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Download of the Week: Kindle for PC

David Murphy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:30:12 -0600

It's a pretty slick deal of Amazon to open up its Kindle library to devices beyond those of the company's handheld book readers. But just because the Kindle software has gone multi-platform doesn't mean that it's a sure winner. No, it's the ease-of-use and almost iTunes-like functionality of this simple e-book reader that makes it a great piece of software for your desktop or laptop PC.

You can't do very much with Kindle for PC aside from read books purchased through Amazon's extensive library--which, in itself, makes sense. You wouldn't really want another piece of software to read PDFs, right? Joking aside, the one thing this software does, it does well. Grabbing new book titles from Amazon is as easy as logging into the Web site, hitting download, and waiting for the book to quickly refresh itself in your Kindle for PC home screen. Your collection of digital novels appears as the front covers of each title, and you can sort this list by the order in which you downloaded the e-books, their names, or the author's name.

The actual book-reading process in Kindle for PC is as simple as the physical process of flipping pages. Use your mouse to scroll up and down throughout your text, and add bookmarks to passages you find particularly interesting by clicking in the upper-right corner of the page (sure beats folding the corner down the ol'-fashioned way). You can change the font size on a whim and even select just how many words you want to appear on each line--the thickness of the e-book, as it were. Amazon is looking into allowing you to create customized notes in future versions of Kindle for PC, one of the few features missing from this simple piece of software.

Every Wednesday, Maximum PC picks a new free or shareware download as its favorite of the week. Have a nifty application that you can't live without? Twitter David Murphy @acererak with your latest suggestions.

Amazon and Zappos Seal the Deal for $1.2 Billion

Bart Salisbury — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:13:23 -0600

Never underestimate the dollar power of shoes and handbags. Amazon, in a move to expand diversity in its product line, last July moved to acquire Zappos, a purveyor of shoes, bags and clothing. Now that the deal is finally closing, and Zappos’s stock has risen on the news of the buyout, Amazon has agreed to make the purchase for $1.2 billion, up from the initial stock price-based estimate of $928 million.

Zappos remains intact after the deal--a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon, with headquarters in Las Vegas. No changes in Zappos’s management team are expected.

Image Credit: Amazon, Zappos

Amazon PayPhrase Will Help You Part with Your Money Even Faster

Paul Lilly — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:30:57 -0500

Forget about entering in your username, password, shipping address, and payment details when checking out. That's so 2008! Going forward, you'll be able to part with your paycheck much quicker, assuming you shop at Amazon or any of the handful of other sites jumping on the Amazon PayPhrase bandwagon.

How's it work? You start by picking a phrase with at least two words and up to 100 characters in length, such as "Slam Dunk" or "Jake's Allowance," along with a PIN. Once you claim your unique PayPhrase, it will be tied to your Amazon account, including your billing info and shipping address. You'll enter this when it comes time to check out, and that's all there is to it.

"PayPhrase solves the headache of trying to keep track of all the different usernames and passwords people use to shop on various sites across the Web. With PayPhrase all you need is one phrase and one PIN to pay online," said Matt Williams, General Manager of Amazon PayPhrase.

Every PayPhrase is unique, so if this were to catch on, expect a rush to claim popular word duos. And for parents, you can set up spending limits and monitor your kids' purchases, as well as approve or decline each order by way of email or text alerts.

A handful of sites have signed up to use Amazon PayPhrase so far, including DKNY, Jockey, Patagonia, Buy.com, J&R, and CarToys.com.

Amazon PayPhrase

Amazon Announces Relational Database Service for the Cloud

Paul Lilly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:12:34 -0500

Amazon Web Services, a division of Amazon.com, unveiled its Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), which the company says will help streamline the process of setting up, operating, and scaling relational databases in the cloud.

"For almost two years, many AWS customers have taken advantage of the simplicity, reliability, and seamless scalability that Amazon SimpleDB provides; however, many customers have told us that their applications require a relational database. That’s why we built Amazon RDS, which combines a familiar relational database with automated management and the instant scalability of the AWS cloud," said Adam Selipsky, Vice President, Amazon Web Services.

Amazon added that the new service will include a fully featured MySQL database, and will automatically handle common database administration tasks like setup and provisioning, patch management, and backup duties. But perhaps the best part is that there will be no up-front investments required, and users will pay only for the resources they actually use.

To get started using Amazon RDS, as well as other Amazon Web services, visit http://aws.amazon.com.

Amazon’s Profits Soar on KIndle’s Popularity

Bart Salisbury — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:40:50 -0500

Brick & mortar stores may be struggling, but the Internet is still printing money for some online retailers. Count Amazon among those who won big in the 3rd quarter of 2009, with a whoppoing 62 percent jump in profits. Amazon chalked-up $5.45 billion in sales during the quarter, an increase of 28 percent from the third quarter in 2008, with a net income of $199 million. Investors took the news well, bumping up the price of Amazon’s shares some 15 percent to $170.07 in after-hours trading.

“Kindle has become the #1 bestselling item by both unit sales and dollars – not just in our electronics store but across all product categories on Amazon.com. It’s also the most wished for and the most gifted. We are grateful for and energized by this customer response.” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

In response to new competition in the e-book marketplace, Amazon has reduced the price of its new 3G Kindle to $259, and has announced the the free application “Kindle for PC” to widen the reach of its e-book offerings.

Image Credit: Amazon, U.S. Treasury

Multitouch Kindle App from Amazon Transforms Your Windows 7 Tablet into an eReader

Bart Salisbury — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:43:50 -0500

Not interested in buying a Kindle? Understandable. But that’s not going to stop Amazon from promoting its Kindle technology as far and wide as it possible can. Today Amazon has announced the availability of “Kindle for PC,” a free eReader application that allows PC users to “enjoy” Kindle books on their own terms.

Kindle for PC is built with Amazon’s Whispersynch technology, which automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. So where ever you get your Kindle on--with a Kindle or Kindle DX, a PC, or an iPhone/iPod Touch, you’ll never lose track of where you are.

Kindle for PC features include, besides the obvious ability to acquire Kindle books, access to your entire Kindle library, ten different font sizes, and viewing notes/highlights made on a Kindle It will also take advantage of Windows 7’s touch technology, allowing pinch-zooming, with finger swipe page-turning (planned for a future release). Kindle for PC is compatible with XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Gizmodo has some screenshots of Kindle for PC in action, running on an Acer tablet. Information on getting your copy of Kindle for PC is available at Amazon.

Image Credit: Amazon

Harry Potter Proves No Match for Windows 7 Preorders

Paul Lilly — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0500

Harry Potter may have what it takes to defeat the evil wizard Lord Voldermort, but J.K. Rowling's character proved no match for Microsoft, who's upcoming Windows 7 took the Amazon UK preorder crown previously held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone's expectations, storming ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the biggest grossing preorder product of all-time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong," says Brian McBride, Amazon UK MD.

Who cares, right? Not so fast. This serves as more proof that even after stripping away all the marketing hype and rave reviews, people are actually buying the OS rather than being scared off by past failures (Vista) and any fears that their hardware may not be up to snuff.

Or as Gizmodo puts it, "technology is more powerful than magic." To put it into perspective, Windows 7 was able to drum up more sales in the first 8 hours of preorder availability than Vista was able record altogether.

One more day, folks.

Barnes and Noble eReader Being Announced Tuesday, Priced at $259

Ryan Whitwam — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:36:05 -0500

All the rumblings were apparently accurate. Barnes and Noble is releasing an eBook reader tomorrow according to the WSJ. The new eReader on the block will be called the Nook, and will be priced at $259. Many felt that Barnes and Noble would try to get the price in under Amazon’s Kindle, but that didn’t happen.

The Nook will have an eInk display, and a color touchscreen below the main display. This may have something to do with the price. The new device will also have an, as yet unspecified, wireless connection for downloading books. Apparently the Nook will allow users to, “lend eBooks to friends”. If true, this could be a killer app. With the Kindle having solid control of 60% of the market, the Nook will need all the differentiation it can get. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to get all the deatils. So... interested?