Amazon acquires iPhone ereader app developer Lexcycle

Online retail giant Amazon.com continues to raise its profile on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch devices by acquiring mobile development startup Lexcycle, the firm behind the popular Stanza free ereader application. Financial terms of the deal, first announced Monday via Lexcycle's blog, were not disclosed. "We are not planning any changes in the Stanza application or user experience as a result of the acquisition," writes Lexcycle co-founder Marc Prud'hommeaux. "Customers will still be able to browse, buy, and read ebooks [1]from our many content partners. We look forward to offering future products and services that we hope will resonate with our passionate readers."

Named one of the top five free iPhone applications last year by sister publication FierceDeveloper [2], the Stanza app offers complete novels available either under public domain or via Creative Commons licenses. In addition to English-class perennials spanning from The Great Gatsby to Pride and Prejudice, the Stanza app also delivers content from magazine websites including The Atlantic Monthly and Wired, exploiting the iPhone's generous screen size as well as an easy-to-read layout and typeface to make certain the digital text doesn't strain the eyes.

The Stanza acquisition follows just weeks after Amazon began shipping the second edition of its $359 Kindle [3] ereader device, trailed soon after by news [4] the company plans to introduce a free Kindle ebook application for the iPhone and iPod touch, promising Apple customers full access to more than 240,000 premium digital titles. Amazon contends mobile phones will complement--not cannibalize--the Kindle model, offering users the opportunity to read books in abbreviated, snack-size periods. "We think the iPhone can be a great companion device for customers who are caught without their Kindle," Ian Freed, Amazon's vice president in charge of the Kindle, told the New York Times, adding consumers will still favor the Kindle for extended reading sessions due to the device's long battery life and text-friendly screen.

For more on the Amazon/Lexcycle deal:
- read this Lexcycle blog entry [5] and also check out this Stanza demo video [1]