News : Amazon allows Kindle access from iPhone

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon.com is offering a new application to let consumers access books on its electronic reader Kindle from Apple Inc's popular iPhone and iPod Touch devices.

With the free application, available on Apple's application store, consumers can synchronize Kindles with iPhones and iPod Touch, giving those users access to more than 240,000 books available on Kindle, Amazon said in a statement on Wednesday.

With the "Kindle for iPhone and iPod touch" application, a user can read a few pages of a book on the Kindle or its newer version, Kindle 2, and continue reading from where they left off on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Users can shop for books on their Kindle or online and wirelessly transfer the books to the iPhone or iPod Touch. They will also be able to access all previously bought Kindle books, adjust the text size or add bookmarks.

Though a tiny fraction of Amazon's business, the Kindle draws strong interest from investors and gadget lovers, amid speculation that the device might eventually be enhanced to compete with devices like the iPod.

Last month, Amazon unveiled a slimmer Kindle 2 with more storage, but kept a high price tag at $359 that is likely to limit its appeal to a mass audience.

Analysts say Amazon may not want to push the device too quickly into the market, so it can preserve a much higher revenue base from selling printed books and avoid direct competition with companies like Apple.

Amazon shares rose 1.4 percent to $62.55 in pre-market trading.

(Reporting by Aarthi Sivaraman; Editing by Derek Caney)