App Store Coming to Kindle

Something a lot like apps will soon grace the Kindle, Amazon announced today. Amazon calls the program “active content,” envisioning interactive books, guides, and magazine and newspaper subscriptions. The news just happens to come days before Apple’s announcement of its own e-reader tablet, but this isn’t a tablet war, says Charlie Sorrel of Wired; Amazon’s a book seller first, so there will probably be a Kindle app on Apple’s device.

The Kindle developer’s kit will be out in limited beta form next month, with the first content expected to appear later this year. Zagat is already working on an interactive guide, and EA Mobile says it’ll bring some games to the tablet. Developers will have access to the Kindle’s 3G connection, with each app allowed to use 100KB a month for free—additional data will cost $0.15 per MB—raising the question of whether you'll finally be able to check your email on your Kindle.
(More Kindle stories.)