With the advent of the Kindle, iPad, and other e-book readers, a lot of published content is now available electronically. While dedicated book readers are nice, you can also download the Kindle book reading app on your PC, laptop, or smart phone. This simple app has really opened the door to discovering new content that I never had access to before.
Here are six things I like about the Kindle app.
1. It’s a Free Download: The app doesn’t cost anything and it is available for a wide variety of devices. There is a Mac version as well as one for the PC. You can download a version for your iPhone, Android phone, or Blackberry. You can even get a version for the iPad, iPod Touch and of course the dedicated Kindle itself. The app is lightweight and installs quickly.
2. It’s tied to the Kindle Store: Amazon has most of it’s content available on the Kindle now. There are thousands of books and magazines available at a click of a button. No more standing in line at the book store. With most devices, the books download quickly and are ready to go in just minutes.
3. Free Samples: You can download free samples of most books to see if you like them before you buy them. This is a big plus for me, especially for fiction. You can tell if you like a book before shelling out the full price for the item. It’s also a way to discover new authors. I’ve personally discovered three new authors in the past month that write in a style that I really enjoy. I would never have found them by just picking up a book in a bookstore.
4. Whispersync: With Whispersync, you can have your Kindle books available across platforms. I can have my Kindle book at home on my PC and also have it available to read at lunch on my smart phone. This simple feature synchronizes the bookmarks and furthest page read among devices registered to the same account. Awesome!
5. Prices: The prices for Kindle books are generally lower than buying the published version. Given the fact that you can share your book across devices, this app gives you added flexibility that regular books don’t offer. You can also save gas and time by not having to go to the bookstore.
6. Type Font: This is the best of all. So many new books have a small and hard to read font. I have given up on numerous books that have great content, but are hard on the eyes. With the Kindle app you can choose the font and the font size. This is really a big deal if you wear glasses or have trouble with different lighting situations. With just one click you can make the font larger or change the font from Serif to Sans-Serif. Your eyes will certainly thank you for this one.
While the individual Kindle Apps are great, you might want to pick up a dedicated Kindle 3 at Amazon. Publisher Michael Hyatt has a great hands-on review on his blog that will help you decide if the Kindle is right for you.