Innovations Software Technology

Innovations Software Technology on Ulitzer

Amazon Thursday turned its Kindle e-reader into a software development platform.

It means to release a limited beta Kindle Development Kit next month complete with sample code, APIs, tools, and documentation so ISVs can build so-called "active content" for the dingus.

Which means it could turn more than just an e-book. More like maybe Apple's unannounced, presumably competitive and reportedly multi-function "iSlate," supposedly due to be unveiled Wednesday at a much higher price point than Kindle.

The SDK will include a Kindle Simulator to simulate the six-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX on Mac, Windows and Linux desktops.

Exactly how limited the beta will be is unclear but Amazon is telling developers to sign up at http://www.amazon.com/kdk/ so they're notified when the widgetry's out.

For the past two years, Amazon has had authors and publishers directly upload and sell content in the Kindle Store through a self-service Kindle publishing platform. A closed shop.

Kindle VP Ian Freed said Amazon is looking forward "to being surprised by what developers invent." Kindle is still merely a digital representation of black ink on white paper with minimal graphics support and slow refresh so invention may be kinda limited but there's Kindle's gee-whiz 3G wireless delivery over Amazon's Whispernet and the gadget's seven-day battery life even with the wireless connection activated.

Amazon said Handmark is building a searchable Zagat guide of ratings and reviews of restaurants and Sonic Boom is building word games and puzzles.

Applications - a word that Amazon studiously avoids - that don't use more than 100KB of bandwidth a month will be available as a one-time purchase, bigger ones will be sold as a monthly subscription and need a USB; really little ones will be free.

Amazon Wednesday dangled the iPhone-like option of a 70% royalty net of file size at 15 cents a megabyte in front of U.S. publishers and writers. The scheme, which starts June 30, would practically double the average bookseller's margin but Amazon still means to keep an unnatural $10 ceiling on books.

Another program that ends January 25 was unearthed by Tech Crunch. Buy a Kindle, try it for 30-day and if you don't love it, you get your money back but get to keep the Kindle.