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And people wondered why Amazon launched an app store

The Amazon Appstore launched a couple days ago, and I just finally got all the bugs worked out so I could download apps. Apparently Amazon’s system thought I was outside the US. (I live in the South, so I’m pretty sure that was just wishful thinking.)

I just downloaded the free app of the day, Doodle Jump. I might never play it, but given that it’s free I just couldn’t resist.

That right there is why Amazon will beat Google. Amazon gave me a reason to visit their app store every day. Can Google do that? I seriously doubt it. Google don’t want me as a customer (which is another reason Amazon will succeed).

I think now would be a good time for Amazon to start  working on the site design. I’m sure that you think it’s great, but people shop for content in certain ways, and the site doesn’t mimic that.

For example, back when I bought paper books, I usually bought 6 or 8 or 10 at a time. I’d discover an author and then go buy his backlist. I can’t do that in the Kindle Store. For some reason Amazon decided to forgo the shopping cart for Kindle ebooks, and I’ve always found the lack frustrating.

Do you think the same will apply for apps? I  know I used to sometimes by games 3 or 4 at a time, and I could see that I might want to buy several apps at once.

One other gripe I have is that the search box usually doesn’t work  right. Call me picky, but when i want to search by an author’s name, I don’t want to see where that name pops up in book titles. I’m not looking for books.

Is there any part of Amazon that you find awkward?

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Comments


Mike Cane March 24, 2011 um 4:38 pm

Google misses the boat with their eBooks store too, not having freebies without requiring a credit card number. Hell, I have an Amazon account and can get samples and freebies WITHOUT giving them any damn CC. Sony, Borders, Kobo too. It’s as if Google started their damn eBook store in a vacuum!

As for Amazon search, don’t get me started. But if you’re *in* their App Store, how are you getting writer’s names at all? At least in Google Books (not eBooks) I can do Advanced Search and search by Author field. Unfortunately, like today, if the author’s name is also that of a library’s *collection*, you wind up with more books than Harry Houdini ever wrote!

Where Amazon currently misses the boat is that a CC is required for those Android freebies. I can’t get them as-is nor could I even use a Gift Card to *buy* apps.

curiosity killed the.. March 24, 2011 um 9:03 pm

maybe I’m misreading this but what do you mean you have to present a cc # just to get freebies in Google eBooks?

i have downloaded several free books from googles book site with nothing more than my email/generalized Google account.
they however don’t make it clear how and where the free books are hiding in plain site but i found them within the 1st few searches and noticing the free filter button on the left for each category.


Sherri March 24, 2011 um 5:14 pm

When I’m accessing the Kindle store from my Kindle, I don’t want a shopping cart, but when I’m accessing the store from my computer, I might. When I buy from my Kindle, I’m only buying one book, because I just read the sample and I want to read that book right now.


Andrys March 25, 2011 um 9:40 am

Nate, if you want to find the author’s other books, you can just click on the author name on the top of the product page. (Was that what you were looking for, any info on them?) — but you’re right, the e-books are buyable one at a time. For some reason it hasn’t bothered me. It lets me designate which Kindle gets it first and then I can find something else and 1-click that also. For some reason I haven’t missed putting these in carts. And definitely on the Kindle when shopping on it, I want the download and not a cart.


Michael March 25, 2011 um 6:41 pm

I’d like a cart for Kindle purchases too. When I shop for ebooks, I usually start out with, "Okay, I’m going to spend $30 today, now let me go find what I want." I’d appreciate being able to add any books that catch my eye to my cart, then pick through my cart before checkout to decide which I want now and which to stick in my Saved Items–To Buy Later pile.

I can sort of do that with Add to Wishlist, but it’s missing that all important feature of a cart: being able to checkout and purchase everything in one go.


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