You might have noticed the new Amazon AppStore for Android that opened its virtual doors last week, but did you notice the very useful “Test Drive” feature? It’s another reason why you might consider this Android Market alternative.

Even though you can look at screenshots and watch videos, there’s nothing quite like actually using the app to figure out if you actually want it. With Test Drive, you can quite literally take any of the Android apps out for a test drive… except you do it inside your web browser (US Only). This works for both free and paid applications.

Yes, I completely realize that using an app inside of a Firefox or Chrome window isn’t exactly the same as using it on your new Motorola Atrix 4G, but it sure beats spending five bucks on a game only to learn that it’s utter garbage. I wonder how long it’ll be before Apple implements something similar for the iTunes App Store, saying that it’s revolutionary and completely changes things again.

[Amazon]

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I thought that the whole point of having an app store was that you were able to find all of your apps in one convenient location. Well, the Android world just got a little more fragmented with the launch of the Amazon Appstore for Android.

This alternative to Android Market certainly has a stronger web-based interface than its official counterpart, but it does mean that you might end up going to two different places to find your Android apps. It is nice how it’s all integrated with your Amazon account, though, as well as the built in recommendation algorithm like the rest of Amazon.

In order to install apps via the Amazon Appstore, you’ll need to install the Appstore first. After that, you can browse through the apps just like how you would in Android Market. The kicker, at least for now, is that the Amazon Appstore has the exclusive on Angry Birds Rio.

The other kicker? The legal team in Cupertino has reportedly come forward to sue Amazon over the use of the name “Appstore.” They can’t patent the idea of an app store, but they can certainly try to control that precise wording.

For my part, while I appreciate the increase in consumer choice, the fragmentation of the Android app marketplaces can cause for even more confusion. There are only 3,800 apps in the Amazon take for now, but as each side gets more exclusives, this could lead to even more fragmentation… because that’s exactly what Android users and their various OS versions need, right?

[Amazon App Store via Video]

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