Amazon.com is trying to make Kindle e-books more attractive to nonfiction readers.
The company is releasing a feature that allows Kindle readers to hop between different pages in an e-book without losing their reading place.
Page Flip makes a note of the current page you are reading and “pins” it to the bottom of the screen while you scroll through pages to find one you want to re-visit. The screen can also jump into a “bird’s-eye” mode that shows a thumbnail grid of recent pages.
Amazon hopes the feature will be especially beneficial to those reading nonfiction books who may want to check a chart, map or highlight on a previous page.
Nonfiction readers asked for more advanced navigation features, Kindle Vice President Jeff Kunins said, pointing out that readers often make digital notes on pages and may want to return to them.
Page Flip is the “digital equivalent” of sticking your finger in a book to keep your page while you re-read a past page or flip forward, Kunins said.
Amazon announced a new version of its classic Kindle e-reader recently. The latest iteration is lighter and thinner and includes easy voice-to-text integration for readers with visual impairments.
Kindle e-readers and apps will be updated with the Page Flip feature.
A report from the Association of American Publishers released recently said that e-book sales decreased nearly 25 percent in January from the year before.
Amazon said sales are stronger than ever. The company does not release specific numbers involving Kindle usage, but said 2015 was a record year in both pages read and books bought.
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