appstore

Amazon's Appstore is now available in Japan.

Amazon announced the news today, saying that the application marketplace includes both popular worldwide apps, such as "Fruit Ninja" and "Cut the Rope," as well as Japanese favorites like "Mushroom Garden."

The e-retailer has been making a significant push for the Japanese market as of late. Last month, Amazon launched its Kindle Store in Japan, allowing customers to buy its e-books. A few weeks later, Amazon launched its backlit Paperwhite e-reader in the country.

The Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD are currently available for preorder … Read more

Android users in several European countries can now use Amazon's app marketplace.

The company announced today that its Appstore is now available to consumers in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. As with the store in the U.S., users will be able to find and download Android apps to either their smartphones or tablets.

Now that Amazon has expanded to more countries, the company's marketplace is even more a competitor to its chief alternative, Google's Play.

Outside of the Android market, Apple's App Store is still going strong. Earlier this year, Apple announced … Read more

For all the success that Amazon has enjoyed with its Appstore for Android, that's largely been the case only in the United States. Yet, that looks to change later this year as developers can now ready their apps for distribution across a number of European markets.

Android developers logging into the Amazon Developer Portal will find that they can submit apps and games for release in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. It's not immediately known when the internal expansion will begin, however Amazon promises even more markets are on the horizon.

Since its launch a … Read more

Regional wireless provider U.S. Cellular has become the first carrier to offer its customers a list of curated apps from the Amazon Appstore. Announced today, these Android users will find a new menu greeting them when they launch the Amazon application. … Read more

If you're not sure if you want to buy an application, you can now try it out before you drop your cash.

Amazon announced yesterday that Android device owners will now be able to test drive applications, in its Appstore before they buy. The new Test Drive feature is currently available in beta, and only supports apps that use the touch screen and accelerometer features. Apps that require using the keyboard, multitouch, or the camera, among other components, are not currently supported.

According to Amazon, Test Drive is available on more than 5,000 applications offered through its Appstore, … Read more

Amazon's latest addition to its Appstore could very well ignite the ire of a litigious patent holder, and cause a new legal and monetary headache for app makers.

Amazon yesterday announced its in-app purchase service, offering developers a way to let users spend money inside of apps. While not a new feature among mobile apps, it adds new ways for developers to make revenue after an app has been downloaded, whether it was paid or free.

That particular mechanism, which has been available for app makers on Google's Android and Apple's iOS platforms for some time now, … Read more

Developers now have a new way to monetize their applications in Amazon's Appstore.

The e-retail giant announced today that the Amazon Appstore now allows developers to integrate in-app purchasing. Amazon plans to take 30 percent of the revenue generated from each transaction, matching Apple's App Store revenue share.

Amazon's in-app purchasing platform takes advantage of the accounts Amazon customers have already set up both online and on their Kindle Fire. In addition, Amazon says that the in-app payments will support the one-click purchasing that its online customers are already familiar with.

"In-App Purchasing is simple to … Read more

Amazon Appstore users can enjoy birthday discounts this week on such apps as Plants vs. Zombies, Fruit Ninja, Wolfram Alpha, and Splashtop Remote Desktop.

Starting today, users can grab a 67 percent discount off Plants vs. Zombies. Normally selling for $2.99, the popular game can be had for just 99 cents today. Tomorrow, two more deals will debut, followed by three new deals on the third day, and so on into next week, Amazon said today.

"Customers have used the Amazon Appstore to test drive and buy millions of apps and games for their Kindle Fire and other … Read more

Amazon's Appstore for Android include apps that allow in-app purchases. In-app purchases may include items like premium content, subscriptions and game unlock codes.

To prevent a scenario in which your 3-year-old daughter accidentally makes an in-app purchase of an unlock code while playing Cut The Rope (true story), here's how to set the Amazon Appstore's parental controls :

Step 1: From within the Amazon Appstore, touch the menu key and select Settings.

Step 2: Select Parental Controls.

Step 3: Check the first box to enable parental controls and enter your Amazon.com password. This will … Read more