(Pocket-lint) - Amazon Appstore, the retail giant's venue for Android applications, has now opened for business in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

It currently contains a mighty host of applications available for download to Android smartphones and tablets, including bestsellers such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Cut The Rope, but that's not the big story here. What is, perhaps, more interesting is that its arrival surely heralds the launch of the Amazon Kindle Fire in the UK at last. Or even the Kindle Fire 2.

Amazon is hosting an event in San Diego on 6 September, at which it is widely expected to announce a new Kindle Touch, a Kindle Fire 2 tablet device, and even an Amazon smartphone for the United States. There's also a confident murmur that the company will unveil a European version of its first Android tablet device.

However, considering that the first Fire was launched in the US pre-Christmas 2011, perhaps it will break from its own tradition and release the new model globally. Especially as there is now strong competition in the 7-inch tablet space with the Google Nexus 7 and, potentially, a new iPad mini. We can but hope.

Nonetheless, it would be strange for Amazon to spark up its own Appstore in other countries unless it was also to sell a device that can use the produce.

Roll on 6 September.

To access the Amazon Appstore in the UK, point your Android device in the direction of www.amazon.co.uk/get-appstore.

Would you consider a Kindle Fire? Or would you prefer to wait for a Kindle Fire 2 or, even, iPad mini.

Writing by Rik Henderson.