back to article Kindle users finally get to pay for games

Kindle users bored of the latest bonkbuster can now run up a game of scrabble on their e-ink screens, once they've shelled out $5 for the privilege. In January Amazon announced a Kindle software development kit, and put a call out for applications to turn its e-book reader into a tablet platform. Since then we've seen a couple …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    where is hangman?

    and chess

    and learning/teaching applications?

    there are many applications that don't need colours or refresh rate. It is surprising that the kindle doesn't have a WordPad like application!

    training books for the kindle could actually have a built-in interactive Q&A. Why don't them have them yet!

  2. Version 1.0 Silver badge
    Happy

    Looks like a port

    This looks a lot like the crappy version of Scrabble that EA did for Apple - it will keep the kiddies amused but for a serious Scrabble play it's a very much flawed product. So far, the best "tablet based" Scrabble game is on the Windows Mobile platform but unfortunately it's not been updated for years.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Too late?

    I never understood the point of the Kindle. Everthing is multifunctional these days and Amazon thought it was a good idea to release a product that was effectively single function. And now it seems we are supposed to treat it as news that it's finally got another "function".

    1. Dapprman

      Not Quite ...

      Thing is they are small, light, cheap (now), large screen and no glare so can be read for long periods of time, even in sunlight.

      The main issue in the past had been the cost, but the new Kindle has effectively halved the price and may even have started a price war with the other manufacturers.

      Sure I can read ebooks on my mobile phone - I used to years ago on my old Palm Vx and Tungsten T2, but then you have small size and glare on the eyes. Yes you can use a netbook, but that's not practical on a train/plane and again you have glare, and you can use an iPad, but they are expensive, heavy over short periods (it's amusing watching people on the tube get in to increasingly uncomfortable looking positions as they try to support the weight of their iPads), and again you have glare.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @AC, 27th September 2010 11:28 GMT

      this is my biased opinion.

      the single function of the kindle was its greats selling point for me. With multifunction devices (specially the PC), those other function do distract you from reading. Before you start reading for some reason checking your email, checking the news and pressing F5 on webpages become a higher priority.

      so in my view, there are many distractions out there, the kindle's single functionality helped reducing them, when it is in use.

  4. oddie

    Reg Hardware

    It's very good that you have managed to review 'the only 3rd party game so far' on the Kindle, but do you think you could you get your hardware boys and girls to take the 3rd gen Kindle itself for a spin?

    It's been a while since your last ebook-reader comparison and I have money burning a hole in my pocket (Kindle=Christmas so far, but your reviews have always had a way of discovering a ringer or two :)

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon

      Sir

      If you are up for an e-reader, the Kindle is superb (for me).

      There are app's on the net for converting your pdf manuals to Kindle friendly sized pages etc. and plenty of raw text books (ie free) out there.

      I got mine two weeks ago and I've hardly put the thing down, I've gone through 8 books so far.

      It was cheap enough to take a chance on at £109, but there are some downsides. The text to voice interpreter is great, as long as you're reading Hawkins guide to the universe - anything other than that it just seems a little odd :)

      The browser actually works (over wi-fi) for emergency purposes, but too clunky for any other use, having to zoom in and out to move about on the screen is slow, but it works.

  5. John Tserkezis

    Oh great.

    As if it wasn't bad enough that Apple turds can't resist playing games on their iPhones on my daily train commute. Now the Kindle brigade (clearly bored with reading books) are going to join them too.

  6. Graham Marsden
    Thumb Down

    "lack of international support"

    This is due to the long running playground spat between Hasbro and Mattel. Hasbro have the rights for the game in the USA and Canada, Mattel have the rights for the rest of the world and they cannot agree to play nicely together...

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