Good for games? Amazon will begin selling third-party applications for its e-reader via the Kindle store later this year.
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But do apps make sense for a dedicated e-reader?
It's an exciting time for lovers of digital books. Last week, Amazon announced plans to release a software development kit for the Kindle, so that other companies can develop and sell applications for the e-reader. Tomorrow, Apple is expected to announce a tablet device that could be a significant threat to the Kindle's position as the leading e-reader.
Susan Kevorkian, program director for mobile media and entertainment at the research firm IDC, says Amazon's timing, just in advance of the Apple announcement, isn't pure coincidence. "Apps for the Kindle will enable users to leverage its persistent connectivity to expand Kindle's functionality beyond digital book and periodical reading," she says.
But with a payment scheme that puts developers on the hook for some wireless download costs and a challenging user interface, the Kindle might not enjoy the wide variety of apps already available for the iPhone.
Amazon says applications of all sorts should be available on the Kindle store later this year. The development software is still being tested and revised. But a handful of software developers, including game maker Sonic Boom of New York, were given an early version of the development kit a few months ago so they could start working on products. Amazon says a larger group of testers will get ahold of the software next month.
Josh Grant, Sonic Boom's chief operating officer, says the company is already working on developing a few simple games for the Kindle, including card games, puzzles, and word games. These will be ready when the Kindle application store launches. "We'll see how those do and get some market data" before pursuing a few more innovative ideas, Grant says.
Sonic Boom also makes games for a wide variety of cell phones, including the iPhone. Grant says that Amazon seems to recognize the "challenge for content providers who work with Apple ecosystem." The problem, he says, is getting an application recognized among 120 million others. Amazon's payment scheme should cut back on the number of developers, because it makes them responsible for paying $0.15/megabyte for downloads. Hobbyists likely won't submit programs to the Kindle store due to the potential costs involved, which will make it easier for professional developers like Sonic Boom to garner customers' attention.
Another mobile software developer, Handmark Studios, is already working on a version of its Zagat To Go restaurant locator software for the Kindle. Cassidy Lackey, vice president of Handmark, says Amazon's pricing scheme also makes a difference in terms of development. "You don't really have to pay as much attention to network usage on a device like the iPhone. For the Kindle, you don't want to be downloading a whole bunch of great big images," Lackey says. The developer wouldn't want to pay for all that downloaded content, and the Kindle's black-and-white E-Ink screen isn't ideal for image display.
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The common wisdom, and one that makes intuitive sense, is that the Kindle needs to be a convergent device. You wouldn't think you would want to carry two kinds of tablets. Somehow though I wish this were not the case, and that marketing of electronics could make a feasible argument for the reduction of applications on a device. This is a reason Blackberry is still good for checking e-mail, even though IPHONE is much more convergent with more apps. Being overwhelmed with choices, when going to check e-mails, is like being distracted when going to read a book. Sometimes the core technology is still the most important.
How will a tablet change things?
In my opinion this fabled table wont change a thing, if its just a giant iphone then i dont think it will. Current laptops havent changed the way we read ebooks, the iphone hasnt changed the way we read ebook, so why would a tablet be any different? the major problem computers have with respect to long reading sessions is battery life due to the high power requirements of the screen, the kindle solves this. Another major issue is also with the screen and thats eye strain due to the lcd or led the screen is made of, the tablet wont change either of those so the kindle has nothing to worry about.
Re: How will a tablet change things?
The iPad is the first of Apple's family of lighter, thinner, and more capable computer/brower family. iPad changes everything for students, people who love to browse the web, readers of hard copy books who want something light to read in bed, salespeople who want to show buyers more options, technicians repairing advanced jet engines, people who love to play games on the iphone and watch videos in cars- planes -subways, artists, architects, there are millions of good income people who are potential customers for this product. Shortly, when it weighs less than a pound and is about a 1/4" thick the floodgates will really open.
Apps for the Kindle make a lot of sense. I have one and would love to play chess on it. It will make a product that already exists, and is out in the world, better. Which helps sales.
As for tablet PC's, there are a lot of innovations going on for low power, easy to read,color, screens.
Two of the top contenders are:
http://www.pixelqi.com/
http://www.gizmag.com/qualcomm-mirasol-display/13819/
There are many contenders, these seem to be the front runners at this time.
If they can get one of these technologies to work, tablet PC's will be everything you will need on the go.
It may happen this year. There is a lot of money going into this.
-Dennis
www.PrometheusGoneWild.com
I just think Amazon sees the writing on the wall. These devices will continue to converge (phone, music, readers, cameras, etc.) they want to stay in the game. In my view, they ought to lay out a solid long-term vision for how they see the Kindle developing. But, I'm sure they have an internal product roadmap, don't they?
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
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357 Comments
Amazon is in for the long fight
I doubt that Amazon will allow Apple to gain a controlling foothold in this growing market. Other than the reasons given in the article, Amazon is probably hard at work designing a successor to the Kindle that will have most of the features (color, speed, fast refresh, touch screen, better UI) that critics says are currently lacking. They may also have to give their authors and app developers a better deal than Apple. Consider also that the e-reader market threatens to grow big real fast, bigger than netbooks at least, maybe even replacing smart phones for some. A sufficiently powerful descendant of the Kindle (or some other e-reader) may turn out to be an actual Windows/Intel killer. In which case, Amazon's engineers will need to redouble their effort so as to remain the leader in this market.
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