All eyes are on Apple as the company prepares to unveil its Tablet device next week. But the dominant force in the e-reader market – Amazon – is about to shake things up in a major way by announcing what amounts to an app store for Kindle.

According to The New York Times, a formal announcement from Amazon will come on Thursday. The company expects developers to build a wide range of applications, from new ways to experience e-books to games and utility apps.

And just like iPhone, there’s going to be lots of money to be made: developers will keep 70 percent of the revenue from app sales. Content publishers also stand to make more money — the NYT reports that the app store model may represent a shift in Kindle’s relationship with newspapers and magazines, as those companies currently receive just a 30 percent cut of sales.

This is a huge development that completely changes the dynamics of the impending Tablet wars. Developers will suddenly have two huge new markets to target, content publishers will have some leverage in negotiating deals with Amazon and Apple, and consumers will have a lot more to think about when it comes to choosing which device sits in between their mobile phone and their desktop computer.

Tags: amazon, apple, Apple Tablet, gadgets, Kindle, software

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