Amazon Offering $5 Of Free Mobile Apps for Kindle Users in the USA

Amazon has expanded its own in-house micropayments system, Amazon Coins to permit the purchase of apps for Kindle ebooks.

To mark the launch, existing and new Kindle Fire customers in the USA have had 500 Coins -- a US$5 value -- deposited into their Amazon accounts today. With discounts of up to 10% for purchasing Coins in bulk, it's also an opportunity for customers to save money on their app and game purchases.

"Today we are giving Kindle Fire owners $5 worth of Coins to spend on new apps and games, or to purchase in-app items, such as recipes in iCookbook, song collections in SongPop or mighty falcon bundles in Angry Birds Star Wars. And with discounts of up to 10% when you buy Coins, this is a great way for customers to save money when they buy apps, games and in-app items," said Mike George, Vice President of Apps and Games at Amazon.

Amazon Appstore developers will earn their standard 70% revenue share when customers make purchases using Amazon Coins. No Coins-specific changes are required for developers with apps and games currently in the Amazon Appstore.