It has been available internationally for a while, but we in India have finally got a chance to try out Amazon’s Appstore for Android. We like what we see, but cannot download any apps.
The Android Market is an extremely decent repository of apps, but we must confess that we have always welcomed alternatives to it, and when Amazon got into the Android app market business a few months ago, we were rubbing our hands in anticipation of seeing a worthy rival to Google’s best. However, we had to twiddle our thumbs mainly as Indian users could not access the Amazon Appstore for Android on their devices. Well, according to a number of sources, that changed today. We actually were able to download the Amazon Appstore for Android on our handsets. Needless to say, we have wasted no time in getting stuck into it.
To get the Amazon Appstore for Android, just head to http://amazon.com/appstorelanding/ on the browser of your Android handset. The app will get downloaded on to your device – it was a 1.31 MB download on our HTC Desire HD. You will need an Amazon account to get things started when you launch the app (relax, membership is free).
That done, you have access to more than a hundred thousand apps on your device. And in an interface that is certainly a huge step forward from the slightly dull one that we see in the Android Market. The free app of the day is highlighted on the top, while below it is a panel that contains different categories of apps, each shown in a different tab. App prices are shown in USD terms, but there are a number of free apps too. Downloading a paid app requires you to enter your credit card settings – a one time affair. You can see reviews of the apps, and in a typically Amazon touch, you can also get to see a list of other apps downloaded by people who downloaded a particular app – amazing for reference, believe us. You can view your apps, updates and get recommendations for apps. And of course, there is the offer of the one app that goes free every day.
All of which is pretty impressive. And would give the Android Market a decent run for its money on our handsets. There is just one catch – we could not download any apps at all (free or paid_ on either of our Android handsets (the HTC Desire HD and the LG Optimus 2X). When we tried downloading we were informed that the “Amazon Appstore for Android is not yet available in your region.” We have been told that other users in India have been able to download and purchase apps, and we do not actually know what the issue is. What we do know is that right now, we are feeling like hungry kids standing outside a candy store without a penny in our pockets. There are stacks of apps out there, in what seems clearly like a more user-friendly interface than the Android Market’s. But we cannot download any.
Come on, Amazon, open up and let us in. Please. We deserve some happiness too.
Get it from: http://amazon.com/appstorelanding/
Price: Free
