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back to article Amazon opens Kindle to third-party apps

Amazon is opening its Kindle ebook reader to third-party software apps as part of an apparent effort to fend off an imminent challenge from Apple's tablet. Late Wednesday evening Pacific time, Amazon announced that it will offer a Kindle SDK (software development kit) sometime next month. The initial release will be billed as …

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  1. John 62
    Headmaster

    the first app

    will use the text-to-speech function to shout 'FART!'

    Coming soon to the ------ ------ eBook reader!*

    *Blanks because it's not allowed to use the words 'Amazon' or 'Kindle'

    (Pic because it looks like he's farting)

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  2. heyrick Silver badge

    100K/month?

    That might prove something of a bottleneck for some apps, like a weather reporter. It's only ~3K/day!

    Still, makes something of a change to the iPhone/iShop/iApp method. :-)

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wonder when

    Someone will have the balls to submit an ebook reader app that can read ePub books?

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  4. uhuznaa

    Sounds desperate

    E-ink screens are bloody awful for any kind of application that does more than displaying static things to look at and page through. The kindle has only very limited controls, too. And 100kb a month is nothing. I'm sure there are a few interesting things you can do with this platform but for the mass market there won't be many of them. Well, sometimes tight limitations are good for coming up with clever ideas...

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    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Sounds desperate

      >100kb a month is nothing.

      But it's free. A text message is <128bytes but costs 10p / 25c (on PAYG)

      So a kindle can send >100quids worth of free text messages/month - should make it popular with kids

      And that's per app not per unit - so you can have a dozen different txting apps installed.

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  5. Adam T

    Anyone for a game of...

    Noughts & Crosses?

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    1. Tom Chiverton 1
      Reply Icon

      o

      How about a nice game of chess ?

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    A sceptic writes

    So, that wireless data allowance on the crippled European kindle service, 100 bytes per month?

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  7. J 3
    Welcome

    Amazon will not permit...

    Does that mean they will be screening the apps like Apple does, or will they rely on users "reporting abuse"?

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  8. Justin Clements

    Too little too late

    They are reacting now to Apple, and it's too little too late.

    Any developer worth his salt will be hanging back for the iSomething SDK, if they haven't already got it. Apple will bring in the sales, get the market share, and job done.

    The Kindle is very nice, but, its all too late. They should have released this 18 months ago, not on the eve of the Apple iSomething.

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