This past Friday Amazon released an updated version of their Kindle for Android app to add support for tablets. They added some new features as well, and some features specifically for Honeycomb tablets like the Motorola XOOM, Acer Iconia A500, and ASUS Transformer.
I went ahead and put together a video review of the Kindle 3.0 Android app in action on the Motorola XOOM, showing all the new features and new layout for the homescreen, Kindle Store, and periodicals.
Here’s the list of new features included in the update:
- New layout for newspapers and magazines, includes color images.
- Pause and resume downloads.
- Added built-in dictionary for offline reference.
- New Kindle Store layout with quick access to personalized recommendations, customer reviews, etc.
Here’s a list of existing features:
- Access Amazon’s ebooks, newspapers, magazines from within the Android app.
- Auto-delivered periodicals.
- Add notes, highlights, bookmarks.
- Sync all content with other Kindle devices and software, including last page read, bookmarks, highlights, notes.
- Look up definitions in the dictionary.
- Add sideloaded DRM-free MOBI and PRC ebooks (just put them in the Kindle’s folder).
- Table of contents, jump to location, location slider.
- Zoom in on images.
- Text search.
- Shelfari book extras.
- Adjustable font sizes.
- Color background color: white, sepia, black (night reading).
- Adjust brightness (provided auto-brightness is turned off).
- Search on Google and Wikipedia.
- Volume key page turning.
Amazon did a decent job on the update, especially for Honeycomb tablets. The new store layout is really nice and so is the layout of periodicals, and being able to access the dictionary offline from within the page is a definite perk. They added several more text sizes and increased the margins for landscape mode to accommodate for larger screens. It’s not perfect, however. Newspapers are slow to load. There is no two-page landscape mode and there’s no way to adjust line height. It does not have fancy page-turn animations either.
I tried out the new update on a non-Honeycomb tablet and it did not include the same store layout, there were fewer text sizes available, newspapers didn’t have the categories listed on the left, and the on-screen navigation is different—everything is accessed by tapping the menu button instead of on-screen selections. Overall, the new update is at its best on Honeycomb tablets.
“New layout for newspapers and magazines, includes color images.”
One of the first things I want to do with my Nook Color is is buy the current issue of National Geographic. I was planning on buying it from B&N. At first I assumed I could buy it now, and then use the NOOK PC app to read it while I wait on the NOOK Color to arrive in the mail. However, support told me that the magazine is not supported with the NOOK desktop app at this time.
I just went to Amazon.com and noticed I could buy the current Kindle issue of National Geographic for a buck less, and apparently I can read it now using the Kindle app on my desktop PC.
Kind of a shame that I want to root my Nook Color as soon as it arrives, so I can install the Kindle app in order to read a magazine purchased from Amazon.com.
The Nook Color’s magazines have a unique layout, though, so I don’t know how that translates to the Kindle’s version. NG is one I tried on the NC and it is freakin’ sweet, but I think the Kindle version is going to be different layout-wise. Good thing for free samples. Also, you picked a good time to get a Nook Color; the update is coming tomorrow by the looks of it.
Well, I think I need to make a correction. Apparently I can’t read the magazine on my PC with KINDLE either. I guess some publishers don’t want it made available for the PC users. So my only incentive then is a buck cheaper for the single issue.
I wonder if this will work on the Pandigital Novel (Black) ?
The other apps would not work, no matter how I went about trying to install them!
The Overdrive tablet app installed but the book display is a mess….go figure….sigh.
This app will not work on the Archos 70. Tried from the market and also the website with no luck. Luckily only tried
sending a sample book and didn’t buy.