If you live in an area where Internet connection is intermittent at best, it can get very frustrating, especially when all you want is to read a book on your smartphone. In the tradition of apps getting a Lite version to accommodate those kinds of markets, Amazon is releasing a beta version of a Kindle Lite app, specifically for users in India. The app, although still unreleased, is targeted for those who want to read their Kindle ebooks on their device but only have slow connections.
Just like other lightweight versions of apps, Kindle Lite only has the basic functions available so you can actually make it work even with 2G connections. You will be able to see the books you’ve recently read or opened, and then their suggested books from the same author or the same category. You’ll also get access to the Kindle Store in case you want to purchase or “rent” any of the books. You also have a dedicated Data and Storage section so you can monitor if you’re going over your network and storage usage.
The app is just 2MB so you can still install it on your device if you have limited storage. However it won’t have other features like Popular Highlights, X-Ray, Flashcards, etc. It does have Whisper Sync so that you can continue reading where you left off. And since this app is built for Indian users, they’ll get access to books written in local languages, like Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, and Malayalam.
The app is still unreleased so there might be some issues. But you can try it out first and give feedback to Amazon on bugs you might encounter. However, to download the app, you need to be in India of course. You can download the Kindle Lite for free from the Google Play Store.
