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Needed: A Kindle-iPhone sync—to get the most out of both
February 15, 2008 | 5:54 am
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By David Rothman
What if you could laze back on the couch at home and read off your Kindle, then enjoy the same book on your iPhone while you waited in the doctor’s office—automatically picking up at the same page?
Kindle fans like the E Ink and the screen larger than cellphones’. But zillions of more phones exist than Kindles, and you can tuck one away in your pocket, something that matters to the purse-less half of humanity. So the two machines would be a natural for synchronization, perhaps with help from iTunes, Apple’s iPod-related software.
If nonproprietary e-book standards prevail, this synchronization could happen. Check out a provocative ReadWriteWeb comment from Chuck Lawson, who dreams of it. He’s envisioning the use of the Mobipocket format, which in fact is my favorite commercial one.
But .epub, the standard from the International Digital Publishing Forum, would make more sense in the long run. The intention is for it to work with a wide range of devices. What if you own an iPhone, for example, and your SO is a fan of the Sony Reader? Or suppose—since iPod screens are growing—that you want to read off that. Oh, the possibilities. Let’s hope that one way or another, with or without DRM, ideally without, a practical universal e-book standard can happen.
Related: Is the iPhone the Ultimate eBook Reader?, at ReadWriteWeb, and Stop the Kindle Hype, from ZDNet (thanks to Jason for the second pointer).
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Comments:
I don’t see a Kindle-Iphone sync happening ever. I don’t see Amazon and Apple ever cooperating to the degree required for this to work.
Still, that’s a really good idea. I can see Apple’s ebook reader being able to sync with the Iphone.
To make this work, in addition to having a compatible version of the eBook, you’d have to have some sort of bookmark system that automatically configures between devices.
I know you’re not a fan of the eBook Museum approach, David, but I think that’s the only way you’ll get this wish. The eBook will be on a server and it’ll keep in synch with where you are in the book. That way, when you open it up again (on whatever device) it’ll know where to look.
I don’t look forward to doing this kind of programming myself but I fear that what you’re asking for is beyond the reach of ePub–at least ePub without a server end.
Still, I’d love to be proven wrong. I don’t really like the eBook Museum approach either.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
Thanks, Rob. Actually what scares me about the EBM approach is its being the only option. If people also can have downloadable files, then I’ll e happy. David
Wow Nostradamus would be proud.
Kindle for iPhone is the dream app I have been waiting for. I have stopped buying paper books as of March 2009. Already have finished reading 2 complete books and in the middle of 3 other books – I just love the format. I don’t know why I would buy a physical book again unless its a coffee-table book or a rare book.
Responding to ‘Nate the grate’ – cooperation comes from enlightend self-interest. Amazon would have been foolish not to pursue the iPhone. Don’t be surprised if at some point in the near future Amazon reveals their book downloads to smartphones have exceeded downloads to Kindles.