Amazon launches 'Kindle for the Web'

Amazon unveiled Tuesday a program that allows Kindle electronic books to be sampled in a Web browser.

"Kindle for the Web" is featured on the online retail giant's website, Amazon.com, and book samples can be embedded on other websites or shared through Facebook and Twitter.

Users can click on a "Read First Chapter Free" button on selected Amazon books and a browser window opens featuring the sample chapter. The book can also be purchased directly from the browser.

"With Kindle for the Web, it's easier than ever for customers to sample Kindle books -- there's no downloading or installation required," Amazon Kindle director Dorothy Nicholls said in a statement.

"Kindle for the Web is also a great way for bloggers and authors to promote books on their websites by letting visitors read a chapter without leaving their site."

Bloggers or website owners who sign on to "Kindle for the Web" can earn referral fees from Amazon when customers buy books using the links on their websites, Amazon said.

Amazon has already made Kindle books accessible on a host of devices beyond the company's own Kindle e-reader.

On Monday, Amazon announced a Kindle application for an upcoming tablet computer from Blackberry maker Research in Motion.

(c) 2010 AFP