Word reaches us that Amazon has now activated a feature it first announced back in October, letting you “lend” Kindle books to others for a 14 day trial period.
The feature is available to registered users of the retailer’s Kindle devices and apps in the USA. Simply visit the Manage Account page, scroll to your ‘Orders’ list, click ‘Loan This Book’, enter the “borrower”‘s name, email address and an optional message… and you’re done.
Of course, this isn’t “lending” in its true sense, it’s just opening up a title to a free trial for another user. Still, as a viral way of spreading word about the Kindle ecosystem, now covering multiple mobile platforms as well as Windows and OSX, it’s a great idea. It’s not an original one though, Barnes & Noble offers a similar feature in the US already for its Nook e-reader although that platform simply can’t match the reach and accessibility of Kindle.
Not all Kindle titles are lendable, it’s down to individual rights holders to decide whether they want their publications to be included in the scheme.
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There’s no word as to when the feature might be enabled outside of the United States.
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