Students can now rent textbooks electronically and view them on the Kindle through Amazon. Amazon released the news stating that the tens of thousands of available textbooks can be rented from as little as 30 days up to 360 days in length with the added option to simply add a day to the rental when needed.
Kindle Convenience
Reading through the Kindle has turned into more than a fad as Amazon continues to sell the little eReader device quite well. By adding rentals for college students the Kindle becomes a more versatile tool and makes carrying around all those books much less cumbersome. If you haven’t yet seen a Kindle up close, the device is incredibly light at just over 10 ounces. The screen is remarkable with surprising clarity allowing you to sit and read for great lengths of time without eyestrain.
Savings
The announcement is also a timely one as students begin the process of enrollment and planning for the upcoming fall semester. Amazon states students can “Save up to 80% off the list price of the print textbook”. With students averaging a cost of over $700 in books fees, an 80% savings can really add up.
Notes and Annotation
Obviously textbooks are about more than just reading. Students need to takes notes, make annotations and highlight passages that could potentially be important to their course. Amazon is making sure their rental textbooks meet students’ expectations in that respect. Annotations, notes, etc. will all be kept and accessible even after the rental has expired using Amazon’s Whispersync technology.
Ease of Access
Of course, textbooks can also be read by downloading any one of the many Kindle reading apps for your preferred device. Students can search the textbook database to see if their required texts are available.