Where is the Kindle app for the PlayBook?

Last year Amazon and RIM were all excited that the Kindle app was coming for the then unreleased BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The announcement was no surprise as Amazon has produced the app for every platform running phones and tablets, including BlackBerry phones. The Amazon press release didn't divulge a release date for the Kindle app as RIM hadn't confirmed a release date for the PlayBook when it was made. RIM's tablet has been out for a while now, yet there is still no Kindle app available. One has to wonder if Amazon is perhaps rethinking that release given the expected appearance of its own tablet soon.

PlayBook owners have been patiently waiting for the Kindle app since receiving their tablets. Each software update by RIM has been followed closely by owners hoping that a Kindle app would be involved in the process in some way. The Amazon Kindle user base is huge, and PlayBook owners are firmly in that group. To date Amazon has not released the Kindle app for the PlayBook, and is mum on when that might happen.

One PlayBook owner reached out to Amazon directly to ask when the Kindle app would be available. The response from the Amazon rep was encouraging:

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:

www.amazon.com/kindleapps

This is not exactly firm information but at least it didn't state it was canceled. When you visit the link given by Amazon one thing is clear: the PlayBook is not mentioned anywhere. There is not even a "coming soon" message, nothing.

A more recent Amazon press release mentions in passing that Kindle ebooks would be accessible "soon on HP TouchPads and BlackBerry PlayBooks" so all hope is not lost. Let's hope "soon" means just that, as PlayBook owners are getting anxious. Amazon has been good at releasing Kindle apps for all platforms as it makes good business sense to do so for selling ebooks. It does seem strange that the company has gone quiet about the PlayBook version, since it was announced so long ago. PlayBook owners may get loud if a Kindle app appears on the TouchPad before it does for the PlayBook.