By: Steph Dlugon
PC Magazine reported today that Amazon’s Kindle eReader will now support applications. The announcement seems to have come from out of the blue, and is being seen as a clear attempt to steal some of Apple’s thunder. Apple has been hogging up the limelight with its recent announcement that it will unveil a new product on January 27th. The general consensus is that they plan to release a slate or tablet device.
Amazon says a beta version of the development kit for the Kindle is due out in February. The kit will contain sample code, documentation and a simulator. So far two different companies are producing apps for the Kindle. Handmark is creating a Zagat guide. The company developed the iPhone version of the Zagat dining guide which currently sells on the iTunes app store for $9.99. And New York City-based Sonic Boom is underway developing puzzles and word games. Like Handmark, Sonic Boom has also developed for the iPhone. And according to cnet news, software giant EA Sports is developing Kindle games.
The Kindle with the 6” diagonal display sells for $259. The unit with the 9.7” display runs $489 which is a bit less than half the predicted cost of the Apple tablet.
At this stage there doesn’t appear to be much detail on the Kindle app store. Apple has been saddled with complaints about its app submission process. Google’s Android Market invites open development and a much more developer-friendly approval process. It remains to be seen which model Amazon will follow, or if it has any more surprises up its sleeve.
