amznwebappAmazon is upping the ante in the app-store wars, announcing this morning that it has started accepting HTML5 web apps into its Amazon Appstore, expanding beyond native apps for its Android-based Kindle Fire tablets.

With the move, Amazon is trying to get a leg up on Google and Apple, aiming to attract more app developers and broaden the content available to users of the Kindle Fire and other Android devices that can run the Amazon Appstore.

The Seattle company, which is also rumored to be working on its own smartphone, is pitching the program to developers as a way broaden the audience for their web apps and make additional money through Amazon’s in-app purchasing API. (Amazon takes the industry-standard 30% cut of revenue from these transactions.)

Amazon says it’s a simple submission process for developers that lets them capitalize on the work they’ve already done, without needing to create a native app.

Web apps get a bad rap for performance compared to native apps developed specifically for a given platform. However, Amazon says a new, faster web runtime for the Kindle Fire will let web app developers create “native-like experiences.”

The company also released a web app tester for developers. Here’s an Amazon video with the rundown on expansion into .

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