Amazon officially confirmed its anticipated entry into the app store market, opening the Android Appstore Developer Programme in order to fill its catalogue. While the company has not officially announced its launch plans for the store, it said in an FAQ that it expects a debut “later this year.” It will offer products for Android devices, initially focusing on the US market, using “proven eCommerce and marketing features like search and search refinement, browse, and app recommendations based on customers’ past purchases.” There is a US$99 fee for developers to register for the programme, although Amazon is currently waiving this.

The emergence of Amazon into the Android app store market place is an interesting one, as it will address many of the shortcomings previously cited for Android Market. The company is an established retailer of both physical and digital products, has a trusted brand, and established payment channels, which may prove appealing to cautious customers. It also has a significant track record in merchandising products and making recommendations, to enable developers to maximise the visibility of produts.

As with many other stores, Android Appstore has a product approval process, with the company stating that “we will be testing the apps you submit prior to making them available in our store to verify that each app works as outlined in your product description, does not impair the functionality of the mobile device or put customer data at risk once installed, and complies with the terms of the distribution agreement and our content guidelines.” While developers have the choice whether or not to include digital rights management (DRM) protection on apps, should they do so they must use Amazon’s approved DRM system.