Amazon Archives - Page 142 of 146

Shoppers Use Tools to Keep Track of Online Price Changes

By emeadows
January 31, 2013

Research from Dynamite Data shows that retailers such as Amazon, Sears, Walmart and Best Buy changed their daily Internet prices on various holiday products during 2012 much more frequently than in previous years. Since too many changes can prove overwhelming to shoppers, new tools have been developed, some of which automatically scan for changes and alert consumers when prices drop. Continue reading Shoppers Use Tools to Keep Track of Online Price Changes

Mobile: Amazon Acquires Voice Recognition Company IVONA

By David Tobia
January 28, 2013

Amazon has acquired IVONA Software for an undisclosed sum. Amazon already uses IVONA voice recognition software on the Kindle Fire, which helps users navigate the touchscreen and enables other voice commands. Amazon may now integrate the software into other Kindle products, and could also use the technology to create a competitor to Siri as rumors persist that Amazon could be working on a smartphone. Continue reading Mobile: Amazon Acquires Voice Recognition Company IVONA

Viki to Expand Reach with Amazon Prime Instant Partnership

By emeadows
January 28, 2013

Viki is “the Hulu for the rest of the world,” according to the company’s CEO Razmig Hovaghimian. It takes content from all over the globe, licenses it for cheap and brings it to the U.S. and other countries. The company announced a partnership with Amazon that will add more than 1,000 hours of entertainment from Japan and Korea to Amazon’s Prime Instant service. Continue reading Viki to Expand Reach with Amazon Prime Instant Partnership

Will Amazon Generate New Ad Revenue with Customer Info?

By ETCentric
January 22, 2013

Google uses targeted ads and so does Facebook. But it turns out that Amazon’s treasure trove of 152 million customers’ data is at the top of the digital heap. “Since last year, the world’s largest online retailer has been packaging information on what it knows about consumers so that some marketers can use it to make split-second decisions about where to buy ads online and how much to pay for them,” reports Technology Review. Continue reading Will Amazon Generate New Ad Revenue with Customer Info?

Mobile: Amazon Could Challenge Apple in Smartphone Market

By ETCentric
January 22, 2013

Amazon’s rumored entrance into the smartphone market could potentially complement the company’s struggling Kindle Fire and surging app store sales. An Amazon smartphone would not only push forward the already growing app store, but could give the company an outlet for mobile advertising — an area in which its unique collection of data could help predict future purchases. Continue reading Mobile: Amazon Could Challenge Apple in Smartphone Market

Amazon Launches HTML5-Based MP3 Store to Compete with Apple

By ETCentric
January 21, 2013

Amazon has launched a browser-based MP3 store featuring 22 million songs. The move directly challenges Apple since the store allows consumers to use their Apple devices to access music through Amazon’s Cloud Player app. Much of the music is cheaper than iTunes because Amazon does not have to pay Apple the 30 percent commission for sales through iTunes. This allows Amazon to offer specials like 69 cent songs and $5 albums. Continue reading Amazon Launches HTML5-Based MP3 Store to Compete with Apple

Vatican Drama Borgia Takes Unconventional Distribution Path

By ETCentric
January 17, 2013

The latest project from showrunner Tom Fontana, writer/producer of acclaimed shows such as “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Oz,” is not currently available via cable or broadcast in the U.S. Instead, the historical Vatican drama “Borgia” was launched without a network, has aired in France, and is now looking to additional options, including streaming. Adweek talks with Fontana about the unorthodox path the show has taken. Continue reading Vatican Drama Borgia Takes Unconventional Distribution Path

Amazon: AutoRip Service Offers Free MP3 Copies of Your CDs

By ETCentric
January 15, 2013

Amazon launched a new service called AutoRip that will start offering free MP3 downloads of any CD you buy from the site. But the really interesting part of the new service is the fact that it will give consumers MP3 versions of any album they’ve purchased from Amazon in the last 15 years. AutoRip will link to 50,000 albums and counting, and users will be able to listen in the cloud and/or download digital copies. Continue reading Amazon: AutoRip Service Offers Free MP3 Copies of Your CDs

Are Amazon and Google on a Collision Course for 2013?

By emeadows
January 3, 2013

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos got a “wake-up” call a decade ago, when he got word of a project at Google to scan and digitize product catalogs. “He saw it as a warning that the Web search engine could encroach upon his online retail empire, according to a former Amazon executive,” reports Reuters. That was just the beginning of a rivalry that will continue heating up in 2013. The two will compete even more fiercely in the online advertising, retail, mobile gadgets and cloud computing realms. Continue reading Are Amazon and Google on a Collision Course for 2013?

Will Amazon Launch New Focus on Online-Based Advertising in 2013?

By Emily Wilson
December 21, 2012

Amazon could possibly throw the online advertising world into a frenzy with its upcoming “proprietary real-time bidding platform that plugs into exchanges and supply-side platforms, including Google’s AdX and PubMatic,” set for a full release in early 2013. “This platform lets the company retarget its users across the Web based on their browsing and purchase habits on Amazon’s owned-and-operated properties,” reports Ad Week. With Amazon’s recommendation engine and database, this could “be a game changer,” according to the article. Continue reading Will Amazon Launch New Focus on Online-Based Advertising in 2013?

Consumer Study Points to iPhones and iPads for Holiday Wishlists

By Rob Scott
December 17, 2012

According to data from research firm Parks Associates, consumers have Apple devices on their holiday wishlists this year.
Parks reports that 53 percent of prospective smartphone purchasers plan to buy an iPhone for the holidays, compared with 33 percent who indicated the same in the third quarter and 24 percent one year ago.
“And when it comes to tablets, most of those surveyed said they’d prefer an iPad,” reports AllThingsD. “Following the iPad at 44 percent was Kindle Fire, with 24 percent of consumers expressing interest in Amazon’s touchscreen tablet.”
“Twenty-one percent of those surveyed said they’d go with the Microsoft Surface tablet — down from the 45 percent who just a few months ago said they wanted the Surface — and the Google Nexus tablet came in last at 12 percent.”
Additionally, Parks notes, “When presented with the iPad mini as a tablet alternative, many of those planning on purchasing other tablet brands opt for the iPad mini.” And among those planning on buying an iPad, 40 percent said they would opt for an iPad mini.
The smartphone portion of the Parks survey focused on brands only, not individual models, so it is not clear which version (and price point) of iPhone is enticing consumers.

Amazon Announces Cloud Player Now on Roku, Samsung Smart TVs

By Rob Scott
December 17, 2012

Amazon’s cloud-based music storage and streaming service is now available on Roku and Samsung’s Smart TVs, allowing users to play digital music on a single device. The app “finally gives Roku a good response to Apple TV’s iTunes Match,” notes CNET. Months ago Roku announced that the Amazon Cloud Player was “coming soon.”

Like its competitor iTunes Match, Amazon Cloud Player charges $25 per year to store up to 250,000 songs. It also includes a feature that automatically identifies music files and upgrades the quality using a 256 Kbps file from the Amazon catalog. “That’s a ton of digital music, although the competing Google Play Music allows you to store up to 20,000 tracks for free and is available on Google TV devices,” explains the post.

The release was announced the same day that Amazon added its Amazon Instant Video app for the iPhone and iPod touch.

According to a related post from CNET, the Instant Video streaming app “allows for access to over 140,000 movies and television shows that can be downloaded for purchase or rental.”

Amazon offers access to its streaming library across devices including the iPad, Kindle Fire HD, PlayStation 3, PCs and Macs. The app is only available to customers who pay for the company’s $79-a-year Prime membership.

Will Verizon Take on Netflix and Others with its own Streaming Video Service?

By Rob Scott
December 7, 2011

Verizon is planning to launch a standalone video streaming service for 2012 that would offer movies and TV shows via the Web, according to several people close to the plan.
“The phone company is talking with prospective programming partners about the service, which would be introduced outside of markets where it currently offers its broadband and TV package, known as FiOS, these people said,” reports Reuters. “That would make it available to some 85 million U.S. households.”
Verizon may be concerned about cord cutters and competition from Netflix, Amazon and Google.
“Verizon has been back and forth with programmers over the last two years exploring the possibility,” suggests the article. “While a lot of the discussion has been around fees, the programmers have also been concerned about the possibility of hurting their existing — and lucrative — relationships with the cable operators.”
Having its own streaming service would allow Verizon to grow its customer base and thereby lower its programming costs.
“News of the service will have added controversy in the wake of sister company Verizon Wireless’s plans to resell cable TV service for Comcast Corp, Time Warner Cable Inc and Bright House Networks,” points out Reuters. “Under that deal, announced last week, Verizon Wireless will pay $3.6 billion for valuable spectrum from the cable companies.”

Mossberg on iTunes Match: Store Your Songs without Slow Uploads

By Dennis Kuba
December 1, 2011

Walt Mossberg favorably reviews Apple’s iTunes Match service. For $25/year, you can create a music locker in the Cloud that allows you to play your music collection on up to 10 devices.
In contrast to similar locker services from Google and Amazon, you do not have to upload your entire collection — iTunes Match scans your iTunes library and matches it with its 20 million song library.
The service only works for digital music currently, and not for movies, TV shows or audiobooks.
Your locker can include up to 25,000 songs. It’s worth noting that, “Match is an optional addition to an existing free service called iTunes in the Cloud, which covers only songs you bought from Apple’s iTunes store.”
“In all, I like iTunes Match, and can recommend it to digital music lovers who want all their tunes on all their devices,” writes Mossberg. “It’s another nice feature of iCloud, priced reasonably.”

Will New $99 Kobo E-Reader Compete?

By Rob Scott
November 21, 2011

Kobo announced it will release its $99 Kobo Touch with Offers in time for the holiday season.
The 6-inch e-reader is the same as the company’s $130 offering, but “the screen will display ads when it is in sleep mode or turned off, as well as in what the company mysteriously refers to as ‘discreet places,'” reports VentureBeat.
The device “will be a direct competitor to Amazon’s Kindle Touch with Special Offers and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch,” suggests the article.
Although not widely known in the U.S., Kobo hopes to change that with unique features such as support for HTML, RTF and various image files.
According to the article: “Just last week, the Canada-based e-reader manufacturer was acquired for $315 million in cash by Rakuten, the largest online shopping mall operator in Japan, which may help the reader become an international hit. As for this season’s e-reader wars in the U.S., it’s still a scrappy underdog.”