E-Ink Kindle game 'Every Word' equivalent is available in color on KindleFire. L.A. Times: Kindle Fire the next gaming console?

Jumbline 2 - Free with ads

Jumbline 2 - $1.99 - No ads

L. Doherty, like many others, had missed, when using the Kindle Fire, the free e-Ink Kindle game "Every Word", and decided to post this question last week:

' I would like to have EVERY WORD game available on the Kindle Fire. I had a bunch of word games on my old Kindle Keyboard (3rd generation) and now I cannot get any of them for my Fire. I am so disappointed in this. '

  At the Kindle Community Forums, where you can get good advice from other Kindle owners 24/7, here are a couple of replies on that:

' Joanne M. Manuel says:
Hi, L. Doherty- You should try Jumbline2 Free. It has the same features as EVERY WORD only it's a lot prettier with its colors and animations. There is also a paid version [no ads]...

  Q says:
Joanne,
I have missed "Every Word" on the Fire. THANK YOU for pointing out "Jumbline 2". Exactly the same .... only better! After trying out a level, I was happy to pay the $1.99 for a non-ad copy. '

  These are popular games similar to Scrabble that you can play with time limits to make it harder. On the eInk, I got addicted to it and had to go cold turkey :-)


L.A. Times article on Kindle Fire: "The next gaming console?"
Kindlezen tweeted this interesting story by Alex Pham in the Los Angeles Time's Businesss section, which points out that Amazon's been quietly recruiting game developers, posting dozens of jobs on its site.

  P.J. McNealy, founder of Digital World Research, apparently believes Amazon is preparing to become a force in mobile social gaming.  Pham says that gaming on tablets is taking off and that McNealy suggested that Amazon's well positioned to capitalize on this "because it is the No. 2 player in the tablet market, with its array of rapidly selling Kindle devices trailing only Apple Inc's ipads," and could become "next big gaming platform -- acting as a hardware and software gateway for games in the same way that the PlayStation, Wii and Xbox have for decades.   For details on what Amazon is looking for and what that means for its focus for the future, see the L.A. Times article.



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Blackjack for Kindle (free) and other recently released Kindle games

HERE'S THE LATEST FREE KINDLE GAME

I was so caught up in the Books in Browsers announcements yesterday, I missed the alert from Golf11, who usually sees these things earlier than most.  Blackjack!  Of course, the display won't be in color but the Kindle-book covers are shown in color too.  This is playable on all Kindle 2, 3, and DX models.  As far as I know, Kindle  (UK: K3) games are not yet available outside the U.S., but the plan is that they will be eventually.  Here's Amazon's description:

' The Kindle version features all of the most common aspects of the game including splits, double down, surrender and insurance, as well as multiple options for customization that allow you to play the style of Blackjack that you want to play.  For example, you can configure the game to match specific structures like 'Dealer must hit soft 17' - a common rule variation in many Las Vegas casinos.

The built-in advice feature, which you can turn on and off at any time, applies basic strategy and will recommend the best course of action to maximize your chances of winning. '

I try not to think about Kindle games lately (they've been releasing quite a few) because I became a bit addicted to the first two games (Every Word and Shuffled Row) and wasn't reading anymore, so I went cold turkey after reporting on Electronic Arts's Scrabble game.

Since then, Amazon has released other games, the most recent one being Mahjong Solitaire

This is also available for all Kindle 2, DX and Kindle 3 models.  Amazon's statements about shipping outside the U.S. eventually are quoted in the linked "Every Word" page above.

  The product page for Mahjong Solitaire shows it is "sold by Mobigloo" and that "This price [$3.99] was set by the publisher."

  Amazon's description:

' In Mahjong Solitaire, you match pairs of identical tiles in order to remove them from the board. Only free tiles can be matched. Tiles are considered free if they do not have other tiles to either the left or right of them, or on top of them. The objective of the game is to clear all the tiles from the board. The game ends when all tiles have been removed or when there are no more free tiles left to match.

Mahjong Solitaire tracks the number of pairs of free tiles available to be matched for you. In addition, the game allows for unlimited undos, and contains a Hint feature that will give you suggestions for your next move, as well a Shuffle feature that will rearrange the tiles when you get stuck.

Mahjong Solitaire provides 10 different game board layouts to choose from. The game maintains game statistics that track your best time for each layout finished. '

On December 3, two other games were released.
  These are actually two versions of the popular word scramble game Jumble for Kindle: Jumble 10 which contains 10 Jumble puzzles ($.99), and Jumble 50 which contains 50 Jumble puzzles ($3.99).

You can read about how these work, at the linked pages.  Amazon says that Jumble "is one of the longest continuously running word games in the world. More than 60 million people in over 600 newspapers, in books and magazines, on dozens of websites and on mobile apps enjoy Jumble every day. Try out Jumble on Kindle today and find out why."

I must admit I've never heard of it.  Pricing above can be changed at anytime, and these are shown just to give you an idea.  The Kindle forums have positive word on most of these.


ALSO relatively new: Hangman for Kids and EA Sudoku.
  You'll see various other Kindle games recommended too on those pages.  While the Kindle Apps store is not "launched" yet, it seems to be churning out games and there are customer ratings for them.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Amazon releases 3 more word games - one enhanced and still free

For those who don't follow Amazon's Daily Kindle Post,  Paul Biba does, and I read his tweet today on the new releases.

Here is Amazon's info for those who want to put more text games on their Kindles.

Amazon released 3 more word games on Oct. 14, the first one free.

MINE SWEEEPER - For Kindle Devices
The newly reworked Mine Sweeper for Kindle, at $0.00.

"Mine Sweeper is a free Kindle game where you have to clear a minefield without detonating a mine."

"The objective of Mine Sweeper is to find all of the mines that are hidden on the game grid. When you uncover a location on the grid, the number of mines adjacent to that location is revealed. The game ends when you have successfully identified all the mines and uncovered all the unoccupied locations - or, when you inadvertently uncover a location that contains a mine. The clock is ticking, so challenge yourself to go faster and faster with each game."

The new Kindle version of Mine Sweeper "contains 3 different grid sizes for various levels of difficulty and thousands of different puzzles ... If you are new to Mine Sweeper, turning on 'Tips' will provide helpful hints to get you started."

  There are some early customer reviews with tips on playing this.

  . Helen Gaimari writes:
"This is SOOO much better than Kindle's built-in Mine Sweeper game (which you can access by pressing ALT+Shift+M)! The graphics are really good on an e-ink screen.  Unlike the Kindle's built-in Mine Sweeper, this version keeps track of your high-scores as well as your play-time. You can choose between easy, normal, and hard mode. The harder the mode, the larger the board. You can set this app to give you tips, and it has several extra features that aren't present in the Kindle's built-in Mine Sweeper.

  . Montgomery Scott, a MineSweeper aficionado, says that he was skeptical about its playability
but writes "I can assure you that the game is not only playable, but quite enjoyable" and gives a lot of tips.

EA SOLITAIRE
EA Solitaire - (12 Card Games to Play on Kindle)
by Electronic Arts Inc.. EA has set the price at $3.99

EA Solitaire contains 12 different modes of play--the Klondike game and 11 other variants: Pyramid, Yukon,
Golf, Freecell, Wasp, Peaks, Canfield, Spiderette, Eliminator, Easthaven, and Baker's Dozen.
The game is for both experts and novices alike.

"This version of Solitaire comes with handy features such as a "Tutorial Mode" that will get you started on the different game play variants, optional in-game "Tips" as well as an "Auto-Move" feature that will help you out when you're stuck and don't know what to do next.  For the Klondike game, there is even a "Vegas" mode to track your winnings in (virtual) dollars."

There's only one review so far.

TRIPLE TOWN FOR KINDLE DEVICES
Triple Town -(a Puzzle Strategy Game for Kindle)
by Spry Fox, who has set the price at $2.99

This is a new puzzle, strategy game "exclusively developed for, and available only on Kindle.
  The objective is to try to grow the greatest possible city. You build your city by matching three or more game-pieces: combine three grasses to make a flower, three flowers to make a bush, three bushes to make a tree...until you've filled the board with houses, cathedrals and castles. Along the way, you'll have to outwit evil barbarians and wizards who will try to block your progress. "

  It can be can be played for minutes or hours at a time.
  "You'll have to think several turns ahead if you want to avoid inevitable gridlock as unfinished buildings, barbarians and wizards start to pile up.  And sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll be helped along by a magical crystal (which combines with anything) or a powerful bomb (which wipes nuisances off the board). But luck won't save you forever!"

One review so far on this also.

They're all available for download now though Amazon has not mentioned whether these are available outside the U.S.
Update - jwenting from the Netherlands has added the following comment:
  "Listed as 'not available' outside the US, not even the dreaded 'not available in your location'"...

However, Kindle Support has posted in the Amazon Kindle Community forum that they expect all apps to be international eventually.  I suppose it has to do with the complexities of digital rights and agreed pricing (though I don't know).


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

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Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
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Free word games: Zork for Kindle, Parchment: The Interactive Fiction Archive

ZORK FOR KINDLE
Bill Ray, at TheRegister (UK) reported today that "Kindle users get Zorked out" and says it's "Better than a bonkbuster."  He discovered that "Kindle users can now lose themselves in the worlds of Zork I, II & III..."

 Yes, for free too, in that Kindle 2's, DX's and Kindle 3's  (UK: K3) can use the 'Experimental' web browser to go to kindlequest.com and play the "minimalist version aimed specifically at Kindle users."  (I imagine that Amazon will be happier if you can use the WiFi capability with this.)  I tried it with the Kindle 1, but that model can't handle the interactivity aspect since it handles only choices from rows of words instead of actual words.

Ray adds that "Zork was one of the first text-based adventures, spawning a legacy that led to generations of gamers screaming 'pick up the bloody thing' while trying to guess the exact phrase required to complete the desired action...."

DownloadSquad's Erez Zukerman headlines his report "Zork for Kindle makes e-paper a next-gen gaming platform"  In the picture at the top, from their site, you can see they've just used the Kindle's web browser to go to kindlequest.com.

To get there:

Turn your wireless On - using the Menu's topmost option

At the Kindle Home screen, you can just start typing "kindlequest.com" -- the Searchbox will come up at the bottom to hold these words, and then you just move the 5-way button to the right until you get to the "go to" option.  Click on that to be taken right to the word game.

You may or may not see the following:

web

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'Welcome to KindleQuest.com! To jump in to a quick game at any
time, press 'Enter'.

Type 'help' to get some basic system commands and advice.
Existing users can log in by typing 'login '.

Zuckerman cautions that you'll often have to press the Enter key twice and that the screen blanked out at least once while while he was playing and it was resolved once he hit the Enter key again, but it was of course confusing.

Technology Punch says that according to Wikipedia, "'Zork was one of the first interactive fiction computer games and an early descendant of Colossal Cave Adventure...'" and adds that "Zork on Amazon Kindle and other e-Reader devices is condidered as the reinvention of three decades old game."

PARCHMENT -- and THE INTERACTIVE FICTION ARCHIVE.
At MobileRead Forums, Krystian Galaj writes:
"I heard this works on Kindle: http://parchment.toolness.com/ "

UPDATE 10/11/10 - The Parchment page and its interactive fiction games works only for Kindle 3.  The page uses javascript that the Kindle 2 and Kindle DXG doesn't recognize.
  Added info for Kindle 3 users. Type 'intro' when there to get info on the types of commands that are normally recognized in these interactive games (would apply to the Zork game too).

To get to the Parchment website:

Turn your wireless On - using the Menu's topmost option

At the Kindle Home screen, you can just start typing "parchment.toolness.com" -- the Searchbox will come up at the bottom to hold these words, and then you just move the 5-way button to the right until you get to the "go to" option.  Click on that to be taken right to the many word games.

When you get there, you'll see:
' Parchment is a web-based Z-machine interpreter by Atul Varma. It is powered by Tom Thurman's Gnusto engine.

Below is a list of z-code based interactive fiction titles made available by The Interactive Fiction Archive. You can click on an entry to start playing it. '

There are a ton of these to try.  I haven't tried any of them - am just reporting they're available and hoping they'll prove fun for some of you.


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

---

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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The two Scrabble-like Kindle games. UPDATED for 8/9 Amazon statement

UPDATE 8/9/2010 - See newly posted Amazon statement (below) on othe question of international distribution of the two "Amazon active content word games.

8/8/2010 - Contractors are still spending day and night at my place where flooding did some real damage so I've been moving around and not spending as much time on things Kindle.  Trying to catch up a bit, I'll be back tomorrow with more news.  Thanks for hanging in there during this.

See the original word-games posting.  This is just a follow up.

WHY ARE THE TWO FREE KINDLE GAMES NOT DOWNLOADABLE OUTSIDE THE U.S.?
This question has been asked often this week because, for some reason, Amazon did not mention on the product-page that the games are accessible only by U.S. residents.  It must be an oversight, since items with free shipping available only to the Continental U.S. always carry a mention of this.  On the other hand, books available only in the U.S. due to publisher restrictions don't have geo-based caveats on them and non-US. Kindle owners find out when they try to order them.  However, Amazon does have full control over what the game product pages say.  What's more unclear is why Amazon "active content" is restricted.  Maybe they want to see if there are bugs before wider distribution, since they handle the unofficial beta-releases that way.

  A Kindle Community forums member, D. Gorman, posted an email response from Amazon Customer Service on this:

" I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused.  I'm unable to provide you more information about the availability of Kindle active content in Australia.  We value our international customers and hope to make Kindle active content available in more locations in the future.

  I'll make sure your feedback is passed on to the Kindle development team." '

UPDATE - 8/9/10 (Original posting was 8/8/10
Amazon Kindle Team posted a statement to the Amazon Kindle Forum about the international distribution question:

' The Amazon Kindle team says:
(AMAZON OFFICIAL)
Thank you for your feedback regarding Every Word and Shuffled Row.

To clear up a couple of points of confusion, Every Word and Shuffled Row, and future active content titles, are designed for Kindle (latest generation), as well as Kindle (2nd Generation) and Kindle DX devices running software version 2.5.

These word games are currently available to US customers, however we look forward to offering all active content titles internationally in the future. '   [Emphasis mine]

THE GAMES, THEMSELVES
  I'm usually not a computer-games type, but I had a chance to try these out, while waiting here and there, and find that I'm not doing much reading in waiting-situations where I used to, because the first game, Every Word, is sort of addictive for me, especially with the "relaxed" mode in which you're not timed, and it's amazing how many words there are that I never encountered, but that's typical of a Scrabble game too.  It can be educational if you take time to look up the meaning of the odder words.

  You get about 7 alpha characters and can move on to the next level of the game after you've put together the longest word that Every Word has in its database for those letters but of course you'd want to stay at the level to get as many of the the other, shorter words also, to build up points for the total game that way.  If you choose the Timed option, strategy is key.  You get just those 7 characters, which are static.

  A MILD TIP - With Scrabble, we can shift our tiles around.  There's a way to do that on the Kindle also.
  If I get the letters 'i'   'n'   'g' and I want to see what words I might be able to make ending in "ing" -- I type those letters in so that they appear on the line below and then I press the 'NextPage' button to shift the remaining 4 letters so that they're together and I can see them in various combinations with each "Next page" press.  Do the same with any letter-combos you have.
   Also, if the game needs a word you probably never heard of, the alpha positioning in the numbered sets of letters (4 characters, 6 characters) will give a clue too.

The other game, Shuffled Row is always timed.  You get 9 letters slowly coming onto the board, and as you look at them, soon the ones on the left scroll off and you can't use them anymore, as they never return, so you have to strategically decide whether to wait to make a long word or instead grab a weighty letter like 'x' or 'z' and find a word with it or decide whether to save good letters for later or watch them scroll off while you're deciding.  It's fun but can feel a bit hectic and isn't recommended if you're to be off to sleep soon.

Both games have fast response times, since all they do is refresh letters after short calculations.  There is more screen-ink shifting than when reading a book and there's a corresponding battery drain with each screen change, but the effect on the battery is small to medium, from what I've seen, although the constant movement used for Shuffled Row will use more of the battery power.

---

Check often:  Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

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Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!

Amazon offers 2 free games, for Kindle-2 and DX customers in the U.S. - UPDATE2

Amazon has announced in a few places that they are now offering two word puzzle games for Kindle -- Every Word and Shuffled Row.  Both are free and they encourage you to check them out.

Availability of the two downloadable games
 Unfortunately, the "you" does not include, at this time, Kindle owners outside the U.S., Kindle-1 owners, and those who might want to play these games on the various Kindle apps for other devices.

UPDATES at 3:09 PM and later to the original entry made early morning of Aug 4.
  Though some had been unable to use the Amazon Manage your Kindle page to send to other Non-Kindle-1 devices, tuxgirl, writing in the Comments area, and Kindle owners are reporting they can get copies of the games for their eligible devices (see below) by going to the Archived Items on their Kindles where either or both of the two free games will show up if you've downloaded them already to one of the devices on their account.
  For some reason, the ManageYourKindle page is not letting some move the games from that page.

  Those without Whispernet wireless access in their area can have the games (as with books) downloaded to their computer via the Manage Your Kindle page for one or more of the Kindles on their account and then just move the downloaded word game over to the "documents" folder of the computer.

People are reporting enjoying these very much with a bit of addiction also reported :-)
[End of Updates for 3:05 pm and later]

  A forum posting says that a Kindle customer representative said that the geo restriction is put there by the publishers of the games but that's not an official statement and I suspect it has more to do with Amazon policy for this phase of the apps development/release, which appears to be a sort of a try-out.

  I have no information on why other countries are not getting the games today, and these things can change.  I do wish there were a statement saying these are available only in the U.S. right now.

  It's entirely possible that they'll eventually add other countries since they've not added wording about it being available only in the U.S.

  So there has been disappointment expressed by those who can't access these currently when they follow the links announced.  I'm putting this caveat first, so that Kindle-1 owners, international Kindle owners, and Kindle-app users are aware of the current limitations before reading the invites to try these out.

The word games are listed as 'Kindle Active Content' and here are the descriptions Amazon gives:

Every Word
  If you like word scrambles, then Every Word is the game for you.  Test your vocabulary as you try to find as many words from the scrambled letters in this fun and fast-paced word game.

  Here's how it works. You are given six or seven scrambled letters with the goal of finding as many words as you can.  You score points by filling out the words in each empty spot on the board, using only the letters that appear at the top of the game board.   Keep at it until time runs out or until you fill up the board.  The more words you make, the higher your score.

  Your score is comprised of two components: first make a lot of words, second try to make the longest word possible in each scramble.  The best way to increase your score is to do both, but it's a huge bonus to find the longest word possible.  Why?  Because when you do, you earn the right to play a completely new level with a brand new set of letters.  As long as you keep finding the longest word, you can move on to a new level with a new jumble of letters and push your score higher and higher.

Shuffled Row
  In Shuffled Row, see how many words you can make from 60 lettered tiles.

  The tiles are added to your row one at a time so you'll constantly be working with a new set of letters.  After you submit a word, the letters you used will be removed and new ones will be added.  Increase your score by using less common letters.  Create longer words and increase your score even more.

  If you don't use the letters fast enough, they'll disappear and new ones will take their place, so you'll have to decide if you want to play it safe and use short words or try to wait for more letters to form longer words.

These are both available for downloads in the Kindle Store, at the links given above.   "Kindle Active Content titles include free wireless delivery."

The Games are Available for these Devices:
Kindle (Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6")  - (Kindle 3 with 3G/WiFi)
Kindle (Wi-Fi, 6") - (Kindle 3 with WiFi Only)
   These are the Latest Generation 6" Kindles not shipping until Aug 27 or so.

 ( I'll do, soon, an updated blog article on how WiFi and 3G wireless access differ. 
   Until then, please read the first half of E-Readers with Web Browsers, and WiFi vs 3G cellular access,
   which should give a basic idea of the situations in which each type of wireless is used and what's involved.)

Kindle (2nd Generation) International  and  Kindle (2nd Generation) U.S.  (These are Kindle-2  6"-screen models and the latest in-hand until Aug 27 or so.

Kindle DX (Free 3G, 9.7", Graphite) - the Kindle DX with higher contrast screen, latest generation,
   released after the next two devices just below, which are able to run the games as well.

Kindle DX (Free 3G, 9.7", White) International  and  Kindle DX (Free 3G, 9.7" White) U.S.


Side note:
Also available are other (mostly low-cost) word games for Kindle.

---

Check often:  Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers. Below are ways to Share this post if you'd like others to see it.
-- The Send to Kindle button works well only on Firefox currently.

Send to Kindle

(Older posts have older Kindle model info. For latest models, see CURRENT KINDLES page. )
If interested, you can also follow my add'l blog-related news at Facebook and Twitter
Questions & feedback are welcome in the Comment areas (tho' spam is deleted). Thanks!