Amazon's Android App Store Will Focus on Tablets, Recommend Apps
Even though Amazon's plans for an Android App Store haven't been officially announced, the company has been releasing quite a bit of information about it and said it is open to developer app submissions. Some new sources indicate that the difference between the Android Market and Amazon's store will be vetted apps and a specific focus on tablets.
These tips come from some TechCrunch sources who say Amazon will run its Android app store differently than Google. Google doesn't restrict or even investigate Android apps until users complain about it. Amazon will take after Apple's app store instead, scrutinizing each app submission before allowing it to go up for sale. The process will take about a week for each app, and reportedly Amazon will still be a little more lenient than Apple's notoriously hard-line stance.
Apparently Amazon will also have a specific focus towards Android tablet apps, which haven't gotten as much attention as smartphone apps recently. That's partly because there are few Android tablets in consumer hands right now, but it's also due to the varying display sizes of expected Android tablets. Amazon hopes to offer apps that all Android tablet users can enjoy.
The Amazon store might have a better idea of what you're looking for, too. Amazon plans to use the recommendation engine used on the Amazon site to help users find other things they might be interested in. The recommendation engine could even suggest an app based on other things browsed and bought on the Amazon site.
One of the more interesting things to come out of these anonymous tips is that Amazon plans to carefully regulate the prices of apps in its store. Amazon has reserved full authority to set the price of any app, meaning the company has more control over the devaluation of apps as developers race to be cheaper than each other. It also means that Amazon will have to carefully watch the price war between itself and the Android Market or it won't attract many customers at all.
Finally, Amazon plans to have a desktop browsing website for users who don't want to shop on their tablet. The Amazon Android App Store will be fully searchable through a regular browser, and users can send links to apps they want to buy back to their tablet. It might not be quite as convenient as shopping directly on the tablet, but it's still useful if you hear about an app you want while at work or away.
There's still no specific launch date for the Amazon Android App Store, but it's supposed to happen sometime this year.
