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Filed under: Text, Windows, Freeware

Amazon Kindle for PC: Now delivering books to your desktop

Kindle for PC
As expected, Amazon has launched a version of its Kindle eBook reader for Windows. The software is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7, with a Mac version "coming soon."

As an eBook reader, Kindle for the PC is pretty no-frills. It lets you adjust fonts, read books, and create bookmarks. And that's about it. But the software can also synchronize with other devices. So if you have Amazon's physical Kindle eBook reader or the iPhone version and you've created annotations on it, you'll be able to access them on the PC client. No, I have no idea why you can't create annotations on the PC version.

In order to download books, you'll need to connect to the Amazon Kindle store via a web browser. When you select a title, it will be downloaded to your PC and available for viewing in the Kindle software.

The Windows 7 version of the software also includes multitouch capabilities that allow you to zoom in and out by pinching your fingers if your PC has a touchscreen. A future version is expected to add support for page turning with a swipe of your finger.

The biggest problem with Kindle for PC? It's geographically restricted and won't work in most countries outside of the US. I haven't seen any official statement on this, but a colleague in Canada tells me that the software won't work in his country.

[via Engadget]

Filed under: Hardware

Foxit Software gets into hardware biz with an eBook reader

Foxit eSlickWe don't spend a lot of time covering hardware at Download Squad. But this story is just too cool to pass up. Foxit Software, the company behind one of our favorite PDF readers, plans to release an eBook reader that will take on the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader. The Foxit eSlick is due out in January and it will sell for $229 at launch before settling in at $259. That's about a hundred bucks cheaper than the competition.

The eBook reader will weigh about 6 ounces and measure just .4 inches thick. It sports a 6 inch, 600 x 800 pixel display that should look a lot like the Amazon Kindle screen (since it's manufeacturer by the same copany). You'll be able to read PDFs and listen to MP3s. But there's no wireless connectivity which means you won't be able to automatically download books, blogs or newspapers without connecting the reader to a computer first. Foxit may offer wireless features on future models.

The eSlick will have 128MB of built in memory plus an SD card slot for expansion and it will ship with a 2GB card. The machine doesn't draw much power, which means you can flip 8,000 pages without recharging.

What do you think? Is the Foxit eSlick a welcome addition to the world of eBook readers? Or should Foxit stick to making software?

[via PC World]

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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