Big news for Kindle owners – Amazon to release a Kindle SDK
By Paul Biba
According to a news release from Amazon, next month they will be releasing an SDK (software development kit) that will allow software developers to build and upload active content that will be available on the Kindle store later this year. The release states that Handmark is developing an active Zagat guide, Sonic Boom is building word games and puzzles and EA Mobile is porting some of its games.
Of course the Kindle can never be real competition in this area for anything Apple might offer. The slow-drawing e-ink screen and low horsepower CPU will severely limit the type of applications that will run well on a Kindle. On the other hand, the long battery life and free 3G wireless, along with the new games and applications, will ratify the purchase of a Kindle to current owners, and will draw a continued stream of buyers given the Kindle’s unparalleled ease of use and large, low priced book supply. Further, it gives Amazon more clout with publishers as it enhances the popularity of the already most popular reader on the market. The continued spin and publicity that this announcement will generate can only make awareness of ebooks even greater. Good for everyone.
The full press release is after the break. Thanks to Aaron Pressman for the heads up.
Technorati Tags:
Amazon, Apple, e-book, e-books, ebook, ebooks, Kindle, Paul Biba
For the past two years, Amazon has welcomed authors and publishers to directly upload and sell content in the Kindle Store through the self-service Kindle publishing platform. Today, Amazon announced that it is inviting software developers to build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year. The new Kindle Development Kit gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle–the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product across all categories on Amazon. Developers can learn more about the Kindle Development Kit today at http://www.amazon.com/kdk/ and sign up to be notified when the limited beta starts next month.
“We’ve heard from lots of developers over the past two years who are excited to build on top of Kindle,” said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “The Kindle Development Kit opens many possibilities–we look forward to being surprised by what developers invent.”
The Kindle Development Kit enables developers to build active content that leverages Kindle’s unique combination of seamless and invisible 3G wireless delivery over Amazon Whispernet, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, and long battery life of seven days with wireless activated. For example, Handmark is building an active Zagat guide featuring their trusted ratings, reviews and more for restaurants in cities around the world, and Sonic Boom is building word games and puzzles.
“As the leading worldwide publisher of mobile games, EA Mobile has had the privilege of collaborating with many dynamic and innovative companies in bringing exciting gaming experiences to new platforms,” says Adam Sussman, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing, EA Mobile. “Working with Amazon, we look forward to bringing some of the world’s most popular and fun games to Kindle and their users.”
Starting next month, participants in the limited beta will be able to download the Kindle Development Kit, access developer support, test content on Kindle, and submit finished content. Those wait-listed will be invited to participate as space becomes available. The Kindle Development Kit includes sample code, documentation, and the Kindle Simulator, which helps developers build and test their content by simulating the 6-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX on Mac, PC, and Linux desktops.
About Amazon Kindle
Kindle and Kindle DX are the revolutionary portable readers that wirelessly download books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and personal documents to a crisp, high-resolution electronic ink display that looks and reads like real paper. Kindle and Kindle DX utilize the same 3G wireless technology as advanced cell phones, so users never need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot. Kindle is the most wished for, the most gifted, and the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.
January 21st, 2010 at 12:20 pm
An SDK release is a solid indication of Amazon’s commitment to Kindle hardware. (For those who actually doubted it.)
It also documents the system internals, which should make system extensions/hacks easier and opens the door to third-party support of other ebook formats, with or without Amazon blessing.
If Adobe really wants to see ADE on Kindle, they can port it over and offer it to end users.
The real question will be how tightly will Amazon control the installation of apps; will the use an Apple-like deathgrip or allow free and open end-user control?
Sounds like the unicorn is definiely real…
January 21st, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Agreed — an SDK is a very positive development.
Although I am a LOUD proponent of using the Kindle 2 to actually, well, read on — an SDK would allow the third party development of personalisation perks like screen-savers, simple games (I’m thinking airplane breaks such as Sodoku or *gasp* word games like “ABCDE is a definition for … with multiple choice, scoring, and full definitions of the words), font updates, and minor functionality updates that Amazon hasn’t thought of. Since the Kindle has 2 GB of onboard storage, any application requiring some fixed database could easily make use of the excess available (like my proposed word game).
Bravo!
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:58 pm
If they allow people like Adobe to create apps to read other ebook file-formats/DRM, I will finally buy a Kindle.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Hmm, just had a thought…
The newspaper types’ main gripe with Kindle is that Amazon controls the customer relationship. A Kindle SDK/app store would solve that problem easily by letting the NYT, Journal, Hearst, and whomever create a custom front end that plugs into Kindle and runs on whispernet but doesn’t run off Amazon’s servers and billing dept; they could simply pay Amazon a simple bandwidth fee and a percentage of the subscription and the big press guys get to have their cake and eat it too; access to the Kindle installed base and account control.
Similarly, small specialty publishers and authors could set up Kindle App/storefronts to front-end their online communities (Tor.com, Baen’s Bar, etc) and even alternate bookstores.
I could see a use for a Webscriptions app that emails purchases from a kindle app so Amazon still gets their bandwidth fee and the reader gets their anywhere/anytime access. Folks are already buying kindle content from non-Amazon stores anyway, providing onboard access isn’t losing Amazon any real sales plus they get to count the alternates as part of the Kindle ecosystem.
There might even be a way to use an Overdrive app to enable public library books on kindle (despite the lack of a real-time-clock) though that might be pushing it a bit.
There certainly is room for a much tighter DRM scheme based on phone-home license authentications for the really paranoid publishers out there.
Possibilities, possibilities…
Once you put an SDK out, the gadget becomes a platform and with connected devices like Kindles, platformization opens up a world of possibiities for social connectivity as well as commerce.
Things can get interesting by next year.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:31 am
I’d like to see apps that would make the Kindle community grow, by adding a social flavor to reading. The Kindle is too close and I believe that being able to share ebooks with friends, having apps that let users create quizzes and competitions or donate ebooks to cafes, airports, train stations where anybody could pick them and read them could be a game changer.
I wrote about a couple of ideas for new Kindle apps on http://www.bealoud.com/technology/kindle-development-kit/ Personally I think that Bookcrossing could be revived with a specific app that would benefit Amazon a lot. I’d like to know what Kindle apps you would like to see developed.