;)
Apple sues over Appstore name, Amazon launches anyway.
Amazon Appstore for Android opens in the US
Amazon has unleashed its new Appstore for Android with a free release of Angry Birds Rio in the United States, ending months of waiting for it to open its virtual doors
The new applications portal launched in the United States this morning, but frustratingly there's no news of a roll-out in the UK or Europe at the time of writing.
The big launch-day release is, naturally, Angry Birds Rio, which Amazon is offering for free for the first day to entice Android Market users to switch allegiances. The Amazon store is also the only place Android owners will be able to download the new game. On top of that Amazon is offering users a free paid-for app every day to kick start the operation.
The store allows users to download apps either through the bespoke smartphone app, or from the Amazon website itself. Website purchases will be instantly delivered to your handset in the New Apps section. Once you've downloaded the app and signed in, it's a very nifty operation.
The stand-alone app takes the appearance of other Amazon shopping apps we've seen and it's really easy to navigate and find the content you're after. In many ways it's more appealing than the Android Market app itself, with a rolling category carousel and integrated search bar.
As of 3pm GMT, Angry Birds Rio was the top Free app, while the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, Shazam Encore and Fruit Ninja battled it out for the top spot in the paid-for category.
Hopefully UK Android fans won't have to wait too much longer to get their hands on Angry Birds Rio as iOS owners already have it. It's not fair!
We're working to fix the problem right now and will have it working as soon as possible