Renea Guzman
Amazon.com already makes reading on the go a cinch with its Kindle reading device and Kindle for iPhone application. Now you can enjoy that Kindle power on your computer with Kindle for PC.
Kindle for PC is a free application for Windows users (a Mac version is on the way) that lets you access more than 360,000 Kindle books on your laptop or desktop PC, including New York Times bestsellers as well as full-colour children?s books, cookbooks and graphic novels. That?s right, color?something the grayscale Kindle reader doesn?t offer.
Kindle for PC keeps it smart but simple with a basic page display and little else. The home button at the top left takes you to your book purchases and previews, which you can sort like you would in iTunes. The home page also has a menu button to sync and check for new items, send feedback and even buy a Kindle.
As for buying content, Shop in Kindle Store takes you straight to Amazon?s virtual bookstore. (Internet connection required.) The shop pops up on your computer?s Web browser, and you can search through it like you would for any other Amazon purchase.
I tried it with an HP Lovecraft short story collection for 99 cents and had those creepy tales on my company laptop within seconds. The transaction was considerably smoother than what I?ve experienced with Amazon MP3, the site?s music download service. Of course, this is just text and book art we?re talking about, so the goods should show up quickly.
Flipping through digital pages on Kindle for PC is just as smooth?simply press an arrow key on your keyboard or roll your mouse scroll wheel. You can also bookmark pages and adjust font size and words per line to your eyes? delight.
Kindle for PC is a great stand-alone app, but it?s even better in tandem with other Kindle devices. If you already own a Kindle and/or use the Kindle for iPhone app, Kindle for PC syncs with them via Whispersync, automatically importing bookmarks, annotations and the last page you read between devices.
At this writing, Kindle for PC only lets you view notes and highlights made from other devices; Amazon hopes to enhance this feature so you can create them in the computer app as well. Amazon is also mulling word and sentence search and image zoom and rotation. Which means a good reading app should only get better.
I don?t own a Kindle. And thanks to Kindle for PC, I don?t want or need to.
Why spend hundreds on another gadget if you can get Kindle capability on a colourful, eye-friendly laptop or desktop PC you already own?
Sure, it?s hard to snuggle up to a laptop either in bed or in your favourite easy chair. And Kindle for PC does require Web access to buy books, something the Kindle reader avoids thanks to its 3G wireless access. But aren?t we all used to lugging laptops? And Wi-Fi is easy enough to come by, especially in bookstores and libraries, where the very content we desire literally surrounds us.
Therein lies the consumer-friendly irony. Kindle for PC gives us another simple, affordable way to enjoy reading without opening a book?or opening our wallet for a Kindle.