Amazon will challenge the Android Market

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT the rumours that Amazon is preparing to launch its own Android apps market to challenge the official Android Market might be close to the mark.

A copy of the terms and conditions developers will have to sign to sell through Amazon’s market for Android apps has turned up at Slashgear. It that document is legitimate, there’s a strong chance that the rumours, which have been circulating all week, are true.

Developers have always had the option to sell their Android apps through channels other than the official Android Market but few of the alternative marketplaces could match Google’s clout. An Amazon marketplace would change that.

With its experience in online retail and customer base, an Amazon app store for Android software could be a potent marketing channel for developers. Those developers would be expected to pay a $99 annual membership fee and agree that Amazon can impose its own digital restrictions management (DRM) protection on the apps, according to the leaked document.

Amazon had not returned a call requesting comment at the time of writing. µ