GamersLeak

Amazon’s Android App Store is Live!

Today Amazon’s fresh new AppStore has officially been launched. This new platform is aimed to compete with Google’s official Android Market. In the past few months rumors were running like wildfire all over the tech blogs about this “AppStore.” While some details have leaked prior to its release, Amazon has left a few tricks up its sleeve. One of the biggest surprises is the ability to Test Drive’ nearly any Android application in the App Store directly from your browser.

Once you click the ‘Test Drive’ button Amazon will launch an emulated instance of Android on its EC2 cloud. You will be able to control the simulated device directly from your browser. The simulation is Flash based, so make sure you have that installed. Another awesome feature is Amazon’s free app-of-the-day.Every single day Amazon will choose a premium app and offer it free. This will give their marketplace frequent activity. How is this possible you ask? Simple, Amazon is in charge of setting the prices, not the developers. With regular cut being 70%, during the sales, the developer gets 20% of the List Price. amazon-appstore-test-drive Previously we reported that Amazon bought exclusive rights for the new Angry Birds game called Rio. The game will sell at $.99, but will be available free for a limited time. Another smart move for Amazon, this gives fans a reason to check out the new AppStore. The new AppStore will give Google a run for its money. With every single App being approved by Amazon, the quality of the apps will be monitored for certain standard of quality. While browsing for a physical item, Amazon will suggest an app based on your search. So lets say you are looking for basketball equipment, the system might suggest a baskeball game for you to check out as well. Amazon will not come pre-installed on phones like the regular marketplace, so getting traction will be important in order to obtain success.

Bottom Line: Amazon’s App Store has launched! With the ecitement in the air, Amazon has some legal issues as well. Currently Apple is suing Amazon over its use of the name ‘App Store’.