Amazon.com offers free Kindle e-book reader for iPhone

Amazon.com released a Kindle e-book reader for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch music player on Wednesday, broadening the market for its e-book outlet and giving Kindle readers another way of reading e-books.

Video: Amazon unveils Kindle 2
Slideshow: Kindle 2 e-book reader is thinner than iPhone

The free application, which is available on Apple's App Store, allows readers to automatically synchronize e-books and bookmarks with their Kindle or Kindle 2 e-book readers. The feature is designed to allow readers to continue reading their e-books when they don't have their Kindles with them.

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Amazon.com released a Kindle e-book reader for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch music player on Wednesday, broadening the market for its e-book outlet and giving Kindle readers another way of reading e-books.

Video: Amazon unveils Kindle 2
Slideshow: Kindle 2 e-book reader is thinner than iPhone

The free application, which is available on Apple's App Store, allows readers to automatically synchronize e-books and bookmarks with their Kindle or Kindle 2 e-book readers. The feature is designed to allow readers to continue reading their e-books when they don't have their Kindles with them.

The application also allows users to read e-books purchased at Amazon.com's Kindle Store without a Kindle reader, expanding the number of potential customers for e-books.

The release of the Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod Touch follows the release last week of Amazon.com's Kindle 2 reader. Like the original Kindle, the Kindle 2 allows users to purchase and download e-books wirelessly from the Kindle Store. Users can also subscribe to Kindle versions of major newspapers and magazines, which are then delivered wirelessly to the readers.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.