It seems like busy times at Amazon right now. They have just released the new Kindle which is a significant upgrade over the erstwhile Kindle 2 in terms of size, weight and performance. (Sure there are many who might have asked for more and are disappointed by the new Kindle, but that’s a different story.) The thing is, Amazon isn’t just sitting and basking in the glory of the new Kindle. In fact, they have gone on to announce a new update of the Kindle app for iPad which too promises to take things to the next level just as the new Kindle is doing. The update, called version 2.2, is already available from the Apple App Store and as usual, it comes free of cost.
So what are the things that justifies the Version 2.2 tagline of Amazon’s Kindle app for the iPad?
To begin with, there is an entire dictionary that now includes the new app update and the good thing with the dictionary is that it is similar in functionality with Apple’s own iBooks app. Or shall we say the Kindle implementation is even a notch higher.
With the new update, just highlighting a word will make the definition to appear automatically at the bottom of the screen, though there’s more to it than just that. Now you get to research the word further on Google or Wikipedia by tapping a button. However, you will be led out of the app by doing this and will find yourself in the iPad’s web browser. But in spite of this, its still a nice and useful feature.
And that’s not all! The feature also presents you with a link that will let you have the “Full Definition” of the word as per the new Oxford American Dictionary. You’ll be pleased to know the Oxford American Dictionary is downloaded automatically as you update your app to version 2.2. Amazon mentions there are as many as 250,000 entries in the dictionary.
Another interesting feature of the new iPad app is the “in-book” search that it now allows you to do. What this means is that you can now search inside a book for a term, something that is there for the first time in the Kindle app for iPad and brings the new Kindle app up to the iBooks standards.
These apart, there are other minor tweaks like fast app-switching for iOS 4 devices along with improved line spacing on the iPad version.
So all in all, a nice update which perhaps was necessary in view of the Apple’s own iBooks app that gained from some recent enhancements that now allows for new search functions along with support for audio or video content as well.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
