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Going head to head with Google's Android marketplace for apps, Amazon is now online with
its Appstore for Android. Not only is it organized and procured in a way that'll feel comfortable for anyone who's ever shopped on Amazon, but it'll also offer one paid app for free each day and the ability to try out certain apps for 30 minutes on a virtual phone in your browser to help you decide whether or not to spend money on the real thing. Moreover, users can now buy either real world or virtual gift cards that are good towards apps.

Users can either buy an app on their computer and a link will be sent to their phone for a download, or they can just access the store via their Android device.

The Amazon Appstore, which launched with about 4,000 apps, seems to be taking an iTunes-like gatekeeper approach and weeding out apps that would be almost universally agreed upon as useless. Incidentally, Amazon by using the iTunes-like name "Appstore" is being sued by Apple for trademark infringement.

Meanwhile, in a rare hardware mention in the AppWrap, IK Multimedia, which has
made a name for itself creating pro-quality apps for musicians for iPhones and iPads, is now out with the iRig Mic. It is being billed as the first high-end, handheld microphone for the iPhone and iPad.

Developers say it can be used for everything from recording high-quality audio tracks to
instrumental jam sessions. The mic comes with the VocaLive app, which counts among its several features real-time monitoring, as well as several effects – including pitch correction and choir harmonizer.

Also for free, though not out just yet, is a more scaled down for non-pros iRig Recorder and AmpliTube, the effects app for guitar and bass that put IK Multimedia on the map.

The iRig Mic is $60 and is compatible with iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads.