Despite a lawsuit from Apple alleging trademark infringement over the name “appstore” the Amazon Appstore launched today,

The Amazon Appstore is selling apps for Android phones and tablets in a challenge to Google’s own Android Marketplace.

And, for at least today, Amazon is giving away Angry Birds Rio, for Android, for free.

At the D: Dive into Mobile conference in San Francisco yesterday, Andy Rubin, Google’s VP of Mobile Platforms delivered a keynote - addressing mobile phone technology as well as what the future of tablets might look like. He dove into Android — explaining the past (Android started as an eight-person start-up), present, and possible future.

Here’s our favorite quote:

Question: Is Android too clunky? Will we see a sea change where Android really gets more user friendly?

Rubin: I would probably characterize Android today as an enthusiast product for early adopters — or wives of tech enthusiasts.

In online search, the Yahoo-Google rivalry was everyone’s favorite.

But Yahoo is not the contender it once was. It’s teamed with Microsoft in a strategic advertising deal, and Bing is poised to pass Yahoo as the No. 2 search engine any day now.

So Yahoo, it seems, is putting old qualms aside, and is developing several apps for Google’s Android mobile system. In July, it launched Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Messenger for Android.

But Yahoo isn’t exactly in bed with Google now. Yahoo still touts many of its efforts for Apple’s iOS platform, and appears to be investing in more apps for that system.

Image: Yahoo Mail for Android

With the Macintosh, Apple was the only company that made machines based on its operating system. Microsoft trounced it with Windows, which would be deployed be many manufacturers.

History, it seems, is repeating itself. Only difference is Google isn’t making very much money from this endeavor.

Not exactly a huge shocker. Google gives its Android software to manufacturers for free.

Android’s conditional dominance holds great financial potential. But right now, it’s peanuts from a business standpoint.

You may have fewer than 11 days to purchase what many critics still call the best among the stable of 60 or so Android phones on the market.

Google is selling off the remaining stock of its Nexus One phones through the online store by the end of this month, a Google spokeswoman said.

“Droid does. Does what? Show, don’t tell.”

— “Lessons from Apple on Advertising and Aesthetics” by author Gina Trapani

(via blogger aaddiitt)