Just one day after Google announced its
e-BookStore, Amazon today unveiled Kindle for the Web, making its Kindle electronic books available for reading on Web browsers, with people's digital collections saved in the Internet "cloud."
Amazon launched Kindle for the Web two months ago, making it possible to read free first chapters of Kindle books through web browsers. Today, Amazon announced that Kindle for the Web will expand to enable anyone with access to a web browser to buy and read full Kindle books - no download or installation required. Bookstores, other retailers, authors, bloggers and other website owners will be able to offer Kindle books from their own sites, let their readers start enjoying the full text of these books instantly, and earn referral fees through the Amazon Associates Program for sales made through their sites. Website owners can embed the Kindle for the Web widget and start offering Kindle books.
The update to Kindle for the Web was demonstrated on-stage at a Google Chrome event today and will support Chrome OS devices, including the new Chrome OS Notebook, as well as the Chrome browser and other web browsers.
Kindle for the Web joins Amazon's selection of free reading apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices that let customers read and sync their reading library, bookmarks, notes, and highlights with the device or platform of their choice.
The Kindle Store offers a larg selection of books , including 101 of 111 New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases from $9.99. Millions of older, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read.
Kindle for the Web will support Chrome OS devices, including the all-new Chrome OS Notebook announced today. Kindle for the Web takes advantage of HTML5 and it will be available in the coming months.
Kindle for the Web was unveiled a day after Google opened an online electronic bookstore in a heavyweight entry into a booming market long dominated by Amazon.
Google eBookstore rolled out in the United States features company's massive library of digitized works online at books.google.com.