[ixian]

I don't want to see XBMC in the store, but I'd like to see it on the homescreen.

Speaking of that... I have a basic startup app working. It was really simple once I got Eclipse and ADT set up correctly. Right now, all it does is start SPMC since that's what I have installed on my Fire TV. But what I'd like it to do is have it check if XBMC (any of the versions currently recommended for the Fire TV) is installed, then:

• if no versions of XMBC are detected, display a message directing them to the wiki page
  
• if one version is installed, automatically start XBMC
  
• if more than one version is installed, ask the user which one to launch, with the option to remember the choice and start that version automatically
  

It's not difficult at all from a basic programming standpoint. I just need to reacquaint myself with Java and read up a bit more on how Android handles the GUI elements.

Once I get that working, I'll submit the app to the Amazon App Store. I looked over Amazon's content guidelines and didn't see anything that would prevent it from being accepted, since it's really not doing anything that the various launchers don't (or couldn't) do. And really, it should be a lot more preferable to Amazon from a business standpoint than the various launchers in the App Store, since the entire purpose of my app is to make the FireTV interface more pleasant to use for XBMC users rather than replace it.

If the app is accepted in the App Store, then the problem's solved. We'll still have to side-load XBMC onto the Fire TV, but we'll be able to access it from the FireTV's Apps menu.

It's not that I don't like the idea - I do like it. I wish you all the luck in the world.

But an app who's sole purpose is to provide "official" (homescreen) looking access to a sideloaded app is something I see them having problems with. I've dealt with Apple, Google, and Amazon stores (and Microsoft, but that one will take literally anything) and while Amazon is by far the easiest to deal with I can see them having problems with this.

Not that I don't want it to succeed. I hope it does. Just be wary going in - maybe think of some other things the app could do, so it's not *just* about access/updating a sideloaded app?