I’ve avoided the new Amazon app store since it launched in March solely because I couldn’t be bothered to deal with a new marketplace on my mobile phone. But after learning from Dave’s tweet this morning about today’s free Peggle app, I decided to give it a shot. Turns out, the whole process of getting access to Amazon apps is remarkably simple. After I punched in my cell number on the Peggle app screen on my computer, Amazon sent me a text message link for the app store download. The one hitch was telling my phone to accept downloads from an “unknown source,” but that was quickly rectified in the settings menu. Then once I signed in to my Amazon account, I was ready for Peggle.
Amazon can make a go of its third-party app store on mobile phones precisely because so many consumers already have Amazon accounts. Like the Android-based Amazon MP3 app I’ve had for a while, the Amazon app store makes paying for new stuff extremely easy. Once you’re signed in, new purchases are a single click away – just like with the embedded Apple and Android app stores. And of course, with an Amazon tablet on the way, it won’t be long before the ecommerce giant can do some embedding of its own.
As for Peggle itself on my new phone, I’m still in the testing stages, but so far the interface seems to work well, even on the small screen. You can aim with your thumb on a virtual scroll wheel and shoot with a tap on the ball icon. The graphics are satisfying, and the app is responsive. Plus, it’s free today! How can you go wrong?
Wow, you’ve missed out on a lot of free apps by not using the Amazon store sooner. Check back every day to see if the free app is one you want. The nice thing is that you can do it from your phone or computer. It’s really a no brainer.
John
“Amazon can make a go of its third-party app store on mobile phones precisely because so many consumers already have Amazon accounts.”
It’s not just that Amazon has my CC number on file, it’s that I trust Amazon as an e-commerce vendor.
I do some very minor business with the Cupertino AppStoreMonster, but I buy gift cards with cash for an Apple ID so I don’t have to give Cupertino my CC number, since I don’t trust them as an e-commerce vendor, and since I thus wish to keep my Apple ID purchases to a bare minimum.
I await our always on the way, but never actually arriving, Google overlords with trepidation, since I can’t imagine ever wanting to give Google my CC number and trusting them as an e-commerce vendor.
Amazon’s secret sauce is that Bezos understands that customer trust is his core asset. I’d happily move to a mobile (or lean-back) platform that let me pay via Amazon. Markets only really work properly when trust is established.
I enjoy being an Amazon customer, and that’s a rare commodity in the cloud.
(Folks trust Netflix as well, which is why they’ve being doing well the past few years, but they’re a niche company. Think about it. Nobody trusts their cableco or wireless company. Apple is a trustworthy as a gear-vendor, but not as a service-vendor. Google is autistic. Microsoft is comatose. Amazon could take over the world over the next five years if they keep their eye on the ball.)
the nice thing is you can buy via the website so even if you might not have the phone/tablet that can run the app today, buy it while it is free and then install when you have the right tech. I check pretty much everyday and even if my wife’s phone or Archos tablet can’t run the app I probably will still get it for future needs.
Um, who is Peggle? What has she done? :)
Chucky, out of extreme curiosity, what do you think would happen if Apple had your credit card number? I’ve honestly never had a problem with them, dating back since the original launch of the iTunes Music Store. In fact, twice, I’ve had to deal with support, once after I redownloaded a GPS program for my iPhone, but accidentally “bought” the US version, when I had previously owned a US/Canada version. I was promptly refunded. The other time I had paid about $8 or so for three boxing fights, but the third one was in the future, and ended up being cancelled. Apple proactively refunded everyone. I had forgotten all about it.
“Chucky, out of extreme curiosity, what do you think would happen if Apple had your credit card number?”
Well, they’d have an identity tied to any machine I used that Apple ID on. Beyond that one issue, I’d need to write a long, footnoted essay. In short summary:
The CC number alone?
– Pretty serious security and data mining concerns.
– Deliberately confusing in-app purchase style monkey business.
– General lack of transparancy in terms and conditions.
Doing anything but light commerce with the AppStoreMonster? (The CC number makes this much easier, but obviously a separate concern.)
– Apple ID concerns via long-term access to purchased rights.
– General lack of transparancy in terms and conditions.
– Various customer service horror stories.
The AppStoreMonster has been developed around various areas where Apple holds monopoly status. First around Portable Music Players, then around “good enough” smartphones, and now around tablets.
Apple treats AppStoreMonster customers in the same way any monopoly players treats their customers. Caveat emptor. If you just want to rent movies, do so with my blessings as long as you check your CC statements. Go any deeper, and I’d advise stepping back.