Amazon Appstore opens for Europe

Amazon Appstore is expanding into Europe and is inviting developers to submit their programs for distribution, the company said Wednesday. Developers can submit apps for distribution this summer in Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain with expansion to other locales expected in the near future, an Amazon release said Wednesday. Amazon said it would assist developers by providing details on localizing apps with localized resource files for different regions, and that developers could choose the countries in which they want to sell their apps and at what price. "We are thrilled at the success our developers have experienced on the Amazon platform in the last year," Jim Adkins, vice president of the Amazon Appstore, said. "We're excited to open the door to even more opportunity by expanding app sales outside the United States." "We see tremendous potential for current developers in our distribution program to grow with the international expansion," he said. "We also encourage new developers to join and participate in the platform's growth." Developers will earn 70 percent of the list price on each paid app sale, Amazon said. The Amazon Appstore launched in the United States in March 2011.