Posts tagged Amazon at Switched

Posts with tag Amazon

YouTube: Share Videos and... Shop?

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 2:42PM

The term 'YouTube' has reached such pop culture saturation that even our grandparents know that it's a video site. But if the Google-owned video behemoth has its way, everyone and their mother (and father, sister, and brother) will soon spend as much time shopping on the site as they do watching videos.

In a partnership starting with Apple's iTunes Store and online retailer Amazon, YouTube will place conveniently located buttons to purchase, say, the song or videogame used in the music video or gameplay clip, respectively, that you are watching. The generated revenue will then be shared with the applicable retailer. It's unclear how YouTube will split the revenue-sharing with folks who post user-created content that utilizes said music, game, or other product in their videos, but given a possible three-way split between YouTube, the retailer, and the user, expect some pretty low margins.

We'll have to see how unobtrusive the actual implementation is, but given the amount of music videos and videogame clips found on YouTube, iTunes and Amazon are probably the two best retailers to partner with. A "Buy Now" button isn't too different from a standard Google ad besides being a bit more targeted, but hey, at least they're trying. What really has us concerned, though, is when and if companies start hiring shills to give glowing video "user reviews" of their products on the site (Yes, it will happen). [From: Mashable]

Amazon's Kindle 2 Spotted in the Wild?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 10:51AM

So much for Amazon's attempts to quell Kindle 2 rumors, eh? Talk of a replacement (or a pair of replacements) for Amazon's popular -- but very oddly-styled -- e-reader has been in the mix seemingly since the first model started shipping, and Boy Genius Report has scored shots of something that certainly looks like it could be in the legitimate pipeline. The revised device appears to address complaints over the original's look head-on, rounding the corners and ditching the oddball angles; the scroll wheel has been replaced with a joystick, the SD slot is gone (don't worry, there's at least a gig and a half on-board), and around back, we have grills that seem to suggest integrated stereo speakers. The display is basically the same size -- no color here yet, sorry -- so unless the sharp edges on your first-gen piece are driving you batty, it looks like this could be safely skipped by current owners while roping in new buyers who wouldn't have considered it before. Thing is, was ditching the scroll wheel and that trick mirrored bar in favor of a joystick really the right way to go? [From: Boy Genius Report]

MySpace Music Streams a Billion Songs in 'A Few Days'

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 6th 2008 at 10:01AM

MySpace's Re-Launched Music Streams a Billion Songs in

It was just a week ago that MySpace re-launched its Music service in partnership with Amazon, enabling any of the site's millions of users to stream the full albums of thousands of artists. Now, MySpace is calling that re-launch a success, saying that a massive billion songs have been streamed since the launch, and that it's still counting.

The re-launch expands greatly on the previous service that usually had a track or three from a limited number of artists and depended on those artists to manually upload the tracks. It's unclear just how popular that older, more limited service was (we're betting quite), so exactly how big of a milestone this is remains to be seen. But, the true proof will be in its long-term success, and in measurements of just how many users clicked on over to Amazon to buy tracks outright -- usually at per-track prices $0.20 cheaper than iTunes. For those figures, we'll just have to wait. [From: TechCrunch]

MySpace Partners With Amazon to Stream Free Music

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 26th 2008 at 9:35AM

Part of what has made MySpace so popular is the ability for bands to create their own pages and post a song or three online, enabling fans to then grab and share those songs on their own pages, showing their allegiance and letting friends rock out when they came by to visit. That functionality got a major boost yesterday when MySpace Music added the entire discography of artists from Sony BMG, Universal, Warner, EMI, and Orchard.

Fans can browse through for their favorites and then stream entire albums through the site, still picking tracks to embed on their own pages. If they want to actually own the songs and play them offline or on a portable player, they'll need to pony up some cash, which is where the partnership with Amazon and its MP3 store comes in, with most DRM-free tracks starting at an iTunes-beating $.79. The problem, for the labels at least, is that buying tracks isn't always easy, as links to Amazon's site are quite frequently missing.

But, despite the typical MySpace glitches and random errors that some reviewers found, feedback is mostly positive. (Media blog paidContent.org even called it "an ambitious new music site not crushed under the weight of legal limitations and lawsuit avoidance.")[From: MySpaceMusic and BBC News]

Will Wright's 'Spore' Slammed by Reviewers for Copy Protection

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 13th 2008 at 1:34PM

Will Wright's Masterpiece Spore Slammed by Reviewers for Copy Protection

EA's 'Spore,' the latest from 'Sims' creator Will Wright, was hailed by critics as being revolutionary when it was announced -- back in 2005. Since then, it's been delayed and delayed some more, but somehow the hype just continued to grow and grow. The game is now released on the PC and Mac platforms, receiving some mediocre scores from game reviewers who can't quite find a point to it all. More disastrously, though, is the overwhelmingly negative reviews gamers are giving the game at Amazon due to its "draconian" copy-protection system.

The game has to "dial home" to activate itself when installed, which means if you can't play the game if you don't have an Internet connection. More of an issue is that it will only activate itself three times; after that you're stuck calling EA's customer service, who may or may not activate the game for you. Then there's the life-cycle concern: Even if you still have activations left, if in 5 years EA decides to take its activation servers offline will, you be stuck with a useless game?

Irritated buyers are striking back by giving the game one-star reviews on Amazon, and with 1,355 reviews currently lodged, the average is indeed a single star. So, Amazon shoppers at least will know what they're getting themselves into when it comes to copy protection. Will they know just how generally average the game is otherwise, though? [Source: ars technica]

Amazon Denies Kindle 2.0 Rumors

by Nilay Patel, posted Aug 30th 2008 at 10:08AM

Well, so much for those rumors of a thinner, cheaper, less 80s-hot Kindle coming soon -- Amazon spokesman Craig Berman told the New York Times today that there's nothing in store for this year, and that a new version won't happen before "sometime next year at the earliest." So much for that, unless there's some huge surprise in store -- looks like all you college kids are going to end up killing some trees this year after all.

Upcoming $249 Amazon Kindle 2.0 to Be Thinner and More Stylish

by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 26th 2008 at 10:14AM

Amazon's having as tough a time keeping the lid on information about its 2nd generation e-book reader as it had with the 1st-generation Kindle, which was unearthed by Engadget snoops way back in September of 2006 . It seems as though everyone and his analyst brother is confirming a new, larger screened collegiate reader and at least one other variation, presumably the Kindle 2.0.

Now, BusinessWeek steps up and "confirms" the collegiate reader while claiming knowledge of a new 2.0 base model that, "is significantly thinner, has a better screen, is more stylish and includes fixes to some of the user interface annoyances," such as the placement of those massive page forward / back buttons which can trigger inadvertent page changes. In fact, their source claims that the new version is much more than an iterative evolution, "They've jumped from Generation One to Generation Four or Five. It just looks better, and feels better." BW also claims that the new model's price (currently, $359) will hit $299, "or maybe $249," and could be announced as early as September.

Interestingly, Kindle 2.0's design is being lead by a designer hired from the powerhouse shop, Frog Design. A group which just happened to give the Kindle a very public and very critical tongue lashing at its November 2007 launch. We guess this squeaky wheel received its oil in the form of a giant cash payment.

Read -- Frog's take on Kindle 1.0
Read -- BusinessWeek rumor

Tivo and Amazon Selling Books, CDs, and More on Your TV

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 6:01PM

Back in May, TiVo's VP of product marketing got all of our hopes up that the next announcement involving it and Amazon would include HD Unbox content. As you can very clearly see, this is most certainly not the case. Instead, we have the immense pleasure of informing Internet-connected Tivo Series2, Series3 and TiVo HD owners that they can now buy wares from Amazon without leaving their couch.

If browsing through Amazon's extraordinarily huge store with just a remote sounds appealing to you, you're in luck (and mildly insane). Also of note, the new Product Purchase feature will enable advertisers to "market products sold through Amazon on any broadcast or cable network, any TV show, or via any of TiVo's extensive interactive advertising features." In other words, next time you see Dwight using that iconic shredder, you can buy that bad boy right then and there. Take that, Staples. [Source: Tivo via Zatz Not Funny]

Amazon Offers TV and Movies On Demand

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 17th 2008 at 11:16AM

The New York Times is reporting that Amazon is scrapping its Unbox service in favor of a new online TV and movie store called Amazon Video on Demand. Unlike iTunes and Unbox, Amazon's new digital store-front will stream any of 40,000 movies and television programs to customers. According to Bill Carr, Amazon's VP for digital media, "Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can't help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button." In this regard, the first 2 minutes of every video will begin to play when customers visit the video's product page.

Movies can be purchased and downloaded to your hard drive or stored in an Amazon video library allowing you to stream the content to other (any?) Internet connected devices. Films and TV shows from "almost all the major studios and television networks" will be available for sale or rental in the US at undisclosed prices -- only Disney and its ABC subsidiary are holding out for uh, obvious reasons (Steve Jobs is Disney's largest individual shareholder).

Amazon also plans to bring the service directly to the living room through a deal with Sony (and others) which will ultimately embed store access into future Bravia TVs. For now, Amazon's VoD store will be available through Sony's $300 Bravia Internet Video Link device. The store goes beta-hot today for a limited number of "invited" US Amazon.com customers before going live later this summer. [Source: The New York Times]

[Thanks, setteB.IT]

'High Fidelity' Author Nick Hornby Sounds Off On Kindle and eBooks

by Tim Stevens, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 5:02PM

'High Fidelity' Author's Doom and Gloom for eBook Readers

Since its release last year, Amazon's Kindle has surprised many by taking the market a bit by storm. The electronic reading device sold out quickly, and racked up some ridiculous highs on eBay (we were smitten after spending a little time with one.) Eight months later, we still love reading on the thing, but author Nick Hornby isn't quite so thrilled with the concept, and he has posted a lengthy diatribe over at the Penguin Blog about why he thinks eBooks still aren't destined for huge success.

Hornby, author of 'High Fidelity' and 'About a Boy,' lists a number of reasons as to why he doesn't think eBooks will be successful, including the belief that book readers are not early adopters (we think those outrageous eBay prices say otherwise). He also mentions that eBook market and experience can't simply be compared to the iPod: you can't rip your existing library of books like you can with music. But, he makes an interesting point on why eBooks aren't a particularly hot business model: People on average only buy seven books per year, and 34-percent of adults don't even read books.

Of course, eBook readers also display newspapers, magazines, and blogs, so we don't think he's entirely hit the mark, but it's safe to say that it's going to be a long, long time before e-reading devices like the Kindle even start showing the same sales figures as Microsoft's Zune, which means they've got a looonnnng way to go. [Source: The Penguin Blog via Shiny Shiny]

Amazon MP3 Offering Coldplay Albums for as Little as $1.99

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 19th 2008 at 5:22PM

Amazon Offering Coldplay Albums for Dirt Cheap

Amazon is looking to blunt Apple's iTunes-exclusive marketing blitz surrounding Coldplay's new album 'Viva la Vida.' Despite Apple's claims of exclusivity, 'Viva la Vida' is the number one selling album on the Amazon MP3 store.

Amazon's plan of action is to greatly undercut Apple on prices. Coldplay's new album is a full dollar cheaper at Amazon ($8.99) than on iTunes, but the really dirt cheap prices are on Coldplay's back catalog. Each week, an old Coldplay album will be made available for $1.99 for a period of seven days, then the the next album in the catalog will go on sale for the bargain-basement of $1.99 the following week.

The Coldplay deal is just part of a larger marketing strategy by Amazon that includes a Friday Five, which is five albums for five dollars, rotated out weekly, and a Daily Deal that offers a different album every day at steep discounts.

Amazon's lower prices are sure to win over some converts, but it still remains to be seen whether or not 'X & Y' can be called a "deal" -- even at $1.99. [Source: BetaNews]

Amazon to Launch Video Streaming Soon

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 29th 2008 at 5:19PM

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, unveiled at this week's D: All Things Digital conference that Amazon is planning a digital video streaming service. Want details? So do we, but Bezos wasn't very forthcoming. All we know is that it will be an 'a la-carte system,' which we're assuming means feature films and TV shows meant to compete with Netflix's "View It Now" feature.

The service is a natural extension of Amazon's Unbox service, which allows customers to purchase digital copies of major motion pictures. Unbox films are already watchable on your television via TiVo, but you must wait for the movies to finish downloading before actually watching them, which could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the speed of your connection.

Subscription? Pay-per-play? Catalog size? Hardware partners? We have no idea, but Amazon has our attention. [Source: USA Today]

Camera Store Offers Shopper $75 to Remove Bad Amazon Review

by Tim Stevens, posted May 6th 2008 at 5:36PM

Shopper Leaves Bad Amazon Review, Shop Offers $75 To Remove

Woe betide the online camera shopper. Those who have an affinity for expensive photo gear know that they can save a bundle online. But, doing so often means dealing with shady, NYC-based camera shops that would just as soon spew profanity at you on the phone as listen to your complaints. This is the trap that shopper and blogger Jason Weisberger fell into when ordering a new, $5,000 Nikon D3 from an Amazon-affiliated retailer, Cameta Camera. He didn't like the store's service and left it a bad review, which resulted in Cameta Camera seemingly offering him a bribe to remove the negative feedback!

Weisberger had paid a whopping $75 in shipping to get the camera delivered and found that the seller had simply thrown the camera's box into a larger box, with no extra packing, and sent it on its way. The outer box was thoroughly trashed during shipment but somehow the camera inside didn't receive any damage. Weisberger called to express his disappointment and, after getting treated rudely over the phone, left the negative feedback at Amazon.

The next day he received a very apologetic e-mail offering to refund the $75 shipping charge he received, on one condition -- that he remove that negative review. By Weisberger's account, that's bribery. Even so, the company in question makes a valid point, that often retailers rectify customer complaints but the customers in question don't then go back and update their reviews.

What's your take, an honest shop trying to protect its reputation, or a sleazy retailer trying to bribe its way to good reviews? At least they didn't sue him ... [Source: Dethroner, via BoingBoing]

Amazon Intros TextBuyIt, For Mobile Comparison Shopping

by Will Safer, posted Apr 3rd 2008 at 1:54PM

We'll admit it. We've been chased out of a big box retailer or two for taking pictures of products and writing notes on prices. It seems comparison shopping isn't something these stores want their customers to be doing.

But in comes Amazon.com to the rescue.

The giant online retailer announced a new service called TextBuyIt for a little comparison shopping and buying, and it's as easy as sending a text and receiving a text message.

Here's how the new service from Amazon works:

First, find a product you want to buy. Send a text message to "AMAZON" (262966) with the name of the product, search term or a UPC or ISBN code, and in short order Amazon replies with the product or products that match the search, along with prices. To buy an item, reply to the text message by entering the unique single digit number next to the item you want. You then then receive a short phone call from Amazon with the final details of the order. Then you confirm or cancel the purchase.

Easy please-y.

If it's your first time using the TextBuyIt service, you'll be asked for your e-mail address and shipping ZIP code that's connected to your Amazon.com account. The e-tailer then uses your default settings for payment, shipping address and shipping speed.

This is another service that's similar to what our friends in Asia are already doing all the time. In Japan, it's common for shoppers to do their buying via mobile phone. Now we get to satisfy our need to shop on the fly, as well.

From Amazon.com and Reuters .

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Amazon Gaining On iTunes' Lead In Online Music Sales

by Thomas Houston, posted Mar 27th 2008 at 10:02AM

Amazon recently moved into the number two online music retailer spot without much fanfare. Amazon's online MP3 store opened merely six months ago, and it appears to be gaining on the number one retailer -- Apple's iTunes Store, which commands 80% of online digital music sales.

The trends towards moving away from music burdened with digital rights management (DRM) software created new opportunities for Amazon. Why has DRM-free music -- which lets people play purchased tunes on any digital player or computer -- become such an important area of growth in the online music business? As Amazon's director of digital music, Pete Baltaxe, explained to USA Today: "Songs sold without DRM, at high quality, with album art, that's the best way to get people to buy music instead of stealing it," whereas DRM is a way to punish people who are buying...."

While Apple worked with record label EMI to sell DRM-free music in early 2007, the iTunes giant didn't have much luck getting other major labels immediately signed on. Instead of working with Apple -- currently offering 2 million DRM-free songs -- Warner, Sony/BMG and Universal decided to offer parts of their catalogs DRM-free on Amazon. Amazon's DRM-free library totals around 4.5 million, and is well-positioned to compete with iTunes.

Hopefully, the competition between the two retailers will result in better pricing and accessibility to music for consumers.

From USA Today

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