subject: Gaming On The Amazon Kindle Reader [print this page] The Amazon Kindle reader has been a tremendous success for Amazon since it was first introduced in November of 2007. The updated Kindle 2.0, released in February 2009 was a huge influence in the rapid growth and development of the e-book reader market and the new Kindle 3 reader, unveiled at the end of July 2010, has been selling like hot cakes.
According to Amazon, the new Kindle 3 has been selling faster than any previous Kindle did during the equivalent post launch period. It's a long way removed from the widely predicted death of the Kindle that so many industry watchers forecast following the launch of the Apple iPad.
It's a compliment to the Kindle - albeit a backhanded one - that, until now, its only realistic competition has come in the form of a multi-functional tablet computer which costs over three times the price of the Kindle. Were Amazon to treble the price of the Kindle, it seems reasonable to assume that some extra functionality could possibly be added.
However, that doesn't seem likely to happen. The Kindle is clearly intended to be a specialist e-book reader. The iPad is a versatile device. They are two totally different kinds of gadget aimed at different market sectors. A blow by blow technical comparison is unlikely to produce anything meaningful.
Notwithstanding that, it's interesting to note that Kindle games are starting to appear on the market. Clearly gaming is an area where the iPad wins hands down - the Kindle's screen, whilst performing brilliantly as an e-book reader, is simply not suited for anything which requires a fast refresh rate.
So it's hardly surprising that the types of games being released for the Kindle are mainly word puzzles and number games. At the moment, the most popular Kindle game is the classic Scrabble. Other choices include crosswords, Sudoku, solitaire and general word puzzles. Just to be clear, we're not talking about Halo or Grand Theft Auto here - but, without stereotyping too much, it probably makes sense that someone who reads a lot might also enjoy solving word puzzles and maybe playing Sudoku.
Scrabble for the Kindle is currently selling for $ 4.99 and is the top selling Kindle game at this time. There are other games available in the price range of $ 0.99 to $ 4.99. We can even see some free games becoming available, a trend which - if Kindle games develop along the same lines as Kindle books - will most likely increase in future.
