Kindle Lending Club becomes an matchmaker for e-book lenders, borrowers

It took a while (about three years), but late last year, Amazon.com finally added the ability to lend titles via its Kindle service. And just like that, a start-up called the Kindle Lending Club launched in public beta on Friday, aiming to help "match borrowers with lenders."

In addition to offering their own books for loan, members can make "borrow requests" for books they would like to read, as well. The Kindle Lending Club already seen 786 users join, listing nearly 2,000 Kindle e-books to loan. Meanwhile, 669 borrow requests have been made, and 286 e-books have been loaned.

Both lending and borrowing is free. The site is merely a matchmaker. Nothing changes in terms of the lending rules: an e-book can only be loaned once; the loan lasts for 14 days, and an original users can't read the title while it is" on loan." Finally, not all Kindle books can be loaned: a publisher decides whether or not a given title can be loaned.

The Kindle Lending Club was founded by Catherine MacDonald, who first set up a Facebook group for lending. After realizing the group wasn't scalable, she decided to start the site. Since borrowing and lending are free, monetization will take place, at least for now, through the Amazon ads that appear on her site: she is an Amazon Affiliate.

Just a warning; don't get frustrated: the site is definitely in beta, and is somewhat fragile right now. It returned four service misconfiguration errors (on different pages, and on pages that worked at other times) in the brief time we visited.

As promised, Kindle for Windows Phone 7 released

As promised in October, Amazon.com has released a Windows Phone version of its Kindle app, bringing its "Buy Once, Read Anywhere" software to the newest smartphone platform. As with other versions, the app is free, and it's downloadable in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Amazon.com claims the Kindle app for Windows Phone 7 is the first major e-Book app for Windows Phone 7-based devices. You can read more about it at Amazon's site. Amazon's press release is below.

Free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle App for Windows Phone 7 Now Available
Kindle for Windows Phone 7 is the first major eBook app for Windows Phone 7-based devices
Amazon's free Kindle apps give readers access to the largest selection of the most popular books and lets them sync their reading across all major devices and platforms

SEATTLE, Jan 05, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --(NASDAQ: AMZN)-Customers can already read Kindle books on their Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, as well as their iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Android-based devices. Today, Amazon's wide selection of free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps is expanding to include Windows Phone 7 devices. Kindle for Windows Phone 7 is the first major eBook application available for Windows Phone 7, and includes new features built into a Kindle app for the first time, including personalized recommendations integrated into the Kindle app home screen and the ability to send book recommendations to a friend without leaving the app. Customers can learn more about Kindle for Windows Phone 7 at www.amazon.com/kindleforwindowsphone and can download the free app from Windows Phone Marketplace.

"With Kindle books you never have to worry about what to do if you change devices or platforms. Our free 'Buy Once, Read Everywhere' apps make it easy for you to read your books on any device you choose - your Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Android-based device, and now your Windows Phone 7-based device," said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. "We think customers are going to love our new Kindle app on the unique interface of Windows Phone 7 and the convenience of our Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes your bookmarks, notes and highlights between all of your devices."

With Kindle for Windows Phone 7, readers can take advantage of the following features:

• Seamless integration with Kindle, Amazon's purpose-build reading device which is light weight, easy on the eyes with a paper-like Pearl e-ink display, and has a full month of battery life.
• Amazon's Whispersync technology lets you read and sync your library, bookmarks, notes, and highlights with the devices and platforms of your choice (Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Android-based devices, and Windows Phone 7-based devices). Read on your Kindle, read on your tablet, read on your phone. We'll keep track of your last page read, and make it easy.
• Access to over 775,000 books in the U.S. Kindle Store - the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read - including New Releases and 100 of this week's 110 New York Times Bestsellers. Choose from hundreds of thousands of books at $9.99 or less, including many New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases.
• Kindle's Worry-Free Archive automatically backs up your Kindle library on Amazon, so your books can be re-downloaded wirelessly anytime.
• Integrated shopping experience allows you to shop without leaving the app.
• Send an email to a friend with a link to the book you're reading or to any book in your library without leaving the app.
• Customize your reading with five different font size and three background color options.
• Read in portrait or landscape mode, and to turn pages by tapping on either side of the screen or flicking.
• Start reading the beginning of a book for free before buying and receive personalized Amazon recommendations on the home screen of your app.

Amazon.com plans tablet-optimized Kindle apps for Windows, Android

In 2010, Amazon.com released an iPad-optimized version of their Kindle app, and recently, the company also released a general Android version. On Tuesday, Amazon.com announced it would be creating tablet-specific versions for both Android and Windows, as well.

The move certainly makes sense for Android, which is about to see a wave of Android tablets introduced at CES in Las Vegas. Amazon's Kindle format is already supported on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, and Android-based devices.

You can read the full press release below.

Amazon to Introduce Free Kindle Apps Tailored for Android and Windows LCD Tablet Computers
New tablet computers coming in 2011 will have access to Amazon's free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" apps that let readers choose from over 775,000 Kindle books and read them across the most popular devices and platforms
SEATTLE, Jan 04, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- (NASDAQ: AMZN) - For over two years, Amazon has been building and introducing a wide selection of free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps to enable customers to read their Kindle books on the most popular devices and platforms. Last year, Amazon tailored a Kindle app specifically for the size, look and feel of the iPad and it has become a top ten free app for iPad. Today, Amazon announced that Kindle apps will also be tailored specifically for Android and Windows based tablets to enable customers to access the Kindle Store, and with it the largest selection of the books people want to read. Like all Kindle apps, the new Kindle apps built for Android and Windows tablet computers will let customers "Buy Once, Read Everywhere"--on Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, and Android-based devices. For more information about the free Kindle apps, go to www.amazon.com/kindleapps.

"Kindle is light weight, easy on the eyes with a paper-like Pearl e-ink display, and has a full month of battery life. It's purpose-built for reading. Many people are buying both a Kindle and an LCD tablet computer," said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle. "We're very excited to support the upcoming Android and Windows LCD tablet computers with free Kindle apps that we'll tailor for the particular devices. Our Whispersync technology makes it simple to move back and forth between devices. Read on your Kindle, read on your tablet, read on your phone. We'll keep track of your last page read, and make it easy."

The Kindle Store offers the largest selection of books people want to read, including 100 of 110 New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases from $9.99. Millions of older, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read. Kindle books offer readers many additional unique advantages, including:

• "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" apps let you sync and read your books, last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights across Kindle devices and the most popular devices and platforms
• Amazon's Worry-Free Archive automatically backs up your books and highlights online in your Kindle library where they can be re-downloaded wirelessly anytime on any Kindle device or app
• Amazon.com customer reviews, personalized recommendations and editorial reviews
• Instant 1-click buying using your Amazon account information

For over two years, Amazon has been building and introducing a wide selection of free "Buy Once, Read Everywhere" Kindle apps for iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry and Android-based devices that let customers read and sync their reading library, bookmarks, notes, and highlights with the device or platform of their choice. Learn more about Kindle apps at www.amazon.com/kindleapps.

Twelve-year-old girl receives porn-laden 'PervPad' for Christmas

A 12-year-old Marion, Illinois girl received a lot more than she wished for from Santa, with a Android-based tablet she received containing two porn apps that had already been installed on the device. We can hear Apple CEO Steve Jobs repeating under his breath that "Android is for porn" already.

It's not the first time such an event has occurred, and it won't be the last, either, unless stores ensure they wipe returned smartphones and tablets before putting them back on the shelf.

That's the most likely way the apps got on the device, particularly since the parents bought two of them, one for their 12-year-old and the other for their 15-year-old daughter, and only the 12-year-old, who calls the device her PervPad, had the apps, which were "Boobs! Butts! Babes!" and"Undress Me."

There is quite a bit of technical naivete about what to do, and about the technology involved, in the story, however.

• The local news crew (video report below) got a few things wrong, of course. They called the Coby Kyros "similar to the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle." Oh, really?

• The father called the manufacturer of the tablet, Coby, instead of simply going back to the store.

• According to the father, Jay Hardin, the TS representative he spoke to told him that they have adult content in their application library as part of "each and every one of these things that they sell." There is no way any TS rep would have told Hardin that unless they were off their meds that day.

• Meanwhile, Coby told the local news station, News 3, that there was no pre-programmed software installed by Coby (meaning the porn wasn't put there during production).

Meanwhile, Hardin is certain the original package seals were on the tablets. Even if the theory that the PervPad was pre-owned is true, that's still possible; many times retailers repackage items so well you can't tell the difference.

At any rate, Hardin said he is simply going to exchange the PervPad. There's been no squawking about a lawsuit, but if Hardin decides to go legal with this, it would probably be hard to prove that he didn't plant the apps himself. We aren't saying he did, mind you, but authorities are always very cautious about these types of reports, particularly after the Wendy's Chili / Finger incident.

You can watch the local news report below.