Android Market Expands as Amazon Appstore Opens in Europe This Summer

A promoter displays a Samsung Note android phone during its launch in Jakarta(Photo : Reuters)

By Zanub Saeed

Amazon announced that their Appstore for Android will open this summer throughout Europe, in the nations of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and developers from the five countries can submit their apps for distribution in their respective areas.

The Amazon Appstore was originally launched in the United States in 2011, said a report in ComputerWorld, and this first international expansion in Europe is the first of its global reach, with more to come around the world in the future, said Amazon.

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Jim Adkins, vice president of Amazon Appstore said he was "thrilled with the success of its third-party developers on the Appstore, currently available in the U.S.

"We're excited to open the door to even more opportunity by expanding app sales outside the US," Adkins said recently, as noted by U.K. publication Digital Spy. "We see tremendous potential for current developers in our distribution program to grow with the international expansion. We also encourage new developers to join and participate in the platform's growth."

Amazon revealed that developers are reporting "strong monetization" in their Appstore, which was due in part to its features like "one-click purchasing" and especially the "Test Drive," allowing consumers to try out the app before purchasing them, said Digital Spy.

The chief marketing officer of Angry Birds' company Rovio said he is happy to expand their product with Amazon's Appstore worldwide.

"As a strong global brand with an international fan base, we are very excited to expand our offerings to Amazon's customers worldwide," Peter Vesterbacka of Rovio was quoted as stating in an article from Digital Spy.

Another advantage of the Appstore over Google Play includes allowing for Amazon to give tips and advice on what to purchase based on recent purchases and search responses.

"Today, that is something Google Play doesn't do very effectively. Amazon also curates apps more carefully, which has benefits when it comes to security," Tim Shepherd, senior mobile analyst at Canalys, told ComputerWorld.

As Kindle Fire currently is not available in Europe, Amazon's Appstore will be the only other alternative to Google Play for Android users in that market.