Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Amazon launches Kindle Web; Read e-books via browser, embed them

By | September 28, 2010, 5:26am PDT

Summary: Amazon launched Kindle for the Web, a set-up where consumers can read and sample e-books via Web browsers without a download or installation.

Amazon on Tuesday launched Kindle for the Web, a set-up where consumers can read and sample e-books via Web browsers without a download or installation.

In a nutshell, Amazon will allow you to read the first chapter free on a book product page (statement). These chapters can also be shared through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail like other Web content. Amazon said it will optimize for mobile browsers in the future.

The game plan for Amazon’s Kindle platform is to be everywhere. And it is via apps—Amazon even launched an app for Research in Motion’s PlayBook tablet. However, Amazon is opening Kindle books to the Web, a move that Apple probably won’t replicate. The Kindle for the Web effort also puts Amazon’s format on the Web to head off Google’s e-book ambitions.

Bloggers, authors and writers can also embed these Kindle chapters. Amazon will pay referral fees for complete book purchases. It’s a tried and true model for Amazon and one that makes sense given the bevy of tablets about to hit the market.

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Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

Disclosure

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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RE: Amazon launches Kindle Web; Read e-books via browser, embed them
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
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Where is google book?
FADS_z 28th Sep 2010
Not mush noise now?
@FADS_z It's in Beta Testing...probably the next 3 to 4 years.
0 Votes
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Brilliant
tomogden 28th Sep 2010
This is just the kind of good faith gesture that makes companies succeed.
0 Votes
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EPUB, Amazon, or I'm not interested.
ericesque 28th Sep 2010
I'm sure millions of others are, I'm just expressing my opinion here.

That one simple feature would result in me pointing my browser to Amazon.com and ordering 2 Kindles.
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Why require "any" device for purchases?
Bruce Lang 28th Sep 2010
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but when a book is purchased some external device is still required, yes? Why not have my entire library available and readable online? No software to install - ever (of course, the browser does not count.)
@bdlang@... I like that but - what about when you driving on a plan or have no connectivity? Which is more often than not.
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RE: Amazon launches Kindle Web; Read e-books via browser, embed them
tomlin21-24319035676893835085146735905770 11th Oct
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