I’ve always been a big fan of eBook readers.  And I’ve been pretty vocal about the Kindle being my favorite of the bunch.

For me it’s the combination of the thumb keyboard and the free wireless data that makes the Kindle so compelling.

The one limiting factor, in my mind, has been the inability to develop and distribute custom applications (and games).

That’s all changing, now that the Kindle Software Development Kit (or “KDK” for short) is available in Beta form.

Of course, the very second I heard this was going to be made available, I hopped on over to the KDK website and signed myself up.  Shortly thereafter I had my account approved and I was off and running.

(Amazon is being selective right now about who gets access to the KDK.  Which makes sense as it is still in Beta.  This will, I am sure, open up a great deal later on.)

I’m not sure how much I can publicly talk about, or if I can show screenshots, etc. (if it turns out Amazon is okay with me “spilling beans” and “lifting the curtain a bit”, you can be sure I will here on my blog) but, in the meantime, here’s a quick synopsis of what you can already publicly find out:

• Applications are written in Java.
• A Kindle Simulator is included to test your Kindle apps.
• Developers keep 70% of the sale price of each application sold.
• Applications can be sold as a one time purchase, or on a monthly subscription model.

That last tidbit is pretty cool (and something that the various other mobile device “App Stores” don’t currently offer).  The ability to provide applications (and “Active Content”) as a monthly subscription opens up a lot of possibilities for developers and publishers.

Now, I know what many of you are thinking: What software can you possibly make on a Kindle?  The e-Ink screen has a slow re-draw rate.  And the built-in wireless is pretty slow (by WiFi standards).  And there’s no built-in camera, GPS, etc..  So what can you create?

All I can say, right now, is this: I have ideas.  And, I bet if you think for a bit about what you can do with a custom application on a device like this (battery life measured in weeks, keyboard, wireless, great screen for reading), you’ll think of a few ideas yourself.

So, am I making software for the Kindle?  Yes.  You bet.  Abso-freaking-lutely.

And, hopefully, I’ll be able to talk more about it and chronicle my progress here.

In the mean-time, I’ve gone ahead and published this very blog to the Kindle Store.  So, now you can follow me from your Kindle (if you are so lucky as to have one).