All Entries Tagged With: "amazon"

Amazon Now Offering $0.99 TV Shows From ABC and Fox – Beats Apple to The Punch

It appears as though Seattle, Washington-based Amazon has beaten Cupertino, California-based Apple to the punch. The giant online retailer has begun offering $0.99 HD and SD TV shows from both ABC and Fox on its Amazon Video On Demand [VOD] service. Best part is that customers get to own those shows, unlike Apple.

As you might be aware, Apple announced $0.99  TV show rentals from the same networks earlier today at its annual Fall Media Event in San Francisco, California. However, Apple will not offer its $0.99 TV show rental service until the new Apple TV becomes available in four weeks.

Amazon Reportedly Developing Online Video Streaming Subscription Service

Seattle, Washington-based Amazon is reportedly developing a new online video streaming subscription service to rival Hulu, Netflix, Google, and even Apple. The service will apparently offer TV Shows and Movies. The giant Internet retailer has apparently approached several media companies such as NBC Universal, Viacom, News Corp., and Time Warner in hopes of striking a deal.

The new Amazon service will be similar to the Netflix streaming service, given that it will be browser-based. However, subscribers will also be able to watch content trough Internet-connected devices such as modern TVs, Blu-ray player, and video game consoles. The service will focus on “older” content, as that seems less of a threat to media companies’ existing businesses.

New Digg CEO Revealed

We knew that Digg was very close to hiring a new CEO. As a matter of fact, Digg Founder and interim CEO Kevin Rose stated that the role would be taken around the same time as the New Digg went live. With that said, the new Digg CEO has been revealed to be Amazon General Manager of Consumer Payments Matt Williams.

William joined Amazon in 1999. That means that he’s been with the company for approximately 11 years. He’s held several positions at the company ever since. Now, Digg has poached him.

Amazon: New Kindle is Fastest-Selling Product

Seattle, Washington-based announced today in an official press release that its newly-introduced Kindle ebook reader has become the fastest-selling Kindle ever. The company states that over a period of four weeks more units of the new Kindle were ordered than any other previous Kindles. Additionally, the company wished to inform everyone that the Kindle has become the best-selling product on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

The company also indicated that the new Kindle began shipping to customers today. That’s two days earlier than previously anticipated. The new Kindle is currently selling for $139 on Amazon.com.

Amazon offered the following facts regarding the new Kindles:

• Kindle and Kindle 3G are the most gifted and most wished for products on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined.
• Customers in 125 countries on six continents from Austria to Zimbabwe have already placed orders for the new generation Kindles. Some of the most remote shipments will be sent as far away as Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands.
• Customers are already ordering books to read on their new Kindles. The most popular are the books in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, “Star Island” by Carl Hiaasen and “The Rembrandt Affair” by Daniel Silva.

Press release available in the full post.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Now The Bestseller on Amazon

Goldman Sachs may have considered the BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone launch to be “underwhelming“, but Amazon’s putting Research In Motion’s creation on the pedestal.

The Torch has found its way to the “Bestsellers in Cell Phone with Service” list over at Amazon, most likely due to the fact that the store has the handset available for $100 cheaper than alternatives (AT&T Store).

We would fully expect other retailers to follow suit with a price cut in the near future, otherwise, everyone’s going to be flocking to Amazon. Our ‘tell-all’ posts aren’t helping much, are they?

Straight to the top!

HTC Desire Shows Up On Amazon, Disappears Promptly

Take it as official proof that the HTC Desire is hitting a store near you — soon. Last night, the mobile device made a brief (albeit certain) appearance on Amazon.com. The device was posted up for a whopping $650, and apparently given the codename “Ace”.

No word yet on when the Desire will make its official debut, though the tech world has right to think it will be soon. Even if it isn’t.

More information on the device, launch, and whatever else we learn as we get it.

Pink Floyd Removes Albums From The Web

A direct result of a long-standing dispute with record label EMI, popular rock band Pink Floyd has found it necessary to commit sales suicide, removing many of their albums from online sale from stores like Amazon and iTunes.

Not all of Pink Floyd’s albums have been removed, however. Some of the band’s first albums still remain on sale, as EMI holds the rights to the recordings.

The band is currently seeking a new contract deal which will prevent a record label from selling individual tracks or remastering recordings as ringtones.

In the end, we’re not entirely sure who this hurts more; the consumer or the band? You decide.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Only $99 At Amazon

Well, well. It would appear as if consumers now have one heck of a choice when purchasing a BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone for AT&T. You can either get one full-price by visiting your local AT&T store (or the online store), or you can head over to Amazon and purchase your smartphone for just $99.99, provided you’re willing to agree to the standard two-year contractual obligation.

That’s right, Amazon is selling the Torch for $99.99 with free two-day shipping, folks. That’s 50% less than AT&T. In addition, Amazon is selling the Torch 9800 contract-free for a whopping $550.00, for those who aren’t so fond of signing two years of their mobile life away with AT&T.

Amazon Launches UK Kindle Store

Our distant neighbors across the pond will soon get a taste of Amazon’s Kindle Store. The company announced today the immediate opening of a UK Kindle Store, complete with localized book selection.

With over 400,000 books and 170 newspapers and magazines to select from the get-go, Amazon touts that the UK Kindle store has the lowest prices “of any e-bookstore in the UK.” Publications are available on a one-time purchase basis, or by subscription.

Of course, you’ll be waiting a while if you want to view the material on Amazon’s newest Kindle — slated to ship at the end of September.

Full press release in the full post.