[thelink74]

i know there are already several threads going on about the Amazon Kindle App and i am aware that the Kindle App can be sideloaded. i have no knowleldge of sideloading the Kindle App and would prefer a native PlayBook App for Kindle so this morning i sent them the following inquiry:

"i own a BlackBerry PlayBook and am wondering when will the Kindle App be available. i am thinking about switching from reading physical books to reading them digitally. my friends recommend the Kindle store but i have not seen the Amazon kindle app yet for the BlackBerry PlayBook. are you folks working with RIM on an app or have an anticipated release date for PlayBook App?"

i got a response in about 2 hours and it seems to be a very positive although not a confirmation about an App being available for our PlayBooks:

Hello,

I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

Kindle for BlackBerry Playbook is not yet available, but stay tuned. You can view our Kindle apps currently available and discover when we�ve released Kindle for BlackBerry Playbook by following the link below:

Amazon.com: Free Kindle Reading Apps

Customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service we provide, and we're glad you took time to write to us. The Kindle Team will carefully review your suggestions.

Thanks for your interest in Kindle.

i sure hope this is not a generic response they give, but atleast they did not say "We have no plans on releasing a PlayBook App in the near future like some other companies (cough, Netflix, cough)...

[Chrisy]

Wow. Seems like it will be coming out sometime! Good news! Thanks.

[menaknow]

Generic response.

I think I got the same a year ago. Lets hope it has some weight on it though...

[domenic_lo_russo]

Same response I got when the PB was first released

[Beckham23]

Same response I got in December after I got my PB and messaged Amazon.

It is an automated response.

[yorkshireman2]

I think it is a generic 'cover our backs' response that sounds customer-focused, but says nothing and doesn't commit them in any way at all.

[ubizmo]

Yes, I got the same verbatim response last June. There is also still no official support for OS 7, although the earlier happens to work on OS 7, luckily. In fact, the Kindle apps for BB that are available have been "beta" since their release, and have never been updated. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Amazon has no interest in getting Kindle on existing RIM devices.

[joefri]

Someone has already done the work for them. I'll they have to do is convert the .apk and sign the bar file then submit it to app world and everyone will be happy because it shows up in app world. Save yourself some time and just learn how to Sideload it's not hard, you could be reading your books in less than 30 min.

[wellard]

I sideloaded it and it works perfectly. I did use the send feedback button in the app to ask when/if they would produce an official PB app and also pointed out that the sideloaded version works great and that it wouldn't take much effort to tweak and submit to app world. This is their response:-


Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk

As you have sideloaded android app you are able to use the Kindle app on your blackberry.

However, Kindle for Blackberry is available for US customers only from Amazon.com. I am sorry if this is disappointing for you.

I have forwarded your interest for Kindle app for Blackberry to our Kindle team.

Strong customer feedback like yours helps us continue to improve the service and products we provide, and we are glad you took time to write to us. I have sent your comments to the business team.

Please feel free to forward further comments and suggestions about Kindle to [email protected] . Each suggestion will be read and taken into consideration.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for choosing Amazon.co.uk

They appear to be confusing the phone app in that response even though they acknowledge the PlayBook

[Thunderbuck]

I'm inclined to say that Amazon does not want to offer Kindle on the Playbook right now. It would cannibalize too many Kindle Fire sales. How can Amazon charge $199 for a Kindle Fire when for that same price you could get a Playbook with double the onboard storage, stereo speakers, dual cameras, double the operating RAM, etc, etc...

A Kindle app would likely do very well for Amazon OUTSIDE the US but my experience tells me that the international market is of little interest to them.

[NaijaBerry]

My kindle app works great in Nigeria just can't buy some books but I get someone to buy in the US and send as a gift. I can also read drm free epubs with kindle converted to mobi with calibre and copied to my Playbook. If you want kindle learn how to sideload its easy and you'll be free from their generic auto responds and be very very happy

[Carl Estes]

I'm inclined to say that Amazon does not want to offer Kindle on the Playbook right now. It would cannibalize too many Kindle Fire sales. How can Amazon charge $199 for a Kindle Fire when for that same price you could get a Playbook with double the onboard storage, stereo speakers, dual cameras, double the operating RAM, etc, etc...

A Kindle app would likely do very well for Amazon OUTSIDE the US but my experience tells me that the international market is of little interest to them.

The Kindle Fire is being sold at or below cost to manufacture. Amazon is hoping/banking on app sales to generate the cash.

IF they did release an app for the Playbook, sales of the Amazon stuff would climb. Seems like a good idea to release for Playbook. More sales= mo' money, mo' money...

C

[TheQ805]

Yes, I got the same verbatim response last June. There is also still no official support for OS 7, although the earlier happens to work on OS 7, luckily. In fact, the Kindle apps for BB that are available have been "beta" since their release, and have never been updated. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that Amazon has no interest in getting Kindle on existing RIM devices.

How did you get those BB Kindle apps to work on OS7? I've tried to force the download from my BB but it won't go.

[Thunderbuck]

The Kindle Fire is being sold at or below cost to manufacture. Amazon is hoping/banking on app sales to generate the cash.

IF they did release an app for the Playbook, sales of the Amazon stuff would climb. Seems like a good idea to release for Playbook. More sales= mo' money, mo' money...

C

That's all true, but Amazon also gets better "lock-in" on their Kindle Fire users.

You make a point, though... maybe it IS in Amazon's best interest, even if it does cannibalize KF sales.

In the meantime, Kindle is easily the best, most useful sideload I've come across so far.

[neuroben]

Yes the sideloaded kindle works just fine. All of my books are available.

[Thunderbuck]

Someone has already done the work for them. I'll they have to do is convert the .apk and sign the bar file then submit it to app world and everyone will be happy because it shows up in app world. Save yourself some time and just learn how to Sideload it's not hard, you could be reading your books in less than 30 min.

Bear in mind, you CANNOT under any means submit someone else's app to App World, even if you converted the .apk to a .bar under your own developer key. There's a big controversy over Handster offering the Dolphin HD browser, and they likely had an actual legal right to do that.

That's called "plagerism". If Amazon does not want to offer Kindle through official channels, it has the right to make that decision.

[TheScionicMan]

I sideloaded the Kindle app onto my wife's PB. I handed it to her and asked her to put her credentials in. She said "Why?" I told her that she could now also read her kindle books on the PB. Again she says "Why?... If I want to read my Kindle books, I'll use my Kindle."

[thelink74]

Can you provide a link on how to sideload kindle app from beginning to end? Ive seen Adam from CrackBerry do a video but it did not show how he got the kindle app on his PC to the converter??