Does the iPad kill the Kindle? Not for me.

A while back I was asked by a friend about my Kindle. I think it is a great device. I enjoy reading books on it, surprising enjoy the New York Times and Wall Street Journal on it, and found Amazon did a great job with the bookstore. I bought it because I simply wasn't reading enough books. I found myself always distracted by the endless supply of content available online. I was reading, but something is always missing if you don't pick up a good book now and then. The almost singular focus of the Kindle as a device is exactly what the doctor order for me. I read more books in 2009, then 2008 only because of the Kindle (nice work Amazon).

So when I get an iPad (notice I did say when), will I retire the Kindle?

I don't think so. I think as a book reading device, for me, the iPad may have offer too many distractions. With the Kindle in my hands, I'll stay focused on the task at hand. That said, I do hope Amazon will make a iPad specific Kindle app as I'd love the opportunity to stay sync'd if the iPad happens to be with me when the Kindle is at home.

Time will tell, but I suspect for some a dedicated ebook reader makes sense. The iPad is going to be too much for some people.

See you at the Mobile Game Forum - London

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I'll be attending the Mobile Game Forum in London. I'll be presenting as part of a panel entitled "Content discovery: making games accessible and strategies for raising awareness"

http://www.mobilegamesforum.co.uk/event_view_link.asp?eid=19

We are looking forward to a lively discussion about how mobile game publishers can get noticed in a world of 100s of thousands of applications. Do the old rules still apply? What role will operators play in the new world of 'app stores'? How can publishers take control of their own marketing destiny?

It will be an interesting discussion and I hope I'm able to connect with a lot of developers while here in London.

Android, BlackBerry and iPhone App parity?

At Mplayit today we released some data that I found very interesting as an iPhone user who is constantly thinking about make the jump to Android. We did an analysis of the most popular categories of applications and discovered while the individual brand of application may different, in most cases the application functionality is readily available across all popular smartphone devices.

This isn't to say I'm totally sold on making the move, but it is comforting to know that I won't be missing too many of my favorite app 'functions'. I suspect as we take a look at games later this month I will find some big holes in the Android catalog. I'll keep you posted.

Mplayit's online mobile game discovery service comes to O2 UK Try mobile games on your PC

by Jon Jordan @ PocketGamer
Mobile games discovery service provider Mplayit (previously Mpowerplayer) has announced a partnership with Player X to enhance the try-before-you-buy options on O2's UK portal.

This will run as part of Player X's 100% Mobile service, with Mplayit providing the opportunity to try out mobile games for free in a web interface that mimics the look and feel of a phone.

The deal marks Mplayit's first deployment on a major European operator and follows successful partnerships with US carriers Sprint and AT&T, and Israel's Cellcom.

Mplayit's services are fully integrated with social networks like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo, allowing you to add your favourite games to your profile pages and share with your friends. You can also recommend games to others, and receive updates on what games other people are enjoying.

"The web is a highly effective way of bringing in new customers, but it is still massively under utilised by mobile operators," said Michael Powers, Mplayit's CEO.

"We're delighted to partner with Player X and we're looking forward to working with them to offer O2 customers the best mobile games service in the UK market."

"Try before-you-buy has been a key part of our 100% Mobile offering since the beginning. The ability to try out content risk-free is highly valued by customers," said Tony Pearce, Player X's CEO.

"Mplayit's web-based services bring both playable online demos and powerful new social dimension to the O2 service."