Amazon.com plans to begin selling apps for Android devices, creating a distribution channel for publishers eager to sell content on a slew of new, cheaper digital tablets that can’t access Google’s official app store.
Jason Kincaid reports the Amazon Appstore will be compatible with any standard Android app, and developers will be free to post their apps in both marketplaces. Amazon will perform basic quality checks on apps prior to posting them in its store, but otherwise its approval policies appear similar to Google’s.
However, Amazon will use a unique pricing scheme, letting developers pick a suggested cost, with the retailer reserving the right to discount the final sale price. Developers will retain 70 percent of revenues, which is now an industry standard.
The significance for developers and publishers is that Android does not yet officially support tablets. (The Samsung Galaxy Tab is a notable exception.) Until Google updates Android for tablets, consumers purchasing $100 tablets at Walgreens face a challenge in finding, and installing, many popular apps.
But with Amazon selling apps, developers will now have easier access to those cheaper devices, providing a potentially large new audience and an added incentive for publishers to build apps for Android tablets.
