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Amazon has unveiled their own Appstore for the Android Opering System. This new store is different from the standard Android Marketplace run by Google. It will include both paid and free apps but will exclude pornographic content similar to Amazon's own website. 

The company has announced some interesting perks to keep it different from the Marketplace with free paid apps each day and a trial system allowing you to try a program before buying it. The first announced free program is Angry Birds Rio, normally $0.99.

Apple has decided Amazon's name is too close to their own so they have filed a lawsuit forcing them to change it.

The past few weeks, we've heard lots about the catastrophic effect of Internet kill-switches like those implemented in Egypt and Libya (and the one under debate in the US senate). This weekend, however, Google deployed a different sort of kill-switch in its Android network: one designed not to shut off communications but to disable malware unknowingly installed on devices running the Android OS. On Saturday, Google's Mobile Team released a blog entry stating that 58 malicious apps were removed from the Android Market, offending developer accounts were suspended, and an Android Market security update is being pushed. In addition, Google says that it's working on closing up the vulnerability that the malware exploited. For now, though, those running Android 2.2.2 and up are immune, but, as pointed out by Ars Technica, the mobile industry's poor track record in Android updates means that older—and more vulnerable—versions of the OS will still be the norm on many devices shipped in the future.

More worryingly, though, is the issue of developer's rights this event brings up. A PCMag editorial asserts that a better decision on Google's part would have been to alert users who had installed the malicious app of the security breach and give them the option of removing it themselves. Of course, Google's chosen course of action was perfectly legal and justified (and polite—if your device was affected, Google left a note on it about what was changed and why), but many people still feel insecure about the possibility of other OS developers like Microsoft or Apple remote-wiping programs or applications from devices, maybe for reasons other than security. That raises the modern question regarding device purchase: do you really own what you bought?  

Months ago, Motorola has announced the Android 2.1update for the Cliq planned for the end of June.  However, Motorola has been unable to deliver. 

For those of you Motorola Cliq users who just can't wait for the update, an unofficial update has been leaked and instructions on how to install it can be found here.

I have not tried the update on my own Cliq yet, but according to Engaget, the unofficial version runs decent, but still lacks the pinch-to-zoom function and live wallpapers.  Rumors say that Motorola's plan is to release the official version by the end of August, giving them plenty of time to make the appropriate changes.

For photos and Engaget's full unofficial 2.1 performance review head here.

Most you have probably heard about the Droid X and its eFuse, which prevents messing with the bootloader.  Sadly, that is still giving Android fans trouble, but they have recently gotten one step closer.  A procedure for rooting the Droid X has been discovered, allowing people to modify things on the phone that cannot normally be accessed.  Will this first step eventually allow people to load custom ROMs onto the Droid X?  Only time will tell.  Check out the step by step instructions to root a Droid X here.