Kindle

Amazon.com introduced a free software package Thursday that gives Mac computer users access to the online retailer's Kindle e-book store in more than 100 countries. Called Kindle for Mac, the beta e-reader completes Amazon's goal of offering consumers access to e-books and other digital content across a wide spectrum of electronic devices.

Kindle books can now be read on dedicated Kindle and Kindle DX devices, BlackBerry handsets, and PCs, as well as Apple's Mac, iPhone and iPod touch, Amazon said. Moreover, the company's e-reader software is expected to work on Apple's forthcoming iPad.

With the e-book industry expected to explode into a multibillion-dollar business in the next three years, Barnes & Noble wants to open a new chapter in sales by making sure its products are available on Apple's iPad. The retail giant on Thursday confirmed reports that it is preparing an iPad application in time for the anticipated April 3 release.

Digital Library Preserved

You may not know it, but your gadgets have a hidden agenda. Think about the electronics you own. No doubt there's a digital music player such as an Apple iPod or a Microsoft Zune. Then there's a smartphone -- perhaps an iPhone or a Droid that sports the Google-inspired Android operating system. For games, your family may have an Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, or Nintendo Wii. For books, there's the Kindle from Amazon, among others. When the iPad hits stores on Apr. 3, you'll want that, too.

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If you want to subscribe to 3QD and read it using your kindle, click graphic below:

The Kindle signup logo will be permanently available in the sidebar.

Paid news content may be making a comeback. The Associated Press said Friday that it will set up a division to help its member newspapers and broadcasters sell content to the new generation of content devices, including tablet computers and e-readers.

AP President and CEO Tom Curley told the Colorado Press Association convention in Denver that the new division, called AP Gateway, will provide a "launching pad" for content from AP and other publishers.

A 'Variety of Ways'

Nintendo on Thursday revealed its next wave of products. The video-game maker is also planning to release Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M in the first half of 2010, but Nintendo DSi XL is taking the spotlight -- and entering the e-reader market.

The new DSi XL handheld system launches March 28 and will retail for $189.99. There are plenty of improvements, beginning with screen size. The screens are 93 percent larger than the Nintendo DS Lite and feature a wider viewing angle so friends and family can share the experience.

Amazon.com unleashed new e-reader software Thursday that enables selected BlackBerry handsets from Research In Motion to access and read e-books directly on mobile devices based in the United States. Called Kindle for BlackBerry, the free beta app is available for download from the world's largest online retailer.

At a time when everything -- even Bluetooth headsets -- is becoming a platform for third-party applications, Amazon.com has decided to make its Kindle e-reader part of the crowd. On Thursday, the online retail giant said it's encouraging developers to build and upload content to the Kindle Store and promised a Kindle software development kit (SDK) soon.