Amazon is continuing to integrate Goodreads, its prime book-related acquisition of 2013, into the rest of its ebook business.
Goodreads is now available on the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. Earlier this week, the book-focused social networking platform was also featured in the latest operating system for the Kindle Fire tablet device.
With Goodreads on the Paperwhite, readers will be able to share passages with friends and rate books in their Goodreads accounts all from their e-reader. The Kindle Fire integration offers much of the same from the Kindle app.
Amazon also has brought Kindle Free Time, its kids-focused store, to the Paperwhite. Parents can now set goals and limits for their children on the device.
Related: Amazon is a focus at Digital Book World 2014. Learn more!
[Press Release]
Goodreads and Kindle FreeTime Now Available on the New Kindle Paperwhite
The best e-reader in the world is now even better, with a free, over-the-air software update that will be delivered automatically in the coming weeks
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 19, 2013– (NASDAQ:AMZN)–Amazon today announced a software update for the new Kindle Paperwhite that brings exclusive features including Goodreads integration and Kindle FreeTime. This free, over-the-air software update will be delivered automatically in the coming weeks, or you can visit www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates to download the software update starting today.
“The new Kindle Paperwhite is already the best e-reader in the world, and we’re excited to make it even better with new features we think readers will love,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “First, we’re combining the world’s largest e-reading community and the world’s largest community of book lovers with new Goodreads integration. Second, given the great customer response to our tablet version of Kindle FreeTime, we’re excited to extend this feature to Kindle Paperwhite, helping parents encourage their kids to read more.”
Goodreads Integration
Goodreads on Kindle Paperwhite brings together the world’s largest e-reading community and the world’s largest community of book lovers. Join more than 20 million other readers on Goodreads to discover great books and have discussions about what you’re reading. Features of the new Goodreads integration, available exclusively from Amazon, include:
– Share favorite passages with your Goodreads friends without leaving the book.
– See what your friends are reading, read their reviews and discover new books to read.
– When you finish a book, immediately rate it without putting down your Kindle.
– Keep track of all your reading activity–update your “Currently Reading”, “Read”, and
“Want to Read” shelves directly from your Kindle. Easily add your Amazon book purchases, print and digital, to your Goodreads account.
Kindle FreeTime
Built-in parental controls have been extended to give parents a simple way to encourage kids to spend more time reading. Parents can set daily reading goals for their kids, hand-select books for their kids to read, and track progress against goals. Children earn achievement badges for hitting reading milestones–for example, reaching and exceeding their daily reading goal, and passing big milestones like “Read 1000 pages”. A progress report keeps parents updated on total time spent reading, number of words looked up, badges earned and books finished. See screenshots: www.amazon.com/new-kindle-freetime.
Cloud Collections
Organize your books, newspapers, and magazines in customized collections for easy reference, and Amazon’s Whispersync technology synchronizes the collections across your Kindle devices and reading apps so they’re available on all of your devices.
Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader in the world. Here’s what reviewers have to say:
– “Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader ever” – CNN
– “Not only is it a great ebook reader, it’s the only one even worth considering–great hardware and Amazon’s spectacular ecosystem are an untouchable combination.” – The Verge
– “The newest iteration of Kindle–the Kindle Paperwhite–is, simply put, fantastic.” – Men’s Fitness
– “The display is amazing.” – Gizmodo
– “The Kindle Paperwhite sets the bar high for the competition.” – PC Magazine
– “Kindle Paperwhite Will Make Readers Rejoice” – Bloomberg
– “Amazon has improved on last year’s excellent Paperwhite e-reader with a faster processor, more responsive touch screen, and a better integrated light that’s brighter and whiter and displays more evenly across the screen.” – CNET
Kindle Paperwhite is available at www.amazon.com/kindle-paperwhite.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning exclusive 7″ or 8.9″ HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es, www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.in, www.amazon.com.mx, and www.amazon.com.au. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.