Amazon Letter Confirms Android App Store Is Coming
Adding to the all-but-confirmed rumors of a coming Android app store from Amazon, the company has sent out a "welcome" to Android developers telling them Amazon's plans for Android.
Previously, the Terms & Conditions agreement leaked out, but this message to developers spells out a little more clearly the way an Amazon Android app store will work.
It's actually a kit that Amazon is sending out, filled with directions on how to apply to develop apps and instructions about marketing and promoting apps inside the store. The document makes it quite clear that apps will be solely for the Android mobile operating system.
The document also corrects previous rumors that Amazon would require digital rights management software in all apps. The kit clearly states that DRM is up to the developer. Also unexpected, the instructions mention developer videos that can accompany an app in the store, which could be promotional or even a tutorial. Current Android and iPhone app stores do not have this feature.
Amazon is already accepting applications and parts of submissions, although the system is not quite ready for actual apps. Amazon also clearly states that it has sole discretion in deciding which apps to let into the store and which apps will be rejected. It remains to be seen if the company will be as strict as Apple's notoriously difficult approval process. Amazon says the obvious things such as pornography are off limits and other restrictions are "probably about what you would expect" them to be.
Amazon says it will be ready for full app submissions in a few weeks, so it may not be much longer before the company makes an official announcement.
