

Yep, Amazon Launching Their Own App Store For Android Too - davidedicillo
http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/27/amazon-android-app-store/

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mithaler
This is exactly what Android needs.

Many of the enduring criticisms of Android I've seen are pointed at the
Market. No matter how much merit those criticisms may have--inadequate
policing, malware, weak categorization, whatever--separate distribution
channels are exactly what's missing from the mobile app ecosystem, forcing
distributors to compete, learn from each other and improve.

I'm excited to finally see Android's strengths being taken advantage of. The
fact that Amazon can do this and still have a thriving platform to target
speaks to its strength. And hey, if it fails, someone else can try again and
maybe do better.

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jonursenbach
You don't think that this is going to further fragmentation of the OS?

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Setsuna
Separate distribution channels have nothing to do with OS fragmentation.

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barrydahlberg
Another US only market I can't participate in. We are supposed to be mobile
developers who can work anywhere in the world...

Apple have me because of this.

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patd
I would have loved to see them sell apps in other parts of the world as well.
After a couple of years, there is still no Kindle store for anything else than
English.

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aepstein
This app store fragmentation is going to be bad for both devs and consumers.
In the near future, there is likely to be at least 3 separate marketplaces
(Google, Amazon, Verizon), with certain apps only appearing in certain app
stores on certain carrier networks.

Want the Skype app? Oh, that's only available in the Verizon store over the
Verizon network.

Want some other specific app? Oh, that's only on the Amazon store, which
Verizon may or may not allow you to install in the first place.

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fauigerzigerk
We, as creators of digital goods, should not be in favor of someone
monopolising our distribution channel. Competition is good.

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kreek
Now the cat's out of the bag I can share what I know. Most of this work is
happening in Amazon's new Irvine, CA location (A2Z Development Center, Inc.).
It started up about three months ago and I believe they're still looking for
developers if anyone's interested (be prepared to work crazy hours!).

<http://www.indeed.com/q-Amazon.com-l-Irvine,-CA-jobs.html>

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foobarbazetc
The rules are some of the most developer-unfriendly I've ever read, far
surpassing Apple in pretty much every way possible.

This will fail miserably.

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petervandijck
Amazon understands developers (see aws) and buyers (see amazon) much better
than google. They have a good shot at this.

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shpxnvz
However, I know from personal experience that they treat their sellers (see
seller central) terribly.

I've personally witnessed arbitrary changes in listing policies (a couple of
years ago they started banning all low volume sellers from offering toys
during the christmas season), horrible database issues (on _two_ separate
occasions a year apart over six hundred items have just disappeared from a
single seller account with no warning or explanation), and really poor
customer service.

I am curious to see if they will treat app vendors in the same way.

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bradhe
Please, for the love of god: No. More. App. Stores.

While _an_ app store is an effective distribution channel N app stores is not
-- especially if they all have different regulations, processes, fees, and
philosophies.

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ww520
I'm still waiting on the carrier-billing charged app store.

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e1ven
Isn't that basically the idea behind the Verizon Android Store?

<http://www.androidguys.com/2010/09/22/verizon-android-store/>

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ww520
Yes, that and I've heard hint from T-Mobile about an app store in the work.
The best would be a unified app store where the carriers only do the billing
instead of each carrier having their own store.

