Amazon Kindle

[Eric]

Ah.  That's a bit nicer. I honestly had visions of Google ads showing up in the middle or bottom on the book pages itself as you read.

I can imagine nothing worse than reading Atlas Shrugged and seeing a political ad in the middle of paragraphs ...

[TinkTanker]

In book ads, not no but hell no.

The "screen saver" or home page, I really don't have a problem with that. Especially if I could buy a dozen or so $20 Amazon gift cards for $10 a pop.

Still, I don't know how many people will bite for just 25 bucks. These days, $25 just isn't that much. That's what, half a tank of gas? If they priced it at $50 off or threw in Prime for a year, I think they'd get a lot more to bite. And I am being so generous with their money and their promotions.

[TinkTanker]

Amazon to Launch Library Lending for Kindle Books

Customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 local libraries to read on Kindle and free Kindle reading apps
Whispersyncing of notes, highlights and last page read to work for Kindle library books

SEATTLE, Apr 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ: AMZN)-- Amazon today announced Kindle Library Lending, a new feature launching later this year that will allow Kindle customers to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 libraries in the United States. Kindle Library Lending will be available for all generations of Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps.

"We're excited that millions of Kindle customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. "Customers tell us they love Kindle for its Pearl e-ink display that is easy to read even in bright sunlight, up to a month of battery life, and Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps."

Customers will be able to check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone. If a Kindle book is checked out again or that book is purchased from Amazon, all of a customer's annotations and bookmarks will be preserved.

"We're doing a little something extra here," Marine continued. "Normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we're extending our Whispersync technology so that you can highlight and add margin notes to Kindle books you check out from your local library. Your notes will not show up when the next patron checks out the book. But if you check out the book again, or subsequently buy it, your notes will be there just as you left them, perfectly Whispersynced."

With Kindle Library Lending, customers can take advantage of all of the unique features of Kindle and Kindle books, including:

    Paper-like Pearl electronic-ink display
    No glare even in bright sunlight
    Lighter than a paperback - weighs just 8.5 ounces and holds up to 3,500 books
    Up to one month of battery life with wireless off
    Read everywhere with free Kindle apps for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone
    Whispersync technology wirelessly sync your books, notes, highlights, and last page read across Kindle and free Kindle reading apps
    Real Page Numbers - easily reference passages with page numbers that correspond to actual print editions

Amazon is working with OverDrive, the leading provider of digital content solutions for over 11,000 public and educational libraries in the United States, to bring a seamless library borrowing experience to Kindle customers. "We are excited to be working with Amazon to offer Kindle Library Lending to the millions of customers who read on Kindle and Kindle apps," said Steve Potash, CEO, OverDrive. "We hear librarians and patrons rave about Kindle, so we are thrilled that we can be part of bringing library books to the unparalleled experience of reading on Kindle."

Kindle Library Lending will be available later this year for Kindle and free Kindle app users. To learn more about Kindle go to www.amazon.com/kindle.

[Spooky]

Amazon and Google are going to be the two political parties in the future.

[Pearl@32]

Amazon to Launch Library Lending for Kindle Books

Customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 local libraries to read on Kindle and free Kindle reading apps
Whispersyncing of notes, highlights and last page read to work for Kindle library books

SEATTLE, Apr 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

(NASDAQ: AMZN)-- Amazon today announced Kindle Library Lending, a new feature launching later this year that will allow Kindle customers to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 libraries in the United States. Kindle Library Lending will be available for all generations of Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps.

"We're excited that millions of Kindle customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local libraries," said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle. "Customers tell us they love Kindle for its Pearl e-ink display that is easy to read even in bright sunlight, up to a month of battery life, and Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps."

Customers will be able to check out a Kindle book from their local library and start reading on any Kindle device or free Kindle app for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone. If a Kindle book is checked out again or that book is purchased from Amazon, all of a customer's annotations and bookmarks will be preserved.

"We're doing a little something extra here," Marine continued. "Normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we're extending our Whispersync technology so that you can highlight and add margin notes to Kindle books you check out from your local library. Your notes will not show up when the next patron checks out the book. But if you check out the book again, or subsequently buy it, your notes will be there just as you left them, perfectly Whispersynced."

With Kindle Library Lending, customers can take advantage of all of the unique features of Kindle and Kindle books, including:

    Paper-like Pearl electronic-ink display
    No glare even in bright sunlight
    Lighter than a paperback - weighs just 8.5 ounces and holds up to 3,500 books
    Up to one month of battery life with wireless off
    Read everywhere with free Kindle apps for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone
    Whispersync technology wirelessly sync your books, notes, highlights, and last page read across Kindle and free Kindle reading apps
    Real Page numb3rs - easily reference passages with page numb3rs that correspond to actual print editions

Amazon is working with OverDrive, the leading provider of digital content solutions for over 11,000 public and educational libraries in the United States, to bring a seamless library borrowing experience to Kindle customers. "We are excited to be working with Amazon to offer Kindle Library Lending to the millions of customers who read on Kindle and Kindle apps," said Steve Potash, CEO, OverDrive. "We hear librarians and patrons rave about Kindle, so we are thrilled that we can be part of bringing library books to the unparalleled experience of reading on Kindle."

Kindle Library Lending will be available later this year for Kindle and free Kindle app users. To learn more about Kindle go to www.amazon.com/kindle.

This is really neat!

[TinkTanker]

It is a feature the Barnes & Noble Nook has had since day one.

[Pearl@32]

Amazon and Google are going to be the two political parties in the future.

Amazons and Googles? Ynot? We did have Whigs, Tories and Anti-Nebraskans, an offshoot of the Know Nothings. (wiki-wiki)

[Eric]

Apple says, "Wha?"

[AdmiralDigby]

Stupid question

Can these e-readers play audio books ?

'cause that'd kinda cool ....

[TinkTanker]

I know the Nook Color can. Has a speaker and everything, along with headphone jack. I know the Kindle has some sort of robotic text-to-speech reading of their books. It sounds like that computer from War Games.

ETA: It looks like you can purchase audiobooks from Audible and they will play back through the Kindle and the sound like regular audiobooks. I don't know if you can add audiobooks from other sources *ahem* or not. Spooky probably knows.

Also, it looks like Barnes & Noble will be introducing a new e-book reader in late May. So there's that as well.