Amazon Appstore will go live in Europe later in the summer

It appears the rumours of the Amazon Appstore launching in Europe later this year were true - Amazon has just sent out a press release asking for developers to start certifying their apps in time for the AppStore's launch in the summer.

While it's been open for business in the US for over a year now, the Amazon Appstore - for reasons not revealed by the company - has remained distinctly 'closed' everywhere else in the world.

The Amazon Appstore is an Android distribution channel controlled entirely by the online retail giant. On the Appstore, Amazon offers up daily deals and employs the One-Touch payment system familiar to those who use the company's main website.

The Amazon Appstore will be available in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy later in the summer, with Amazon promising "further global expansion in the near future". Sounds like something a mad dictator might say while cackling over a model globe and stroking a cat. Maybe.