As expected, Amazon is upgrading its Appstore with social gaming features like achievements, leaderboards, and save game synchronization. The service, known as Amazon GameCircle, aims to bring Xbox LIVE-like features to Android. If you’re familiar with Xbox LIVE - or the Game Center on iOS, which was also inspired by Microsoft’s service – there’s not much new to look at. GameCircle’s current implementation appears to be very basic, but the features are still nice to have on Android.

Amazon is allowing game developers to turn in-game items like trophies, treasures, badges, awards, and other accolades into achievements, complete with the now-standard name, description, and image. Only Xbox LIVE’s Gamerscore system seems to have been left out of Amazon’s version. The design of the leaderboard, on the other hand, is different than most, since it’s sorted by percentile rather than the actual place on the leaderboard. Your score is shown in the middle of the leaderboard, flanked by the two closest players and two groups of three players ahead and behind you at set increments. Finally, GameCircle will allow you to sync your game progress, scores, and achievements across devices.

Amazon GameCircle isn’t groundbreaking in the slightest, but it does have a few nice features, particularly game progress synchronization. Hopefully this will become standard in all games moving forward. The service is currently supported by 15 games on Amazon’s Appstore for Android, including Temple Run, Doodle Jump, and Collapse! Developers looking to add GameCircle to their apps can contact Amazon to request API access.

[Amazon Mobile App Distribution Blog]

The Amazon Appstore for Android will be opening its digital doors in Europe this summer, if a report in AllThingsD proves to be accurate. The online retailer’s Appstore is the biggest third-party destination for apps on Android devices. Part of its popularity is due to the free app of the day, which has managed to rope in many new users. The Appstore is also the only way to download apps on Amazon’s own Kindle Fire, provided you don’t root your heavily-modified Android tablet.

The European launch of the Amazon Appstore this fall, if true, will mark the first time that the service has been available outside of the United States. AllThingsD’s sources expect Amazon to make the big announcement next week, followed shortly thereafter by the opening of app submissions for inclusion in the new region.

In many ways, the Amazon Appstore is superior to Google Play. It is, however, much smaller. Hopefully, the potential to reach a larger audience will encourage even more developers to make their apps available on the Appstore.

[AllThingsD]