How the Internet has forever changed five major industries
The digital revolution has resulted in disruption to many industries, with whole new business models created, new brands rising to the top of many industries and those companies failing to adapt, falling by the wayside.
The digital age has impacted industries in both goods and service -- from travel and transport, to publishing, retail and music. The switch from physical to digital has revolutionized both the production and distribution of books and music.
Amazon Echo brings Beatles Easter eggs to Alexa
A week ago the Beatles came to streaming services, bringing the massive music catalog to a whole new generation. We've already learned of the popularity of this major launch as Spotify has released some numbers and the streams and ages of listeners were surprising.
The Fab Four also landed on other services as well, and one of those was Amazon Prime. With all of the cool features people often forget and Amazon Echo is also a very good speaker.
UK government working with eBay and Amazon to catch tax-evading sellers
When it comes to tax avoidance, it's usually big companies that come under the spotlight. Of course, there is nothing -- legally speaking -- wrong with tax avoidance, but it's a very different story with tax evasion. With eBay and Amazon providing a platform for vendors around the world, it is perhaps little surprise that the retail sites are home to a large number of tax evaders.
An investigation by the Guardian found that there are a huge number of overseas sellers who fail to pay VAT in the UK. HM Revenue & Customs is currently looking into whether eBay and Amazon could be held responsible for the tax bills, or what could be done to track down offenders.
The enterprise trends of 2015
Businesses tend to be quite conservative in their approach to technology, so it's always interesting to look at what's been sparking their interest.
Identity and mobility management specialist Okta has released a new report, based on analysis of its customers, looking at the big winners and losers in the enterprise over the past year.
Amazon Fire TV adds new channels including NBC
Amazon continues to expand its footprint in the set-top box market, a place that has really become a three horse race. Both Amazon, Roku and Apple are all in it to win, but choice really comes down to the customer.
Now the retailer is launching a bunch of new channels to satisfy customer viewing needs. And this update isn't just video, it's also games.
Hillstone adds extra security layer for AWS customers
When moving applications to the cloud it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that security can safely be left to the provider.
For Amazon Web Services customers there's now an extra layer of security on offer from Hillstone Networks. Hillstone CloudEdge is deployed as an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) gateway to provide an additional layer of security protection.
Amazon.in becomes the most popular site in India, video discounts for all
Amazon launched in the nation of India with a lot of attention and it has grown from there. The country is a vibrant market for sites, and it was a wise move by the retail giant to get in on the deal. Now Amazon is releasing bigger news.
Amazon.in has become the most popular site in the nation, or to clarify, the most visited commerce site in India. The milestone came in October of this year and was reported by Comscore, stating more than 30 million visitors, up 38 percent over the previous month.
Alexa app gets new alarm tones and ratings for Skills
Amazon Echo continues to learn new tricks, with music, home automation and much more. Some of the most popular things are called "skills", which are written by third-party programmers. There's also alarms and timers, which can wake you up or tell you when your food is done cooking.
Skills are important, as they allow Alexa to do more all the time. You can find them by opening the app and clicking the menu and then tapping on Skills. To review you will simply need to scroll down after clicking a particular one. From there you can read existing reviews and write your own.
Amazon launches a streaming partners program, brings Showtime and more
Just when you thought Amazon Prime couldn't offer much more, the retail giant goes and tries to do just that. The company is unveiling new streaming partners that will bring even more content and it comes from major players in the market.
The service is announcing a streaming partners program that will bring this additional content. This is a Prime only option, so you'll need to sign up for an account.
Businesses are in the dark on cloud costs and usage
Whilst there are increasing levels of trust in running critical applications in the public cloud, many organizations struggle when it comes to providing details of their cloud costs and consumption.
This is according to a survey for analytics specialist Cloud Cruiser, carried out by Dimensional Research, which interviewed almost 350 IT professionals who attended the Amazon Web Services re:Invent shows in 2014 and 2015.
Amazon takes its Fire tablets to China, adds new features
Amazon recently released its latest tablets, the Fire 10 and Fire 8, as well as a smaller $50 model, all of which sold very well over the big shopping days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. These were among several Amazon products that did well over that period.
Now the company is updating the software across the entire line, bringing several enhancements to the tablets. It's also putting a device on sale in China for the first time, so there's plenty of news out of the Washington-based company.
Cyber Monday a success? Amazon and Adobe think so
The "biggest online shopping day" is now behind us. Cyber Monday certainly brings out the deals, but do people really take advantage of them? According to a couple of announcements it would seem that the answer to that is yes.
Both Adobe and Amazon are reporting record sales, with Adobe citing a number of $3 billion. That same number was reported this morning by CNN. Obviously these are not sales to Adobe, but it tracks the data in general. The company calculates $11 billion in total was spent between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday. It also claims that "out-of-stock" rates hit an all-time high.
Amazon unveils new hybrid drone prototype for 30-minute Prime Air deliveries
When you make an impulse purchase -- or you're just an impatient type -- time is of the essence. Next day delivery is far too slow, and same-day delivery has gradually spread to certain places. Some cities have the option of delivery within the hour, but Amazon is working on cutting this down to as little as 30 minutes with Prime Air.
As you would probably expect, these super-speedy deliveries will be facilitated by drones, and Amazon has unveiled a new prototype drone that blends elements of a helicopter with those of an airplane. Unlike other drones we’ve seen the Prime Air model is quite large, and is capable of carrying up to 5 pounds.
How to: Find your misplaced phone with Amazon Echo and IFTTT
Amazon just recently introduced support for IFTTT (If This Then That) to its Echo product. The company is pushing fairly hard to add functionality to its device. On a regular basis you will find a new addition at the top of the app when you fire it up on your phone or tablet.
With the introduction of IFTTT Triggers Alexa can now do even more. There are a number of recipes to choose from, but setting them up, in most cases, is pretty similar. Many involve your phone so be prepared to turn your number over, though neither entities have given reason for mistrust.
Amazon Echo introduces IFTTT trigger phrases
Amazon Echo continues to gain functionality, utilizing music apps like Pandora, TuneIn and Last.fm, as well as, of course, Amazon Prime music. There's also a growing list of home automation integration which allows customers to control devices by voice. You can even control your second-generation Fire TV -- first-generation is coming soon, or so Amazon has told me.
Now the company is introducing trigger phrases for IFTTT events and it also works into the home integration slant, though there can be other uses.
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