Lightning Review: Kindle 3.3 for iOS

A bit of an unusual review today, but one I’m very pleased to be able to write.

Seeing as iOS 6 fever has hit the Apple-sphere, developers everywhere have been rushing to inundate my phone with app updates that proclaim right at the top to add “iOS 6 functionality”, whatever that is. Now, I’ve just been installing these as they come (without having to enter my password every time!) but one came last night and I was intrigued.

I don’t really use the Kindle app as my primary reading experience because I have a bona-fide eInk Kindle that I absolutely adore. But what I really dig is Amazon’s ethos of buy once, read everywhere: that is, you buy a book once, it’s tied to your account and you can read it on any device, Kindle or not, using either the Kindle or an associated Kindle app.

However, I did try out version 3.3 of the Kindle app last night once it downloaded and I’m impressed. Why? First of all, you’re able to pick more fonts than the standard one, Georgia, which is an important consideration as I didn’t think Georgia really worked on the Apple touchscreen; I’ve set it to the ol’ favourite Helvetica and it’s very nice.

The single biggest improvement in Kindle 3.3 is the brightness setting. One of the main drawbacks I find for reading on LCD panels late at night in bed is that it’s tantamount to shining a bright torch in your face while reading – it strains my eyes, affects my sleep and isn’t ideal. Amazon however have made improvements to Kindle 3.3 to make the lower brightness setting considerably lower than iOS itself allows, and this actually really enhances the late-night lights-off reading experience when using the phone. I’ve posted a screenshot to the side; in normal light it looks unreadable but when it’s completely dark the faint glow is just enough to be legible but toned down to avoid most of the eyestrain. I imagine this is to emulate the new Kindle Paperwhite e-readers that are flurrying onto the marketplace; if a Paperwhite is like this, I’m very much interested!

Also, I have to say, the green-on-black text option works best here. There’s also the option of black-on-white or sepia paper.

I’m very impressed overall with the reading experience offered by Kindle 3.3 for iOS; it’s free and syncs wirelessly your reading position with all other Kindle devices so you can easily switch devices and not worry about losing your place. It was one of the first apps downloaded to my iPhone when I got it and I’m not regretting that decision one bit.

Sample text from xhupf.com/blog – read the story here, it’s very good!

Rating: 5/5