Amazon has had trouble dealing with demand for its Kindle ebook reader. First the company ran out of the $360 devices going into the end-of-year holiday season after an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey—creating no end of frustration—and the company has just run out of Kindles again, with the result that Amazon is now recommending customers pre-order to devices in order to, maybe, one day, get one. Eventually.
Now, in a move that could vastly expand the audience for ebook content, Amazon has told the Associated Press that it plans to make Kindle titles available on mobile phones. The company did not reveal what phone platform(s) it plans to support, although it seems safe to assume the company is eyeing consumer-oriented smartphone platforms, like Google’s Android and (of course) the iPhone, although the company’s relationship with Microsoft would also seem to make Windows Mobile support a possibility.
Amazon currently offers almost a quarter million titles for its Kindle device, including current magazines, newspapers, and top-selling book titles in a variety of categories.
The announcement comes just after Google revealed a version of Google Book Search for mobile phones. Although free, Google’s current offering is limited to out-of-copyright works. Amazon’s Kindle offering will presumably continue charge for content, but offer more contemporary selections.
Amazon is widely expected to announce a followup to its Kindle device next week, perhaps focusing on education and the college textbooks market.
