Amazon launches the Kindle Development Kit
Amazon announced a Kindle Development Kit that will allow the publishing and selling of third party apps in the Kindle Store. Access to programming tools and documentation will start next month with a limited beta on the Kindle Development Kit for active content website.
App developers will keep 70% of the revenue (same split as the iPhone revenue sharing model) after covering the costs of wireless delivery.
What Kindle apps should Amazon sell?
The Kindle is not a multimedia device and cannot compete with the iPhone or other mobile handsets with more powerful hardware and color screens, like the future Apple tablet (if it’s going to be equipped with an E-Ink capable display).
Other ebook readers will probably have better hardware, but developers should focus on improving the reading experience on the Kindle instead of just porting existing apps from other devices.
Gaming on the Kindle would be very limited, but game concepts based on interactive reading, like gamebooks (also known as choose your adventure books), would be perfect for ebook readers and could be revived by adding a multiplayer interface that would create new stories depending on the players involved.
In conclusion, Amazon’s goal is to keep its dominant position in the ebook reader market by making the Kindle the best choice for book lovers because of its exclusive apps and benefits.
Ideas on how to build Kindleville
Two cornerstones that would help Amazon in increasing ebook sales and building a community of Kindlers are book discovery and sharing.
Pushing book lovers to discover new titles and explore new authors, review books and take part in quizzes and competitions in exchange of discount codes for ebooks could also work if users had the ability to create their own quizzes and participate in teams or individually.
The first apps that could help in building a community of Kindlers would be the ones aimed at existing online book lover communities like Shelfari and Anobii. Scanning barcodes would still be possible only by using smartphone software like the Anobii iPhone App, but users on book lover social networks should be the first target of Amazon’s expansion plan.
Targeting Shelfari and Anobii users by offering them a deal to buy the Kindle and have the money back without the obligation of returning it if they don’t like the ereader after a few weeks of usage, would increase ebook sales and word of mouth advertising in social networks.
An Ebookcrossing platform could allow users to create treasure hunt games based on book quotes and riddles that could exploit the Kindle’s GPS. Bookcrossing would be refreshed if users could lend ebooks (one of the features that make the Nook stand apart), or just tie an ebook to a location (airports, train stations, coffee shops, parks…). Making ebook sharing fun should be Amazon’s top priority.
These are just a few ideas that I’m sure Kindle developers are already considering working on. If I were a developer maybe I would just start a discussions on Shelfari and ask: What kind of app would you like on the Kindle?
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