Asus Pre-Loads Kindle For PC Software On Select Netbooks And Notebooks

We've had mixed feelings about the bundled software on PCs for awhile now; some of it is nothing more than "bloatware" that really bogs the system down, while other applications are genuinely useful and worth having around. However, the kind of software that is most deserving of complaints, runs in the background, draining resources and not always providing any real benefit. Asus has never hesitated to pre-load software onto their machines, but the company's latest announcement is rather interesting and perhaps even a bit ground-breaking. New eReader software is coming to select netbooks and notebooks from Asus, and it's probably an app you've heard of before.


Starting today, Amazon's "Kindle For PC" application will be pre-loaded on certain Asus mobile machines, but of course, only ones sold through Amazon.com. It's a unique partnership that provides immediate access to over half a million books in the Kindle store, and as with all Kindle apps, Kindle For PC includes Amazon's Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes a customer's notes, highlights, bookmarks and last page read across their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac and other devices.

The software will be loaded onto four Asus netbooks (the 1005PE in various colors) along with two versions of the UL30.  Take a gander here for glossies and a bit more detail.

ASUS Pre-installs Kindle for PC Application on Award-Winning Netbooks and Notebooks

Customers using Kindle for PC can enjoy over 540,000 books, including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases, on ASUS’ latest netbook and notebook products

FREMONT, California (May 24, 2010) — ASUS today announced that Amazon’s “Kindle for PC" application, which lets readers enjoy Kindle books on their personal computers (PC), will come pre-installed on select ASUS netbooks and notebooks sold at Amazon.com.  Kindle for PC enables customers to discover and read from over 540,000 books in the Kindle Store -the largest selection of the most popular books that people want to read -- including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases priced from $9.99.

Like all Kindle apps, Kindle for PC includes Amazon's Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes a customer's notes, highlights, bookmarks and last page read across their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac and other devices* so customers always have their reading material with them and never lose their place whether at home or on-the-go.

“We are thrilled that customers will begin to enjoy the Kindle for PC experience right out of the box with ASUS devices,” said Ben Thacker, VP Sales and Product Management, Systems Business Group, North American Channel, ASUS Computer International. “Kindle is something our customers have been asking for and by pre-installing Kindle for PC on select long battery life products, we believe we are providing our customers an even richer PC experience. Working with a customer-centric company such as Amazon and pre-installing their Kindle for PC application is a natural fit for ASUS.”

With the free Kindle for PC pre-installed on select ASUS netbooks and notebooks, consumers can take advantage of the following features and more:

• Purchase, download, and read more than 540,000 books, including 96 of 110 New York Times Bestsellers, plus tens of thousands of the most popular classics for free directly from their ASUS device.  Bestsellers such as “Backlash” by Aaron Allston, “Big Girl” by Danielle Steel, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot and “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown, and hundreds of thousands of other popular books are $9.99 or less in the Kindle Store
• Browse by genre or author, and take advantage of all the features that they enjoy in the Kindle Store, including Amazon.com customer reviews, personalized recommendations and editorial reviews
• Read the beginning of books for free before they decide to buy
• Access their Kindle books even if they don't have Kindle with them
• Synchronize last page read between their Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac, and other devices*
• Create new highlights, notes and bookmarks, and manage those created on their Kindle
• Choose from three different color modes: read in white, sepia, or black color modes and adjust the brightness of the display from within the application
• Choose from more than 10 different font sizes and adjust words per line
• Read books using full-screen mode of their PC

"We think customers are going to love the convenience and simplicity of having instant access to Kindle for PC from their ASUS device and access to a massive selection of Kindle books,” said Jay Marine, Director, Amazon Kindle.  “Kindle for PC lets customers enjoy over 540,000 books in the Kindle Store even if they don’t yet have a Kindle, and its the perfect companion application for the millions of Kindle and Kindle DX owners.”

Kindle for PC* is available today and comes preinstalled on the following ASUS Eee PC Netbooks with battery life** up to 11 hours:

1005PE-MU27- BK
1005PE-MU27-BU
1005PE-MU27-WT
1005PE-MU27-PI

And on the following ASUS ultra thin and light UL Series notebooks featuring over 11 hours of battery life **:

UL30A-X5K
UL30VT-X1K

These select ASUS netbooks and notebooks are available at Amazon.com with additional models arriving soon.

* Kindle for PC, a free application that allows customers to read Kindle content on a PC, is available for download on http://www.amazon.com/KindleforPC.

**Battery life measured with MobileMark 2007 in reader mode and can be different based upon usage and conditions.  Please visit http://usa.asus.com for more information.  Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.