Amazon on Monday launched a tool named Kindle Convert for PC that lets users convert printed books to Kindle ebooks. The software is available to buy at $19 (roughly Rs. 1,200) and is compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8-based devices.
Users, in order to get their physical books converted into digital Kindle ebooks, would have to use a scanner that can produce jpeg, tiff or pdf files at 300-600 DPI, 24-bit colour depth or 8-bit grayscale or black and white colour compatibility. This includes most scanners found on most all-in-one printers.
First spotted by The Ebook Reader, Amazon Kindle Convert is currently limited to the US region, and features a $49 (roughly Rs. 3,000) full list price. The software includes automatic alignment and text editing functionalities. It also preserves the original text and images used in the book, and lets users adjust fonts.
Once scanned, the book can be saved in Kindle eBook format and added to the user's Amazon Cloud Drive storage, and Whispersync functionality is also present to let users pick up where they left off across devices. Annotations, dictionary look-up, and highlights are also supported. More information can be found on the Kindle Convert listing page on the Amazon.
The concept of converting physical books into a digital format is not new. One can also use free software to convert physical books into ebooks. However, the software from Amazon is meant to eliminate some of the complex processes of converting making it easier and straightforward to turn old scripts or books into a digital format and preserving them. This also gives users more control over their content, and sync and access across devices.
Amazon last month announced plans to offer a cloud-based email and calendar service to directly compete with Microsoft Outlook and others. Amazon Workmail lets users manage contacts, exchange emails and do more. The service is said to be made for corporate customers that currently pay for Microsoft Outlook or other services.
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