Skype for Kindle? No way, says Amazon.

Wouldn't it be cool to have book readers that could IM and offer presence? Maybe take or make phone calls? Now that Amazon announced it will open its Kindle book readers to third party developers, Skype could build an app for this new platform.

No it can't. Amazon warns "Voice over IP functionality, advertising, offensive materials, collection of customer information without express customer knowledge and consent, or usage of the Amazon or Kindle brand in any way are not allowed."

I can think of three reasons for this ban:

1. Amazon is worried about using up a year's worth of data plan with one long phone call.
2. Amazon contracted to ban VoIP at the request of its mobile carriers.
3. Amazon wants to reserve VoIP for a future Kindle product. The Amazon phone?

Kindles have a mobile phone built in and a lifetime data plan, apparently a dream VoIP device (although better speakers, a microphone, and a webcam would be nice). Amazon will require apps to pay for data transfers at $0.15 per megabyte. So I'm betting Amazon is most concerned with keeping the costs of their mobile plan affordable for users.

tags: skype, amazon, netneutrality, voip, blocking

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