How to Read a Kindle Book Without a Kindle

By Michael Butler

If your bookshelves are full, consider digital books.
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Amazon Kindle users can read digital copies of books downloaded from Amazon on their Kindle devices. If you do not have a Kindle, you can still download digital books from Amazon's Kindle Store and read them on a device that you do have. Amazon has Kindle reading applications available for Windows, Mac, iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry. The process for reading Kindle books on all of these devices is similar.

Step 1

Download the Kindle application for your device. Windows and Mac users can do so by visiting Amazon's Kindle Reading Apps Web page ("See Resources"). Mobile device users can download the application for their device through the device's App Store or Marketplace. All Kindle applications are free.

Step 2

Start the Kindle application after it finishes downloading and installing.

Step 3

Enter the email address associated with your Amazon account and your Amazon account password. This registers the Kindle application with Amazon so that the retailer knows where to send your digital books.

Step 4

Open your Web browser and go to the Kindle Store. Find a Kindle book that you would like to read.

Step 5

Locate the "Buy Now With 1-Click" button on the right-hand side of the book's page in the Kindle Store. Directly under the button there is a drop-down menu with book delivery options. Select the device you want to read the book on from the menu and then click the "Buy Now With 1-click" button to purchase and download the book.

Step 6

Open the Kindle application on your device. The book will be listed in the app's "Home" screen. Select the book to begin reading.

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