Amazon.com Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a test version of its "Kindle for the Web" application, which allows Internet surfers to read a book's first chapter without having to download Kindle software or buy a Kindle e-reading device. Amazon makes the latter available for a variety of devices, including Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch; and smartphones based on Google's Android operating system.
Amazon is also making it possible for third-party websites to embed the service on their pages, and is offering a referral fee for each visitor who buys a book. According to Amazon, Kindle samples can be embedded on websites or blogs using the required tag. "Open the sample from the product detail page by clicking on the "Read first chapter FREE" button while shopping for selected books at Amazon.com," the company explains. "Click on the Embed icon on the right side of the window and copy the code to embed the sample in your blog or web page."
The latest announcement comes less than a week after Amazon released an upgrade to its Kindle for Android application. The update adds a link to the books-focused social network Shelfari, making it possible to easily read comments on a book from users of the online community.
Amazon has added social networking features before to its Kindle software. In May, the company released an upgrade to for the Kindle e-reader hardware that made it possible for people to share e-book passages with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter.
