Special Pages - Reports

▼

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Amazon App Store is to open Tuesday, March 22, per Wired online.

Well, Nate at The-Digital-Reader site had the right date several days ago, and you should go there to read how he guessed the date.  It's more or less confirmed today by Brian X. Chen of Wired's Gadget Lab with a lot of interesting details provided by someone involved with the launch but who signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (so much for Agreements, but it creates interest).

Coincidentally, Apple is in the middle of an approved-app flap today over an app that they designated had no "objectional material" but it's a guide to converting gays to straights.

 Amazon's already seen complaint-storms when customers did not 'approve' of subject matter in an e-book.  I think they'll be very busy.

Excerpts from Wired:
' Amazon’s Android app store will be a curated market, meaning Amazon reviewers will determine which apps are allowed inside, similar to Apple’s iTunes App Store.  That’s a contrast to Google’s “anything goes” policy for apps that appear in the Android Marketplace.
. . .
For apps that have links to purchase and download other apps, those links must go through the Amazon market. They may not contain URLs to apps on the Android market, our source added.
. . .
. . . it’s worth noting that Amazon payment systems are deployed in more countries than Google Checkout, so an Amazon app store may pose serious competition to the Android Marketplace, and possibly even iTunes.

TechCrunch has speculated that the Amazon app store may precede an Amazon-made tablet powered by the Android OS, enabling Amazon to more directly compete with Apple and other tablet manufacturers.

[ See Computerworld's early word on this information also, from sources, in November. ]

Multiple reports claim that Amazon will focus on lower prices for apps to gain a competitive edge.  Indeed, tech blog Android News looked through the 48 apps on the leaked webpage and found that prices of a few apps undercut the prices for the same respective apps listed on Google’s Marketplace. '

You can read the rest of this at Wired.  I left out quite a bit about how it'll work.


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.
UK-Only: recently published non-classics, bestsellers, or highest-rated ones
    Also, UK customers should see the UK store's Top 100 free bestsellers.
at

6 comments:

  1. DennyMarch 19, 2011 at 1:14:00 PM PDT

    Given the Android app store, I wonder if Amazon is coming out with an Android Tablet/Kindle next?

    ReplyDelete
  2. suze2000March 19, 2011 at 5:35:00 PM PDT

    I'm excited about this - I'm afraid to download a lot of apps without a recommendation from computer mags or somewhere reputable because of the virus/malware issue. Vetting the apps would be much welcomed by me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMarch 19, 2011 at 7:02:00 PM PDT

    Denny,
    The blog article did mention the Android Tablet with a link to more info and also a couple of thoughts I had on that...

    Hi again, Suze2000,
    That IS an upside of a more-closed system, and it puts more responsibility on Amazon also. This is going to be so interesting to watch.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 20, 2011 at 10:57:00 AM PDT

    So, as long as Apple isn't doing it, it is okay? AT&T will block this, as will other networks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. zlionsfanMarch 22, 2011 at 4:19:00 PM PDT

    As I see it, the difference between this and what Apple is currently doing is that there are already multiple methods of purchasing apps for Android devices. You can choose to buy an app through Amazon, or through the Android app store, or some other way if you like. (You can even write your own app and deploy it to an Android device.)

    Now, if Amazon does come out with an Android tablet, and then tries to make the Amazon app store the only method of purchasing apps, then I think you have the Apple situation. The problem with that scenario is that Google might not license the Android OS to run on a device that would filter the apps available for it. (Then again, with the number of Android tables that are reportedly in the works, Google might let Amazon do whatever it likes and let the market decide.)

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMarch 22, 2011 at 4:51:00 PM PDT

    Oooh, I don't think Amazon would try to do that.

    Apple is doing an app store only for its devices. iBook store ebooks cannot be read on any other device except Apple ones.

    Re Amazon, they want the e-books on every device possible because the idea is to sell books, not as much to sell devices. But it's always better if the customer gets both from them, from their point of view, I'm sure.
    Even if they come out with their own tablet.
    Hope we find out sooner than later but I also hope they wait until the hw/sw for it is really solid.

    ReplyDelete

NOTE: TO AVOID SPAM being posted instantly, this blog uses the blogger.com "DELAY" feature.

Am often away much of the day, and postings won't show up right away. Posts done to use referrer-links may never show up.

Usually, am online enough to release comments within a day though, so the hard-to-read match-text tests for commenting won't be needed this way.

Feedback and questions are welcome. Thanks for participating.

Technical Problems?
If you're having problems leaving a Comment, Google's blogger-help asks that you clear the 'blogger.com' cookies on your browser's Tools or Options menu bar and that will fix the Comment-box problems (until they have a permanent fix).

IF that doesn't work either, then UNcheck the "keep me signed in" box -- Google-help says that should allow your comment to post (it's a workaround to a current bug).
Apologies for the problems.

TIP: There's a size limit. If longer than 3500 characters or so, in a text editor, make two posts out of it.