Amazon debuts Kindle for PC

Kindle for PC offers many of the options you'll find on a Kindle reader. You can increase or decrease the size of the font and change the width of the page and words per line. You can navigate from one page to another by clicking on the Next or Previous Page arrows or by using the scroll wheel on your mouse. You can jump to a specific page, such as the cover, table of contents, or last page read, and bookmark a specific location for future reference. You can also read notes and highlights created on your Kindle device, but you can't create them on Kindle for PC yet.

People with a Windows 7 multitouch PC can zoom in or out of a page by pinching it with your fingers.

Amazon has also tapped its Whispersync technology to automatically save and sync bookmarks across multiple devices. So you can read a book up to a certain page on your Kindle device and then automatically jump to that same page on your PC to resume reading where you left off.

"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for customers who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," Ian Freed, vice president, Amazon Kindle, said in a statement. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to access a huge selection from the Kindle Store and read the most popular books of today even if they don't yet have a Kindle."

Amazon plans new features for the next edition of Kindle for PC. The company said it will offer the ability to create notes and highlights, search for words or phrases in your books, and click on an image to zoom in or rotate it.

With the launch of Kindle for PC, Kindle books can now be read on Kindle readers, the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and personal computers. Kindle for the PC is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP. A Mac version is coming soon, promises Amazon.

Does the new Kindle have better contrast?

When the Kindle 2 was first released, we reported on the small controversy over how dark the text and images appeared on the screen compared to the original Kindle. Held side by side, the original appeared to have better contrast and the text appeared slightly darker--and slightly easier to read.

Well, when we reviewed the new AT&T-powered version of the Kindle 2, which Amazon calls "Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)," we noticed that the text appeared darker on this model than on the older Sprint-powered Kindle 2. It's not a huge difference but it's definitely noticeable (see photo above).

While that's a good thing, we're not sure when Amazon made the transition to the slightly improved screen. It very well could have showed up on later revs of the Sprint-powered Kindle or it may have appeared with the introduction of the international AT&T-powered version. Alas, repeated e-mails to an Amazon PR spokesperson have gone unanswered, so we haven't been able to get official word from the company on what it did--or didn't do--to the screen.

When the initial controversy flared up, some Kindle owners wondered whether a firmware upgrade would remedy the contrast issue. We still don't know the answer to that, but we're hoping Amazon will clarify the contrast question for us (if it does, we'll update this post), especially with Barnes & Noble's Nook shipping within the month.

In the meantime, you can read our full review of the AT&T-powered Kindle and if you happen to have compared this model with the Sprint-powered Kindle and noticed a difference between the black levels.

Oprah's New Book on Kindle

We thought you'd like to know what's new in the Kindle Store. This includes Oprah's latest book club pick, Uwem Akpan's Say You're One of Them--a powerful collection of five stories set in the most troubled regions of Africa. Written from the perspective of children, each unforgettable tale explores the human cost of conflict and poverty.

Browse Oprah's Book Club@ Series on Kindle.