In an extension of its Buy Once, Read Everywhere philosophy, Amazon.com has rolled out what many readers have long been waiting for: Browser-based capabilities with a cloud-based service. The Kindle Cloud Reader is Amazon's latest e-reading innovation, leveraging HTML5 to let consumers read Kindle books online or off-line without installing any apps.

Like every other Kindle app, Kindle Cloud Reader automatically synchronizes a reader's Kindle book, regardless of which device or app was last used to access the literature. The reader also offers an integrated touch-optimized Kindle Store.

"We have written the application from the ground up in HTML5 so that customers can also access their content off-line directly from their browser," said Dorothy Nicholls, director of the Amazon Kindle group. "The flexibility of HTML5 allows us to build one application that automatically adapts to the platform you're using -- from Chrome to iOS."

Riding Apple's Wave

With the web-based offering, consumers can read more than 950,000 Kindle books instantly in a browser. Amazon also developed an embedded Kindle Store that works to make it easier to find new books. One of the advantages of a browser-based experience is that consumers will receive automatic software updates without the need to download new software.

Despite rumors that Amazon is launching its own tablet computer, the company isn't ignoring the market leader. A new Kindle Store for Apple's iPad was built for iPad's touch interface. A consumer's current book is automatically made available for off-line use, and people can choose to save a book for reading off-line at any time.

"This is an important development because it enables you to read the books right through a browser. I find it intriguing also that Amazon targeted the Safari browser," said Phil Leigh, senior analyst at Inside Digital Media. "Of course, the reason for that is because the...

2011-08-11 05:30:08