Amazon.com
The e-tailer just announced a Kindle application for the Google
The range of supported devices is impressive, but what's even better is the fact that your Kindle library, bookmarks, and virtual dog-eared pages transfer automatically between all of these readers. Apple's e-book software can't make that claim; neither can the Barnes & Noble
Android support is a perfect fit for Amazon's anywhere-reader strategy. The Android platform itself is a sprawling, all-encompassing beast that currently resides mostly on cell phones but will soon expand onto tablet computers (and I guess you could call the Nook an early example of that), television sets, set-top boxes, and more. Now you'll be able to buy and read Amazon's e-books on all of those endpoints.
These are still early days in the electronic book reader market, and Amazon is wise to secure a foothold on every available platform. Whether the Kindle tablet survives an onslaught of new competition is almost irrelevant if Amazon makes its bookstore available on cell phones and tablets everywhere else anyway. As popular as the Kindle is, it's the content library that makes it a profitable project. In 2009, Amazon sold six Kindle downloads for every 10 physical books shipped, and that balance should continue to move toward digital dominance and its lucrative margins. Adding more user endpoints is just smart business.
So good job, Amazon. I do have to note that the Palm
Feel free to discuss e-book readers and their business impact in the comments below.