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Amazon sparks Android assault as Kindle Fire HD and Appstore expand global footprint

Marketplace expands to 190 countries

Amazon sparks Android assault as Kindle Fire HD and Appstore expand global footprint
Amazon has announced its Android Appstore will be available in 190 countries worldwide from 13 June.

The global roll out comes a matter of weeks after rival Nook effectively admitted defeat with its own proprietary Nook App Store, opening its tablets up to the wider Google Play marketplace.

The move also compliments Amazon's decision to begin shipping its Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9" to new territories, taking its global to 170 nations.

World on Fire

It's all part of Amazon's long aim of cementing its place within Google's ecosystem, serving as the main rival to Google's first-party services.

"Not only does Kindle Fire feature advanced hardware, it's also a service," said Amazon's vice president of Kindle, Dave Limp

"When combined with our content ecosystem, great email and browsing and top-rated customer service, we hope people around the world will agree that Kindle Fire HD is the best tablet for an incredible price."

The tandem global expansion of Amazon's Appstore and Kindle Fire HD will no doubt bring more customers into Amazon's closed Android ecosystem.

At current, however, it's not clear whether Amazon's recently launched Coins virtual currency system will be supported globally as well.

We've reached out to Amazon for a clarification on this point and will update this story when we hear back.

[Source: Amazon]

US Correspondent

Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.