Today Amazon released a version of its Kindle e-book reading software that can be installed on an iPhone, or iPod Touch (it’s a free download from the iTunes AppStore).

This means you no longer have to own Amazon’s $US359 Kindle 2 tablet to access the 240,000 or so Kindle versions of books (and newspapers and magazines) on Amazon.com.

By porting its Kindle software to iPhone, Amazon illustrates it's smart enough to know any standards war is not about controlling hardware but software.

A growing band of imitators – including Google, and several lesser names – have already released e-book software for iPhone.

Amazon’s move cuts the imitators off at their knees. Few will choose Google’s library of copyright-expired classics over Amazon’s 240,000 strong Kindle selection, which includes most best-sellers.

As George W Bush said, in his only good quote, ever: “The weak build walls. The strong tear them down” (unfortunately he forgot his own line, about trade protectionism, once elected, but it still holds true).

By spreading its Kindle software far and wide, Amazon will lose a little hardware revenue, but is now much better to positioned to control standards in the whole e-book market.

But, arrrrrrrrrrghhhh, it’s not that far and wide. Kindle for iPhone is only available on the US version of iTunes.

New Zealanders, and others of the Kindle-curious outside North America will just have to wait.

I know you might be dubious about someone reading an e-book on an iPhone – and, to a degree – I am too.

Yet a friend’s daughter recently read an entire vampire novel on her iPhone. Remember, people used to guffaw about Kindle too, before it started to outsell iPod.

And bear in mind, too, that, Kindle is not just about books, Amazon is also selling Kindle versions of most popular newspapers and magazines now, too, which are automatically downloaded to your tablet (or, now iPhone) each day.

However, a Kindle subscription to a newspaper usually costs $US9.99 a month - unattractive when most papers now have mobile-optimised versions of their website content available free for sellphones (iPhone owners, by all means proceed to m.nbr.co.nz).

A good read
An iPhone screen will never look as good as Kindle’s famed e-Ink, paper-like screen, but the Apple version nevertheless has some nice features, like the ability to download books on the go via wi-fi or Safari, plus Whispersync, which lets you shuffle an e-book between a Kindle tablet and your iPhone without losing your place. It’s early notices are good.

"People don't read anymore"
Buried in an otherwise routine Kindle on iPod story in the New York Times today, there's a great quote from Apple's AWOL chief executive, who once dismissed Kindle with “the whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”

In fact Citigroup reckons Kindle-related purchases will bring Amazon $US1.2 billion this year. Now that's some good reading.

Aussie bushfires delay NBN announcement
Australian Communications and IT minister Stephen Conroy was due to use the CeBIT tradeshow as a platform to announce the winner of his government's $A4.7 billion tender for its national broadband network today.

But Senator Conroy only issued a short note to the effect that the demands of the recent bushfire tragedy had diverted his attention, delaying a decision, The Australian reports.

Acting on behalf of the senator, an expert panel is trying to choose a "preferred bidder." Most prominent in the field of finalists are Optus and Canada'sAxia, Telstra having been excluded from the bidding process for failing to submit a full tender.

Investers hope Telstra, whose shares have crashed since the exclusion, can now re-engage with the government on the NBN following last week's resignation of its top three executives.