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Kindle for Android, the app which allows you to read electronic books on Google-powered phones, has been updated with a bunch of new features.
Version 1.1 lets you search the full text of Kindle books using text or voice. And if you highlight text it will bring up the results in Wikipedia or Dictionary.com — without you having to leave the app.
You can also add notes and highlights to books, which students will find especially useful — and save them from the wrath of highlighter-phobic librarians. You can also synchronise these notes to any other platforms you can view the book on.
It also fixes an issue which bothered our colleague on CNET.com, Stephen Shankland, where he wasn’t able to lock the screen orientation in portrait or landscape mode.
“I read in bed sometimes, with my head on a pillow,” he tantalisingly revealed, “and to avoid reading it sideways I had to disable automatic screen reorientation for everything on the phone.” The poor lamb!
“With version 1.1, the orientation lock option appears when you rotate the phone; touching it locks it in one orientation or the other.” Thank heavens.
The app also makes use of a book-themed social networking site called Shelfari. It offers features such as book summaries, character information and live discussions, all without having to leave the app.
Those who already have the app will get the update simply by visiting the Downloads section of the App Market, and it’s free to download if you haven’t already. It requires Android 1.6 or later. There are versions of the app for other mobile devices such as the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone and BlackBerry.
Books you buy from the Kindle store are optimised for your Android phone and delivered wirelessly, but can be read on any Kindle-compatible device. Newspapers, magazines and blogs aren’t available for Android, however.
