Amazon launching its own Android app store? (update: tablet too?)

This sounds like madness to us, but take it for what you will: TechCrunch is reporting via some tipsters that Amazon is preparing to launch its own Android app store, of all things. Revenue split is rumored to be "the greater of 70 percent of the purchase price or 20 percent of the List Price as of the purchase date," which is pretty strange wording -- this "List Price" concept is apparently designed to prevent you from undercutting pricing with other services -- and there'll be a $99 fee to gain entry, which is pretty standard. Apps will be required to use Amazon DRM and could be featured on Amazon's site, which is potentially a pretty big upside considering the kind of traffic that bad boy gets. As TechCrunch notes, a particularly interesting blurb in the alleged terms states that "[Amazon has] sole discretion to determine all features and operations of [programs] and to set the retail price and other terms on which [they] sell Apps," implying that pricing is their call -- not yours -- and they've got some say in how your app's going to work and what it's going to do.

Clearly we're missing something here, since they're starting with zero market share, the Android Market is the obvious choice for consumers, and there are some really odd terms -- and Bezos isn't a dummy -- so we'll hold out and see where this goes. After all, with Google apparently actively reigning in devices by lording Market access over manufacturers' heads, there might actually be some room for third parties to get some traction here over the long term.

Update: TechCrunch is now throwing in a rumored Amazon tablet at no extra charge. Could launch beside the app store if its source is correct. If.

Amazon launching its own Android app store? (update: tablet too?) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best of Smartphone Experts, 26 Sept 2010

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Office Web Apps used by 20 million, now embeddable via IFRAME, and more

Filed under: Utilities, Office, Microsoft

Despite our woeful lack of coverage for Office Web Apps, I'm glad to announce that Microsoft has been keeping its cloud-computing cogs churning: Office Web Apps has, in its first 100 days, been used by over 20 million people, and is now available in seven more countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Russia and Switzerland.

You can also now embed PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets on any website with the power of the IFRAME. This is what they look like:

A bunch of other changes have also been made to the Web apps themselves. You can now open Office files on your desktop directly from SkyDrive, and PowerPoint now has clip-art and more themes!

There's a video after the break (Silverlight powered, of course!) that shows off the new features.

Office Web Apps used by 20 million, now embeddable via IFRAME, and more originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Romantic Lamp That Splits in Two Glows Brighter When Both Are Switched On [Concepts]

You know those couples in iPhone ads, torn apart by distance and forced into FaceTiming each night? This Ping lamp is for them. It splits in two, and communicates over Wi-Fi so you always know when someone's thinking of you. More »

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Two New Palm Phones Could Finally Be On Their Way [Palm]

Just as we were beginning to think Palm's revival would amount to nothing more than four phones and some potential nifty printers, we hear word of two new models (and a new TouchStone) showing up in a certification database. More »

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TC Hackathon Alum GroupMe Hits 1 Million Texts, Adds Sponsored Groups

Born from the cradle of Disrupt's NY Hackathon, GroupMe is turning the codefest into something of a company tradition. The startup, which officially launched in August and recently raised $850,000 from a few prominent investors, took the stage on Sunday at the San Francisco Design Center to pitch their latest hack in 60 seconds or less.

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Acer Aspire TimelineX series updated with new processor options

It really does feel like it was just yesterday that Acer released its new TimelineX series, but believe it or not, it's processor upgrade time for the thin and light lappie line. The 11.6-inch Aspire TimelineX 1830T will now be available with ultra-low voltage Core i3, i5 and i7 CPU options, though Acer's pushing the $900 Core i7 680UM-powered version (the 1830T-68U118) rather hard. If you're looking for that sort of power in a 3.1-pound chassis, it's not all that bad of a deal, especially considering the similarly spec'd Lenovo IdeaPad U160 costs north of $1,000. We are a bit skeptical of Acer's eight hour battery life claim on that one, however. The other TimelineX machines -- the 13.3-inch 3820T, 14-inch 4820T and the 15.6-inch 5820T -- are also being injected with more standard voltage Core i3 and i5 processor options, and those will start around the $700 mark. All the new models should be available at retailers soon, and those dying for some more configuration details should hit the break for the full press release.

Gallery: Acer TimelineX 1830T

Continue reading Acer Aspire TimelineX series updated with new processor options

Acer Aspire TimelineX series updated with new processor options originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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