In a move that can certainly be deemed "sooner than expected" Amazon has released a "Kindle" iPhone application that lets you read any Kindle-version text from Amazon's library, first chapters of other books can be browsed for free, it'll let you add bookmarks, and you can adjust the text size just like you can on the Kindle. And, it is free! All that is great, but coming so soon on the heels of the just released "Kindle 2" does this mean Amazon has already thrown in the towel on their snazzy new device?
Well, not just yet I think. I caught Jeff Bezos on The Charlie Rose Show a few nights ago, and he was just gushing all over the new device. And, for sure, the "real" Kindle does have many features and functions that the iPhone just can't match - notably the e-ink screen and 2 week battery life. Also, the app does not support periodicals, and you can't buy books directly from the app - but must use a browser. To me, it looks like Amazon is just looking for other revenue sources from their Kindle support system. But by offering the application for free, it will surely introduce thousands to the Kindle experience - sort of . All in all, probably not a bad move.
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