Washington cannot let Amazon water-down consumer protection legislation
The holiday season is a reminder that with more Americans than ever heading online to do their shopping, lawmakers must continue taking action to prevent consumers from falling prey to internet scammers. That’s why it was welcome news when Amazon recently reversed course on its longstanding opposition to bipartisan consumer protection legislation in Congress that would require third-party online marketplaces to verify independent sellers, with the goal of reducing counterfeits and stolen goods from these platforms.
But while Amazon’s public change of heart seemingly paves the way for the eventual passage of the bill, known as the INFORM Consumers Act, lawmakers must ensure that the retail giant and other tech companies do not work behind the scenes to water down the legislation and render it toothless. Counterfeits pose great harm to consumers and small third-party sellers, and Congress must pass strong, comprehensive enforcement mechanisms to adequately protect both groups.
Google or Amazon dropped the ball after Amazon Music outage
For most of one day last week, a majority of Amazon Music and Ring customers suffered a catastrophic outage when Amazon’s own Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down for hours. Whether you were missing music or vital security, it was a long day for many people.
The system came back up gradually; here and there a site or app would work, but sometimes only briefly. By that evening, US east coast (EST) time, everything was back up and running as normal.
Amazon to stop accepting UK-issued Visa credit cards
Ecommerce giant Amazon is to stop accepting payments made from Visa credit cards issued in the UK as from January 19 next year.
Visa debit cards and credit cards from other issuers like Mastercard and Amex will still be accepted. The reason for the move is cited as Visa’s high processing charges.
Cybershoes announces integration with several new Oculus Quest 2 VR games, and Amazon Europe availability
Strapped to your feet and connected to your HMD via Bluetooth, Cybershoes for Quest is a cool accessory that let you walk or run through VR games. When I reviewed the product back in March, the selection of titles offering native support was rather limited.
Today, the company announces integration with a number of additional Oculus VR games, including Until You Fall, Contractors, Grapple Tournament, and Larcenauts.
Documents show Amazon gaming search results to promote its brands while copying rival products in India
When it comes to accusations of fixing search results, it is usually the likes of Google in the firing line, but documents seen by Reuters show that Amazon has engaged in such activities.
The news agency obtained thousands of internal Amazon documents cited as evidence that the company not only "ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoffs", but also that it was "manipulating search results to boost its own product lines".
Home security service Home8 is currently down, blames AWS [Update: Back up now]
These days a lot of us have home security systems to one degree or another. You may simply control your locks and perhaps a light; or you may be a little more invested in the technology, adding motion sensors, cameras, leak sensors and other little toys.
The thing you need most with all of this is an operational system keeping an eye on everything when you can’t. You rely on this for protection for yourself, your family and your property.
Amazon unveils new Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition e-readers
For years I was against the idea of e-readers, preferring to read actual books. When I did eventually make the switch though I was instantly converted, and these days my Kindle Paperwhite is a constant companion, traveling with me everywhere. Its days may be coming to an end soon though.
Not because I’m planning to start reading 'dead tree' books again, but because Amazon today announces two stunning new Paperwhites.
Amazon announces its own 4K Fire TVs with Alexa voice control
It’s been rumored for a while that Amazon was planning to make its own smart TVs -- rather than just partnering with other television manufacturers to offer 'Fire TV Editions' (sets with Fire TV and Alexa built-in) -- and today the retail giant confirms this with the announcement of two new 'Amazon-built' smart TVs -- the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series and Fire TV 4-Series.
The Fire TV Omni Series is Amazon’s premium offering and it comes with far-field voice controls so you can talk to Alexa from across the room. Alexa voice controls are always available, even if the set if turned off. Don’t worry though, you can disable this feature if you’re not keen on the idea of a television set listening to your every word.
Best-selling router ships with vulnerable firmware
Researchers at CyberNews have uncovered security flaws within the default firmware and the web interface app of the TP-Link AC1200 Archer C50 (v6) router.
The router -- an 'Amazon's Choice' product -- is shipped with outdated firmware that is vulnerable to dozens of known security flaws and could put users at risk of man-in-the-middle and Denial of Service attacks.
Lexar HADES RGB DDR4 desktop memory is designed for PC gamers and creators
For those of you that build your own desktop computers, you know that choosing the right brand really matters. For instance, if you opt for an unknown company for your RAM, power supply, or storage, there is a very good chance you will run into problems. This is why I always recommend sticking with reputable brands -- saving a few bucks is never worth it if you end up having to troubleshoot crashes.
Lexar is a trustworthy company that has been around for a long time. The company is most known for its quality memory products. Today, Lexar launches beautiful new DDR4 memory that both creators and gamers should absolutely adore. Called "HADES," the RAM comes equipped with attractive RGB heat spreaders and is offered in both 3200MHz and 3600MHz speeds.
Amazon denies cryptocurrency rumors, and Bitcoin drops in value
The ever-volatile price of Bitcoin took another turn as Amazon denied recent rumors that it is looking to accept the cryptocurrency as a form of payment.
Speculation about the online retailer's embrace of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, as well as rumors of tokenization, caused a Bitcoin surge at the weekend. But now the company has spoken out to deny the suggestions, the value has tumbled again.
Report: Amazon is preparing to accept Bitcoin, leading to a cryptocurrency surge -- tokenization also possible
Speculation about the possibility of Amazon starting to accept Bitcoin as a method of payment started to circulate after the company posted a job listing for a Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead.
This led to a surge in the cryptocurrency, with the trading heading toward $40,000 in an impressive 20 percent jump over the weekend. In addition to the job posting, an insider has been quoted as saying that not only is Amazon working toward accepting Bitcoin by the end of 2021, but it is also considering launching its own token.
Western Digital launches Battlefield 2042 edition WD_Black SN750 SE NVMe SSD
Battlefield 2042 is one of the most highly anticipated video games, and it is due out later this year. It is currently scheduled for an October 22 release, but as we all know, these dates can be pushed back due to unforeseen issues. With that said, I am pretty confident Electronic Arts will meet this deadline, and Battlefield 2042 will prove to be one of the hottest Christmas gifts this year.
If you want to ensure you get your copy of Battlefield 2042 and that your PC's storage can load it quickly, Western Digital has a special bundle you must check out. You see, the company has launched a special Battlefield 2042 variant of its WD_Black SN750 SE NVMe SSD. Not only does it comes with a redeemable download code for the game, but it is emblazoned with really cool Battlefield 2042 branding.
Windows 11 will support Android apps through the Amazon Appstore
Although the Windows 11 announcement introduced lots of new and exciting features coming to the new OS later in the year, perhaps the most jaw dropping was native support for Android apps.
Users will be able to find and download Android apps directly through the new and improved Microsoft Store, but you won’t be able to grab your favorites through Google Play as it isn’t supported.
US Amazon customers have a week to opt out of Sidewalk -- here's why you should
You've probably heard of Amazon Sidewalk, the company's home networking system. In fact Sidewalk is a bit more than that, it involves devices like Echo speakers and Ring doorbells becoming part of 'mesh networks'.
These networks will, says Amazon, simplify the process of setting up new devices, keep them online even when out of range of home Wi-Fi, and extend the range of tracking devices. However, customers have only a week to opt out if they don't want their devices to be enrolled in Sidewalk.
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