Whether you refer to it as the post-PC or PC+ era, applications have become a significant part of how we interact with our devices and the world around us. There are over a million apps available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, and new ones appear every day by the bucket load.

The rumors around Amazon building their own smartphone continue to heat up, with reports of a device being in testing and the company hiring former Windows Phone executives adding to the far. So far it has all been speculation, but the consensus around a late 2012 or early 2013 launch is fairly strong. Given the cut-throat competition in the mobile industry, does it make sense for Amazon to enter such a highly contested space?