Amazon plans to show off a Web-based Kindle ebook reader on Tuesday, along with a new service that lets third-party Web sites become Kindle book resellers. The introduction comes a day after Google launched its eBookstore service with similar features.
An Amazon spokesperson stated the new service will “enable users to read full books in the browser and [enable] any Website to become a bookstore offering Kindle books,” according to Computerworld.
Gartner analyst Allen Weiner thinks Amazon could release a Kindle for Web device as early as January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The annual event is often used to introduce new products because of the heavy media coverage.
Mr. Weiner expects Kindle for the Web will require Amazon’s proprietary OS, unlike Google’s eBookstore service that only needs a Web browser with Javascript. Google Books product manager Abraham Murray commented, “We designed Google eBooks to be open. Many devices are compatible with Google eBooks—everything from laptops to netbooks to tablets to smartphones to e-readers.”
Amazon hasn’t made an official announcement yet, so there isn’t any word on when to expect to see Kindle for the Web on store shelves. Google’s eBook and eBookstore service, however, are available now.