Verizon announced today that it will pre-install the Amazon Kindle app on its Android handsets. The eReader application will initially be available on the Motorola DROID X, the Motorola DROID 2, and the Samsung Fascinate. Beyond this trio, other un-named devices will also ship with Amazon’s popular eReader pre-installed.
For eBook fans, the Amazon Kindle app is a welcome addition to your Android handset. The application gives users access to Amazon’s catalog of 700,000 eBooks on their mobile device. Users can read purchased books on their mobile device and reading progress will be synced across all platforms thanks to Amazon’s whispersync feature.
While those with a Kindle may be delighted with the news, those that don’t use a Kindle and have no interest in reading on their handset will be disappointed by the following revelation. Apparently, Verizon must have rolled the application into the ROM which means it can’t be removed. Of course if you have root access, you can rename or remove the apk but the average user will be stuck with Amazon’s eReader app on their handset, like it or not.
This inclusion of non-removable apps by a carrier opens up a whole new can of worms for the Android community. Not only is Android dealing with the issue of fragmentation, the platform will soon have to deal with the growing trend of bloatware pre-installed on your handset. Ugh. If you are still interested, you can check out the press release on the next page.