Amazon Appstore packs its bags ahead of international expansion.

For all the success that Amazon has enjoyed with its Appstore for Android, that's largely been the case only in the United States. Yet, that looks to change later this year as developers can now ready their apps for distribution across a number of European markets.

Android developers logging into the Amazon Developer Portal will find that they can submit apps and games for release in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. It's not immediately known when the internal expansion will begin, however Amazon promises even more markets are on the horizon.

Since its launch a little over a year ago, Amazon has seen success with their Appstore for Android. As one of the first major non-Google outlets for apps, the Amazon Appstore has seen tremendous developer interest. What's more, users seem to enjoy features such as 1-click purchase, in-app purchasing, and ... [Read more]

Microsoft takes on Siri with new Windows Phone update

Microsoft has shed some serious light on the future of Windows, with Windows Phone 8 and Surface tablet revelations this week burning away much of the uncertainty surrounding Windows and devices.

As expected, Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 will have tight integration with Windows 8. The intent is obvious, and frankly, a good idea: make it as easy as possible for you to move from one Microsoft device to another, no matter if you've got a phone, a tablet, a laptop, or a desktop.

For one thing, Internet Explorer 10 will be present on the new Windows Phones as well as Windows 8 and Windows RT. You may scoff at the idea of IE being a decent browser, but there's little doubt among people who pay close attention to browsers that Internet Explorer 10 is the most standards-compliant version of the browser yet, with competitive page-load times and expansive HTML5 support. Microsoft is also attempting to position IE10 on the side of the end-user by setting its Do No Track header to on by default, something no other browser maker has done yet. While it's true that there are defensible reasons for not doing it, it is unusual for Microsoft to take such an aggressive stance.

Microsoft plans to port IE10's strong security features to the phone version of the browse... [Read more]

Game bundles are fairly commonplace these days, but most of them focus on PC and/or Mac titles. Here's something a little different.

Indie Gala Mobile lets you set your own price for four Android games, with the proceeds going to your choice of destinations, including two worthwhile charities.

Available through Friday, June 22, the bundle includes the following titles:

• Cardinal Quest: an arcade-style dungeon crawler.
• Great Little War Game: a 3D turn-based strategy outing.
• Legends of Yore: a "roguelike" with 8-bit graphics.
• Smiles HD: a Bejeweled clone with some cool twists (literally).

The minimum buy-in is $1 -- a small price to pay given that the games have a combined value of around $10. But if you pony up at least $4.63, the current average purchase price, you'll get not only the PC versions of each (except ... [Read more]