Samsung has signed a deal with Amazon, and will jointly launch a custom version of the Kindle book store made specifically for Galaxy phone and tablets. Initially reported by Engadget, Samsung has since provided all the information concerning the new app.
Updated on 04-18-2014 by Andy: Samsung has officially announced Kindle for Samsung, a Galaxy-only app, and Samsung Book Deals, a service which provides up to 12 free books to download per year.
Initially thought to only be for Galaxy S5 owners, Samsung Book Deals through the Kindle for Samsung app will be available to anyone with a Galaxy smartphone or tablet. Owners will be entitled to download 12 free books per year, taken from a choice of four offered up each month. The books on offer will be “prominent,” so expect an Amazon-curated list of well-known novels from which to choose.
Additionally, the app will also provide access to newspapers and magazines, along with 500,000 book titles which are exclusive to the Kindle store. It also features Whispersync, so your place in a book is saved across all your Kindle devices and apps, plus the option to backup your books in the cloud using Amazon’s Worry-Free Archive feature.
The Kindle for Samsung book store app joins a wealth of other free apps and services which come with the Galaxy S5. Samsung’s Galaxy Gifts offer includes $500 worth of free content, ranging from a year’s worth of RunKeeper Premium access, to six months subscription to the Wall Street Journal. The package is a considerable extra incentive to buy a Galaxy S5, and the dedicated Kindle book store should offer something for everyone.
The free book offer is reminiscent of Amazon’s Kindle First program, where subscribers can have early access to brand new books. The titles are all chosen by Amazon’s publishing team, and provided you’re an Amazon Prime member, the books are free to download.
Samsung says the app is available right now in 90 countries around the world, but don’t go looking for it inside the Google Play store. Instead, you’ll need to visit Samsung’s own app store on your phone.
Article originally published on 04-17-2014
