Amazon Kindle Fire Now Lets Users Browse Android Market

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Amazon has previously blocked access to Google’s Android Market from within the Kindle Fire web browser. After the latest Kindle Fire update, users report being able to access the official Android app repository, although the results might still not please Kindle Fire users who want full access.

Amazon launched its Kindle Fire tablet a few months back essentially as an Android tablet. But because the company is banking on revenues and proceeds from content, it wants users to download apps and content from its own AppStore. As such, Android Market is officially blocked from the Kindle Fire (although a hack can be done to install the app). Accessing Android Market from the Silk mobile web browser redirects a user to Amazon’s own AppStore, which some have criticized to be hijacking.

The latest Kindle Fire update, though, comes with an unexpected surprise. Users can now access Android Market from within the web browser. The redirection is gone, although a certificate warning is shown before a user can view Android Market. Now, Kindle Fire owners can browse for apps.

However, there is one big concern. One can only browse, but not install apps, from Android Market, because there’s no easy way to associate the Kindle Fire with a Google account, which is the primary way Android Market pushes installed apps to an Android device. Still, this is useful when a user wants to search or browse for apps, and then check out Amazon AppStore to see if equivalent or similar apps or games exist.

Will Amazon ever enable full Android Market access on the Kindle Fire? Given the retail giant’s business model, this is highly unlikely. But giving users at least read access to the official Android app marketplace is a good move, as it no longer hijacks browser views.