Probably the biggest single misconception about ebooks is that you have to have a dedicated ereader—like a Kindle or a Nook—to read them. The truth is if you have just about any kind of computing device with access to the Internet, from a smartphone to a laptop to a desktop computer, you can read ebooks, whether free or those that you purchase.
To make it even easier, Amazon has just introduced the Kindle Cloud Reader. You can access your entire library of ebooks through a Web browser, from a PC, a Mac, a smartphone, an iPad, or just about any other device. Right now the browser support is limited to Safari (from Apple) and Google Chrome, but Amazon has promised to increase the range of supported browsers.
All you need to get started is an account with Amazon. If you already have an account, when you open the Cloud Reader, it displays your current library.
You can navigate to whatever book you want to read, open it, and immediately start reading. If you’ve already been reading the same book on another device, Amazon’s Whispersync will open the book to the last page that you read.
So, if you haven’t tried ebooks because you didn’t want to shell out $120 or more for an ereader, the Cloud Reader is an interesting alternative. Another way to go (and the subject of a future post) is by downloading one of Amazon’s free Kindle reader apps. Versions exist for the iPhone, Windows PC, Mac, BlackBerry, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone 7.
We’re getting ready to have the print version of The Solstice Conspiracy released, but if you can’t wait, the ebook version is available now and you can read it on the Kindle Cloud Reader or any of the other Kindle reader apps. Happy ereading!
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