Amazon Appstore Arrives In UK

Amazon has launched the Amazon Appstore in Europe, more than a year after it first debuted in the US to sell Android apps.

It is now available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with a localised mobile store and content in each country.

The store was launched in the US last March and offers an alternative Android app store to Google’s marketplace, known as Google Play. However, unlike Google’s marketplace, apps are tested by Amazon and backed by customer support, meaning increased protection from malware and poor quality applications.

Amazon App Store

In addition, any item purchased on the Amazon Appstore can be used on any Android device and Amazon says that the rollout across Europe shows that it is the most complete end-to-end platform for mobile developers.

“Customers in the US have purchased millions of apps, games, in-app items and subscriptions since the store launched last year, and we’ve received great feedback about discovery features like Free App of the Day,” said Jim Adkins, vice president of Amazon Appstore. “Amazon has spent years developing innovative features that help customers find and discover the products that are right for them and have applied that know-how to the Amazon Appstore. We’re delighted to extend that experience to our European customers.”

Features from the US store such as personalised recommendations, customer reviews and one-click payments have found their way across the Atlantic, as does the Free App of the Day promotion. Today’s free app is mobile gaming phenomenon Angry Birds, while tomorrow’s is Pop Cap’s Plants Vs. Zombies.

“Amazon’s Free App of the Day programme is really unique,” said Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio Mighty Eagle and CMO.  “Over the past year we have offered Amazon customers some of our best-selling premium games like ’Angry Birds Rio’ and ’Angry Birds Seasons’, for free, and the response has been truly overwhelming.”

The UK launch of the application store is likely to increase speculation that either the Kindle Fire or its successor could be coming out way soon. The Kindle Fire 2 hasn’t been officially announced but reports have suggested that plans are well under way.

What do you know about smartphones? Find out with our quiz!