uses any available connection. There is no rational reason why the PC app should be any different.

By: Don Lloyd

Don Lloyd — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:49:41 +0000

Question?? –

If I install Kindle for PC on a random Windows desktop, can it communicate with any existing internet connection or does it need to have an expensive, and otherwise useless, whispernet connection?

Thanks, Don

By: Greg M.

Greg M. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:57:45 +0000

So there will be a Kindle for Mac — and Blackberry — after all.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10381272-1.html

And what about a Kindle app for Macs? Well, Drew Herdener, Amazon.com’s Director of Communications, tells us, “We will be coming out with Kindle for Mac in the next few months.” Herdener also confirms that Kindle for Blackberry will debut soon.

By: Paula B.

Paula B. — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:54 +0000

Yay! I’ll finally be able to see what my own books look like!

By: GJN

GJN — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:52:49 +0000

Let’s get a Mac version, please. It should be simple to key it to a Mac’s serial number and since I do all of my book buying through Safari, it’d be nice to be able to download samples to the Mac instead of cluttering up my Kindle. It’d save Amazon some bandwidth costs, too.

By: Steve Jordan

Steve Jordan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:46:18 +0000

I agree with rahlquist: If Amazon’s app allows me to move a book to my PDA, I’m good. I may experiment, to see if I can add a book from the Amazon app to Mobipocket Reader, which may let me transfer it to my PDA.

If not… still in waiting mode… and giving my $$ to B&N…

By: Devini

Devini — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:16:24 +0000

Will this app allow Canadians to buy Kindle content? If yes, we will be able to blame the Canadian telcoms for not letting us get a Kindle!!! Then the fireworks will start.

By: rahlquist

rahlquist — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:21:57 +0000

Wake me up when they have a Win Mobile app released too. Whomever has A win mobile app, a desktop app and a ebook reader will likely win my $$. At the current time only B&N is talking about plans to cover all those bases.

By: Frode Aleksandersen

Frode Aleksandersen — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:17:07 +0000

With this, Amazon just became the largest legal, global supplier of commercial ebooks (google books and public domain don’t count). Combine that with the global kindle edition, and it’s clear they’re aiming for the global market and are trying to stay ahead of the competition.

I might even buy books from them now, since I can strip the DRM and use it on my Sony reader, and wouldn’t actually need a hardware device from either Amazon or Apple to do so.

By: Felix Torres

Felix Torres — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:16:40 +0000

Hmm, this will come in real handy.
Combine it with something like the Archos 9 Tablet:
http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/24/archos-9-tablet-due-october-22-for-499/
Add in MS Reader, eReader, and ADE and you’ll be able to buy any books anywhere. And 60GB ought to hold a bit of reading material…

This has clearly been in the works since the release of the Kindle Reader for iPhone/iPod. The feature set sounds a bit like MobiReader for PC which suggests that Mac or Linux versions may have a wait ahead; Mobipocket Reader never did show up on either platform.

By: David

David — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:59:47 +0000

I’ve already purchased several eBooks from B&N because I don’t have an ereader of any type and I could use their desktop application on the Mac. Couldn’t do this with Amazon, so they lost out. In fact, they pretty much lost me completely there.

B&N is trying to make it easy to read anywhere so they can sell books. Amazon wants you to do everything their way and no other, at least that’s how it seems to me.

By: Devini

Devini — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:37:26 +0000

Hey, let’s get a move on viz.-a-viz. Canada. What are we chopped liver?

By: Eric Montgomery

Eric Montgomery — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:31:08 +0000

Could be handy. We’ll see. I’ll never read a normal “enjoyment book” on the PC, but the technical stuff (I have 2 kindle versions of tech books) definitely. Too bad there’s not going to be a Linux version.

Hey Amazon! How about letting Kovid Goyal read Kindle books in Calibre!?!

By: Jesslyn

Jesslyn — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:24:48 +0000

::laughing:: Picturing Amazon waiting calmly to flip the switch on the announcement taking away the nookie thunder.