Amazon.com is on the verge of releasing a new Kindle app that will enable Android smartphone users to read e-books. The free software download to access more than 540,000 books in the Kindle Store is slated to be released this summer, the online retailing giant said.
As is the case with all Kindle apps for the BlackBerry, the iPhone, and other mobile platforms, Kindle for Android will integrate Amazon’s homegrown Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes the reader’s bookmarks across devices. “We think customers are going to love the convenience and simplicity of having instant access to a massive selection of books from Amazon,” said Jay Marine, director of Amazon Kindle.
The Android Surge
Handset users who wish to download Kindle for Android this summer will need a smartphone running Android OS version 1.6 or greater and an SD card. According to Amazon, the app will be compatible with the Droid Incredible, Google Nexus One, HTC MyTouch, Motorola CLIQ, and Motorola Droid, as well as many other Android-based handsets.
Amazon’s embrace of the Android platform is no small move for the online retailing giant now that Android-based mobile devices have begun outstripping the popularity of the iPhone in the United States. In a first-quarter survey by the NPD Group, 28 percent of the respondents indicated their preference for a smartphone running Android, versus 21 percent for Apple’s iPhone OS.
During the first quarter, carrier distribution and promotions continued to play a crucial role in determining smartphone market share, said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at NPD. “In order to compete with the iPhone, Verizon Wireless has expanded its buy-one-get-one offer beyond RIM devices to now include all of their smartphones,” Rubin explained.
Considering the number of devices and vendors backing Android, it was only “a question of time” before the Android platform overtook…