Right about the time Kindle for iPhone hit the App Store, Amazon's true intentions in the e-book space started to become clear: it wasn't about dominating the market end-to-end with Amazon-branded equipment. It never was; that's Apple's game, of course, but Bezos and Company were taking a starkly different tack. Instead, Amazon almost seemed to shout "please, someone else do this for us" by creating powerful, well-intentioned devices in the original Kindle, the Kindle 2, and the Kindle DX that scream "reference design" more than they scream to would-be customers buying on sex appeal or real-world ergonomics. It's clear now that Kindle is a platform, not a piece of hardware, and Amazon's specialty is the same as it has been since day one of the Washington-based company -- delivering content. If people buy Kindles in the course of discovering the platform, Amazon figures that's all well and good, but the ultimate goal is to bring them into that content ecosystem at any cost, which means building software that can extend Kindle support to as many platforms as humanly possible. After tackling the iPhone, rumors are swirling that Windows Mobile may be next on news that the company is actively hiring WinMo engineers; the timing would certainly be right with the imminent launch of 6.5 and the Windows Marketplace, and if there's one thing that could help keep the WinMo loyal in the fray for another build, it might be a stellar e-reader. Granted, there are already great e-readers out there for the platform, but how many tap into the Kindle universe?

[Via PhoneArena]

The first (and last) time we attempted to buy a Kindle book from our iPhone we were frankly astonished by how bad the process was -- basically negating decades of mobile browsing evolution and sending us through an Enlightenment-era, desktop-style purchasing process in Mobile Safari. Well, Amazon's finally seen reason, and embedded a more mobile friendly purchasing experience into its iPhone Kindle app. The store is still accessed from the "Get Books" button on the top, and while the list of links and the search box still spit you out into Mobile Safari results pages, at least it's all phone-optimized from start to finish.

Sure, Amazon could pit the Kindle squarely against phone- and PDA-based e-book apps, but why not play both sides? The company had previously mentioned its desire to embrace non-Kindle devices in its digital delivery ecosystem, and the first fruits of that labor have now hit the iPhone App Store. The uncreatively-named Kindle for iPhone allows you access to all of your Kindle content right from the comfort of your iPhone or iPod touch, and if you have the good fortune of owning an honest-to-goodness Kindle, Whispersync will kick in to keep your location synchronized between readers. It's a huge win for owners of both devices, considering that the Kindle's still just a little bit big to be carrying everywhere you go, but your phone -- well, if you don't have that everywhere you go, you're just plain weird. [Warning: iTunes link]

[Via The iPhone Blog]

Sure, we pretty much figured that the V-Book (which is actually not a book at all) would be the final nail in the coffin of what was once known as "literature," but it looks like both Google and Amazon have other plans. Not only have their been rumblings of a new Kindle, but Amazon has announced that it'll soon be making the popular e-reader's some 230,000 titles available for your cellphone. The company hasn't said when the titles will be available or exactly what phones would be supported -- but we're guessing that we'll be seeing handsets with nice, big screens like the G1 and the iPhone on the list. If that weren't enough, Google's Book Search holdings -- about 1.5 million public domain works -- will soon be available for cellphone-based e-readers like Stanza. This is good news for people who need access to data on the go -- and really good news for anyone who would like to curl up next to the fire with a nice glass of wine and their Curve 8900.

[Image courtesy of Spacesick, Via Unwired View]

Looks like Amazon may soon be getting some competition for the hearts of the Kindle-loving literati over at the Algonquin. In a pre-CES interview with Reuters, Verizon's Tony Lewis -- the man in charge of their Open Development program -- doesn't see the current state of the economy as halting production of e-readers or other nonessential consumer electronics. "Competitors to the Kindle are out there and ready," the man said. "In 2009 I'd expect them to come to the market." To date, the company's certified 29 third party devices to run on the carrier, a new attitude that seems to have come about when they realized the bucketfuls of cash they could be raking in if they were a little more... well, open to these sorts of things. If you're a vendor, feel free to peep their booth this week at CES. We're sure you'll be more than welcome.

[Via Moco News]