Amazon joins Google and Apple app store race

Online retail giant Amazon plans to throw its weight behind a new app store for Android devices.

The retailer, which in recent years has profited greatly from digital distribution products such as Kindle, is thought will be listing games on its own website – as opposed to the Android Marketplace.

Due to Google’s leniency with its operating system, companies are free to distribute their own apps and can be accessed from Android devices.

Amazon has taken up that chance, and will be promoting apps across its world-leading online store – as well as integrating apps within its Recommended For You website feature.

One of the retailer’s aims is to determine the price of all the apps, as opposed to developers, and will have the prerogative to adjust – or completely removing – prices at will.

Developers are said will receive 70 per cent of all proceeds.

A developer portal has launched. Signing up is free for the first year, as part of a new promotion, though normally $99 will be charged each year.

“The sheer number of apps available today makes it hard for customers to find high-quality, relevant products – and developers similarly struggle to get their apps noticed,” said Amazon in a blog post.

“We continue to innovate the mobile shopping experience with the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon Price Check and the recently launched Windowshop for the iPad. We have numerous Kindle apps, and customers can shop our MP3 store from their mobile devices. Our subsidiaries like IMDB and Audible also have robust mobile applications. An Appstore is a logical next step for Amazon in mobile,” the company said.