Joining the unending parade of companies with some kind of app store is Amazon, which debuted the first app for the Kindle today — that app being Scrabble, which may have enough mainstream appeal to turn Amazon's app move into an instant success. But is it any good?
Initial reviews are favorable, though noted is one big limitation of the app: there's no way to play people on other Kindles, which is perplexing since the Kindle has a network connection. Being able to play with friends was a big factor in the game's (and its clones') success on Facebook. The only way to play a two-player game on the Kindle is to pass the gadget back and forth.
I suspect the limitation is because of whatever terms are in Amazon's deal with AT&T to use its network. With ever-increasing bandwidth demand from smartphones and their ilk, I can see AT&T insisting the Kindle use the network for books and casual Web browsing only. That, or Amazon's developers were just really lazy.
In any case, Scrabble for Kindle is here, and it can be yours for $4.99. Are you willing to fork over five bucks to play watered-down Scrabble on a non-touchscreen in 16 shades of gray? Let us know in the comments.
Amazon, via Wired Gadget Lab
