Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) plans to open up an app store of its own, putting itself in competition with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) in the Android smartphone market.
The company declined to comment on its plans, which The Wall Street Journal first revealed. Other sites later posted the "welcome packet" the company produced for app developers.
The document lays out the technical specifications for apps, as well as the information Amazon needs to market them. For example, Amazon asks for screen shots and specifies that they should not be animated GIFs. It also prohibits pornographic apps. Amazon also says it reserves the right to determine what content is "offensive."
Amazon isn't taking full apps yet, as it says that the system is not yet ready, but it is accepting promotional materials.
Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) app store has some 250,000 apps, while Google's Web site has about 80,000.
The document didn't make clear what the financial terms for app developers would be. The Wall Street Journal said Amazon would take a 30% cut of sales revenue, with the developer getting the rest -- an arrangement similar to what Apple and Google offer.
Although Amazon is late to the app-store scene, it does have the advantage of many users, with about 65 million visitors per month to amazon.com in the U.S. alone.
International Business Times, the Global Business News Leader
