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How to Read Kindle Books Without a Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle was truly a breakthrough device when it was released in 2007. It allows its owners to instantly download books directly onto the device in less than 60 seconds. Even better, the Kindle version of many books usually cost less than the physical version. The majority of New York Times bestsellers are only $9.99, which is often a significant savings over brand new hardcover books. If you visit Amazon.com often, you’ve probably seen the link to instantly download the Kindle version of the book, but were frustrated because you didn’t have a Kindle. Perhaps you don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a Kindle when new devices like Apple’s iPad are hitting the market. Whatever the reason, the good news it that you actually DON’T need a Kindle in order to download Kindle books. Here are a few ways you can do it.
1. The Kindle App
This is applicable to owners of the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad. Many users of these devices aren’t aware that there is a free Kindle App available to download in the App Store. Amazon released this App on March 3, 2009, and it has since been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. Even better, this App is also available for the iPad. This means that iPad owners can use their device to read not only the books that Apple makes available to them, but also Kindle’s library of nearly half a million books.
2. Kindle for PC
Another option is to download Amazon’s free Kindle for PC application. This allows you to download Kindle books directly to your computer and to use the Kindle for PC application to read them. The program is simple to use, and it is probably the best computer reading experience available. The only downside is that you cannot make annotations like you can on an actual Kindle.
3. Kindle for Mac
Until March of 2010, Mac users were left out in the cold when it came to reading Kindle books without a Kindle. However, that all changed when Amazon finally released a third method for reading Kindle books without a Kindle. Mac owners had been disgruntled about this and wondered why it was taking Amazon so long to release such a product, but Amazon finally delivered with the free Kindle for Mac software.
By providing all these methods to download Kindle books without a Kindle, Amazon has opened their library of books to an enormous number of potential customers. It is rumored that they are currently working on an App for Google’s Android cell phone operating system. This will increase their reach even further.
My Kindle Lost All of My Downloaded Books – So Now What?
Did my Kindle actually lose all of my books?
Most likely, no. You’ll be shocked to know that you are not alone. Many Kindle users are finding themselves not able to access their books. This usually happens for one reason: Your Amazon account has been banned or suspended. If your account gets banned or suspended, you WILL lose access to your e-books.
Why would they suspend or ban my account?
Do you buy other items on Amazon.com? Have you returned any items recently? If you answered yes to both of these questions, your account most likely has been suspended. It doesn’t sound fair at all since the item you returned was probably defective or broken. Regardless, Amazon has the right (when you clicked “I Agree” to their terms) to do this and have been doing it.
It’s not fair!
Believe me I agree. It doesn’t seem right since you did PAY for the e-book. This has been the problem with DRM (Digital Rights Material). In a sense you are just paying for a “service” not the actual book. It would seem that buying the actual book might be better, but those who love their Kindle love it for a reason: functionality and convenience.
So Now What?
Call Customer Service. That’s the only way. Once you get your Amazon account reinstated functionality will return.
My account isn’t banned or suspended
If you checked and called customer service to confirm your account is in good standing, then the problem most likely lies in the Kindle itself. Remember that this rarely ever happens and the loss of books usually ties in with your account itself. Keep in mind that returning a Kindle can throw you into this situation (as stated above). With that being said, return your Kindle ONLY if you feel it is the cause for your loss of functionality.
What Are the Cost of Kindle Books?
The Kindle, made by Amazon is rated as one of the best eBook readers on the market today. Sure, they have some pretty fierce competition with companies such as Barnes and Noble, Sony and more. If you’re finding yourself wanting to purchase one, or maybe you already have one, I wanted to show you what you should expect to pay for the books online.
How to download the books
When you want to get an eBook, you can download from various sources. You can, for starters download from the Amazon website, as well as other third party sites. There are also other sources that you can use, when you want to download newspapers, magazines and more. The Kindle can read various formats, making it great for any reading that you may have.
What the average price is
You’re going to find that like a book in the stores, you’re going to want to compare your books. You don’t want to shop just at one place. Instead, you will want to compare your prices to see which ones are the best. The average price is going to vary on the book that you want to buy, so it’s hard to say. You will find that you can spend anywhere from nothing to as much as $25+ for a newer, larger book.
How to save money
While you can save on Kindle books, you will find that since you can’t really “borrow”, the best way is to either compare prices with other stores, or if you wish, you’re going to find that you can save, if you wait for the price to go down. As long as you’re not in a hurry to get the book, you will find that you can get it when the price goes down. As long as you have patience, the price tag shall drop.
Every eBook reader generally reads the same books, but as the eBook market gets big, you never know if the prices will get higher, or if they will drop.