With the January 27th debut of Apple’s long-rumored tablet PC right around the corner, I think some people are starting to look back at Amazon’s Kindle and wonder… What’s so special about that? It’s just an e-Reader! Of course, for those of us who purchased our Kindles just for the pleasure of reading books, that seems like a nonsensical statement, but it’s a question that’s asked nonetheless.

We’ve talked in the past about the potential of a Kindle App store, where one might be able to expand the functionality of one’s Kindle in a similar way that Apple does with the App store for the iPhone. As fanciful as that seemed at the time, recent reports have signaled that this may soon become a reality. Amazon announced on Friday that they’ve shipped a Kindle software development kit (SDK) to developers, so they can begin programming for the device.

Interesting as that is, it pales in comparison to the announcement that they’re partnering up with EA Mobile to develop games for the Kindle. That’s right, the same mega-corporation that has brought video gamers titles like Madden and The Sims is developing new content for your lowly book-reading Kindle. Of course, we have to temper any expectations with the knowledge that there are a limited number of things that a developer, extraordinarily creative or not, can do with the Kindle’s grayscale screen and leisurely refresh rate. Still, who wouldn’t like some solitaire?

Some gaming sites have reached out to developers to try and get any idea of what kind of games one can expect to see as a consequence of this. An interview with one such developer confirmed our suspicions. That is, these Kindle games will likely fall under the category of puzzles and simplistic card games – the kind of fair that can still succeed within the confines of the Kindle hardware. Other, more elaborate, bits of media incorporating actual book content may be feasible as well, though perhaps further down the road.

It also remains to be seen how Amazon plans to capitalize on these new developments. Whether they’ll be content to just add them for free to bolster the Kindle’s feature list, or whether they plan to sell them a la carte remains to be seen. So when Apple finally decides to drop their new consumer gadget bomb on us all not long from now, remember that Amazon’s still fighting to entertain us as well!