Amazon launch library lending service for Kindle
Amazon have added eBook library lending to the the list of Kindle features for US users. 11,000 local libraries across America have signed up to offer eBook loans through the device, which have a limited loan period just like physical books due to licensing contraints.
Users will be able to read the books on any Kindle-compatible device, be they smartphone or desktop PCs with the Kindle application, syncing bookmarks across each. However, returning the book sees all annotations lost, so a user must re-loan the title or buy it if they want to keep their personal notes long-term.
“We’re excited that millions of Kindle customers will be able to borrow Kindle books from their local libraries,” said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle on the news of the deal. “Customers tell us they love Kindle for its Pearl e-ink display that is easy to read even in bright sunlight, up to a month of battery life, and Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps.”
If Sony’s Reader range had one big feature other than touch control in some models over the Kindle, it was their eBook library lending service. With the Kindle now offering it too, Amazon have the digital book market pretty much sewn up.
