Android Kindle for Android released..

Amazon has finally released Kindle app for Android (requires 1.6 and up). As usual, we are stuck since we have no market access..
Hope someone is nice enough to provide off-market access to this free app.

What would be really cool is if there was a way to somehow allow Kindle books to display on the eInk side...

Originally Posted by pat.indie

Amazon has finally released Kindle app for Android (requires 1.6 and up). As usual, we are stuck since we have no market access..
Hope someone is nice enough to provide off-market access to this free app.

I was just getting ready to post to ask about this and saw your post . I echo your hope; maybe an update that will enable direct access won't be too far in the offing.

Originally Posted by walt526

What would be really cool is if there was a way to somehow allow Kindle books to display on the eInk side...

Yes. That would be cool. There is already a thread running about 'rooting' the eDGe, which I guess would be the first step. Alas, I am not at all familiar with the technical aspects involved. Otherwise I would most certainly have undertaken such an endeavor myself. I am sure there are very capable users around who can/will do it for their devices, but all I can do is wait...

May the enTourage gods smile upon us and grant us our wishes..

What would be really awesome would be if Amazon and enTourage could work out some sort of partnership and offer official support for it.

It would seem to make sense for Amazon: by releasing Kindle for Android and iOS, they are clearly interested in broadening their user base to non-Kindle mobile hardware. And given that they're now selling the 6" Kindle for <$200, I can't imagine that they have any sort of a margin on selling the Kindle units. The profit would be in selling the ebooks.

As for enTourage, I can only speculate that they're hoping to generate a significant amount of revenue from the selling ebooks given that I can't imagine that their margins are very high on the eDGe itself either. But their ebook store is pretty limited and the prices aren't very competitive (compared to Amazon's Kindle store). eDGe users would certainly be better off if there was a way to view Kindle ebooks on the eInk side. Perhaps there is a way to split the money so that both companies could make a decent enough profit to make it worth their while.

I just gave the program a whirl (I have another device with market access). Well, it works in full screen and it's reasonably stable. When starting, you have to enter your existing amazon account, or make a new one. You then can go the Amazon's website via the browser to find and download books. Some are $0.00 so I loaded up a copy of Mark Twain's The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson. It adds it to your Amazon account, and a quick sync downloads it into the app.

No eInk (no surprise really) but you can change text size, background color, and screen brightness. Interface is pretty simple: Tap right side of screen to turn page, left side to turn back, center to show status. One major problem I did encounter is some issues with spacing between words and lines. Some spaces between words seem to be missing, while in a measurement book, text and graphics went all over the place. I'm not totally sure if it's just the free books and not the app though.

Now I would post a link to where I uploaded the app, but I remember reading somewhere that it's not allowed. Actually I am not sure about this. Is it allowed? I read the Forum Rules and there doesn't seem to be a direct prohibition against this. It's not illegal far as I can tell; the method I used to get the app to the eDGe didn't involve any hacking or circumventing of copy-protection, and the app is free. But for now if anyone wants it, it will need to be PM til I know it's ok to post.

Originally Posted by OncTech

....But for now if anyone wants it, it will need to be PM til I know it's ok to post.

Thanks OncTech.
I would love it if you can PM it to me..

I am sure it is not illegal for me since I actually own a Kindle2

Boris, is it true that the app will not work without market access?

Please post the link.

It's definitely okay to post links to APK that are available outside the Android Market. In fact, they have a sticky thread dedicated for APK links that Snow started.

In that case here you go: http://www.mediafire.com/?sz2v22rnsbdf71e

And no, you don't need market access for the app to work.

EDIT: Link above updated with version 1.0.3.81170056 released on Aug 02, 2010

Worked like a charm...thank you very much OncTech.

It feels like my eDGe is worth a bit more now than a day ago...

I agree with you, Boris. Even with sepia and brightness turned down, it is not easy to read on the LCD. Also, it does feel kind of bare bone.
This is why I did not buy an ipad (there I go again...)

Originally Posted by pat.indie

Worked like a charm...thank you very much OncTech.

It feels like my eDGe is worth a bit more now than a day ago...

That would be about $189 more according to the Amazon site. Then again, that's for the tiny screen.
The DX is $489. That much, Really?!
For a few bucks more one can get an edge with two screens... which now also reads Kindle books.


And, Thanks again OncTech.

The Kindle DX is overpriced by at least $150. It's so bad, you'd think that it was an Apple product.

Thanks OncTech. Too bad this kindle for android doesn't support the new audio/video ebooks. Hopefully in the next version.

Thanks OncTech. To echo pat.indie, I feel like my eDGe is worth a little more. Having access to the whole Kindle library is a HUGE plus to the eDGe. The reading experience on the LCD isnt great, but it allows me to keep the value of the investment in the Kindle books I already own. This was a major missing app in the Android quiver. Now, I am anxiously awaiting to see if we will get Android 2.2 sometime in the not-too-distnat future.