Kindle readers can now borrow e-books from more than 11,000 libraries in the United States. On Wednesday, Amazon announced that owners of the Kindle device, and users of the Kindle app on other devices, will be able to get e-books at local libraries.
Amazon Kindle Director Jay Marine said in a statement that Kindle users also will be able to do something on Kindle books that libraries everywhere discourage -- writing in the margins. This joy of note-takers, and bane of libraries, will be possible by extending Amazon's Whispersync technology to the Kindle library e-books.
Marine said that user "notes, highlights and bookmarks are always backed up and available the next time you check out the book or if you decide to buy the book."
'Send to Kindle'
To take advantage of this new offering, readers can use a library's website or in-house search tools to find a book to borrow. When the book is chosen, a reader can select "Send to Kindle" and the page will redirect to Amazon.com, where the user can log in to their account. The book will then be delivered by Wi-Fi or can be transferred via USB.
In addition to Amazon's own Kindle device, the Kindle app is available for Android devices, iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone. A user can also read a Kindle book with a regular web browser, via the Kindle Cloud Reader.
In addition to the synchronization of notes, highlights, and "last page read" across devices that is offered by Whispersync technology, Kindle library goers can refer to actual page numbers that correspond to the numbers in the print editions. Integration with Facebook and Twitter offers the ability to share through social networks. Popular Highlights show what the community of Kindle readers have identified as the most interesting sections, and Public Notes allows the ability to share notes.
'Netflix for Books'?
As Amazon expands the Kindle's footprint to libraries, it is also expected to soon expand in other major ways. For example, the giant retailer is reportedly in discussions about setting up an all-you-can-eat service for e-books, similar to the Netflix subscription-based services for streaming movies or TV shows.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that the company was talking with book publishers about the possibility of such a service, which would involve a regular fee, possibly annually, in exchange for the ability to use a collection of e-books.
The Journal reported that some publishers are not thrilled with the idea, because it could lower the value of their titles and could strain their relationships with regular booksellers. On the other hand, some industry observers have suggested that publishers might agree to release e-books in tiers with release windows, not unlike the way movies are released.
The Journal said Amazon would begin with an e-book collection containing older titles, which would be available to Amazon Prime subscribers. Publishers would get a monthly, flat fee, and the number of books a user could read each month would be limited. Books might be particularly well-suited to a rental scheme, since few people reread a book they might own.
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20110921/bs_nf/80285
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