Amazon Opens Kindle E-Book Store Optimized for the iPhone

Amazon.com has launched a Kindle Store optimized for the Safari Web browser on iPhone, allowing users of this smartphone to easily buy e-books on their mobile device.

Earlier this year, Amazon.com released an application that lets  Apple iPhone or iPod touch users read books that have been formatted for the Kindle e-book reader. But there was a problem: users couldn't easily buy e-books on their smartphone or handheld. The new version of the Kindle Store solves this problem.

When users of the Kindle for iPhone app click on "Get Books," a website tailored for the size and shape of the mobile device's screen automatically opens in Safari. This optimized Kindle store offers users access to the Kindle Store's 280,000 books, including 106 of 112 New York Times Best Sellers and most New Releases for $9.99 or less.

More about Kindle for iPhone
Amazon intends the free iPhone Kindle app to be an enhancement for the dedicated Kindle, rather than a replacement.

Those who already have a Kindle can download their current book to their iPhone and read it. Amazon's Whispersync technology saves and synchronizes customers' bookmarks across Kindle, iPhone, and iPod touch, so users don't lose their place.

"The response to Kindle for iPhone has been tremendous. Customers love the convenience of accessing their Kindle books whenever and wherever they want, plus the convenience of not having to remember or locate their last page read because Whispersync does that for them," said Ian Freed, vice president, Amazon Kindle. 

Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch is available for free from Apple's on-device App Store or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

Source: Amazon.com