[Macworld]

Post your comments for Kindle for iPhone here

[rab777hp]

Exactly on, and it's a good business model, entice readers with this app

[moo083]

Of course, when deciding between Kindle and Stanza, the great thing is, why not have both?

[Macman]

For one handed reading I think it would be great to advance the page by simply tilting or shaking the iPhone. Do any of the readers do that?

[moo083]

Perhaps as an option, but the angle people read at is so varied that this could incorrectly read motion all too often.

[Mac007]

If Apple were smart they would form an alliance with Amazon and offer the Kindle as a package deal with desktop Macs at the Apple Store.

[Hurley42]

"just $359"
???? Seriously, for "just" 359, I want more than a black and white screen that locks me into ebooks from one vendor - not to mention PDF support. I want it to sing and dance as well, than I might also say "just 359."

[dbutenhof]

The awesome thing about Kindle is the screen. Stable e-Ink that's sharp, clear, and looks like black ink on paper. My father has one, and it's simply impressive. The iPhone Kindle doesn't have that, and it makes an enormous difference in reading. (Not to mention that the Kindle uses power only when you download, or turn pages; displaying one page as long as you care to stare at it uses no power. Try that with an iPhone.)
But the Kindle, even the 2nd generation, is big and bulky and awkward. It doesn't look or feel like a book; though of course that goes double for the iPhone or anything else, so in a way it hardly counts here.
Still, as someone just said here, the Kindle is only a book reader. (It does some other stuff, but not spectacularly well.) A major motivation for abandoning my elderly Treo for an iPhone was that I could stop carrying around the Palm AND an iPod. Just as I was willing to trade in my great old T3 for a crufty and awkward Treo only because the T3 was old and ailing and I really liked the idea of not having to carry a phone and a Palm. So having reduced to one compact and elegant device, why would I want to add a Kindle?
You can't loan Kindle books to another reader. You can't sell them when you're done reading them. There are a lot of advantages; but for me, at least, the disadvantages still outweigh them.
There are also a lot of disadvantages in reading books on the iPhone, and it'll never be my primary. But if I forget to bring a book and need to wait... it's nice to have something to read. Classics helps. I haven't tried Stanza. But the Kindle reader... might just be a worthwhile addition.
The problem, of course, and the opportunity for Amazon, is that if I start using iPhone Kindle, and buy Kindle books, am I not, eventually, going to start thinking, "wow, this would look so much better on a Kindle..."
Even if it doesn't happen until Kindle 3...

[Sausalito]

The kindle app is primitive but useable and the access to kindle books rocks... hard to believe Apple didn't jump on books in a much stronger fashion.
Stanza is OK, but the best reader by far is eReader .. just as free as Stanza but always one step ahead on good features... I have no relationship to either one, but someone must really be promoting Stanza since they always seem to get reviewed and eReader not mentioned.
oh well...
cheers
tom

[6555]

You're exactly right about us bibliophiles. I've downloaded like 12 sample book chapters already, but I'm going to discipline myself not to purchase a book until I finish one.
Note to other readers: watch those Kindle book prices. They can often be more than $9. I learned that the hard way.

[calamod]

I can't believe the number of people who think that you can't download a book sans PC or Mac.
As the App's instructions state, open Mobile Safari, go to the full Amazon site and download a book. Don't go through the App, don't go through the Amazon mobile App, just use Mobile Safari--as the Kindle App itself instructs. I've done it twice, and I guarantee it works. I'll post screenshots if it will help.
I also can't believe the number of people who quibble over what the App itself can or can't do. As a gateway to the number of titles available at Amazon, you can't do much better than this App. True, if you'd like to pay 2.99 for the Iliad or the Odyssey, you might be able to have a more interactive, fulfilling experience with another App, but really? Try downloading a book published in the last six months on any of those full featured Apps. It's a portal, and not a poorly designed one at that. It's not a substitute for a Kindle, nor will Apple design a Kindle killer, but it's perfect for what it's designed to do.
And it's untethered for crying out loud. Be a little geeky--isn't this a geek magazine? Explore all the possibilities before you flat out contradict the documentation released with the App.

[6555]

Also, it really doesn't make since unless you have expendable income to purchase both an iPhone/touch and a Kindle. Unless you're ferocious reader, the $359 is not worth for the Kindle. I can't imagine the reading experience that much different than reading ebooks on the iPhone.

[Sausalito]

you're right.. it's totally simple to download a book on the iphone.. it took about a minute on 3G.

Do you know if you can share the book with family members who are included in your Prime account?

thanks

tom

[pberg]

I agree, eReader is the best, I'm surprised it isn't more well known.