Hands-On: Amazon Kindle for iPhone

During the runup to Christmas, Amazon.com touted its Kindle ebook reader (incidentally, a top pick in our latest report on the devices) as being one of the most wanted, wish-listed gifts on the site. I had one on my wish list. I didn't get one. I did buy myself an iPhone in December, though, so I decided to take a flyer on Amazon's Kindle app for it. One thing it had going for it right out the chute: it's free (well, not counting the 200 bucks I shelled out for my iPhone, but I digress). Better still: Kindle for iPhone is actually good.

Now, hardcore Kindle devotees are likely to scoff at me with my cheapo app and tiny (compared to the regular Kindle and Kindle DX) screen. Their real Kindles are super lightweight and are battery-life misers. But you know what, the iPhone app has some advantages of its own.

The Good

• Pocket-sized: Try that with your real Kindle. 

• Illuminated display: While "Real Kindle" users need to break out a light to keep reading after dark, the iPhone's brilliant screen is always illuminated. Bonus: in addition to traditional black text on a white background, you can go with the reverse of that or a sepia tone. All are easy on the eyes, in my experience.

• One-handed operation: Turning pages on a Kindle is generally a two handed operation, but Kindle for iPhone lets me do everything one-handed, thanks to the phone's compact dimensions.  Page turning is as easy as sweeping my thumb in the direction I want to go. And I speak from experience: I'd whip put the Kindle app and use it during late night baby feedings (in the dark), during which one hand was tied up holding a bottle the whole time.

• Highlights and notes are supported:  While the standalone Kindle has more built-in features (the dictionary, for example, is cool), the iPhone app still lets you highlight text and add in your own notes.

• Whispersync: Whispersync wirelessly keeps all your Kindles up-to-date. For example, I also downloaded the free Kindle for PC app and loaded it on my laptop. Once I had that device registered, it saw which books I'd purchased and loaded them into its archive. Syncing up lets you make sure that regardless of which device you open an ebook on (Kindle, the iPhone app, or the PC app), you'll start  the last page you were reading. Neat.

• So easy to use: People like the iPhone, and the apps companies develop for it, because the user interface is so intuitive. The Kindle for iPhone app is no exception. It's a snap to get accustomed to. 

The Bad

•  Illuminated display: I know. I listed this as a good thing like 20 seconds ago. And it is. But it's also a possible shortcoming, since using your Kindle keeps the iPhone's display on, and that will help run the battery down faster, especially if you get engrossed in a can't-put-it-down thriller. This is where the actual standalone Kindle device's much longer battery life comes up a big winner, even if you need to use a book light to read it in the dark.

• Fewer Features: The Kindle for iPhone app doesn't support text-to-speech, for example, so it won't read books to you. However, that's no biggie, since the phone's iPod can read audiobooks anyway. Of course, you have to buy those separately. The app doesn't have the Kindle Store built-in, either, but that's no biggie -- it simply uses the iPhone's browser to get you there and go book shopping. Ultimately, the trimmed-down feature set isn't that big a deal. And considering that the app costs nothing to download, it's a very reasonable tradeoff.

Bottom Line

After reading one novel, one nonfiction work, and dabbling in a number of free sample texts on it, I have to say that the Kindle app is one of my favorite additions to my iPhone. I use it at home and while traveling, and it's a lot more convenient than lugging around a new hardcover, or even a thick paperback. Book prices in Amazon's Kindle Store are very fair, and the content you purchase downloads to the iPhone very quickly. 

Amazon basically positions its Kindle for iPhone app as a companion utility for real Kindle owners, but speaking as a member of the Kindle-less unwashed masses, the excellent Kindle for iPhone app makes me wonder why I still have a Kindle on my Amazon wish list at all.  

For a slideshow of screen-captured images of the Amazon Kindle for iPhone app looks like, visit my Flickr page. For more info on ebook readers, as well as the reviewers' takes on which ones are best, check out our full report.