App Stores

Amazon just recently opened their own App Store for Droid products. Honestly I do not have a Droid phone, but it has certainly gotten my attention. Before Amazon's App Store opened, most Droid users purchased their apps from the Android Marketplace which is run by Google. Now I am a big lover of Google, but one look at my bank statement will prove I'm a lover of Amazon as well.

After a quick glance at Amazon's developers section, I notice that they have the same terms as Apple for developing and selling apps. While I am not positive, I believe the Amazon store is trying to duplicate the quality control that Apple appears to have on their apps store. Unlike the Android Marketplace, the Amazon Appstore will require developers to submit their apps for approval before posting them on their site. As a consumer, I would think that if the apps costs the same then it would be more ideal to purchase approved apps. Sooner or later there will be a big app virus that deletes all your contacts and makes long distance calls to China right underneath your nose ha ha ha ha.

Since the whole concept of app stores is so new, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for them. Will there be anti-viral/anti-spam apps like Norton? Will more big companies take up selling apps? Or will a big freeware movement come across apps that allows people to download freely whatever they want?