Amazon App Store for Android

Up until now, Google has been the only ‘official’ way to get apps on the Android platform. There have been a few knockoffs, but no real competition. Now, Amazon has entered the market, and Google has a real competitor.

Amazon has always been known for a great online shopping experience. They’ve always been friendly to gamers, offering launch day delivery and video game credits for preorders. Now they’re extending that experience to a marketplace to purchase apps for the Android OS. After a couple of test searches, I found pretty much anything you’d be able to find on the Google Marketplace, but now you can browse and purchase on your computer using your Amazon account. The app will automatically be downloaded to your phone after the purchase is complete. The system even knows what kind of phone you have, and will let you know if the app is compatible for your phone or not.

This marketplace competition is a good thing for the Android platform. While Google’s Marketplace has been all we’ve really had since Android began, it has been sadly lacking in some features. Amazon’s Market is looking great so far, and Google will have to do a lot of catching up already. Amazon is also featuring a free app of the day every day right now, so it’s easy to grow your app collection without having to spend a dime. And, like Google’s Market, you know your purchases are saved and can be re-downloaded with your Amazon account information. Go ahead and check it out here.