It's been over a year since Amazon launched its own-brand Android app store. First launched in the United States, the service allows Android users to download and purchase apps from the digital retail giant. Yesterday, Amazon announced the launch of the Amazon Appstore for users in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.
"Customers in the U.S. have purchased millions of apps, games, in-app items and subscriptions since the store launched last year, and we've received great feedback about discovery features like Free App of the Day," said Jim Adkins, Vice President of Amazon Appstore, later adding, "Amazon has spent years developing innovative features that help customers find and discover the products that are right for them and have applied that know-how to the Amazon Appstore. We're delighted to extend that experience to our European customers."
The Appstore is particularly useful for Kindle Fire owners, which relies solely on the Amazon Appstore despite the fact that it's based on Google's Android operating system. Amazon is expected to launch the Kindle Fire 2 at an event in California next week, so it looks like we may soon have a new device to populate with Amazon Appstore Apps.
Each day, the Amazon Appstore offers a free application that users would otherwise have to pay for. Additionally, Amazon also has a number of exclusive apps that you won't be able to get anywhere else. You can check out the UK appstore at amazon.co.uk/appstore. The German, French and Italian versions of the store will be called "App-Shop" while the Spanish version is "Tienda Apps."
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
