Attracted to the Kindle, but put off by the inability to lend your e-books to others? Amazon is changing that. In an announcement posted today on the Kindle Community site, Amazon said that it would be rolling out e-book lending on its popular reader. Sometime "later this year," Kindle owners will be able to lend purchased e-books (one time only, per book) to other Kindle owners for a period of up to two weeks. During that time, the original owner will be locked out of the loaned title.
One important caveat: whether or not an e-book is lendable is up to the publisher or rightsholder. If Atlantic Books decides P.J. O'Rourke's Peace Kills shouldn't be passed around electronically, it will be trapped on your Kindle, sadly unsharable.
In the coming weeks, Amazon will also make Kindle periodicals available via its various free Kindle apps. If you subscribe to the Kindle edition of the Chicago Tribune, but forgot to bring your reader on the train, you'll be able to browse the broadsheet in its electronic form on your favorite iOS device. Amazon promises support for Android and other devices down the road.
Amazon is coming late to the e-book-lending party with the Kindle. Barnes and Noble's Nook has had the ability—with identical restrictions—since it launched last year. Better late than never, but it's unfortunate that you're locked out from reading a book you lend out. It's one behavior from the physical world that need not be present in the digital realm, especially as you can only lend the title once.
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