Some big e-tailer with the name of a South American rainforest who makes a popular e-book reader must be feeling envious of a certain App Store from a big computer maker named after a fruit.

Amazon.com came practically out of nowhere this morning and announced the “Kindle Development Kit,” according to PCMag.com. The move is an effort to crack open the current reigning e-book reader and allow developers to create “active content” for the platform, similar to how Apple has successfully done the same on the iPhone & iPod touch with the App Store.

Amazon’s SDK -- er, make that “KDK” -- won’t actually be available until February and the company is anticipating a wait list for interested developers. The development kit will include sample code, documentation and a Kindle simulator to help software developers build and test their content immediately by simulating both the 6-inch Kindle and the 9.7-inch Kindle DX on Mac, PC and Linux desktops.

There are already two companies at work on building apps for the Kindle, which include an active Zagat guide from Handmark as well as word games & puzzles from developer Sonic Boom. EA Mobile, a leading worldwide publisher of mobile games, also issued a statement in support of developing for the Kindle.

“EA Mobile has had the privilege of collaborating with many dynamic and innovative companies in bringing exciting gaming experiences to new platforms,” said Adam Sussman, vice president of worldwide publishing for EA Mobile. “Working with Amazon, we look forward to bringing some of the world’s most popular and fun games to Kindle and their users.”

Of course, developing for the Kindle isn’t likely to be as ambitious as developing for Apple’s popular handset. While the Kindle has an electronic ink display, Whispernet 3G data and insanely long battery life, it also lacks a lot of the iPhone’s niceties, such as a color display, multitouch screen and accelerometers.

Amazon Kindle vice president Ian Freed said the company would “look forward to being surprised by what developers invent.” So will we!

Image courtesy of Glinp.com