Amazon is preparing to open an Android app store to compete with Google’s Android Market, and has launched a beta portal where developers can submit applications for Android-based smartphones. The applications will be sold on the Amazon Appstore for Android, which the company expects to launch later this year, according to information on Amazon’s developer portal. Users will be able to shop for applications from their PCs or from their smartphones, and pay with their existing Amazon account.
How will you get the Amazon app store?
Will you have to enable “run apps from unknown sources?”
Hopefully App Brain (a nice front end to the Market) will include the Amazon Store as well.
Not that choices aren’t good… but is there a reason Amazon is doing this other than to get a quick buck? Does Google actually reject anything? They had an app on there that temporarily rooted the G2. Once they figured out how to do it permanently it was taken off, but thats all I can remember.
Oh yeah… wait, there was that whole Tetris thing a while back.
you don’t need the market to install applications in Android. You are confusing with IOS.
You do need to “Allow installation of non-Market applications” in the settings to install from apk.
I would love to get a market with more filter options and more info to see before buying. I usually end up going to the developers website before buying because i don’t get enough info from the market descriptions.
Check out the app brain app. It has nice filters.
I have the Samsung Captivate on AT&T, and I assure you that until I rooted my phone and did a quick sqlite update I wasn’t able to install non-market apps. As a Linux SysAdmin, this was a piece of cake for me.
I doubt it’d be that easy for non-experienced users though…
Google will remove and wipe offending apps, but there is no approval process to reject something…
Make sure to read this blog post from Al Sutton. Should be required reading when talking about the Amazon app store.
http://blog.alsutton.com/2011/01/05/926/
Why? To demonstrate the sheer idiocy of developers who think they know better than Amazon when it comes to online selling? Some of the boneheaded, stubborn arrogance I’ve read by developers about this is just unbelievable.
I’ve argued this elsewhere, but basically:
Amazon + Google = mindshare. Even people who can barely turn on a computer have Amazon accounts. No-one, not even the mighty Apple/iTunes combo, can compete with the mainstream awareness and use of Amazon’s services.
Amazon = convenience. One-click purchasing couldn’t be more convenient. And convenient is better than free. And it’s the only thing that can combat piracy. Apple have made a huge success of selling through iTunes – which on Windows (where the vast majority of their customers are using it) is a frankly appalling piece of software. But it’s very convenient. And they sell music, ffs, lots and lots of music, which is essentially free on the web to whoever wants it, but convenient trumps free.
Also, Amazon are the world leader in selling stuff online. That’s because they’re really, really good at it. If you honestly don’t think they can make you money selling your software, you must not think it’s worth buying. Or you’re an idiot.
Basically, the only people who should be worried about Amazon’s Android store are Android’s competitors, because this is only going to accelarate Android’s eventual domination of the smartphone market.
I’m not sure you read the link I gave at all.
I totally agree; Amazon knows much better than me how to make money. I’m not denying that. However it’s not me that they want to make money for, it’s them.
Consider these 3 scenarios from the comments of that post:
Now I’m not denying that Amazon will help you make money most of the time, however by allowing them to set the price as they see fit you’re allowing them to lower the amount of money that you are receiving for the product that you created for them to sell.
I’m not sure I agree that given this risk that developers are taking it’s fair for Amazon to require that the list price you set on their store is not higher than the price you sell it for on any other marketplace (this includes if it’s under promotion on any other store). To me that’s a little unfair given the (very slightly) higher risk will selling on the Amazon market.
You don’t have a lot of options if they do start selling your application at a price you don’t agree with either as they leave the application on the market for 10 days after you request it’s removal.
I’m not saying that the Amazon market is totally bad for developers, I’m sure that it will be fine most of the time and developers will make a lot of money for it. I just don’t think it’s worth forking out the $100 fee just to be allowed to submit your apps in the first place. Like the blog post I linked to says, that’s a bit steep considering Amazon won’t provide support with developing in the same way Apple do for the same fee.
Thank you for the link you posted. This is a very edifying post which doesn’t paint Amazon in a vivid color… I’m baffled as to how companies are willing to lay their filthy mitten on other people’s work without a common sense justification, and that there are always some people to justify it like that Bell character on Sutton’s blog.
Unless the terms of contract have changed, there is no way I’m writing an app and selling it on Amazon. Just the “we get to set the price of your apps” is enough to push me away.
Or, it might be better to say that google market does and google checkout does. Google market/checkout is HORRIBLE. I’ve been trying to get a problem fixed with my account for almost a month now, and it’s a nightmare trying to actually get anyone to talk to you. I thought people were exaggerating until I actually experienced it myself. I can’t even GIVE them money, from the US, from a valid credit card. It’s maddening.