Amazon Brings Landscape Mode and Viewing Customizations to 'Kindle for iPhone'

[MacRumors]

Amazon's Kindle for iPhone [App Store, Free] has been updated to Version 1.1, bringing several important new features to the popular eBook reader. Most notably, Amazon has added support for viewing in landscape orientation and the ability to customize text and background colors. The changes include:

* Read in portrait or landscape mode.
* Select alternate background and text colors to improve reading comfort in low light conditions.
* Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages.
* Pinch to zoom images in books.

TechCrunch discusses the changes and includes several screenshots illustrating the text and background color customization options.

My favorite thing about the landscape/portrait mode is that while you rotate your iPhone to switch between the two, there’s a lock icon in the lower right hand corner to easily disable this rotation. I wish every app on the iPhone had that, as I cannot stand when things rotate even though I didn’t want them to. The background options of black or sepia along with the standard white is also a nice touch, as it can be hard to read on the white when the screen is fully illuminated.

Article Link: Amazon Brings Landscape Mode and Viewing Customizations to 'Kindle for iPhone'

 

[smarch]

pinch to zoom!

 

[Flowbee]

Very nice. I like the Sepia text/background much better than black on white.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I downloaded this last night and used it and WOW. I love the lock feature in landscape mode as I generally read in bed so the angle that I hold my phone results in the screen rotating against my wishes. I love this thing.

 

[Rojo]

I want the lock feature for everything now!
I HATE when the iPhone is constantly rotating orientations. I really hope Apple either adds a similar lock feature, or at least allows you to disable rotation.

 

[Randman]

I wrote about the new Kindle update this morning for Jacksonville.com.

Really like it. The app just needs two features now. The ability to flick up and down as well as left-right/right-left and Instapaper Pro's text scroll.

 

[spazzcat]

Very nice. I like the Sepia text/background much better than black on white.

I agree. I may be willing to read a book now on my iphone, but I still wish they would let us buy newspapers

 

[GTDaveMac]

I am glad the app has been updated for those that wanted new features, and in that, I am very glad that there is an option to lock the orientation. I won't ever use landscape mode, and I don't want my screen switching back and forth if I am laying down at a weird angle.

However, I have submitted feedback because this lock option is not persistent, and I would really like an option to turn off the new tap to turn pages option. It allows for accidental page turning, where as the flick is a bit more deliberate, and I like that.

 

[NinjaHERO]

The lock button is the best thing ever. I hate it when apps turn just because I want to lay on my side and view them. Great move Amazon.

 

[mkrishnan]

Excellent! Will have to update. I like that they're pushing the envelope with this app... I do still use it, even though I have a Kindle.

 

[kas23]

Excellent! Everything I was looking forward to. I'll have to re-download this and give it a shot (again).

 

[entropys]

So is this the first feature they have brought over from stanza after they bought it?

 

[PeteLP]

Great Update. There's still one thing I really want

An integrated dictionary (optionally unabridged), giving one click look-up of any word in any book.

That's the one feature of e-reader that I so miss and so want here. I'm surprised I'm the only one mentioning this.

I do assume though that with OS 3.0 they'll make it easy to copy any word which then would be easily pasted into any other dictionary. That would be getting very close.

Pete

 

[mkrishnan]

That's the one feature of e-reader that I so miss and so want here. I'm surprised I'm the only one mentioning this.

It's obviously possible, and not a new idea in readers, since it's a major Kindle feature (on the hardware Kindle). There may be commercial issues with having it be a locally stored dictionary (I'm presuming some small part of the cost of the Kindle bankrolls the copy of the North American Oxford Dictionary that is bundled on it, as some small part of an OS X license does likewise).

 

[PeteLP]

It's obviously possible, and not a new idea in readers, since it's a major Kindle feature (on the hardware Kindle). There may be commercial issues with having it be a locally stored dictionary (I'm presuming some small part of the cost of the Kindle bankrolls the copy of the North American Oxford Dictionary that is bundled on it, as some small part of an OS X license does likewise).

eReader is designed so that a small dictionary is included for one click lookup (when reading any OTHER book), but any eReader dictionary that you buy can be used as both a straight dictionary and the default dictionary for one click lookup. Such dictionaries are sold in the same way that all ebooks are sold on their site.

I'd happily pay extra for a kindle dictionary. Until that feature is available, eReader will continue to be the first place I look for ebooks.

Of course it IS very nice to have kindle's huge inventory available. When I get the urge to read a particular book, the odds that it's available for the iPhone has gone up by a factor of 4 since we've gotten kindle.

 

[kas23]

I hope you guys already know about this, but Stanza has a built-in dictionary. You tap and hold over a word to get its definition.