Kindle Android App Reviewed

Written by: Christian Cawley • Edited by: Simon Hill
Updated May 17, 2011 • Related Guides: Android | Kindle

With the new Kindle app for Android phones you can browse, buy and read books on the go! You'll get access to a huge library of content but in many cases the prices are quite high. Find out if it is worth getting as we take a look at the features on offer in this review.

Re-Kindle Your Interest in Reading

One of the most popular uses for mobile devices that has emerged over the past year or so is for reading. Prompted by the success of Amazon’s Kindle device and Sony’s e-reader, various mobile developers have been quick to develop applications for their platforms that can display and enable users to read books. These might be in PDF, the popular ePub format or any of the other popular eBook file formats.

Amongst all of this success, however, one thing has been missing, particularly on Android – a mobile app for Amazon Kindle.

Newly released and designed for use on all Android versions, just how good is Kindle?

User Interface

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The important thing about the Kindle app for Android is that the user interface makes sense, even if some devices aren’t quite suited to some of the features. This might be a result of the developers trying to target a core set of device models rather than worrying about Android fragmentation but unless you have the most recent Android models the UI isn’t quite up to scratch from a usability point of view.

Luckily these are issues that can be resolved in future with updates.

System Requirements and Download

According to the documentation and websites such as www.appbrain.com, the Kindle app for Android will run on all versions of the platform. Sadly it won’t work on all devices, which leaves users of particular Android handsets in the lurch.

Meanwhile initial feedback seems to suggest that while the app is perfect for the newer Android handsets; older ones aren’t quite suited to the zoom functions, auto-scroll speed or indeed for reading all of the text on a single page of a book.

Downloading and installing the app is easy and free via the Android Market.

Library and Integration

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Where Amazon’s strategy for the Kindle works is in the integration with their library of eBooks that can be downloaded to a device to be read on the digital page. This pretty much makes Kindle users a captive audience, but they have the advantage of also being able to access free books.

The same is true of the Android app – except a credit card is needed to access free books, which seems an unusual (and, it seems, unpopular) decision by Amazon. Also there is no facility to read eBooks already stored on your Android phone, again a seemingly obvious piece of functionality that Amazon have omitted.

Needs Improvement
Rating

The long wait is over – but for many users it is on-going. Unless you have a very recent Android model with a large display, regardless of which version of the operating system your phone uses, the Kindle app just isn’t ready to be released.

Be in no doubt, however, that with user interface issues, device compatibility problems and issues concerning reading books already stored on the device that Amazon will resolve these issues at a later date. In the meantime, however, check the device reviews on the Android Market and only download if you’re confident this app will work.

References

Android Market, https://market.android.com/details?id=com.amazon.kindle