Amazon’s Appstore for Android has launched today. The initial highlight is that chance to BUY the full Android version of Angry Birds, with the app’s $0.99 asking price finally giving Android owners the chance to play the game UNHINDERED by advertising.
(UPDATE: To clarify, the Appstore is accessible and browsable from the UK, and Amazon lets users install the app on their phones – but purchases and downloads fail at the final step with a “not yet available in your region” error).
As well as the full Angry Birds, Amazon is running a promotion to download the Angry Birds Rio spin-off for free – a promotion that lasts for today only.
Amazon is here and making some noise, basically. Check out the full Amazon Appstore offering online here.
Installing Amazon apps onto your phone isn’t as seamless as the new Android Market system – you have to send yourself a link to your email address or mobile phone number, then download it on your device.
Plus there’s an initial download of the Amazon Appstore app. A bit cumbersome, but nonetheless rather impressive to see Android apps given such high billing on Amazon’s web site.
And even then, after all that fuss and installation and having to type our email address and password in twice, we’re currently being told that the Amazon Appstore isn’t currently available in our region. Such a tease.
It’s smooth to use, the 1080p display is sharp, clear and bright, the device is extremely light and thin and therefore very pocketable and portable — much more so than other 5-inch phones we’ve used. And yet… we’re a bit unimpressed by the overall package…
A relatively high-spec smartphone, with a 4.5″ display running at 480 x 854 resolution and powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, plus the Ascend G510 arrives running Android 4.1.1 — albeit potentially hindered by Huawei only sticking 512MB of RAM inside it..
The Panasonic Eluga marks the company’s return to the European mobile phone scene years after several years of absence, and it’s come back to us with a moderately high-spec Android model that features a rather stylish, slim case.
Sony returns with an all-new mobile design for 2012, pairing a dual-core processor with a 720p display. It’s a lovely phone, but is it enough to end our Samsung and HTC obsession?
LG’s updated Prada phone comes with an absolutely crazy black & white theme, but is it just for fashionable suit wearers who want to make themselves look a bit more interesting?
UKAndroid
/ March 22, 2011Whilst interesting, it seems strange that “Eurodroid” does not mention that downloads from the store are only currently available for customers in the USA.
Gary C
/ March 22, 2011No need to be such a “cunt” about it.
RP
/ March 22, 2011Seemed like a perfectly reasonable comment, to be honest.
Gary C
/ March 22, 2011Yes, yes it was. Sorry. Got too excited.
UKAndroid
/ March 22, 2011It is also worth mentioning that you have to allow apps to be installed from “Unknown sources” which allows any apps to be installed – some could be be from less than scrupulous sources.
chris
/ March 22, 2011Only available to US users!
MonkeyBiscuit
/ March 22, 2011EuroDroid “Android News from not-America”
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Amazon App Store is not available in your region (UK)
Is it available anywhere other than America?
chris
/ March 22, 2011nope
Rik Hemsley
/ March 22, 2011They need to go about the process properly. If they want to sell apps, they need to get them into the Android Market. If the Market needs to open up to allowing mega-publishers like Amazon rather than just smaller publishers and individuals, fine, talk to Google about it.
Don’t make a rubbish incompatible ‘store’ which requires users to open up a major security hole on their device if they want to use it.
chris
/ March 22, 2011Just a thought, where will developers stand on this. They won’t want to put apps in an app store if it is only available to one country,will they?
chris
/ March 22, 2011Get it here.
http://www.droid-den.com/android-news/get-angry-birds-rio-here-today-only
Anonymous
/ March 22, 2011Excellent, thanks
Peter
/ March 22, 2011Sure they will. The US is 60% of Android Market users, probably more for paid apps.
Trilby
/ March 22, 2011Let’s be reasonable here, nobody could have expected them to launch in the UK at the same time as the US. They’ve got to put all the apps on a big boat and sail them across the Atlantic first.
Dan
/ March 23, 2011Why mention the appstore at all in UK if you can’t download anything from it. I want angrybirds Rio so badly! Anyone know when the appstore is available here?
Simon
/ March 23, 2011to be fair neither Amazon or Rovio mentioned that the Amazon App Store would be US only until after it was launched, and only after people complained.
Gary C
/ March 24, 2011Because you could browse it in the UK, click on things, and even install the bloody app on your phone. Only then, after setting up a payment option, did it tell you it’s not actually available here.
Madness. Apologies for getting your hopes up.
frankiefish
/ March 27, 2011Don’t worry rio is kind of a disappointment u get 2 levels then they’re gonna unlock an extra level like 1 or 2 months later until the end of the year.kind if retarded if u ask me.
frankiefish
/ March 27, 2011Angry birds n angry birds seasons are kind of better. I k.ow its a change but I kind of like the older ones better.