Amazon's Kindle app for iOS updated with X-Ray for books

[Jessica Lares]

http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/4/37...azon-ios-x-ray

Amazon has released a new version of its Kindle app for iOS, which has been updated with X-Ray for books. The feature — which had been exclusive to Kindle hardware until it was introduced for textbooks on iOS in late October — provides a useful graph that highlights all mentions of characters, places, and concepts throughout the entire book. For more information on a given topic, X-Ray points you to Wikipedia and Shelfari, Amazon's literature-focused community encyclopedia. After marketing X-Ray as a unique selling point of its Kindle devices, Amazon is now working to push the feature to other, more universal devices in an attempt to sweeten its content ecosystem. The free, updated app is available for download now in the iTunes app store for all iOS devices.

Wahoo!

Cool! That pretty much advances it to the level of the Kindle Fire HD reading app as far as reading Kindle books. There might be a few things lacking still but it also has a few things the Fire app doesn't, like two column landscape view.

Jessica let me ask for an honest answer from you. Is the mini screen really good for reading over long durations? My eyes are not the best, but they are not that bad, however the iPad 1 screen was terrible for reading. It just didn't look good with fuzzy text and that caused me a lot of eyestrain. The mini is only a bit better as far as pixel density, but it might be sufficient. I'm skeptical because of the iPad 1 experience I had. I've not been able to find any store that has the mini on display to look at one. My Fire HD is terrific for reading, but it is heavy and limited by the OS.

I know there are a lot of fanboys and fangirls praising the mini, but they will praise anything with an Apple logo on it. A lot of them praised the iPad 1 as a good reader too, and that it was not.

[Bookworm_Girl]

This is great news! Thanks for sharing.

Jack, I know we've had a similar opinions in the past regarding the iPad resolution. I went to the Apple Store this weekend to check out the iPad mini. I was so looking forward to this size for ages, but the resolution still isn't good enough for me so I am going to stick with the iPad with retina display for now (using 2 column landscape display) and wait for the next mini generation.

[Jessica Lares]

I can only barely see out of one eye, but I find reading on the Mini enjoyable. You do have to push the font size up a little bit (like those of large print books), maybe switch between fonts, and play with margins, but once you get it to that sweet spot, it's nice to stare at.

Obviously holding it directly in your face is not going to give you good results. Holding it like you would a Kindle is better.

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

This is great news! Thanks for sharing.

Jack, I know we've had a similar opinions in the past regarding the iPad resolution. I went to the Apple Store this weekend to check out the iPad mini. I was so looking forward to this size for ages, but the resolution still isn't good enough for me so I am going to stick with the iPad with retina display for now (using 2 column landscape display) and wait for the next mini generation.

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

I can only barely see out of one eye, but I find reading on the Mini enjoyable. You do have to push the font size up a little bit (like those of large print books), maybe switch between fonts, and play with margins, but once you get it to that sweet spot, it's nice to stare at.

Obviously holding it directly in your face is not going to give you good results. Holding it like you would a Kindle is better.

Thanks to both of you. I might see if the Apple Store in Fort Worth has one to look at. It is a bit of a drive but not too far away. I found one in a Walmart but it was sealed in a glass display and turned off, and the Walmart sales clerk was no where to be found!

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Thanks to both of you. I might see if the Apple Store in Fort Worth has one to look at. It is a bit of a drive but not too far away. I found one in a Walmart but it was sealed in a glass display and turned off, and the Walmart sales clerk was no where to be found!

That's really the best way to do it. You can't really know if the pixel density is enough for a pleasant reading experience enough for yourself unless you try it.

[kyteflyer]

I used to read occasionally on the iPad1, but the experience wasnt good enough for me to continue with it. The retina display on the iPad3 has spoilt me, and even though the Mini would be ideal sizewise (the iPad 3 is heavy!) the screen is not good enough for me, so I have decided to pass at this time. Next year, if theres a higher resolution screen, I'll likely buy one. For now, though, I continue with the ipad when I can rest it somewhere, or the phone when I can't (for Kindle).

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

I used to read occasionally on the iPad1, but the experience wasnt good enough for me to continue with it. The retina display on the iPad3 has spoilt me, and even though the Mini would be ideal sizewise (the iPad 3 is heavy!) the screen is not good enough for me, so I have decided to pass at this time. Next year, if theres a higher resolution screen, I'll likely buy one. For now, though, I continue with the ipad when I can rest it somewhere, or the phone when I can't.

Yeah, I think I'm going to await the mini 2nd gen too. I already have the Fire HD 7", even though it weighs in at 20 ounces (1-1/4 pounds) with the Amazon leather cover! Still, that is lighter and more manageable than my iPad 3. My phone is only running Android 2.3 so the Kindle reader on it is rather lacking, so I think I'll get an iPod touch 5th generation for when I'm out and about. Would love an iPhone 4S or 5 but Donna says no to a data plan, so that is off the table! The iPod touch 5th gen is rather pricy but it looks like a good travel option since it has iOS. I traveled to Washington DC for a week during Thanksgiving with only my Fire HD and afterwards had wished I had taken the iPad 3 instead. Much easier to use than Android, especially the Fire's version. The iPod touch 5th gen is rather small but would work for email, Twitter, Facebook, reading, and watching videos while allowing me to travel light.

[Jessica Lares]

Now that you mention the weight... I find the Mini extremely heavy compared to the original Fire.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by jswinden

...Would love an iPhone 4S or 5 but Donna says no to a data plan, so that is off the table!

LOL. Donna must be one tough lady However... are you unable to buy outright in the US? I buy direct from Apple with no plan attached, and I have a prepaid account, to which I add a small bulk data supplement (because regular data rates are astronomical and not sustainable) from my credit. Its a good deal, and works well for travel.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Now that you mention the weight... I find the Mini extremely heavy compared to the original Fire.

??? I have the weight of the original Fire as 413g and the Mini as 308g?

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

LOL. Donna must be one tough lady However... are you unable to buy outright in the US? I buy direct from Apple with no plan attached, and I have a prepaid account, to which I add a small bulk data supplement (because regular data rates are astronomical and not sustainable) from my credit. Its a good deal, and works well for travel.

Yep, big sister--we share a phone plan to save money. Think Lucy and Linus Van Peldt from Peanuts, but middle-aged!

Yep, I could buy an unlocked iPhone from Apple but they cost about $650 USD, I think. Way too much. The iPod touch 5 is $300. Even used, unlocked iPhones are rather pricy here.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Would love an iPhone 4S or 5 but Donna says no to a data plan, so that is off the table! The iPod touch 5th gen is rather pricy but it looks like a good travel option since it has iOS.

If the 4S was a possible choice, then why not go with the iPt4? It's cheaper than the iPt5.

• iPod touch 4 -- 16GB ($199) / 32GB ($249)
• iPod touch 5 -- 32GB ($299) / 64GB ($399)

[Jessica Lares]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

??? I have the weight of the original Fire as 413g and the Mini as 308g?

Probably, but the Mini is not made of plastic, and because it's bigger, if you hold it the same way as the KF, the weight drags with it or whatever. It's made to hold like a phone and not like a book.