Kindle reader for PC hits beta

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 10 Nov 2009 at 10:48

Amazon has released the first beta of its free application that lets users read eBooks bought via the Kindle store on their PCs.

The Kindle for PC application allows users to buy and read eBooks in Amazon's proprietary AZW format, without having to shell out £202 on the Kindle reader.

The PC app also takes advantage of Amazon's 3G network, allowing users with Kindles to synchronise bookmarks, notes and save the last page read. That means you can start reading a book on the Kindle, for example, and pick up where you left off on the PC.

Kindle for PC is also multitouch-enabled on Windows 7 PCs, allowing users to turn a page with the flick of a finger, or zoom in and out of text with a pinching motion.

Once inside the app, users can choose to download any books already purchased for the Kindle, or go shopping on the US Kindle store, though the company admits book availability may vary between countries.

As we discovered in our recent Kindle review, that means that UK customers could be scrabbling around for something to read with sales heavyweights including Stephen King, Dan Brown and even JK Rowling missing from the selection.

The app also strips out the ability to download subscriptions to newspapers and magazines.