KindleForIphone
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iPad roundup: iDisplay extended desktop, plus Kindle and Time reader apps
Say what you will, the past couple of days have been littered with signs of a rapidly expanding set of functions that the iPad can perform. Latest on the block is the iDisplay desktop extender, which will turn any of your iPhone OS devices into a WiFi-connected second monitor, allowing you to finally unchain your Mac OS (Windows version forthcoming) desktop and take it on the move. Introductory price is $4.99 and you'll find an early hands-on experience at the TUAW link. Next up we have the Kindle for iPhone app contracting its name to just Kindle and making the expected jump to iPad compatibility with version 2.0, which comes with iBookstore-like page turning and, best of all, won't cost you a thing. We've also got word of Time Magazine pricing what's free on the iPhone at $4.99 per issue on the iPad, with the excuse being that you can "experience Time in a revolutionary new way." Good luck with that, we say.
Eleven ways to stifle boredom in the iPad line
One of most excruciatingly boring experiences of my life was waiting in line on June 29, 2007 for my first-generation iPhone. The day was clear and hot, and although I had my laptop with me, it quickly ran out of juice as we waited for the official opening of the store for iPhone sales at 5 PM. Some people appear to have infinite patience, but TUAW reader Cody is like me -- he gets bored easily. In an email, Cody said "I will be standing in the Best Buy line for well over 5 hours. Do you have any suggestions on ways to help time go by? I think it would be helpful if you compiled a list and posted it on TUAW!" Well, we're at your service, Cody! And hopefully, these ideas will keep hundreds of thousands of iPad owners-to-be from suffering from terminal boredom in the early morning hours in line. Please note that several of these suggestions require that the person standing in line own an iPhone, so if you don't own one already, get thee to an Apple Store now! Do live streaming video the entire time you're in line. TUAW bloggers will be giving you live coverage of iPad Saturday at a number of locations across the country, but there's just not going to be enough local coverage everywhere. Grab yourself a copy of Qik (US$0.99) or Ustream Broadcaster (free), maybe buy yourself a Sima LED Video Light to strap to your head to brighten things up at 2 AM, and bring a lot of fully charged Monoprice battery packs. After all, we don't want to miss one thrilling moment of your time interviewing each and every person in the line at least twice.
Kindle for iPhone takes over the world, hits over 60 new countries
We all now know that Kindle is more than an e-book for Amazon -- it's an entire digital content platform with aims on world domination, which explains why the company has felt more than comfortable releasing software-based readers for other platforms. To that end, they've announced that Kindle for iPhone is now ready for download in over 60 additional countries, which probably overlaps as a pretty beefy subset of the list of countries to which the actual Kindle is shipping. And, unlike the real thing, you'll actually be able to browse the full web with your iPhone -- not to say that HTML on an E Ink display was ever a very satisfying experience to start.
Amazon's new iPhone-friendly Kindle Store takes some of the heartache out of mobile book buying
The first (and last) time we attempted to buy a Kindle book from our iPhone we were frankly astonished by how bad the process was -- basically negating decades of mobile browsing evolution and sending us through an Enlightenment-era, desktop-style purchasing process in Mobile Safari. Well, Amazon's finally seen reason, and embedded a more mobile friendly purchasing experience into its iPhone Kindle app. The store is still accessed from the "Get Books" button on the top, and while the list of links and the search box still spit you out into Mobile Safari results pages, at least it's all phone-optimized from start to finish.
